Hokkien Mee and Air Mata Kucing

ok. it’s Mid-Autumn Festival and i have nothing much to do after work. and… i’m all alone for dinner.

what better place to go than Petaling Street, right?

nah, that’s not the 1st place that i wanted to go initially but since today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, some shops are not open.

hence, this is where i ended up to.

from such an extreme angle, it’s hard to see the name of this shop. but anyone who frequented Petaling Street will know that it is ‘Kam Lin Kee’ just by looking at the background – the ever busy cook with the non-stop ‘clik-clak’ stir-fry sound, the large quantities of yellow noodles and the large numbers of Myanmar workers (with walkie-talkies) in red uniform taking orders…

for the uninitiated, ‘Kam Lin Kee’ is very famous for this :

Hokkien Mee. or some of you may address it as Hokkien Char (Hokkien Fry).

The portion is quite big. but of course, it is proportionate with the price (RM6 for a single portion). i remember it used to be RM4.50 for the same portion though.

the noodles may look oily but it is a bit dry when i had ate it earlier. but it is still acceptable. surprisingly, for a portion this big, there is only one prawn in a plate and not much pork. luckily they are not stingy with the sotong, lard and liver.

it’s hard to find Hokkien Mee with pig liver nowadays as i guess due to the health conscious society. i’m not a big fan of offal, but for those who are into ‘spare parts’, this is a good news!

one thing that i like about their Hokkien Mee is something that most of the ‘dai chow’ failed miserably – to get rid of the alkaline taste of the noodles.

‘Kam Lin Kee’ excels in this part. there’s not even a hint of the alkaline taste. instead, you are rewarded with a flavourful taste complemented with the crunchiness of lard.

with another stall just a few metres from where i am seated, i’m tempted to head to my new destination :

yes, the famous Air Mata Kucing in the intersection of Petaling Street. i have no idea what made it so famous it taste just like any other Air Mata Kucing.

my guess?

1. most of the tourist/local got tired and hot after a long walk in Petaling Street and the moment they tasted the cooling drink, it must have been the greatest drink that they ever had.

2. Or it must be plain good Feng Shui considering that it is located in an intersection.

3. or maybe both???

here’s my bounty. RM1.80 for a hot one or RM1.20 for a cold one. and yes, it seems like the best drink that i ever had (after a long walk from Jalan Masjid India to Petaling Street earlier. haha!).

they are generous with the ‘Longans’ but you would have to dig deeper if you ordered a cold one as they are ‘generous’ with the ice as well. haha!

but then again, it is a good drink to end my food journey on a lonely Mid-Autumn Festival…