Taste of Old JB. Ho Seng Kee Wanton Noodle 老新山的味道. 何成記

My JB buddy wanted to have another taste of Ho Seng Kee wanton mee, a taste of Old JB which she grew up with. She remembers eating this Old JB wanton mee when it was a coffee shop stall near the present Merlin Tower Hotel a long time ago. 



Ho Seng Kee have since moved to Taman Century and then now on the roof top level (6th floor) of City Square Mall since 2015.



This JB wanton mee stalwart was founded by Ho Seng who arrived in Malaya from Guangzhou during the pre-War years in the 1930s.



Inside today's Ho Seng Kee, the air conditioned space is large, bright and contemporary like a modern cafe. Furnishings are simple and everything is neat and clean. It is very comfortable and really quite conducive for meet ups, especially during off peak hours.



Leading Ho Seng Kee into the future is 3rd generation owner Elton (Ho Seng's grandson). He has been at the helm of Ho Seng Kee since the days when the shop was at Taman Century 👈 click



Many fans of Ho Seng Kee's Old JB flavours are young.



Both of us opted for the "original flavour" 原味 which is basically aromatic oil 熟油 with a hint of lard and sesame.



I feel that with the original flavour we are able to appreciate the subtle qualities of Ho Seng Kee's egg noodles more.

The heavy gauge noodles were done al dente with a nice bouncy spring and stretch. The noodles felt dense and we can enjoy a nice bite (without the noodles breaking easily or melded into a sticky mushy ball).



The noodles have a subtle egginess. (Hard to find egg noodles with egg flavour nowadays. I know.... that sounds so weird and sad 😂😂😂 ).

I like Ho Seng Kee's chili sauce (but will ask for it to be served separately in a small dish so that I can enjoy the best of both worlds i.e. original flavour and with chili).

The chili sauce has a bright zesty spicy taste and a slight fruity tang. A bit of it wakes up the taste buds and helps bring out the eggy flavour more.



Ho Seng Kee make their own whole egg noodles 全蛋麵 fresh everyday. The spring and stretch come from the premium Canadian wheat flour and addition of duck eggs. Only duck eggs with their more sticky and denser whites can give wanton mee that stretchy texture. Elton described it as 扯 or pull.

There's also chicken eggs as they have more eggy flavour than duck eggs (nowadays). So, duck eggs for texture and chicken eggs for taste.

Ho Seng Kee's egg dough is also hand kneaded so that it has that desired texture. This actually limits the daily output of egg noodles which Ho Seng Kee can produce. Thus, there is only one Ho Seng Kee outlet and they do not franchise or supply their egg noodles to other vendors.

If you like Ho Seng Kee's egg noodles you cannot get it anywhere else 😂



There were 3 or 4 large wantons buried under the mound of egg noodles. They were dense meaty balls of minced fat and lean pork wrapped in a small sheet of eggy dough. (Personally, I prefer old style wantons which is just a pinch of soft minced pork folded in a small square sheet of dough. That way I can taste the egginess and feel the smooth texture of the wanton wrap more.)



The accompanying savoury-sweet soup is pork, chicken bone and dried flat fish stock, reminding me of the Hong Kong style. Personally, I prefer my wanton soup to have some anchovy flavour because that's how I remember wanton soup tastes like during my childhood in Singapore.



As I love wantons, we had a separate order of 10 wantons in a bowl of soup.



The char siew is not mind blowing but it is tender and juicy with a nice porky flavour and a bit of toasty taste. I'll say it's not bad.



The pickled green chili is fresh with a sweet tangy juicy crunch.



Prices are at a slight premium but it is reasonable given the shopping mall location and Elton insists on using only good quality ingredients to ensure the Old JB taste is preserved.

The friendly service staff were attentive, earnest, enthusiastic and responsive. Overall, a very pleasant dining experience.



👉 A nice taste of Old JB style of wanton mee at Ho Seng Kee. Try it to appreciate and learn more about JB's rich culinary heritage.

My first post on HSK when it was still in Taman Century. It was during the early days of Johor Kaki blog in 2012 👈 click

My second HSK post not long after they shifted to City Square mall 👈 click

Restaurant name: Ho Seng Kee 何成記 云吞面世家 
Address: Level 6, Johor Bahau City Square Mall, Jalan Wong Ah Fook 
GPS: 1°27'43.2"N 103°45'51.9"E | 1.462015, 103.764422
Tel: 012 710 7140 
Hours: 10:00am to 9:00pm

Non Halal





Love this video for its nice personal touch.


Date visited: numerous time since 2012