If you are in Sungai Buloh, Taman Industri Sungai Buloh's Restoran Xin Qi Mei Shi has a good ‘wantan mee’ and ‘char kway teow’

PETALING JAYA, Sept 9 — A great wantan mee is hard to find.

As it's built from many elements, the stall needs to get each one right before being able to give a stellar experience to the eater.

This wantan mee stall inside Restoran Xin Qi Mei Shi almost nails it.

The restaurant is sandwiched between Restoran Big Family and Restoran Tai Ma, at the fringe of Kota Damansara — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

As it's a corner lot, the coffee shop is airy and pleasant to dine in  — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Look for the ‘wantan mee’ stall placed in front of the restaurant — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

The al dente bamboo egg noodles. The killer sauce. The plump wantans. Until it hits the char siu.

It's not like the char siu is bad. In fact the thin slices have a tender bite.

It's just that it is old style. Our tongues have been spoiled by thick cut, glistening towers built with layers of fat and meat that sport a caramelised top.

Once you have tasted a decadent char siu, it's hard to go back to the basics.

The wantan mee with char siu is RM9 for a small portion.

I'm not one to be let down by one element, hence I tried all of their toppings. My top pick would be their siew yoke. It's RM12 for a small portion of the wantan mee with siew yoke.

Select your toppings for your ‘wantan mee’ from the counter — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

If you're not a fan of old style ‘char siu’, opt for the ‘siew yoke’ to go with your ‘wantan mee’ instead — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

The roast pork belly has a crunchy firm crackling, which gives way to fat and soft meat. It may not have that sweet, caramelised taste of char siu but it will do.

Even the braised chicken feet served with shiitake mushrooms (RM10 for a small portion with noodles) makes a good companion.

Braised chicken feet with shiitake mushrooms is also a great topping for your noodles — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

The big letdown was the chicken curry. The curry just lacked a depth of flavours. It's sad as the chicken comes in large chunky pieces with a smooth texture.

Chicken curry is also offered here but the curry lacks depth even though the chicken is served in large, juicy pieces — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

What I enjoy at this place is how you can upgrade the wantans with your noodles..

Most places offer sui kow (RM1.80 per piece), as does this stall. Here the dumplings are stuffed to the brim with juicy meat and chopped carrots.

A bowl of plump ‘wantans’ and ‘sui ko ’ will make your ‘wantan mee’ experience here better — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

The standout is their prawn wantans. A bowl of five pieces is RM8.

Each round shaped wantan hides a whole shelled prawn nestled in a mixture of minced meat and chunks of chopped prawns. It's supremely satisfying.

The prawn ‘wantans’ are round and stuffed to the brim with pork, chunks of prawn and one piece of prawn — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Each prawn ‘wantan’ will have one whole prawn inside — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

If you wish to enjoy the wantans and sui kow at home, you can also purchase them to cook later.

You can also grab their prawn ‘wantans’ to take home to cook them whenever you want — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

The stall also serves kai si hor fun which is also popular with their regulars.

It's operated by Low Sai Mooi and her husband. They trace their origins to Taman Kok Doh, where they had a stall for 15 years. It was located at the small food court area, near Zheng Kee Chicken Rice.

Later, they moved to this area where they operated from Restoran Tai Ma, which is located in the same row of shophouses. When this new place opened, they relocated here.

In addition, one can also add the char kway teow to your must order when you visit this coffee shop. It's from a stall run by Wen Chee Kong.

The ‘char kway teow’ here is incredibly satisfying with prawns, juicy cockles and charred flat rice noodles — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

The self taught hawker started his stall in 2019. He picked up his skills frying the noodles through trial and error.

It's a well fried plate of flat rice noodles topped with cockles, prawns and crunchy bean sprouts. It definitely ranks as one of the better versions in Petaling Jaya.

This stall also used to be in Restoran Tai Ma.

Wantan Mee Stall, Restoran Xin Qi Mei Shi, 41, Jalan TSB 10A, Taman Industri Sungai Buloh, Petaling Jaya.. Open: 6am to 4pm. Closed every second Tuesday of the month. Their last day off was September 3.

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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