KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — The soon hock or marble goby fish won't dazzle you with its looks but who cares as it's prized for its delicate flesh.
A mainstay in premium Chinese restaurants, the "ikan bodoh" looks like it just met Medusa which Greek mythology tells us can turn anyone or anything which looks at her into stone.
Madam Fish Noodle House takes a radical approach that many will call sacrilegious in its use of such a premium fish.
Tradition calls for it to be steamed. Not chopped up, deep fried and served with a milky fish soup.
With a price tag of RM28 for their Soon Hock Fish Head Noodle, it's not your everyday bowl.
Commonly, grouper, snakehead or even salmon, is used to prepare fish head noodles. Each type of fish has their pros and cons. It could be, say the gelatinous, chewy skin or softer flesh, that determines your particular choice of fish.
In this case, the soon hock fish head is deep fried till there's a crisp, golden layer around it.
Bite into the chunky pieces to discover the sweet, fine flesh inside. Surprisingly even though it's the fish head, the pieces aren't just bones but chunky with meat.
It goes well with the milky broth. The creaminess is balanced out with the slightly piquant pickled vegetables and chunky pieces of tomatoes. There's an abundance of fresh coriander, brightening up the bowl.
For those who hate bones, there's also a fish fillet version for RM32. Select your choice of noodles from thin or thick vermicelli, mee, kuey teow and lai fun.
On the menu, there's various fish listed, like tiger grouper. However that was not available the day I visited, which left me with only the soon hock fish.
There's a Mix Seafood Noodle (RM38) and White Clam Noodle (RM17). The clear broth is also available for those averse to milk.
A selection of side dishes tempt me to add more to my order. At the counter, there are more items not on the menu like Homemade Dou Gan (RM2 per piece) and Fish Ball to entice you.
Fried Prawn Twister (RM18) grabs my attention with its thin, twisty look. Actually it's just crunchy deep fried skin wrapped around a medium sized shelled prawn at the base. Tastewise, it's not very exciting. Even a thick chilli sauce at the table couldn't save it.
There's Fried Fish Tofu (RM2 per piece) and Fried Beancurd (RM4 per piece). The crispy bites are freshly fried without any oily residue. Each mouthful has fish paste mingling in the golden bites, bulking up your meal here.
There's no worry that you'll suffer food coma after a meal here, as they offer claypot coffee. This method of brewing local coffee in an earthenware pot, yields a more fragrant, robust cup of java.
My cup of Claypot Kopi definitely woke me up. It's got a thick crema on top so drink the richer tasting coffee slowly. There's also options to order Kopi O or Kopi C.
With your order of noodles, you can add on the Claypot Kopi or Herbal Tea. It's RM3 top-up for the hot version and RM4 for the cold drink. Usually the Claypot Kopi is RM5 (hot) if you order it on its own.
Since they open from 9am, there's also kaya butter toast with half boiled eggs.
The eatery joins a stretch of other places with a seafood theme like Kiara Fishmonger and Fish Market Restaurant. The Fish Market here is under the Moon Palace group. Apparently this place offers a smaller menu compared to their Cheras restaurant. There's also a Satay Station and a yet to open place called Laut.
Parking is available for free inside the commercial parking lot. This is only available for patrons of Madam Fish Noodle House and Fish Market.
Madam Fish Noodle House, G5, Mont Kiara Meridin, 19, Jalan Duta Kiara, Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. Open daily: 9am to 8pm. Tel:011-39222088. Facebook:@MadamFishNoodle Instagram: @madam_fish_noodle_house
*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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