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. (Update: They have shifted to 36, Jalan Harimau Tarum, Taman Abad in 2025.)
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 ๐ click
Many fans of Ho Seng Kee's Old JB flavours are young.
Both of us opted for the "original flavour" ๅๅณ which is basically aromatic oil ็ๆฒน 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 ๐๐๐ ).
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 ๅ จ่้บต 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 ๆฏ 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 ๐
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.
๐ 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 ๐ click
My second HSK post not long after they shifted to City Square mall ๐ click
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 ๐ click
Many fans of Ho Seng Kee's Old JB flavours are young.
Both of us opted for the "original flavour" ๅๅณ which is basically aromatic oil ็ๆฒน 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 ๐๐๐ ).
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 ๅ จ่้บต 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 ๆฏ 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 ๐
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.
๐ 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 ๐ click
My second HSK post not long after they shifted to City Square mall ๐ click
Restaurant name: Ho Seng Kee ไฝๆ่จ ไบๅ้ขไธๅฎถ
Address:
Tel: 012 710 7140
Hours: 10:00am to 9:00pm
Non Halal
Love this video for its nice personal touch.
Hours: 10:00am to 9:00pm
Non Halal
Love this video for its nice personal touch.
Date visited: numerous time since 2012
The food is not the same as previously.
ReplyDeleteyes agreed! The original mee taste even when it's left cold after several hours.
ReplyDeleteWhat other wanton mee stalls do you recommend that sells the raw noodles? I would like to bring some back to SG.
ReplyDeleteYou may try Chin Chin in Skudai. Thank you.
Deletehttp://johorkaki.blogspot.com/2012/02/wanton-noodles-restoran-chin-chin-in.html