Restoran Kim Lian Kee Hokkien Mee Petaling Street
Restoran Kim Lian Kee Hokkien Mee Petaling Street
This is birthplace of the Kuala Lumpur’s Hokkien Mee, Restoran Kim Lian Kee at Petaling Street aka Chinatown. I wrote about this place 14 years ago when I started this food and travel blog and the restaurant has become a franchise and there are many outlets around Klang Valley.
From what many people know, Restoran Kim Lian Kee Hokkien Mee Petaling Street opened since 1927. However, not many people knows the origin story of the owner, Mr. Wong Kian Lee (alias Ong Kim Lian).
Credit goes to Tony Boey of JohorKaki of Singapore, a good friend of mine and he is very good in searching the history of food origin in both Malaysia and Singapore.
According to Tony, Wong Kian Lee (alias Ong Kim Lian) came to Kuala Lumpur in 1905 and first settled in Kampung Bahru.
At first, Wong Kian Lee sold a common pale looking soupy stir fried noodle dish from his Fujian hometown, Anxi 安溪. When more people sold fried noodles and competition got stiffer, Wong developed his own style of noodles.
He used thick fat noodles, put in lots of dark soy sauce and lard, stewed and fried it with exceptional wok hei. His creation soon caught on and when asked what is the name of his signature noodles, he simply called it “Hokkien mee” as he came from Fujian.
In 1927, he moved to Chinatown (Petaling Street) and founded Kim Lian Kee.
Credit: https://johorkaki.blogspot.com/2020/05/ebony-ivory-history-of-kl-singapore.html
Moving forward to almost one hundred years later, the restaurant is still around and located at 92, Jalan Hang Lekir / Petaling Street. The restaurant is now located at the first floor / upper floor.
I used to be excited to come here for Hokkien Mee as this is the birth place of the dark thick noodles. However, I can’t feel much of the excitement as it is more of a tourist restaurant.
I was at Restoran Kim Lian Kee Hokkien Mee Petaling Street with my family for brunch. We managed to get a big table while the tired looking waitress seems uninterested in taking orders.
We ordered the Signature Hokkien Noodle, Moonlight Kuey Teow, Claypot Lou Shi Fun and Hokkien Lobak.
Let’s start with the Signature Hokkien Mee. Few things I noticed, the noodles is not as thick as the usual noodles, the taste is missing a bit of ‘wok hei’ and overall the taste is above average. You can easily tell it with colour of the noodles as it is not as dark as it used to be.
While it comes with sliced pork, pork lard, cabbage and squid, the taste is not as strong and savoury as it used to be. The noodles also cut into smaller pieces and you can actually eat it with the spoon instead of the chopsticks. Maybe it is easier for tourists to eat it with spoon?
The Moonlight Kuey Teow is also not up to their regular standard. The kuey teow once again, cut into smaller pieces and it is definitely missing the ‘wok hei’.
The Claypot Lou Shi Fun surprisingly offers the best taste. It is savoury and I will definitely recommend this than their signature Hokkien Mee.
The Hokkien Lobak is deep fried to perfection and everyone enjoys it but we are here for the noodles right?
There are many question marks after our visit to Restoran Kim Lian Kee Hokkien Mee Petaling Street. My parents were disappointed with the quality and taste of the noodles as they have been here many times. We all know they will be a century old and we sincerely hope that they can maintain their quality of the food and service. We don’t mind paying more due to their touristy location but at least the food is up to their brand name.
Restoran Kim Lian Kee Hokkien Mee Petaling Street
Opening Hours: 11 am to 11 pm
Address: 92, Jalan Hang Lekir, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Phone: 03-2032 4984
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