Tong Fong (Curry Mee & Beef Noodles) @ Seapark PJ

Occupying a corner lot, Restoran Tong Fong @ Seapark PJ became our haunt for breakfast one Sunday morning. 

I came here wanting to try the Penang White Curry Mee and Beef Noodles that kyspeaks spoke fondly about.

First up, the curry mee.....and judging by the (still) new looking banner at the front entrance of the shop, I think this is probably a fairly new addition here.
 

This was my bowl of Penang White Curry Mee @ RM5.50 that came with shreds of chicken, brown cuttlefish strips, long beans, "tau fu pok" (bean curd puffs), bean sprouts, mint leaves, "see hum" (cockles)...and the undeniable coagulated pig's blood which is a true hallmark of a bowl of curry mee from the north.  The only thing missing was the prawns but it's understandable seeing the modest price they charge for a bowl.

The curry broth is slightly lighter, both in colour and taste (than the KL thick versions with a more concentrated chilli paste flavour), but still flavoursome nonetheless.  The see hum was fresh and juicy and I especially liked the sambal which was cooked to almost dry (I dunked all of it into the broth to crank up my curry...and wished there was more).  As for the coagulated pig's blood, some will probably "pengsan" (faint) at the sight of it as it's not something adored by many.  I, for one, don't hate it but I don't love it either...if it's there, I'll just eat it but if it's not there, it's fine too.  [#Note: If I had to choose one curry over the other, I definitely prefer KL's curry laksa which has a meatier and more pronounced savoury flavour in the broth.  But Penang's curry mee is still way ahead of Ipoh's version in terms of taste for me.]

We were also here to try the beef noodles.  My son's Beef Ball Mee (S) @ RM6.50 was the dry-styled noodles topped with dark pork (+beef?) mince.  Their homemade "taipu" (Hakka) noodles (that's what the name card he gave me said) were nice and springy and so were the beef balls.  When it comes to beef noodles, one comes to mind immediately and that's Soong Kee but so is another one in my neighbourhood, Restoran Yang Mooi, that dishes up an equally good one.

I also ordered "Lobak Ngau Lam" (Braised Sirloin with Radish) @ RM7 (small) for sharing.  This, as the signage said, is only available on weekends (Fridays - Sundays). 

The beef sirloin slices, together with bits of cartilage, were braised until super tender that you don't even need to chew, it just kinda melts in your mouth...it was very enjoyable!

 

I especially loved the white radish chunks which were super soft from braising in a rich stew like broth.  The broth was robust, thick and dark....and very beefy in flavour (and you can slurp it up if you want but may be a bit too savoury on its own).  The bowl of ngau lam was topped with some "daun sup" (Chinese celery) although I wouldn't mind an even heavier sprinkling of the herb.

All the prices are clearly listed out on a board, together with their menu of various forms of beef based + other noodles, including wantans and dumplings in soup.

When I approached the beef noodle stall to order, which incidentally has its own name...Restoran Yang Kee, the guy who was preparing the noodles looked rather familiar to me.  I asked if he had a stall in Jalan Peel and if he was also associated to Restoran Yang Mooi that sells the same type of noodles (the dead giveaway was the almost similar name).  He said he used to sell in Jalan Peel (but not anymore) and that his older brother runs the one in Pandan Indah (and now the Jalan Peel one as well).  Ahh....no wonder the noodles and ngau lam tasted freakishly familiar.  So, there you have it....both Yang Kee and Yang Mooi are related! ;)

My spouse ordered the chee cheong fun which I didn't take a photo of nor taste as it was not my intended 'target' for this visit.  It was not until I returned and stumbled upon the stall's facebook page that I found out that it's pretty famous too, having moved here from the now defunct Chow Yang Restaurant in SS2, where it used to operate for more than 30 years.  If it's the same one, it's certainly worth a try.

My Personal Opinion

Both the Penang White Curry Mee and Beef Noodles did meet my expectations and were certainly more than decent.

Those who like Penang's version of curry mee will certainly enjoy this although (personally) I'm still leaning more favourably towards KL's thicker, savoury version.

And for those who enjoys a very beefy taste in their beef, they should not miss out on the braised sirloin with radish....so tender, so good! :=)

Restoran Tong Fong
Jalan 21/17 Seapark
46300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 016-348 8141