Uncle Chua's Prawn Noodle @ Taman Putra

I've read a few good reviews about Uncle Chua's Prawn Noodle @ Taman Putra and was always tempted to try.....and so I did when I found them on ShopeeFood.

They used to operate from a stall in Restoran Shin Wa in Taman Muda (picked this up from their FB) but now have an outlet of their own in Taman Putra, Ampang and another branch in Bandar Menjalara, Kepong.

I went for their Signature Prawn Noodle @ RM15.90 and requested for mee + meehoon (my default noodles when it comes to prawn noodles).  It was served with prawns, pork, egg, taugeh (beansprouts) and kangkung (water spinach).  RM15.90 seems a bit high since dine-in price is only RM8.90 (for big, RM6.90 for small) but (luckily) the portion isn't as small as most the complaints were about for dine-in (then again, it could be different from dine-in since the price has been marked up). 

First impression when I opened the packet was that it had that prawn-y smell and the broth looked a bit murkier that the usual clearer stock I had elsewhere.  Tasting the broth, it had a sufficient dose of prawn goodness and the soup base was more savoury than sweet.  Based on the video review I saw, it seems that they grind their prawn shells to make the stock.  That's why the soup is always ladled over a sieve to strain whatever finely ground shells that may still be around.

Their medium-sized prawns were fresh and firm, just not as big or sweet tasting as the ones from Red Leaf (Jalan Loke Ye) but, unfortunately, Uncle Chua uses store-bought fried shallots too! :(  The lean pork slices were soft and tender...and had this curled-up look when cooked which made me think they were sliced before cooking.  I'm only highlighting this because the pork is usually cooked in a block before they're sliced thinly (I've seen the cooked pork being sliced that way in some of the prawn noodle stalls I ate at).  Doing it that way, the lean pork slices tend to have a firmer bite (while still tender) and look better in presentation as well.

As for their house-made chilli served with the prawn noodles, it was different from the norm.  Theirs is not like those cooked in oil, thick sambal you usually get elsewhere but a rather watery sambal (that's why I was surprised when it came in a fairly large plastic bag...you can see that in the pic).  From dine-in pics of the sambal (in its sauce plate coz the one in the bag was all mixed up already), I noticed some green parts in the mix.  Some say it's green chilli paste while others mention it's ginger.  Well, I can't be sure since I couldn't taste the components separately since it came mixed up already.  Be warned though to taste the broth first before adding just enough of the spicy sambal as it can be quite salty.

I think the grinding of the prawn shells contributed to its murky look and more intense flavour of the soup base, the intensity of which made it taste stronger, almost like dried prawns.  It was still good, just different, but probably not so to those who have an adversity to the smell and taste of dried prawns.  This would also appeal to those who like their prawn noodles on the savoury side instead of sweet.

It was certainly one of the more decent prawn noodles I've had but if I were to compare it to my favourite prawn noodles in Red Leaf, that one would still have my vote because of the freshness and sweetness of the bigger and firmer sea prawns.  Uncle Chua also offers a dry version of their prawn noodle...now who would want to eat it that way?  For me, it should always be enjoyed in its quintessential way in soup form! ;)

Besides prawn noodles, they also serve Lam Mee @ RM14.90 (there's also an option for lam mee suah).  The broth was packed separately in a large plastic container again (so you can be assured there'll be no spillage) and there were separate packets of their house special chilli sauce mix and black vinegar too.

I'm not a fan of lum mee with its overly thick dark sauce but decided to give this a try since the sauce looked very different in the photos....and it was, not the gluggy, overly cornstarch-ed broth you'd mostly get elsewhere.  It was a decent broth...made even better when you add on the chilli mix (not sure if this is the same chilli mix you get with the prawn noodles but it did look the same all mixed up in the packet)...but I thought this one tasted a bit more tangy (addition of lime juice?).

I asked for a combination of meehoon + kuey teow (since I didn't think that mee suah would 'travel' well) and (again) the noodle portion size was good.  The amount given could be different from dine-in since the price charged for delivery is a lot more (almost double)...and so they thought they needed to make up for it by giving us more noodles....lol!

To enjoy it fully, you'll need to add in the special chilli sauce (and some would say vinegar too) but I never add vinegar into anything (just like I don't add it into loh mee, mock sharksfin soup or Szechuan hot & sour soup) simply because I just don't like the taste of it.

If you didn't order this yourself, you probably wouldn't know that it was lum mee because of the unusual colour of the broth that's not darkly brownish nor blackish (a little bit more orang-y and it could have been mistaken for Penang jawa mee).  So, suffice to say, this was one lum mee I ended up liking.

Rounding up its menu is their pork paste soup (or dry) noodle.  As you can see, they offer only three types of noodles on ShopeeFood though you get a few more options (like eggs & toast, croissant, pre-packed nasi lemak and side snacks of fried beancurd sheets, beancurd rolls, fish cake & mushroom chicken feet) if you dine-in.

The first time I ordered from this eatery, I got myself a Red Bean Tong Sui (Dessert) @ RM5.90 too just so that I could make use of the RM6 discount (for RM18 spending).

There were even some lotus seeds cooked together with the red beans.

Overall, it was a nice red bean tong sui, not too thick and best of all, not too sweet.  I actually prefer a more watery consistency to my red bean dessert, that way I won't feel so "jelak" from finishing it.

My Personal Opinion

This prawn mee reminded me of the Penang-style prawn mee I had from a stall in SS2's Chow Yang Kopitiam once (and, coincidentally, they serve a dry-style prawn mee too) but it isn't going to knock my favourite prawn me off its top billing anytime soon.

For those who prefer a more savoury (than sweet) prawn broth, this could be the one for you (but be warned that it's a bit saltier than the norm, so hold back on the sambal!).  For me, it was a decent prawn noodle but it's not going to be my favourite (or regular) prawn mee because of the price (70% mark-up for delivery from dine-in prices is just too much).  Why would I?  When I can get fresh + big + juicy + sweet + plentiful prawns from Red Leaf for about the same price or even one closer to home that's also cheaper with more liew (ingredients).

The lam mee, however, turned out to be the surprise find for me.  It was certainly one lam mee I can see myself having again just because it's quite different from the norm.

Uncle Chua's Prawn Noodle

No 28 Jalan Bunga Tanjung 8

Taman Putra

68000 Ampang

Selangor