Hunting for pit stops in Yong Peng which is about 100km from Johor Bahru, we went to check out the famous ATAP-OD restaurant which is popular with locals.
Atap-OD has the rustic, laid back, welcoming kampung ambiance which I like about eating experiences in small town Malaysia.
The menu of Atap-OD is simple - it's all just different noodles done different ways but all in Hock Chew style. All humble carbs but delicious staples.
Boss Mr. Tan has been running Atap-OD for over 30 years. All the noodle dishes bear his signature style. His son has been working with Mr. Tan at Atap-OD for a few years already.
(Note to self: Next time I meet Mr. Tan, I shall ask him why is his restaurant called Atap-OD. If you know, please share in the comments 🙏 )
We started with Hock Chew Lor Mee. Everything hidden under the dark brown almost black sauce - not made for Instagram.
When food hunting, we normally just order one dish to test the
The Hock Chew lor mee was rich with robust sourish sweet umami savoury flavours in the thick gooey almost black sauce. When folding and rolling the noodles in the thick sauce, the smell of black vinegar and prawn stock was prominent. There were small shrimps, pork slices, eggs and greens here and there in the bowl.
The thick fat yellow noodles were stewed briefly in the thick flavourful sauce which softened the noodles. The slurpy smooth noodles, each strand enveloped in tasty sauce were soft and contributed a bit of sweetness to the sourish savoury dish.
If you like to spice up your lor mee, stir in a bit of very spicy freshly made garlic and chili sauce. This one really good.
We liked Atap-OD's Hock Chew lor mee, so followed up with a dry version of fried Hock Chew noodles.
Very nice noodles with deep layers of umami savoury garlicky flavours from the sauce, prawn stock(?) and lard. A bit of toasty wok hei 锅气 taste add depth to the savoury flavours. There's prawns, lean pork slices and beansprouts in the quite greasy heap. It tasted very similar to KL style Hokkien though slightly less salty and less lardy.
Information for you 👌 Atap-OD is a good place to taste yummy Yong Peng Hock Chew noodles in an authentic Malaysian small town setting. Great pit stop for the drive between Singapore / JB and Malacca / KL. Be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes during peak hours. Also be careful about feeling drowsy from all the carbs in the tummy 😆
We will be back to try the other Hock Chew noodles and egg gravy soup in the menu. Our total bill came to RM19 (in 2020) for the noodles, fish cake and one barley drink.
Restaurant name: ATAP-OD 亚答屋饮食中心
Address: Jalan Labis, Taman Berlian, Yong Peng, Johor
GPS: 2°01'12.0"N 103°03'24.7"E 🌐 2.019992, 103.056847
WAZE: Atap-OD
Tel: 07 467 4822
Hours: 7:00am - 3:00pm (Weds off)
Date visited: 5 Feb 2020 | Reviewed 13 Oct 2023
Hygiene needs to be improved. Stomach ache after eating Fuzhou noodles.
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