It is actually 順友麵食 stall but almost everyone know them as Pak Lock as they are in Pak Lock coffee shop 百樂茶餐室 and is the only stall there (besides the drink stall) 😁
Pak Lock is an old corner shop in Pudu, a quaint old part of Kuala Lumpur, standing its ground valiantly against the encroaching glass towers on every side.
Pudu is a nostalgic place for many young Malaysians from outside KL as this was the place where many of them first set foot 落脚 in the glittering capital of opportunity and hope. A stepping stone to a better life (which many eventually achieved).
Pak Lock is an old place locals come for wanton mee, coffee and to relax like the good old days, long before social media and the internet.
It's like an eddy of calmness in the fast flowing river of time. And, eddies inevitably get washed away by rushing water.
When I placed my order, unker primed me that I have to wait at least 30 minutes.
No problem for me as I like to relak one corner.
Pak Lock wanton mee is a family run operation with some 40 years in the business (since 1987). They work very fast like a well drilled platoon.
One section blanch the noodles, next section sauce and add toppings such as chopped char siew, final station assemble the wanton soup, ready to serve to customers at their tables like in a restaurant.
Unker bluff me. I don't think I waited 30 minutes 🫢 It was quite quick actually.
I ordered a small serving and added more char siew. Came to RM17.80.
I didn't say what sauce I wanted and was given the default black sauce and lard.
There was so much lard smothering the noodles it could trigger an invasion for the oil, if not careful 😱🫢 There's also sesame oil and aromatic scallion oil but they didn't really made their presence felt.
I freaking love it.
The house made noodles were slightly thicker than angel hair, done tender al dente with a light springy crunch to the bite. Robustly lardy with savoury balance from dark soy sauce.
(I walked around the coffee shop and noticed that their wide-cut mee pok seemed very popular too. Shall try it next time. This belonged to another customer.)
Kuala Lumpur is char siew lovers' heaven. Fatty soft tender juicy sweet savoury toasty smokey.
The standard of char siew is generally very high in KL. So yeah, Pak Lock is in the Ivy League of char siew. Once you are in the Ivy League, which one is the best is highly subjective already.
Two wantons came in a murky full flavoured umami savoury sweet chicken and vegetable soup. Cantonese people like to put dried seafood into their soups for that extra umami oomph. You know it's there, they make their presence felt.
The wantons were old school - velvety smooth skin wrapping soft tender ground pork (40% fat) marinated in aromatic oil (sesame oil and oyster sauce), spice and seasoning (tee poh powder).
Not my order.
But, I find this wanton soup with radish very interesting and will try it next time. I also noticed other customers order the soupy version of wanton mee. Will also try it out next time.
Finished. Yummy.
Still got some oil reserves 🫢
Stall name: Pak Lock Wanton Noodle
Address: 2, Jalan Kancil, Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nearest LRT: 15 minute walk from Pudu station
Tel: +6016 250 0094
Hours: 8:30am - 4pm
Written by Tony Boey on 20 Mar 2026
Who is Tony Johor Kaki?
U can try Kei suk wanton mee adjacent to pak lock at Jalan baba… pretty good too
ReplyDeletei must say i’m not a fan of the dark soya sauce wanton noodles. often just sweet and not very savoury. having said that, it tends to get better (more umami) the farther north one travels (from SG). i wonder whether it’s something to do with the soya sauce makers up north or maybe older stalls use older brands and products that have now been premiumized out of the economic zone.
ReplyDeleteRichard Poh Tony Boey Kei Suk has the best-tasting wantan noodles in town, IMO. But I heard the old chap had passed on since I last visited it. But his son has done a great job in carrying on his legacy, though.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.hungryonion.org/t/kuala-lumpur-uncle-keis-wantan-noodles-at-restoran-good-friend-pudu/15866