Malaysian Wantan Noodles @ Yoong Seng Coffee Shop in Johor Jaya Jalan Dedap 17 JB 廣記云吞面

Hungry in Johor Jaya, I stumbled upon 廣記云吞面 in Yoong Seng coffee shop at closing time. I was literally stumbling as I was feeling famished and low on sugar. The friendly shop owners came to my rescue - making me this nice, satisfying old school wanton mee for RM4.50 (2015 price).



The last customers of the day were relaxing in the cool of the coffee shop away from the searing afternoon sun.





It's the unique Malaysian old small town type of wantan mee - the traditional type (古早味) I encountered before in Paloh, Layang Layang, Tampoi, and Kampung Pandan.



廣記's egg noodles are house made and it is tossed in a simple blend of dark soy sauce and cooking oil (no lard). Chili sauce is optional and added on the side or served in a dish - not tossed with the noodles.

The noodles were slender (but not the angel hair thin type) and cooked soft al dente. Nice bite though egginess was not pronounced.

廣記云吞面 wantan noodles is served with Hakka yong tau foo pieces but these were all sold out when I arrived on my first visit (closing time). So, I came back early the very next morning :-D  This also gave me a chance to chat more with the shop owners.



The 翁 family ran 廣記云吞面 for over twenty years now. The lady boss told me that their hometown is Kampung Mancis, in Pahang state. It's the way wantan mee is made in Mancis, the lady boss said. The family spoke in Cantonese with each other, and in Mandarin with their customers (the lingua franca among Chinese in Johor Bahru is Mandarin).



The boss, Mr 翁 the wantan noodle master.



Mr 翁's son helps his parents to run the shop and makes the egg noodles everyday. He cooks a great bowl of wantan mee too.



The lady boss showing me the Hakka yong tau foo sides that go with 廣記's wantan mee. Mr 翁 is Cantonese and the lady boss is Hakka, so we see a mix of Cantonese and Hakka in 廣記's wantan mee.



And here's the thing, unlike wantan noodles from Hong Kong and Guangzhou, or Singapore, this Malaysian style of wantan mee is served with Hakka yong tau foo sides.



Today, I had stuffed brinjal, green chili and a fried pork ball. There are other yong tau foo sides available, such as fried tofu.



This brinjal stuffed with a pork and fish mince is so good that it rivals even bests those at many yong tau foo stalls (especially beating those at shopping mall food courts).



The green chili pepper was so fresh that it had a juicy crunch almost like an apple, albeit a slightly spicy one.



I got 3 or 4 of these crispy fried wantons with my noodles (on the first day). There were also some shredded cabbage at the side. It's the first time I've seen cabbage (instead of choy sum greens) with wanton noodles and it's quite nice too.



I especially like 廣記's peppery soup which has a nice, pronounced anchovy flavour and aroma. The lady boss told me that they use pork bones and dried anchovies to make the broth.



The wantons of minced pork in slippery eggy wrap were good too.



The tasty lean and fat 半肥瘦 char siew which 廣記 roasts themselves everyday is cut into shreds or nibble bite sizes. (I prefer the big bold chunks of KL style wantan mee ;-p )



Wait, there's more. 廣記's wantan mee even comes with sautéed bak chor 肉脞 (minced pork).



Then, there is this sambal chili with a robust crustacean flavour from dried prawns. This sambal chili is also house made by 廣記.



Frankly speaking when I first encountered such Malaysian style wantan mee some years back, I thought it was quite an over-the-top, haphazard mishmash. But, I've come to enjoy it and appreciate that Malaysia is in truth a real melting pot, reflected in this Cantonese-Hakka style wantan mee.

As I was leaving, the lady boss said "得閒來坐" in Cantonese. That's exactly what I would say to guests at my home when they leave my house - literally it means, "come and sit with us whenever you are free." The customer is seen as a guest, not only a client.

->> If you are visiting from Guangzhou, Hong Kong or Singapore, give this unique Malaysian style of wantan noodles a try. I don't think you can find it easily at home.



Restaurant name: 广记.自制传统云吞面
Address: Jalan Dedap 17, Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
GPS: 1.542858, 103.800448
Hours: 6:30am to 2:00pm (closed on Monday)

Non Halal




Date visited: 25 Nov 2015, 26 Nov 2015

Which are your favourite wantan noodles, anywhere in the world?

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