This is a simple wanton noodle from a humble stall in 88 kopitiam in TUTA (Taman Ungku Tun Aminah), JB. It has been in this neighbourhood for over twenty years - a familiar favourite of many locals. 財伯手工麵 has no English name but translates literally as "Uncle Chye's Handmade Noodles".
(I sincerely apologise that I could not remember who alerted me to this stall. Please give me a message so that I can credit you properly. Thank you :-D )
財伯手工麵 is one of the little stalls in 88 kopitiam which is a typical coffee shop in TUTA - the same kind found throughout Malaysia and Singapore neighbourhoods where locals gather.
Friendly stall owner, Mr Wu still hand makes the egg noodles himself, kneading the egg and flour dough with a bamboo pole in the old way everyday for the past 20 years.
I asked Mr Wu why he still hand makes his own noodles (since most hawkers now get their noodles ready made from suppliers).
"It tastes better" busy Mr Wu replied as he tossed another ball of fresh noodles into the boiling water.
I guess that sums it all up :-D
This is the only wanton noodles stall that still do this in Johor Bahru as far as I know.
I tried first, Mr Wu's wontan mee with braised chicken feet and mushroom.
For wanton mee in JB, I usually take a quick look at the char siew. If the char siew is the boiled type (not roasted), I will opt for the braised chicken feet and mushroom. Mr Wu's braised chicken claws are soft to the bone and mildly savoury herbal flavoured. I like it this way too.
These noodles were good!
The noodles were relatively thick and cooked al dente, giving it a nice tender, bouncy bite.
The sauce is a common familiar one found throughout the small towns of Johor - mainly a blend of lard, soy sauce and vegetable oil. Mr Wu's blend is gentle and well balanced.
We also ordered a bowl of wanton noodles to taste. The char siew was the boiled type (common in Johor). The same handmade noodles and same mainly savoury aromatic tossing sauce. There were also little tender lumps of fried minced pork which added a slight porcine sweet flavour to the bowl of noodles.
The wantons were small but smooth and had nice soft mince pork as well as water chestnut crunch. The clear watery soup was sweet and flavoursome (without anchovy taste).
Although it could be seen by some as "nothing special", I personally enjoy eating like this very much and am grateful for it.
(The coffee shop is packed and people here are very friendly. The gentleman sharing the table with us was eating a bowl of famous fish ball noodles from Lai Kee 来记西刀鱼丸 next door. Outside food? No problem. The unmentioned "etiquette" is the basic courtesy of buying something from the kopitiam.)
->> Probably the last "bamboo noodles 竹竿麵" in JB. Must Try it while it is still available.
Restaurant name: 財伯手工麵 (stall in 88 Kopitiam)
Address: 88, Jalan Pahlawan 2, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah (TUTA), Skudai, 81300 Johor Baru
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/fKKW
GPS: 1.522671,103.664653
Hours: Daily 6:30am to 12:00 noon (closed alternate Friday)
Non Halal
Date visited: 21 Sep 2015
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