Review of Original Pontian Wanton Mee @ Heng Heng in Pontian Johor 兴兴

Update 25 Dec 2018. After visiting Pontian Fish Market, I decided to drop by Heng Heng Wanton Mee. Truth be told, I don't think Heng Heng serve the best Pontian wanton mee in town - I was here for nostalgia sake and because Heng Heng is the creator of the Pontian style of wanton mee. So, I was delighted that I like it better today than I did before.



As expected, Heng Heng was full house this Christmas morning. The little shop was packed with locals, Pontian folks working outstation back for holidays and a sprinkling of tourists (a few from Singapore).



My order was served pretty quick despite the full house. It looked exactly as all the previous times I ate Heng Heng wanton mee. RM5 a plate (2018 price), just marginally higher than RM4.50 when I first tasted it in 2012.

The generous portion of wanton noodles with a reddish brown sauce dressed with dry anaemic looking skinny char siew. The looks of the char siew makes my appetite drop half a notch every time I see it 😜

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But, oh my..., one bite of Heng Heng's wanton mee and I fell hard for it. Nevermind the insipid char siew or whatever, the noodles were so.... good awesome! 💪



The signature Pontian style sauce tastes savoury sweet spicy with a subtle tangy zing - it's nice. But, the star was definitely the egg noodles. They were the heavy, slightly thicker type. When we bite into it, the outside is tender while the core is slightly stiffer giving us the coveted Q Q sensation. Wonderful.



Heng Heng's clear soup and wantons reminded me of those at my primary school tuckshop in 1960s Singapore. That's the thing about Heng Heng, their food is like historical artefacts but alive and delicious. Gentle well balanced porky savoury sweet flavours.

There were no fish balls with the wanton soup anymore but I don't miss them at all as they were generic factory made.



Recommended for you 👍 If you come to Pontian, a stop at Heng Heng wanton mee is a must. This is the original, authentic Pontian style of wanton mee.

While in Pontian must of course taste the local specialties. See the Johor Kaki list of tried and tasted places to eat in Pontian 👈 click

Restaurant name: Heng Heng 兴兴 
Address: 766, Taman Anggerik, Jalan Parit Mesjid, Pontian, Johor
GPS: 1°29'24.0"N 103°23'28.5"E 🌐 1.490006, 103.391261
Hours: 9:00am to 6:00pm (closed on Fridays)

Non Halal


 
Date visited: 25 Dec 2018





Pontian wantian mee is one of those foods that generates lots of debate and stirs emotions. Some people crave it while others loathe it. There seems to be no neutral ground - you either love or hate it.

Then there are those who swear that none of the so called Pontian wanton mee everywhere are anywhere like the real thing back in Pontian. What is undeniable is - whatever people may think of it - Pontian wanton mee has spread to every corner of Singapore as well as in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and even Batam.

To find out how Pontian’s wanton mee really tastes like, I went on a pilgrimage to the birthplace of Pontian wanton mee.

Heng Heng 兴兴, in quiet Taman Anggerik of rustic Pontian, is synonymous with Pontian wanton mee. This is the stall that inspired the Pontian wanton mee franchise and had originally supplied the mushrooming franchise’s egg noodles.

Founded in 1948 by old MR Loh from Guangzhou, China, the shop is now run by the younger MR Loh who had been in the family business for more than 30 years. Heng Heng in Pontian’s Taman Anggerik is a wanton mee institution – I observed that every child or young person who entered the shop would acknowledge the friendly MR Loh affectionately. Another shop known as Ah Chuan run by old MR Loh's daughters still carries his name 亚泉. 

This is the RM4.50 set (2012 price) – a plate of fragrant noodles with a bowl of wanton and fish ball soup. The otak otak is offered as an optional side but I did not take any.

The fresh, self made noodles are heavy with eggs. Each strand of noodle is firm, crunchy, separate and distinct – al dente in spaghetti speak.

Of course, it is its unique blend of sauces that sets the distinctive Pontian wanton mee apart from other wanton noodles. The sauce is mainly a blend of chili sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, shallot oil, and tomato ketchup.

When the noodles are dressed in this sauce, it takes on a golden hue and even seemed to have a personality of its own. Our taste buds are treated to a complex blend of tangy sourish, sweet, slightly spicy hot and subtly salty savoury taste.

 

Their self made char siew may look anaemic to some (a sign that the meat is not overdosed on artificial colouring or sugar) but it tastes delicious. Their char siew has that subtle smoky, grilled flavour even though it doesn’t have any visible charred bits. This type of char siew is wok cooked (not charcoal grilled).

The noodles are accompanied by a bowl of clear steaming hot soup with fish balls and traditional, old styled wantons. The bouncy fish balls have that fresh fish flavour. The smooth and soft wanton skin wraps a small, tender knob of sesame seasoned minced pork.

Their fresh green chilies pickled in vinegar deserves a mention. Crunchy, spicy, sweet and tangy, it goes especially well with the tangy Pontian style of wanton noodle sauce. 

Taken together with other foodie offerings in Pontian and Kukup, this is well worth the nearly 2 hour journey (one way) from Singapore.

👉 If you are a Pontian wanton mee fan, try Heng Heng at least once as it is here where the Pontian style was created by the owner's father. Enjoy a taste of culinary history 😄

Restaurant name: Heng Heng 兴兴

Address: 766, Taman Anggerik, Jalan Parit Mesjid, Pontian, Johor

GPS: 1.489997,103.391416 / 1°29'24.0"N 103°23'29.1"E

Hours: 9:00am to 6:00pm (closed on Fridays)

Non Halal

Date visited: 4 Apr 2012


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Written by Tony Boey