Prowling around Masai for food, I stumbled upon Tong Sin coffee shop, Ah Chu Noodle House stall. It's 10 minutes walk from Masai bus terminal.
It's a stall inside Tong Sin coffee shop which is cool, bright and clean. Authentic hyperlocal vibes, free of charge 🤭
Actually, Tong Sin only has one stall - Ah Chu Noodle House - and it was very busy the whole time I was there.
Okay... There were other stalls but they were outside and it was clear that most people were here for Ah Chu Noodle.
The people were curious about who was this white hair unker taking pictures, asking questions 🤭
The menu was on the wall. #1 was curry mee, #2 prawn mee, etc. Observing casually, first impression was curry mee was most popular.
But, a whiff of that crustacean umami aroma and my money was surrendered to #2, the prawn mee. I am weak 🤭
Besides the basic noodles, we can add yong tau foo style ingredients at additional cost.
"People go Singapore look for food, why you come here look for food?"
Ms Ah Chu... that's a trick question right... ?
I got the prawn mee which in itself was already quite well loaded. There's noodle, beansprout, kang kong, char siew, and prawn in a bowl of umami rich prawn soup.
The prawn soup was in itself robustly umami savoury.
There's a fierce looking dollop of umami spicy sambal - if the soup doesn't give you enough kick, this will light the fire. No lah... it was actually just nice when mixed into the large bowl of soupy prawn noodle.
The yellow noodle wasn't the traditional fat type, so it doesn't have the exact tender spongy texture and taste that I like the most.
The prawn and char siew were alright.
So, the basic prawn noodle was solid as the base for the yong tau foo add ons, which were the winners at Ah Chu's.
The tofu stuffed with minced pork was delicious. Nice soy bean and fresh pork taste in the tender tofu and minced pork.
The surimi stuffed eggplant and bitter gourd were done a tad soft but still alright. The surimi stuffed chili pepper was good.
Good to the last drop. Not wow-ing but comforting, and will draw me back, especially to try their signature curry mee.
I should mention, the total price of the prawn noodle plus yong tau foo add ons came to RM16.
"Want to try some?" was the reply when I asked another customer for permission to take a photo of his curry mee 🙏 Enticing right!?
Ah Kim kway teow noodle soup was one of the stalls outside Tong Sin. Uncle was very serious about his trade, so his food should likely be quite delicious. There's only one way to find out. Taken noted for trying next time.
Stall name: Ah Chu Noodle House 亞珠面之家
Address: 48, Jalan Besar, Masai Lama, 81750 Masai, Johor (stall inside Pusat Makanan Dan Minuman Tong Sin coffee shop)
Tel: +6012 796 7223
Hours: 6:30am - 2pm (Thurs off)
You are going back to Masai-chussets.
My friend Peggy Loh recounted in her book My Johor Stories that she used to live in Masai and her schoolmates would tease her that "you are going back to Masai-chussets" playing on the popular Bee Gees hit "Massachussets". Oops we are that old .... 🤭
Written by Tony Boey on 19 Feb 2024
🎗To be neutral, I paid for my own food. This blog is powered by voluntary contributions from appreciative readers to Tony Boey Johor Kaki PAYNOW 96888768 in Singapore $.
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Thanks Tony, for the memories of Masai-chusetts wt yr noodles 🍜 experience! Many changes since we lived in the Government clinic quarters there. In fact, the clinic building was demolished while our bungalow next door is still in use. The entire clinic complex moved up to the top of Jalan Sekolah.
ReplyDeleteTony Boey At that time, we hardly ever ate outside. This row of shops was rebuilt after the “great fire” that swept through the original “one-street” town. My dad retired in 1978 n we moved back to Johor Bahru, so for me it was only memories of my Masai-chusetts. Read about it in my 2017 MPH Non-Fiction Bestseller, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage.
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