Smack bang in the middle of a South Indian cluster of divine proportions stands this trendy Nyonya eatery. Replete with the token naked brick walls, a hipster bicycle by the entrance, signage done with tongue-in-cheek forethought, and a clinically clean appearance, I had doubts about how the food would venture.

This was a very decent Laksa. Definitely nowhere near the top tier of KL's offerings, but decent. My main gripe would have been the choice of noodles. They were oddly uncomfortable to eat. Broth and accompaniments all held their own, but the noodles dragged all things beneath the murky surface.

Today is a hot one. Probably not the right temperature for a steaming bowl of hot noodle soup, but that has never stopped me before.

Since my first few visits to KL in the early 2000's, i've walked past this nondescript stall a hundred times without bothering to go in and try the food. Having decided this time to try and only eat at new places, I figured it was high time to give the Beef Noodles here a go.

The place was packed. Promising. I had to share a table with an old man reading comics. I ordered the special beef ball soup and watched as the waiter ran frantically around the shop hurling bowls to impatient customers. 

Delicious soup. First taste of the broth, spot on. Tremendous amount of flavour from a soup that looked so "thin". The two types of noodles were both excellent, the pieces of beef succulent and tender. The beef balls too were surprisingly good. At 1 Euro 50 for a bowl, you can hardly get a better or cheaper lunch anywhere.

Malaysian (Chinese) Beef noodles are very different to the type i'm most used to from Taiwan. There is always beef balls (something I never got in Taipei) and the broth is sweeter, the noodles generally thinner and most bowls are loaded with tripe (which I asked to kindly forego).

However, two of the highest rated one's in Kuala Lumpur are literally 200 and 160 meters respectively from my hotel. The first one I tried last week, was great, so today I figured I might as well check out the competition. This place was three times the size, and equally packed. I seemed to have arrived at the perfect time because as soon as I sat down throngs of locals turned up and had to wait.

I ordered the small bowl of beef ball noodles and a 100 plus. It was 34 degrees. Stiflingly hot. The city heaved under the pressure of the humidity. Cars added insult to injury, but inside was fairly ok. The labouring AC machines working overtime to keep the fire at bay. 

The food was delicious. Completely different to Shin Kee down the road which was a clearer soup, different noodles and had minced beef added too. The beef balls here tasted better and had a more pleasant texture, the noodles were better over there, but the most important thing: the broth, was a dead tie. Tho differing in taste and recipe, they both had their plus and minus points. 

I'll give this head-to-head a draw. 

My first time trying Tori-Paitan, or chicken carcass broth. Scepticism crept across my weathered face from deep within. I almost felt like I was cheating on pork, laying my head next to a feathered creature instead of a squealing.... nevermind. 

A boisterous woman showed me to my seat, to which I quickly asked "Can I sit there instead" which was of course furthest away from the other guests. I felt my shoulders relax under the avoidance of breathing mouths. Soup was upon me, glistening like a newly washed sportscar, and I dove in without a seconds hesitation. GODDAMN! This was good shit. Like proper good shit. Meltingly delicious meat, firm noodles, awesome egg and the broth, a transcendent beast of a broth. Rich yet unfatty. Comforting yet packed with taste. 

One of the greatest challenges in Kuala Lumpur is that most of the ramen shops are located in Shopping Malls. For a person riddled with anxiety and general unease around other humans, this poses a massive problem. It is testament to my love of a damn bowl of soup, noodles and egg that I willfully enter the mine-field of toddlers and parents, corny teens on shopping sprees, husbands dragged along to handbag shops, diarrhea on the speaker-system and the perpetual confusion as to where the exit is. 

Probably due to costs-per-square-meter, they always end up on the top floor too. Having a massive hatred of elevators this means more time spent with humans on their ant-like rambles up the escalators. It's truly enough to give anyone a relapse of PTSD. Having said that, upon entering a calm, ramen oasis with the promise of a hearty bowl, the fears subside.


I opted for the Shio Ramen (salt broth) this time since it was their Signature Bowl, and I had never had the pleasure of eating their ramen before. The restaurant was occupied by three people. A couple in the far corner chatting to other people on their phones, and a silent worshipper 3 tables away not looking around at all. Perfect!

Soup-wise it was tasty, but didn't become more complex or deep. But tasty it was. The pork was deliciously tender, the egg was a touch on the sweet side, but perfectly cooked, and the noodles were springy and delightful. 

Though it may be a chain, they are obviously keeping a strict quality-control on their branches because this was nothing to sneer at.