Hokkien Yong Chun Prawn Noodle in Seng Huat kopitiam is a 40 year old brand in Johor Bahru. It has a loyal local following, but has somehow stayed under the social media radar.
Seng Huat kopitiam is in a quiet enclave in Taman Melody, a stone's throw from the bustling Holiday Villa - Holiday Plaza - KSL City Mall tourist belt.
Seng Huat is a laid back, sleepy coffee shop where locals saunter in for a light meal and coffee break.
Uniquely at Hokkien Yong Chun prawn noodle, we can have yong tau foo pieces to go with the prawn noodles.
We tried Yong Chun's soup and "dry" version of prawn noodles. We also added a few pieces of yong tau foo.
In the soup version, the mound of noodle sits in a bowl of broth and garnished with kang kong greens, bean sprouts, peeled prawns and generic factory fried shallots. There are no pork slices.
I like this clear watery broth as it has a robust crustacean savouriness and a quite sharp lingering spicy sting. I would come back to Yong Chun prawn noodle here at Seng Huat kopitiam just for this tasty broth.
The prawns were fresh but lost some of it's bouncy texture, juiciness and flavour as they were pre-cooked in bulk.
In the "dry" version, the noodle is tossed in a mild savoury sweet dark soy sauce blend with a slight shallot oil flavour.
The yong tau foo pieces had little flavour and changed the taste of the prawn broth, tipping it towards saltiness from the deep fried items. I will skip the YTF next time.
The chili sauce is nice as it has crustacean savouriness with spiciness.
The "gun" powder has just a slight spiciness. It will add a bit of spiciness to the "dry" version.
Hokkien Yong Chun Prawn Noodle is a name close to the hearts of many Johor Bahru folks. Johoreans love prawn noodles and many new prawn noodle shops/ stalls have sprang up all over JB. Some have become very famous, but this shop in Taman Melodies still has the old school flavour 古早味 which their loyal fans come back for. I also like their robust crustacean savoury prawn broth.
Restaurant name: Yong Chun Hokkien Prawn Noodle 福建永春蝦面
Address: Kedai Kopi Seng Huat, Jalan Kemuning, Taman Melodies, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°29'26.3"N 103°45'43.5"E | 1.490633, 103.762070
Hours: 8:00am to 4:00pm (Tues off)
Non Halal
Date visited: 31 Oct 2016
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Dear Tony,
ReplyDeleteRespectfully, would it not be better if you only blogged on places where you would give at least 3.5/5? I note that you have not blogged on many other places, especially if they do not meet your standards. So why this place?
Thank you for your comment. Yong Chun is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, prawn mee stall/ shop in JB. Many Johoreans grew up with this style and many refer to it as the "JB style of prawn mee" characterised by the flavour of the broth and the use of "gun powder". Yong Chu has spawned a few popular prawn mee stalls of the same style like Xi Ji in Taman Sri Tebrau. Yong Chun still has many loyal fans even though it not as popular as before. I documented Yong Chun in the blog because it has a place in many Johorean's food memories. Wish you happy eating :-D Tony.
DeleteBro, you may try the wan tan mee noodle opposite this stall. It is tasty also.
DeleteYes bro Eddie, I saw that and have noted it for a visit in the future. Thanks for recommending :-D
DeleteYou should try the wan tan mee opposite of this prawn noodle.
ReplyDeleteI am a JB kia. Thank you so much for this blog. I am a loyal fan of this prawn mee. It is definitely a 5/5. I had it since a child and still like it now. You can not find any chilli powder and chilli sauce like this anywhere. The soup is also super flavour-ful! I have yet come across anyone with a better prawn soup than this place. Cheers! It is a must try!
ReplyDelete