✍️ 22 Dec 2024. Revisiting Restoran Monyet, it's called Restoran Sin Peng now. Forgot to ask why the change but the Chinese name remains the same 猴子麵茶餐室 i.e. Monkey Noodles.
Anyway, there were no monkeys nor any monkeying around. I am here because I know of no other place that still make their own rice noodles themselves.
Restoran Sin Peng is at Jalan Selesa 1, just 5 minutes drive off the Senai Highway (ten minutes, if you walk but the road is narrow so not going to encourage you to do that).
It's a quiet, sleepy place, with locals sauntering in lazily for breakfast this Thursday morning.
The fabled Monyet noodles for RM7.
House made thick rice vermicelli in a dark sauce slathered with a splash of creamy curry sauce. Topped with slices of Hakka style fried pork and fish cake. Come with a soup with a piece of yong tau foo (cut in two).
I used just the spoon to scoop up the noodles (also called mee tai mak & lou shi fun or rat tail noodle). Spoon is the easiest way as the noodles were short and stubby, and very slick with oil and sauce. It'll be a bit of struggle for me with my chopstick skills 😅
The thick rice noodles were firm and dense, still tender but there was little spring to the bite. It was like eating denser chwee kueh in noodle form.
The dark sauce was sweet savoury with a subtle bit of spice and heat from the creamy curry sauce.
The fried pork was tender, moist, savoury, sweet with a subtle fermented bean curd (nam yu 南乳) flavour.
The tofu with minced pork filling was nice. Tender, moist, and tasted of fresh soy bean and pork.
It's homely, comforting, though not mind blowing. Still the only hand made rice vermicelli we can buy, so worth our support.
Disclaimer: No monkey was ever involved or harmed in serving this noodle. "Monyet" is just the owner's nickname for being cheeky as a boy (which boy wasn't? 🤭).
Restaurant name: Restoran Sin Peng 猴子面茶餐室
Address: 3, Jalan Selesa 1, Taman Selesa, 81400 Senai, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia
Tel: +6012 742 3328
Hours: 7am - 1pm | 6pm - 10pm (lunch service only on Sun | dinner service on Mon)
Written by Tony Boey on 22 Dec 2024
✍ 10 Apr 2016. When I heard the name Monyet or "monkey" noodles in Senai, Johor, I was curious. Then, when I heard that they still hand make "rat tail noodles" the old way here, I had to come here immediately :-D
当我听到有猴子面的时候我非常的好奇. 又听到他有自制的老鼠粉, 那么就非试不可了. 吃过了, 好喜欢他的老鼠粉. 口感好, 酱料香, 有古早味, 配料又多又好吃. 价钱公道. 路过士乃不妨试试.
So, I got up early on Sunday and got here at Monyet coffee shop in Senai. To get here, turn into the very busy Jalan Senai 10 off Lebuhraya Senai (at the overhead pedestrian bridge). Keep driving straight ahead into the village for about a kilometre to a row of old shophouses on your left at Jalan Selasa 1.
Inside Monyet coffee shop, it was full house like every weekend morning - the bare bones coffee shop was filled with local people, mostly families.
We started with a bowl of curry laksa with rat tail noodles which comes standard with Hakka fried pork, char siew, yong toufu and an optional splash of "咖喱头 curry head" (that mildly spicy foamy froth on the surface when we cook curry).
The medium bodied curry broth was a blend of well balanced savoury, sweet and spicy flavours which I liked.
The hand made rat tail noodles (also known as mee tai mak) were brilliant. (They are rice noodles and called "rat tails" because of their shape.) The "rat tails" were short, stubby and rather thick and round. The rat noodles were heavy and dense. I like the tender bouncy bite and the very subtle rice flavour.
We then turned our attention to the "dry" rat tail noodles. There was Hakka fried pork, char siew, fish cake slices, savoury sweet tossing sauce and Monyet's signature curry head (curry foam).
There was a small bowl of savoury sweet clear soup and a piece of Hakka style yong toufu (the kind commonly found in the Senai / Kulai area).
Then, there were these marvellous hand made rat tail noodles. I have never tasted rat tail noodles so good before.
If you are not a fan of rat tail noodles, there are also factory supplied yellow noodles, bee hoon and kway teow.
Uncle Chin runs the stall founded by his mum over 50 years ago. I asked Uncle Chin why is his stall known as Monyet noodles. He shared that it's because his nickname is monyet (monkey) since he was a boy, hence Monyet Noodles :-D
->> I am so glad to know about Monyet noodles. I will surely be back as I love Monyet's hand made rat tail noodles - it's the only place I know that still makes this. Monyet coffee shop is a good place for stop over on the way to Senai Airport, Kulai or Johor Premium Outlets.
Hi Tony, very apt posting for me. Am flying back to Senai this week from Saigon. Will try to make a detour from the airport to try this Rat Tail Noodles. If it is sold out by noon , hope I can make it to Senai Curry Laksa Min Kee which is around there too. Once again thanks a Zillion Tony !
ReplyDeleteLol hope your get to enjoy this Vietnam Mari :-D
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ReplyDeleteRestaurant name changed to Restoran Sin Peng 猴子面茶餐室, -same address.
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