Quest for Sarawak Food?
Monday, April 21st, 2008 23 viewsMalaysians are suckers for food. They are very patriotic and jealously proud of their homegrown food. When they travel to other places for studying or working, the only thing they miss back home is food, not their friends or parents. Whenever they are outside of their hometown, if they happen to find or hear any eatery selling their homegrown food, they will jump to the earliest chance to taste the food and wear the hat of wannabe food critics.
When there is a discussion among friends from different places on food, the arguments never end. Penang-kias and char bors will forever say Penang food is the best in the world, their Laksa Penang is the sedap-est, Ipoh-mali leng cais and leng luis will say Ipoh food is the best in the universe, their Ipoh chicken rice is so damn tasty, Ampang people will say their Yong Tau Fu is the best you can find in the galaxy and not forgetting Sarawakians will say Laksa Sarawak juak lah sedap gik (still the one more tastier) and Kolo Mee pun sedap juak… (also tasty) because Sarawakians are modest people, they do not brag about how great their food is in the world or whatever shits… Ha! Ha! Ha!
So when I heard this phrase ‘Best Kolo Mee in KL’, I was damn excited and decided to give it a try? You see, I came across many eateries here in Klang Valley claiming they are selling authentic Kolo Mee, Laksa, Tomato Mee, Kampua Mee etc.. but honestly I yet to find any that is trust-able to dish out a ‘decent’ original version. Maybe the weather and surrounding here also play some factors to make the food taste uniquely ‘Sarawak’. (More trees in Sarawak, probably fresher air?? ROTFLMAO!) Ha! Ha! Ha!
Location : Restoran 2020, Pandan Indah, Kuala Lumpur
How to go there : Go to The Store Pandan Indah, the restaurant is directly opposite, facing A&W 
Food : Kolo Mee
Photos :
The Stall
The Specimen
Verdict : Presentation is good, looks authentic with the ‘correct’ type of noodle used. Hey, some stalls selling Kolo Mee or Kampua but yet they are using different type of noodle! Original my foot! Different type of noodle sure give different taste le mah! Try making Laksa Penang and put yellow noodles instead of rice noodles. It is like selling Ipoh Chicken Rice without the bean sprouts lah! Get it? No fancy fancy toppings like prawns, vegetables bla bla. Kolo Mee is should look just like that. Plain and boring.
Just like how it is served in Sarawak, this stall got it right by using seasoned cut chillies as condiment with the Kolo Mee. The red chillies is served in vinegar. It adds to bit sour and hot taste for Kolo Mee. (But I never bother to mix the chilies with my Kolo Mee lah hahaha!) I cringed whenever the stalls here serve ’sambal’ or cili padi with the Kolo Mee. WTF?
I was slightly disappointedly with the taste. It could be because it was served a bit too wet and less oily than it should be hence the taste not really there. When I said wet, means after you finished eating the Kolo Mee, there are leftover ‘gravy’ in the bowl. The ‘authentic’ version when you finished it, nothing is left in the bowl except for the shining, oily bowl. Gravy? No no.. definitely zilch amount of gravy/water should left in the bowl (except for your saliva?).
The sweet taste you get when you eat Kolo Mee was lacking too. I must praise the effort of the stall’s owner using ‘authentic’ Kolo Mee noodle anyway, I asked him where he gets the noodle and he said he made it himself. Cool! The noodle itself, the ‘elasticity’, the ‘crunchiness’ and the texture resembles the Kolo Mee you eat back in the Land of Hornbills He probably should read this blog to improve a bit his Kolo Mee and ‘Best Kolo Mee’ title will belong to him kah! kah! kah!
Conclusion : Stingy me will give 6/10 for the above Kolo Mee.
Anyway, one thing to note, do not waste your time and money to eat your hometown food elsewhere and save your curses. For these so called “where where where” food, the taste is actually altered to meet the local people taste buds. (How to survive if they just open the stall for you Sarawakians? Penangites? Ipoh-mali?) If you tried the Penang prawn mee and Penang Char Kueh Teow in Sarawak, those actually can not be considered as the food from Penang, because the ingredients and the way they prepared it is totally different.
So if you really miss those food back home, you better look up for some friends from hometown who are going to your place to tapau (take away) it for you. Even though it will turn cold when it arrived on your hand but I am damn sure it still taste better than any that you can find in outside your hometown.
Then again, we just love to try anything that they claim to be from our hometown and then bitch about it right? Bitching is healthy, it keeps you occupied. 
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