Food

Phase four takeaway: Head to Ara Damansara's Restoran Tien Tien Lai for excellent 'kueh teow th'ng'


The 'kuey teow th'ng' is superb with its clear, sweet tasting broth that comforts the body especially on a rainy day. — Pictures by Lee Khang Yi
The ‘kuey teow th’ng’ is superb with its clear, sweet tasting broth that comforts the body especially on a rainy day. — Pictures by Lee Khang Yi

PETALING JAYA, Jan 26 — I had heard of the legendary kueh teow th’ng at Restoran Tien Tien Lai for some time. Many friends including Penangnites have raved about it.

But it was only when I heard they also serve a good bowl of asam laksa, I finally made my way there on a rainy morning. It was the perfect weather for kuey teow th’ng.

The star of the show is their clear, sweet broth laced with just the right amount of garlic to enhance its flavour. This may be the plain Jane of all Penang noodles but this bowl stands out because of its simplicity.

I really enjoyed it with the fish cake slices, shredded chicken and fish balls. A bonus was they served it with coagulated blood cubes.

If you like a more mellow type of 'asam laksa', this bowl of goodness with its milder tangy flavour will suit your taste buds.
If you like a more mellow type of ‘asam laksa’, this bowl of goodness with its milder tangy flavour will suit your taste buds.

So how about the asam laksa my friend had recommended? With laksa, there are various types. Some tend to have a sharp tanginess with a super spicy flavour while some can have gentler flavours.

This version veered towards the milder type. The tanginess is there but dialled back a bit. I like how it wasn’t spicy since I am a huge chilli coward.

I slurped up the broth with the bits of fish down to the last drop. Just mix the noodles with the pineapple pieces, cucumber, lettuce and onions to enjoy the laksa.

Slurp up the mildly spicy broth with bits of fish together with the rice noodles.
Slurp up the mildly spicy broth with bits of fish together with the rice noodles.

As I did a takeaway, they had already mixed the prawn paste inside the broth for me, so this may have made it even milder as that fermented condiment tempers the flavours of the broth.

If you dine in, according to my friend, they give you a spoonful of the prawn paste to stir in yourself.

This stall also offers Hokkien prawn mee. The flavour profile of this type of noodles is opposite of their gentle kuey teow soup. You get a slight fiery taste from the orange broth rich with prawns and pork bones. It’s also a little sweeter in taste.

Overall, I felt it was a decent bowl of prawn mee. What I liked was they use the smaller type of prawns in the bowl, which keeps it authentic.

The stall also does a good prawn mee with a bit of spicy kick from their 'sambal'.
The stall also does a good prawn mee with a bit of spicy kick from their ‘sambal’.

All the small portions for these noodles are priced at RM7. The large portion is RM8.

What also impressed me was their service. When I got there, they were quick to inform me that I would have a longer wait time since they were making the broth again.

Hence I waited and when it was ready they brought me my takeaway. You can also call them ahead to place an order so all you need to do is pick up the food.

I tried calling and even though they didn’t pick up the first time, they returned my call and answered my queries. Most hawkers tend to just ignore phone calls since they are busy so I was pleasantly surprised.

Get all three varieties of Penang eats all at this stall.
Get all three varieties of Penang eats all at this stall.

Do note too that they don’t allow you to add ingredients to your bowl so it’s a standard portion. This I understand is because they want to ensure they don’t run out of ingredients later since demand for their kuey teow th’ng is so high.

For Chinese New Year, the whole restaurant will be closed from January 31 to February 5. They resume business on February 6,

Penang Kuey Teow Soup stall, Restoran Tien Tien Lai, Ara Permata, 33, Jalan PJU 1a/42, Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya. Open: 7am to 2pm. Closed on Monday. Tel: +6016-4822667.



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