Shang Kei Wantan Mee @ Ampang

Located directly opposite the Balai Bomba (fire station) is this old-styled coffee shop, Kedai Makanan Sun Sun @ Ampang which houses Shang Kei Wantan Mee that first caught my attention when I saw a video of their food posted by KL Foodie last year.

The coffee shop can be accessed from the front or back...and the wantan mee stall is situated right at the back but since we came in through the back, the stall will be the first stall you'll see when you enter (and there are just two other stalls here, one selling pan mee and the other pork noodles).  As you walk through the coffee shop to the front where the tables are, you'll pass by the drinks making section in the middle.  This set-up alone tells you just how old-school this coffee shop is.

The first time we drove past we saw lots of people waiting for tables.  So, we braced ourselves for the wait but managed to secure a seat within 5 minutes (by sharing a table).  I was glad we didn't have to wait too long for our food to arrive (it was about a 15-minutes wait and not 30 or more minutes that I read about). I ordered the Dry Wantan Mee with Char Siew, Siu Yuk & Fried Wantan so that I can taste both proteins in one sitting to see which I prefer more.

My son had his with just char siew.  I appreciated that the char siew were thickly cut with sticky-sweet (but not overly sweet) and savoury flavours like those you'd find serve in a plate of char siew rice (unlike the usually thinly cut slices served by most wantan mee sellers).  Do note that this char siew is roasted in a small electric oven and not those typical big stainless steel ovens (over gas or, even better, over charcoal) used by most shops selling roasted meats.  Still with a well caramelised exterior though the smoky flavour may have to take a back seat.  Not quite among some of the excellent char siew I've had but certainly decent enough for a wantan mee stall and they make up for it with their generous portions.

I also got the same order for my husband (except his was medium with one and a half mee).  I munched happily on the siu yuk pieces (again, thick cuts) which had very crispy skin (that even some roasted meat stalls are not able to replicate that level of crunchiness).

My husband (who is a fan of siu yuk more than char siew) was of the opinion that the meat itself didn't have enough flavour...and I do agree.  But he wouldn't mind having the siu yuk again purely based on (once again) the overly generous portion given for the price paid.  Between the two though, I thought the char siew was a bit more successful than the siu yuk.

I also requested for fried wantans instead of soup ones and was surprised to get more than 3 pcs (I think there were 6)...and, mind you, the wantans weren't those teeny-weeny ones either.  Nicely crispy with a pork mince filling, there's nothing to complaint about really.  You should see the humongous pile of fried wantans they fry up at their stall! O_o

Char siew, siu yuk and wantans aside, the wantan mee arrived looking very different from a typical plate of wantan mee with the noodles well tossed in black sauce.  Here, the noodles somehow get tossed in some kind of clear sauce with a squirt of dark soy...so, those who like their wantan mee well mixed with a dark sauce is not going to like this (like my son, for instance).  He went on further to say the noodles tasted vinegary.  I think he meant the kansui taste in the noodles (and yes, this one had a bit more than usual...or it could also be due to them not changing the water used to blanch the noodles often enough).  The lack of a proper black sauce probably highlighted the kansui taste even more.

The other peculiarity about this plate of wantan mee (besides it looking rather "white/pale") is the tray that the noodles is served in.  It's similar to those metal plates used to serve roti canai coz they need the different compartments to separate the fish curry, dhal and sambal.  I guess it's very convenient in terms of serving (and collecting finished plates too) as everything is on one plate but yet each component is nicely separated (even the pickled chillies).  The stall owner himself has also reiterated that he prefers to serve it this way as he wants each individual ingredient separated for the best taste.

Coming to the price, our 3 plates of wantan mee came up to only RM34 (two of which were medium)...and that's one heck of a price for the amount of meat and wantans we got on each plate.  No wonder the place is always crowded.  Looking around, I realised many had come for their old-school bread (steamed or toasted) and coffees too.  I can certainly vouch that their kopi-o kosong was very good.  Sharing a table with others, the steamed bread looked incredibly fluffy and soft with a generous amount of chilled butter and homemade kaya.

My Personal Opinion

This old-school coffee shop have many regulars coming for their old-school bread and coffees.  If they're not having that, they're probably having the wantan mee.  There's also curry mee on offer which I've not tried.

I thought it was a satisfactory wantan mee...purely for their price and large portions of char siew, siu yuk and fried wantans which make up for the lack of a dark sauce that's typical of a plate of wantan mee.  If you're fine with their non-saucy version, do make your way here if you're in the vicinity.

Having said that, I'm not sure if I'll be back seeing both my husband and son weren't thrilled with the taste. My husband is probably a bit more complaisant if I wish to eat this again...but not my son! :D

Shang Kei Wantan Mee

@ Kedai Makanan Sun Sun

96 Jalan Besar Ampang

Pekan Ampang

68000 Ampang

Selangor