PETALING JAYA, Mar 2 – If you closed your eyes and pointed at a map of bakeries in the Klang Valley, chances are you'd land on something made with sourdough.
The last few years have seen this yeasty culture rise beyond bread, making its way into everything from croissants to danishes – even kouign-amann – much to my chagrin.
I enjoy a good sourdough loaf, with its crisp crust and chewy, airy crumb.
But laminated pastries rich with butter and sugar don't feel like the best showcase for what makes sourdough special.
So you can imagine my intrigue when a friend pointed me to Wheatcraft Artisan Bakery in Mutiara Damansara – not for its sourdough brioche, scone, or bagel, but for pan mee.
Yes, you read that right. Sourdough pan mee. It made sense in theory – fermentation is nothing new for noodles like khanom jeen, the Thai fermented rice noodle, and the lactic acid that gives sourdough its chewy texture and subtle tang does the same for khanom jeen.
Surely it should translate, even with wheat – right?
Boy, does it ever. Wheatcraft’s sourdough pan mee (RM19) comes with a choice of thick or thin noodles, served in soup or dry.
For the best expression of what sourdough brings to the equation, I went for thick noodles, dry.
It comes with minced chicken, a fishball, pieces of shiitake mushroom, ikan bilis, fried onions and a poached egg.
It can be part of a set lunch offer that includes a free drink and, incredibly, starts at 8am.
I'm happy to report that the noodles are satisfyingly chewy, with even a subtle hit of tang.
Most importantly, the rest of the dish comes together in a very coherent, very pan mee manner.
There's plenty of savouriness between the ikan bilis and shiitake mushrooms – an element a lot of cafes and bakeries seem allergic to.
I'd be remiss not to mention the crispy chilli – punchy and addictive, it's a real scene-stealer.
In fact, I'll use this as a soapbox moment: if you're going to put pan mee on your menu, I expect something that tastes like pan mee – cafe, bakery or otherwise.
This is a proper, good pan mee (and it's pork-free, I might add), with noodles that are an inventive – and more importantly, tasty – way to incorporate sourdough into a format you wouldn't expect. Full marks across the board.
The next time you find yourself craving pan mee, but your partner/friend/situationship (or all three) has a hankering for baked goods, Wheatcraft is the answer.
There's also a selection of cakes, if you insist on having your cake and eating it too.
Wheatcraft Artisan Bakery
Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya
Open daily, 8am-5pm.
Tel: 011-1429 8881
Instagram: @wheatcraft.my
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
