By SAM CHEONG
FIRST of all, I would like to thank all the readers out there for the helpful suggestions sent in via email.
There are plenty of good makan places that I would like to check out and, recently, Pak Hassan, an old fishing buddy of mine who has relocated to Subang Jaya from Puchong alerted me about a Mee Bandung Muar stall in USJ 11.
Kedai Kopi 333’s local coffee and starters: Half boiled eggs and kaya toast.
“Eh Sam, you should check out this stall-lah. In my area, there are not many food operators – especially the Malays – who offer a simple noodle dish like that.
“I find that the price is also very reasonable. But, there is a catch, you can only get to try the Mee Bandung after sunset,” he said.
I took the cue from Pak Hassan because there have been numerous requests from readers for makan places that are halal.
Kedai Kopi 333 at Jalan USJ 11/1J was formerly a mamak restaurant and, recently, a bumiputra entrepreneur had taken over the business.
Generous portion: Mee Bandung Muar
With some detective work, I learnt that the outlet is operated by Mohd Adib Sidek, an old hand at street food.
Adib is known for his other outlet in SS15 called Kafe FAB. This is also the guy responsible for the Sup Bomba and Nasi Telepon Booth.
With Pak Hassan’s recommendation in hand, I went over to the Kedai Kopi 333 after office hours. It wasn’t hard to locate the eatery as it is brightly lit during the night.
When I got there, the first thing that caught my attention was a stall with a signboard that read Mee Bandung Muar.
But, before I delve into this traditional Malay dish, here’s a side story; when I was growing up near the Jalan Raja Bot market, I had a school friend named Anuar Saad.
Spicy treat: Nasi rendang minang
His mother ran a stall specialising in Mee Bandung and she would often offer me a serving at no charge, although at RM1.50 a plate, the price was reasonable for the late 1970s.
The noodles were tasty and you would find the standard garnishings like chopped coriander, fried shallots, slices of tofu, a poached egg, beef slices and shrimps.
To me, Anuar’s mum’s cooking has become the benchmark for a good Mee Bandung. As a matter of fact, some of the stalls at Jalan Raja Bot still offer the dish, though whether Anuar’s mum is among them, I do not know. Perhaps a follow-up trip is in order!.
Back to Kedai Kopi 333. I met the stall operator who goes by the name Rosli ‘ganu (he’s from Terengganu) who told me that he learned the Mee Bandung Muar recipe from several masters from Johor.
“Ah, Mee Bandung ni, saya berguru dengan orang Batu Pahat. Dan perisa Mee Bandung Muar ni memang lain pasal kita guna banyak udang kering dan sup tulang.” (I learned this from a guy from Batu Pahat and to prepare the gravy, I use plenty of dried shrimp and beef stock.)
I gave this noodle dish a try at RM5 a helping and found it to be decent tasting. There’s a generous portion of egg noodles and garnishing to go around.
While I was savouring the Mee Bandung, I also noticed customers ordering take-away portions. On average, Rosli said he could sell up to 50 plates of noodles a night.
He added that demand soared during the weekends, especially if there was a late night televised soccer match. Well, for RM5, I had nothing to complain about.
According to Rosli, Kedai Kopi 333 also specialises in rice dishes like the nasi ayam percik and nasi rendang minang.
I tried the coffee here and found it to be just average. Anyway, the outlet is one of the very few Kopitiam that is fully managed by a Malay owner.
So, on that note, the food there which is based on the Southern way of preparation is commendable.So, if you plan to make a trip to Kedai Kopi 333 for a plate of Mee Bandung, the best time is from 7pm to 10pm.
For handheld GPS owners, the coordinates are: 3 2’ 23” N, 101 34’ 44” E. Oh, last but not least, if you own a cellphone that uses the A-GPS mode, be reminded that data packet charges applies to this function. So, till the next outing, happy hunting and have a good makan!
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