No Name Curry Mee in Segambut

By Allan Yap & Nigel A. Skelchy

This entry is also to be found in Notes From Venus.

"Turn left. Then Turn Right. Slow down. Are they behind us?” My navigator turns round to have a look for the other 2 cars tailing us to get to this Coffee Shop in Segambut. Satisfied that they were still in sight, he turns back to me and calmly continues issuing directions. “Turn left. Turn right.” We passed through what looked like a small kampung right in the middle of our fair city. I would never have imagined that there were still quaint little pockets like this with our unfettered construction going on around the place.

After what seemed like 10 confusing minutes later, we arrived at a couple of rows of non-descript shophouses anchored by a Kentucky Fried Chicken. Directly behind this was our No Name Curry Mee. Why is it No Name? Because when I asked the girl who took our order, she said “oh we don’t have a name. Only the sign which says we open early.”

We sat down on plastic stools at plastic tables in the car park in front of the shop lot and ordered our food. There was Curry “Hor Fun,” Curry “Wantan Mee,” Curry “Meehoon,” “Kon Low” (Dry mix) Mee, Prawn Noodles and a couple of sweet porridges like Pulut Hitam, which one of our number ordered. Word to the wise. DO NOT order this. It was thin, watery, and had the barest hint of black glutinous rice in it.

Drinks arrived snappily and not long after the food came. The condiments included a savoury sambal or sliced chillis in soya sauce. Traditionally, curry noodles are eaten with the sambal which is what everyone chose.

I had the Curry “Wantan Mee” and my partner chose the Curry “Hor Fun.” The different textures of the wantan noodles and the rice noodles gave the curry soup gravy a character which was distinct from each other. The unctuous curry was trapped in the finer wantan noodles while it just coated the rice noodles. Soy Skin or “Foo Chook,” “See Hum” or Cockles, Sliced Roasted Pork (”Char Siew), and fish cake completed this “one bowl” meal. The flavour of the curry gravy, which after all, is the main attraction, was decent, rich and pleasantly “coconutty.” The sambal gave it an extra dimension with a hint of fermented prawn paste or belacan.

After the Curry Wantan Mee, I was still curious about the Prawn Mee which I admit, is one of my favourite local hawker foods. I promptly ordered a bowl and extracted a promise from my partner to share it with me. The broth is everything in Prawn Mee. It should be rich, prawny without being fishy, with a hint of ginger and the texture should be something between a clear broth and soup which has potatoes in it which has been boiled till the spuds break down a bit. I love Prawn Mee with fine vermicelli and noodles because the fine vermicelli acts like the fine wantan noodles in curry gravy. It traps the broth and consequently the vermicelli carries this into your mouth where it explodes with a gorgeous prawn flavour. And this is exactly what happened. The broth was as good as many I’ve tasted and is certainly worth a trip. But be warned; if you are used to the version we get in Kuala Lumpur, you will find this a touch sweeter. According to one of our number who is from Penang, it is more of a Penang version.

With the exception of the disappointing Pulut Hitam, these two delectable delights weren’t the best I’ve ever had but if you’re in this neck of the woods it is worth a trip. It was quite an adventure to get here as you drive through quaint, dilapidated areas which I suspect will not be here much longer and the food in this case was made more delicious by the company.

25, Jalan 20/38A
Segambut
No phone number