Kim Lian Kee @ Viva Home

Kim Lian Kee is a name that evokes a mouth-watering plate of noodles. It's so delicious that it stood the test of time, the business being passed down from one generation to another.

Kim Lian Kee is named after its namesake Ong Kim Liam, who was said to have invented this noodle dish in the 1920's. He fried thick yellow noodles over charcoal fire, added a splash of stock and thick soy sauce to produce a plate of fragrant and tasty noodles. Use of fresh ingredients such as prawns, pork slices and crispy lard fritters elevated the flavour.

Till today, it maintained its cooking tradition, whetting appetites across the Klang Valley. Its most recent outlet is located at Viva Home at Jalan Loke Yew.

The revered Hokkien Mee

Moist, greasy goodness served on banana leaf
The noodles had just the right springy texture, the veges were crunchy; the whole dish is savoury and the lard bits provided a burst of flavour. However, I think I'd prefer it to be a tad saltier with just a tinge of sweetness.

The infamous Hokkien Mee aside, we ordered a Lor Mee, a Mee Suah and a dumpling soup.

Lor Mee

This is by far our favourite. It had the same thick yellow noodles as the Hokkien Mee, the broth is thickened by starch & egg, and after adding some malt vinegar, this dish tasted heavenly.

Fried Mee Suah
The odd thing about this dish was that the Mee Suah was crunchy as it was deep-fried. I think I preferred soft and springy Mee Suah rather than the crunchy version. But I guess that's what made it unique.

Dumpling Soup

There were 4 pieces of dumpling in the soup. They tasted alright, a bit soft for my liking. I preferred my dumplings to be "Q" or bouncy so they had bite. The soup was redolent of pepper, and it reminded me of the instant vermicelli, Mamee Bihun Chicken. So I did not like the soup.

Well, as famous as Kim Lian Kee may be in Kuala Lumpur, its noodles did not leave me with a very memorable impression.