PETALING JAYA, April 24 — For those who love lala noodles, they will be spoiled for choice at Damansara Uptown.
In one corner, you have the famous Lai Foong Lala Noodle that just opened a branch here. And there's also Ming Kee Seafood Noodle from Kepong that also opened an outpost there.
I've not tried the Kepong place before so I took the opportunity to sample their food at this outlet.
The menu is dominated by lala noodles. Pick from the Hua Diao (rice wine), their famous cheese or a spicy tom yum. You can vary the selection by adding two tiger prawns.
Each bowl is served with thin crystal noodles. These translucent strands retain their springy texture even after sitting in the broth for some time.
Here, they use white clams or kepah, as the locals call it. The shells are thicker and the molluscs are plump compared to, say, the usual flower lala clams.
The compromise is the sweetness though. You will find that its taste is not as sweet compared to the lala clams.
These juicy, plump clams are best paired with the rice wine broth. It's fragrant but not overly strong, making it incredibly drinkable.
There's also the unmistakable taste of ginger, thanks to a generous portion of chopped deep fried ginger. Since the broth can be a little rich on its own, the addition of sliced red chillies add a slight spicy punch.
It's RM15.99 for the Hua Diao lala noodles. For the version with tiger prawns, it's RM21.99.
The eatery is famous for their cheese lala noodles. It may sound outlandish but surprisingly, the flavours work well.
The broth is tinged yellow with the addition of a mild cheese that gives it a creamy taste. It's combined with fried garlic for that classic flavour combination of cheese garlic. The Cheese Lala is RM17.99, while the tiger prawns version is RM23.99.
Last but not least, there's the tom yum version, which packs a rather spicy taste. However, it's not a balanced broth and lacks the spicy, tangy notes one would expect from tom yum. The Tomyum Lala is RM15.99 and the tiger prawns version is RM21.99.
If you love clams, there's also an option to add more clams to your bowl. Just pay an extra RM4 and they will load up 100 grams' worth of clams.
There's also a small selection of kam heong dishes, cooked with tiger prawns or clams. The sauce is fragrant and thick with chopped onions, dried shrimp and curry leaves that pairs well with the clams which will set you back RM24.99.
You also have various fried items like spicy fish cake, lobak, fried meatball and fried beancurd on the menu.
Ming Kee Seafood Noodles, No. 113-G, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama (Uptown), Petaling Jaya. Open: 10am to 9pm (Tuesday to Sunday). Closed on Monday. Tel:012-5013147.
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