Mee Goreng at Singgah Selalu Danga Bay

“Must….resist….craving….” I thought to myself, clenching my teeth. I had dropped by Singgah Selalu to chill out with an ice lemon tea but the pictures of food surrounding me were calling me over to the dark side. After my serious disappointment with the dishes I ordered the last time I ate at Singgah Selalu, I didn’t want to waste my money or calorie quota in ordering any food there again. “But something smells so good…” my stomach protested, growling viciously. I broke down and hailed the waitress, ordering the cheapest basic Mee Goreng on the menu. “It can’t be worse than the mee goreng at hotel buffets,” I told myself, trying to wash away some of the guilt.

I’ve always been a fan of mee goreng, but somehow over the past couple of years I have not managed to find a place that lived up to the mee goreng I used to eat as a kid in my school canteen, or in the now long gone kopitiam in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur which I used to frequent whenever I visited my aunt in KL.

Mostly I’ve had to settle for mamak mee, or oily lacklustre mee goreng at buffets which basically taste of oil, soya sauce, ‘kee’ and salt. Even the mee goreng at the legendary Warung Saga failed to satisfy my craving for that taste of mee goreng from my childhood.

As soon as the plate was placed on my table my senses perked up. I instantly knew this mee goreng held promise. It had a delicious wok hei (breath of the wok) and seafood aroma. Wok hei is caused by the same reaction (maillard reactions) that makes toasted bread or pan seared meat taste better.

 Taking a bite confirmed the presence of ample wok hei, as well as deliciously umami seafood overtones which reminded me a little of the stock in kl type hokkien mee. The noodles were al dente, and devoid of the upsetting alkaline flavour that often taints mee goreng. The sotong and prawns were fresh, and perfectly cooked complementing the flavour of the noodles. No mushy prawns or rubbery sotong to be found here. A plus point for me was that the prawns were shelled, with only the tail remaining. I find unshelled prawns usually ruin an otherwise nice mee goreng for me as their legs and feelers end up breaking off and it’s impossible to get rid of every last one of them from the mee goreng; so you end up chewing and spitting out bits of inedible shell. While oil was visible, it did not feel at all cloying due to well-balanced flavours. This was certainly not the usual tastes-of-soy-sauce-and-oil boring mee goreng I have had to settle for over the past few years.

At this point some of you might be wondering; “What is this ‘alkaline’ or ‘kee’ taste this guy is going on about?”

In order to give yellow mee its characteristic flavour, texture and colour, a mixture of alkaline salts; sodium and potassium carbonates or hydroxides are added to the noodles. By detaching the flavones from starch, it allows the natural yellow colour of these flavones to appear. So, now we know this is responsible for the noodle’s yellow colour and texture, not so much the egg that is also added in making yellow noodles. Unfortunately for us, while contributing the pleasant yellow colour and yummy texture, these alkaline salts also add that not-so-yummy soapy ‘kee’ flavour to noodles. Fortunately though, these salts are water soluble and their flavour can be removed with sufficient rinsing under cold running water before blanching- something less careful eateries neglect to do.

Another pleasant surprise was that the chunks of chicken breast in this mee goreng were moist and succulent, unlike the dry, cardboard like chunks I usually get in mee goreng. For 5 ringgit, it’s a decent sized portion with a satisfying amount of succulent chicken chunks and sotong. I must note however, the third time I tried this mee goreng, the restaurant was busy due to it being a Manchester United game night, and the mee goreng was not as beautifully presented. No cabbage garnish, and no banana leaf on the plate. The chicken was also drier. On the whole though, these niggles aside, the mee itself was still delicious with perfectly cooked fresh sotong and prawns.

Singgah Selalu Danga Bay is open 24 hours.

Special thanks to Josh for his mad ninja photography skillz. https://www.facebook.com/photographyjoshcorea