The other day, my friend and I made the drive. We merely wanted to eat prawn noodles, one dish which is widely popular at Sing Chiong.
At about noon on a Sunday, the restaurant was still quiet. It suited us just fine as it meant that we did not have to wait long.
"Prawn noodles," we ordered as we sat down. Apparently, there was a choice between freshwater prawns and saltwater prawns, priced at RM12.00 and RM10.00 per bowl respectively.
We opted for freshwater prawns. Then we were asked how we wanted our noodles cooked. My friend and I opted for a braised noodle soup or Chao Zhu Mian (炒煮面) as recommended by the lady. It is distinctively a Foochow specialty, whereby the thick yellow noodles are stir-fried over high fire and then braised in good quality stock.
Freshwater Prawns in Chao Zhu Mian (炒煮面), RM12.00
A feshwater prawn, cut lengthwise
There were about 3 prawns in the bowl, all cut in half lengthwise. So there were 6 halves then. The prawns did not disappoint as they were juicy, succulent and very sweet. I loved them lots. The sweetness of the prawns flavoured the thick broth as well. It was dark in colour because of the generous use of soy sauce in this dish. Coupled with the rich taste of the egg noodles, this dish was rather enjoyable.
Steamed garoupa, RM25.00
We also ordered a steamd garoupa. Half a fish cost RM25.00. This fish was deep-fried first and then steamed. The fish was fresh, but its sweetness was overpowered by the dark-coloured sauce and seasoning. I also thought that the dish was too oily.
Two bowls of noodles, a portion of fish and two drinks for RM52.00.
So was it worth the drive? The prawn dish does look tasty. "How would you like your noodles cooked?" is the sort of question that would disconcert me - what are the options. We are making another trip to Miri hopefully in July so more practice for ordering food which is different in some ways from the UK.
ReplyDeleteHmn ... when I think back now .... I remember 2 things very prominently - the sweetness of the prawns, and unfortunately, the unpleasant greasiness of the dishes.
ReplyDeleteWell .... to make it easier, perhaps you can ask for the menu ... or ask them what they have to offer. For bigger establishments, we normally ask them to recommend their signature dishes.