Annie 1 @ Damansara Uptown

Annie 1 @ Damansara Uptown is a 2-shoplot kopitiam known for a wide variety of Ipoh hawker fare.  The shop front proudly advertises its famous Menglembu Wanton Mee and best Ipoh White Coffee.

My husband had eaten at this family restaurant a few years back and didn't think it was all that good but I've seen fairly good reviews of it online and wanted to try.  So, I came without much expectations and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

It was a Sunday morning and the restaurant was fully packed (which was a good sign) and we had to wait for about 10 - 15 minutes before we managed to secure a table.  I checked out their menu and they do offer quite a vast variety of food here but I think I'll stick to the more quintessential Ipoh hawker food.

It goes without saying that you should start off with their famous Menglembu Wantan Mee @ RM5 which my mother-in-law ordered (with just wantans).  The wantan mee was cooked just right in a flavourful sauce though the pickled green chillies needed a bit more pickling time.

As this was plain wantan mee with just wantons, you get a serving of five wantons.  The wantans were nice and meaty with a thin skin.

My husband had the Menglembu Wantan Mee (with Char Siew) @ RM6.80 that came with char siew and 3 pieces of wantans.  The thick cuts of char siew (barbequed pork) were a bit on the meaty side but nicely caramelised and tender nonetheless.  I've never eaten Menglembu wantan mee before, so I wouldn't know how the original one tastes like but the version here I liked.  It can give many good wantan mee stalls in the Klang Valley a run for its money.

I went with the Chee Cheong Fun Mushroom @ RM4.80 with minced pork and a sprinkling of fried shallots in a mushroom gravy.  This is a common chee cheong fun (rice noodle rolls) dish in Ipoh but not as easy to find here in the Klang Valley.  The chee cheong fun is cut into thicker rolls but still maintains its smooth and slippery texture.  The mushroom gravy was nice and not starchy at all.

My son had the Char Siew Fried Rice @ RM7 and I was happy to see chunks of char siew fried with long beans (not frozen vegetables) and egg.  I've always preferred rice fried with char siew instead of "lap cheong" (Chinese dried sausage) coz I find it tastier.  This fried rice could have been better if it started off with a good base...and that is the rice!  The rice wasn't quite the nicely separated grains but clumpy and soft.

I couldn't resist ordering Stewed Pork with Eggs @ RM6 as both my mother-in-law and I love stewed eggs.  The flavour of the braising liquid for the stewed pork was very decent too.  I didn't mind (actually I preferred) that the chunks of pork were meaty since they were really tender though my mother-in-law only loves it when the meat comes with lots of wobbly fats.

On subsequent visits, I tried the Curry Laksa Supreme @ RM8.50 which came with char siew, 3 pieces of wantan, lots of pig skin slices, a pork ball, bean curd puffs, long beans and bean sprouts in a big bowl of noodles (of your choice) that is sure to satisfy even the biggest eaters.  The price is a steal for all these generous "liew" (ingredients)! :)

It was supreme all right....both in taste and size!  Although this may not beat out our favourite curry laksa (from Imbi), it came very, very close (but then that one wouldn't have this awesome char siew in it).  The curry broth could have been a tad thicker or creamier but still had a good dose of santan flavour with a slight sweetness to it.  This was a very good bowl of curry laksa....and I would have rated it excellent if it was topped with some plump blood cockles! ;D  I foresee myself coming back repeatedly for this.

We also tried the Pork Curry Rice @ RM6.50 served with a bowl of pork curry and some stir-fry bok choy, half a hard boiled egg (though I would have preferred a fried egg) and some sambal (which wasn't good as it was the Chinese-styled type that's usually more sweet than fiery).

Again, this bowl of curry was very delicious with the tender slices of pork.  The curry of this one is thicker and creamier with a more savoury taste compared to the broth of the curry laksa.

When the Homemade Yam Cake @ RM3.50 arrived with both the sweet and chilli sauce, you'd know straight away that this is typical Ipoh style from the reddish sweet sauce.  The yam cake had the texture of soft yam interspersed with cubes of yam with hints of fragrant dried prawns.  It was a lot softer than some of the ones I've had telling me that there was probably less flour in the mix.  It was more brownish in colour as opposed to the usual purplish colour with a good flavour of yam and I liked it a lot.

Who haven't heard of one of Ipoh's most beloved desserts....the egg custard, especially Thean Chun's!  Since it was offered here, I just had to order the Homemade Caramel Egg Custard @ RM3.50 for a taste test.  The version here is smooth and soft, it was quite nice actually.  Although it was filled with a sweet caramel, it wasn't too sweet if you eat it without taking too much of the caramel.  I've not tried Thean Chun's egg custard, so I don't know how this would compare but it was a rendition that I thought was pretty successful.

When I was walking in, I noticed quite a few types of nyonya kuih at the entrance although you'd only find the kuih talam on the menu.  I decided to pack one of my favourite kuih ie. their Homemade Kuih Talam @ RM2.50 a box to enjoy at home.  This was rather delicious...it had a incredibly soft texture and a very fragrant santan top (though it could do with a more pandan flavour in the bottom layer).

The Ipoh Iced White Coffee @ RM3.30 was a decent enough rendition in KL of Ipoh's version.  It was really "kao" (thick) and frothy on top...and if it was just a tad less sweet, it would have been perfect for me.  My mother-in-law had a hot cup and she liked it too.

The "Foo Chook Yee Mai" (Cold) @ RM2.80, a healthy and nourishing drink/dessert of barley and dried bean curd sheet, was decent too, though most would have it hot.

My Personal Opinion

The prices are very reasonable for a kopitiam like this and that's why you see a lot of families dining here.  You can get a decent meal (noodle+dessert+drink) here for around RM10...now that's a good deal.

I actually came here after reading Motormouth from Ipoh's positive comments on the food (although that post is more than 3 years old already).  If it's good enough for Motormouth.....it's good enough for me! ;)  Not to be missed...the Menglembu wantan mee, curry laksa and Ipoh white coffee.

On a parting note, it's very easy to remember the name of this place which rhymes with "anyone" (maybe Annie is the actual name of the owner -_-).  Perhaps, we'll see a second outlet that rhymes with "any two"?  Hehe! :D

Annie 1 Kopitiam
18 - 20 Jalan SS21/58
Damansara Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 016-660 8816