45 minutes wait for this Hokkien Mee....
The longest I’ve ever waited for my food was 1 hour and 10 minutes, at Fatty Mee Hoon Kuih in Taman Berkeley. I found the long wait ridiculous and while the noodles were tasty, it wasn’t worth the 70 minutes wait. Another place that requires you to wait a long time for your food is Seng Yuen in Kepong. A friend of mine recommended the Hokkien mee here so I decided to give it a try.
The uncle takes his time...
Locating the shop was difficult as the signboard was old and faded. If you’re not familiar with Kepong, just know that Seng Yuen is along the main road (opposite Masjid Amaniah). The shop opens at 10pm onwards and by 9.45pm, there was already a crowd waiting for the old man to start cooking. I was told to wait 45 minutes for my noodles which felt like forever to me.
Hokkien Mee
The Hokkien Mee (RM9) was first to arrive and upon digging in, my excitement was quickly replaced with disappointment. There was little or no wok hei in the noodles and it tasted very ordinary. Also, I found the kan sui smell quite strong. It tasted slightly better with the sambal provided, but I wasn’t impressed. Oh well, at least the crunchy pork lard cubes softened the blow.
Wat Tan Hor (Cantonese Fried Kuay Teow)
I also ordered the Wat Tan Hor (RM9) which was very average. The uncle spent a long time cooking this, especially the rice sheet noodles but the outcome didn’t reflect his effort. For starters, the noodles had no wok hei and the gravy, filled with pork slices, prawns and vegetables, lacked flavour and aroma. Luckily, some chilli padi and soy sauce was its saving grace.
Average at best
My meal at Seng Yuen was disappointing. Both the noodles I tried were average and the wait was too long for such mediocrity.
Ambiance: 3/10
Price: 6/10
Food: 5/10 (non halal)
Verdict: Average at best. Unless you’re around the area, I wouldn’t recommend driving all the way to Kepong for this.
Kedai Makanan Seng Yuen
19E, Jalan Besar,
Kepong 52000,
Kuala Lumpur