Oodles of noodles

How do you like your mee rebus? Beefy, sweetish or with a hint of curry flavour? Take your pick in the Klang Valley.

WHEN I was a kid, my dad would take my siblings and I for mee rebus at the back alley of Dang Wangi, Kuala Lumpur, much to the dismay of my mother. She found the food unhealthy and unhygienic as the tables were placed just next to the big drain.

Dad would tell me how mee rebus was one of the few things he could afford when he first came to KL to work.

He still goes there once in a while for his “fix”, but laments that prices have skyrocketed since the old days.

Here are the mee rebus (literal translation – boiled noodles) places that I frequent when the craving hits.

Mee Rebus Dang Wangi

I know many who are put off by eateries at the back alley, but I love the grunge feel of it. A pageant acquaintance squirmed when I took her here for a meal, after she asked me to take her to places I usually go. Suffice to say, she never made it to my makan kaki list.

The mee rebus sotong iss pprettyretty good here – I like that the squid is spicyicyy and cooked till tender. a hard-boiled My plate of egg noodlesodlles (halhalved), comprised comlved), tofu cubes, potato cubes, beabean an sprouts, fried shallots, sliced ed green chilli and, of course, sotong. I like that the gravy y is robust and thick, with a hint of curry flavour.

The thing I don’t like about this mee rebus stall is the portion – it’s a tad small for a big (and greedy) eater like me. Then again, I find the portions for most mee rebus smallish. If you can’t stand d eating by the drain like the e pageant girl, opt to take away wa y your order.

Mee Rebus Stall, Jalan Kkamunting (behind Yut Kee Restaurant), KL. Opens: Breakfast and lunch daily; closed on public hholidays.

Rosli Mee Rebus

Looking for this mee rebus stastall was difficult for me as I wwaswasn’t familiar with Jalan Mamasjidasji India. After hunting high and lowlow, I was about to give up when a nicnice man pointed me to the right direction – the stall is located behind Haniffa Textiles.

Famished, I ordered a plate of mee rebus (RM3.50), which comprised yellow noodles, a hard-boiled egg, crunchy bean sprouts, green chilli slices and aromatic fried shallots. The broth– made from beef stock and fat – was infused with spices and packed a wallop of flavour.

The juice from the lime helped cut through the rich and beefy flavour of the gravy. Simple yet comforting, this was possibly the best mee rebus I’ve tried so far. If you’re not a fan of beef, you might not agree with me.

Rosli Mee Rebus, Lorong Bunus 4, Off Jalan Masjid India, KL (019-280 3171, 017-641 3463). Opens daily: 9.30am to 4.30pm; closed on Sunday.

Mee Rebus @ Sin Seng Nam

My in-laws enjoy patronising Sin Seng Nam coffeeshop for the mee rebus. It is best to get there before the lunch crowd on a week day, otherwise you will have to share the table with strangers. The mee rebus stall here is popular and I like that the uncle is polite, unlike the coffeeshop staff.

For RM4.50, my mee rebus biasa was of a decent portion. The noodles had no strong alkaline flavour and the gravy was relatively thick, with a slightly gritty texture from the potatoes. I found the gravy slightly sweetish and the spiciness was just right for me. They also do mee rebus campur rojak (with rojak) and mee rebus sotong (with squid); I prefer the latter.

Mee Rebus @ Sin Seng Nam, 2, Medan Pasar, Lebuh Pasar Besar, KL. Opens daily: morning till 2pm.

Tiong Sue Lynn blogs at www.bangsarbabe. com and tweets at twitter.com/bangsarbabe.