Aftertaste Cafe @ Jalan Pandan Indah 4/3

Rhythm and Temperature is important

  Neon signs illuminated the narrow road which were shadowed by the old and worn down shop lots. Our car slowly and carefully navigating through it as we look by the sides of our windows for the prized parking spot. "There !" I shouted, the volume of the radio couldn't hide our anticipation, our excitement and as the car came ever so close to it we both shouted in unison "Fuck, it's a Kancil.". With our squinted eyes we eyed that Kancil as we move on hoping that it'll receive punishment for what it had done. Few more meters up ahead we found a place to rest our carriage to only see the spot we wanted left empty by the Kancil before "Curse you Kancil, curse you" I whispered under my nose.

  We ventured by the cafes, the Bak kut Teh stalls and the steamboat to find this peculiar restaurant. The Tauke I assume saw us approaching and proceeded to show us the way in. He opened the sliding door and gave us the menus that had quite some interesting choices but we were skeptical because the place was almost empty with only 4 to 3 tables including us that were filled. We asked for a recommendation and he gave us a few but what pique our interest was the Hokkien Mee because it was a bold statement to recommend something so difficult to master and cook as a hold. So to test that statement we ordered two plates of it and off he went to the kitchen.

  A clank sound was made whenever the wok met the ladle, using her hands like a grappling hook she grabbed a handful of thick yellow noodles and threw it into the fiery pits of the wok. The noodles are then braised in thick dark soy sauce with pork, squid, fish cake and cabbage as the main ingredients and cubes of pork fat fried until crispy. She increased the temperature of the flames and stir fried the contents without fear, almost like a knight with a sword on one hand and a shield on the other she battled the burning inferno in the hopes that she won't burn her party/ingredients. All of a sudden the sound of metal hitting each other stopped and she grabbed a spoon to taste her fine sauce. A nod. It satisfied her but could it satisfy us ?

  I mixed the mee and my glasses were soon fogged, I took a bite and puff and puff the hot air from my mouth but my efforts were futile at most. Hokkien Mee 1 : Me 0. For the 2nd bite, I could finally taste and I could see why the tauke was bold enough to bring the hokkien mee to the fore. The noodles had been braised by the thick dark soy sauce for a quite awhile that it had absorbed the sauce and made the dish thick. The noodles had a bit of a creamy like texture from being cooked long in the rich sauce and a little tinge of sweetness was felt at every spoonful. The chicken was tender and not tough from being undercook, the pork lard gave a nice crisp and smokey taste while the veggies were just a garnish at most as it didn't bring much to the table.

  The greatest ingredient that my father told me in a hokkien mee is the temperature and the handiwork of the wok and ladle, the temperature sets the tone for the dish and it decides whether it'd be watery or thick like melted cheese. That's why the best Hokkien mee incorporates temperature as an ingredient. The handiwork however is like salsa dance and in salsa the arms are used by the "lead" dancer to communicate or signal the "follower," just like a chef and his/her wok. The music is the fire and the chef has to lead his/her partner elegantly for a misstep could be catastrophic to the rhythm and the dish itself. Succeed and it will become beautiful and delicious. This chef wasn't the greatest at it in both departments but above average at most.

Makan meter: 6/10

Aftertaste Cafe

Jalan Pandan Indah 4/3
Kuala Lumpur, Selangor