One of the most memorable dishes from my trips to Miri, Sarawak is Fuzhou or Hock Chew prawn noodle which I cannot find in Singapore or Peninsula Malaysia. I was pretty much resigned to the fate that I have to travel to Sarawak if I want to taste this dish again (not that I mind going to Sarawak again ๐ ๐บ It's a most fascinating place).
But today, I found out that I can get it in Johor Bahru, right at our doorstep ๐
I was hanging out at the Tan Hiok Nee area in old downtown Johor Bahru when it started to rain heavily ⛈️
With no choice but to wait out the rain ๐ง️, I ducked into Kopiloco.
Kopiloco has a thick menu featuring kopi, teh, toast, buns and lots of local delights. Flipping through the menu a couple of times, I settled for their daily specials. On Fridays, it is prawn noodle.
Truth be told, looking at the menu picture, I wasn't expecting much. Just something to let me while away some time pleasantly while waiting for the rain to stop.
The first clue that I could be on to something special was the aroma that hit my nose when the noodles were sent to me. If I was blindfolded, I swear I'll think that it was Singapore style fried Hokkien mee. No joke. Singapore Hokkien mee seemed to be a reduced version of Hock Chew prawn noodle. (Maybe Fuzhou prawn noodle hold the keys to the origin of Singapore Hokkien mee but that's the topic for another post).
For prawn noodle, I always taste the soup first.
I was blown away by the ultra umami and savouriness of the rich, full bodied, viscous soup. Lots of garlic gave it another layer of savouriness and some heat. I added some cut red chili which to me took the flavours a notch higher with its zesty spiciness.
Then the noodles. They were generic yellow noodles but there is something different and special about them compared to other prawn noodles e.g. from Penang or Singapore.
The noodles were stir fried to give it a bit of toasty wok hei flavour before the ultra umami soup is poured over it.
Win already lor... like that.
I popped in some cut red chili pepper. It's rich, ultra umami, savoury, spicy, hot plus wok hei - you imagine the depth and explosion of flavours ๐ฅ
There were two or three prawns in the bowl. They weren't sashimi fresh but within expectation at this price point (RM14.90).
I am excited by this find. If you are a prawn noodle lover and like them ultra umami, you can try out Kopiloco on Fridays. If you love prawn noodles, you got to try the way Hock Chews do it.
Oh... I didn't get the MSG thirst afterwards... . If there is MSG, I don't think there's much.
Fuzhou prawn noodle in Miri, Sarawak ๐ click
Kopiloco's coffee and toasted buns weren't shabby either.
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