This morning we popped over to Restoran Lima Ratus in Taman Perling for their red rice wine mee suah as we had a sudden craving for it. (Where do sudden cravings for specific dishes come from? 😂 )
Restoran Lima Ratus is a nondescript little shop, tucked away inconspicuously a few rows behind the main street - it was once a little foodie secret among Taman Perling folks. I am grateful to buddy and Perling boy Jo-Hann for bringing me here in 2013. The lady boss said they have been getting a lot of Singapore customers and wondered how they found them 😂
I wanted to say hello to the boss Mr Low but he wasn't at the shop yet when we were there.
The red rice wine mee suah 红糟鸡面 come in a claypot bubbling and steaming hot. Price RM8 without egg / RM9 with egg.
Oh... how we love the mee suah. I love the tender texture which had a slight firmness. The rice noodles had a subtle savouriness which was overlaid with sweet tanginess from the red rice wine chicken soup.
The red rice wine chicken soup was sweet tangy with underlying savouriness. Restoran Lima Ratus make their own red rice wine, so they are always fresh.
If you like your chicken to be smooth and tender with natural fresh chicken sweetness ask for the drumstick or wing. The breast was a bit stiffer. The drumstick and wing were lovely.
Pro Tip: They make only one pot of red rice wine chicken soup a day, so make this your breakfast stop if you want to be sure it is still available when you arrive.
Recommended for you 👍 Red rice wine mee suah craving sated. I felt happy the rest of the day. Is that a sign of addiction?
So we asked the lady boss how come their shop is named after 伍佰 the famous Taiwanese music band (which is also one of my favourites). Was it because uncle also like the band? Not really..... . Auntie said that a fengsui master suggested the name 😊
Restaurant name: Restoran Lima Ratus 伍佰美食馆
Address: 4, Jalan Undan 18, Taman Perling, Johor Bahru
Waze: Restoran Lima Ratus
GPS: 1.481969,103.683761
Hours: 7:00am to 3:00pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 12 Apr 2019
Today, I had a great day with my friend Jo-Hann who showed me the food he grew up with in Taman Perling.
We had red rice wine mee suah, wanton mee and shrimp dumplings, the most popular items in Restoran Lima Ratus.
Restoran Lima Ratus is a humble shop in Taman Perling run by MR Low and his wife with an elderly helper. And, MR Low had been a noodle seller since the Japanese Occupation in the 1930s, when he was in his early teens.
Sometimes, MR Low's youngest son helps out at the shop after school. I was told that the boy is already a flying wanton mee maestro. I want to catch him in full flight action soon :))
Ah..... red rice wine mee suah, that quintessential Foochow comfort food.
The boss, MR Low, who is over 70 years old is Foochow and had learnt how to make this classic Foochow red rice wine mee suah from his mum. Talk about old school!
The slender mee suah was smooth and soft yet still retaining a slight bounciness. The mee suah sponged up the vinegar tangy, savoury and slightly alcoholic red rice wine very well. This was so delicious! I am so grateful to Jo-Hann for bringing me to MR Low's shop for this.
The reddish coloured pieces of tender fresh chicken served with the mee suah were well infused with the distinctive flavours of the red rice wine.
The red rice wine broth was tangy, sweet, savoury, and loaded with ground and chopped ingredients like onions. With such a complex blend of flavours, it is little wonder that red rice wine mee suah is the favourite of many people. Though a tad oily, the broth was so delicious that I slurped it all up noisily.
MR Low's homemade egg noodles were also very popular.
I was thrilled to hear that MR Low's self made egg noodles were made with duck eggs - something seldom done nowadays as almost all wanton mee are made with more easily available chicken eggs.
We had this mee pok and the mee kia. The noodles were crunchy al dente. MR Low's duck egg noodles were also firmer than the usual chicken egg noodles.
The mee kia and mee pok after a good stirring of the sauce. The sauce was quite subtle and delicate, and unobtrusively complemented the noodles, which were the star of the dish. I was so enthralled with the noodles and engaged in conversation with MR Low that I forgot to pay too much attention to the sauce. Foodies who prefer their noodles to have more sauce, please remember to let MR Low know.
Like the sauce, neither did I busy myself with the char siew, though I did remember that they were pretty tasty.
The wantons and shrimp dumplings were freshly handmade at the shop.
The shrimp dumplings were slurpingly soft and slinky smooth. They could literally slide down one's throat.
The shrimps inside were fresh and had a bouncy bite. The chopped chestnuts in the dumplings added to the dumplings' crunchiness.
The wantons had the same smooth skin as the shrimp dumplings. The meat were packed quite tight though the wantons were still tender to the bite and had that pleasant sesame aroma.
MR Low is famous for his red rice wine mee suah 红糟鸡面线 and wanton mee. Not many people know that MR Low has a talent for mimicking bird song. MR Low mastered his talent since his teens and has been entertaining his friends and customers. Click on the picture to watch MR Low perform his bird song.
For those who are interested, Lima Ratus is one of those shops in JB that Singapore Media Corp artistes sometimes patronise incognito.
MR Low's shop, is in the back row and had a sun bleached signboard, so it is rather inconspicuous. It is best to study the Google map and set your GPS before setting off for Restoran Lima Ratus.
Restaurant name: Restoran Lima Ratus
Address: 4, Jalan Undan 18, Taman Perling, Johor Bahru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/npMCL
GPS: 1.481969,103.683761
Hours: 7:00am to 3:00pm (Closed on Weds)
Non Halal
Date visited: 29 Jan 2013
actually, a lot of places have duck egg noodles. there is a supplier in pontian that supplies many of the stalls in jb. oh man i miss my favorite wantan mee that disappeared so much :(
ReplyDeletehe used to use these duck egg noodles from pontian.
Duck Egg sound like very old time, 70s we used to use duck egg for Char Koay Teow. :)
ReplyDeleteRed rice wine mee suah is my favourite eats it everyday as my lunch at these shop without fail.
ReplyDeletered rice wine mee suah... can try this:-
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/Jooze-Zone-1690634977848109/