Wanton mee stalls and shops are found in many places in Johor. To me, the best wanton mee are those where good noodles, sauce, char siew, wanton, soup and the green chilies all come together perfectly.
Good wanton noodles are subtly crunchy, al dente and have an eggy taste as they are made purely with just eggs and flour 全蛋面. Good noodles have a certain energy that make them feel alive in our mouth and not lifelessly limp.
There are rather wide variations in the sauce depending on the stall and also the locality. In Johor Bahru, the sauce is typically light, has a sesame oil fragrance and balanced with a little lard. In Pontian, the sauce is a blend of spicy hot, tomato tanginess and sweetness with a bit of unami savouriness from oyster sauce.
Good char siew is sweet, savoury, slightly charred and caramelised with a pleasant smokey taste and flavour. The juicy grilled meat has a bite that is a little springy and bouncy. The best ones feel and taste like savoury sweet candy. I like my char siew in thick chunks with tacky firm outsides and juicy insides but in Johor, char siew that comes with wanton mee are always sliced thin.
Good wantons have slippery slurpy smooth skins wrapping a tiny ball of thumb sized tender minced marbled pork well marinated with sesame seeds and oil, soy sauce and white pepper.
Good accompanying soup has body from hours of boiling with stock bones and has the comforting aroma and flavour of anchovies.
Last but not least, good green chili pickles in vinegar are fresh, crunchy as fresh green apples, spicy yet sweet and tangy.
While most wanton mee stalls or shops in Johor have at least a few of these good qualities, I have found none that has all these qualities together, at the moment.
The following are wanton mee shops in Johor, that I would make a special trip to, if I have a craving for wanton mee.
Yit Foh in Taman Century has their slippery, slurpy wanton noodles bathed in fragrant sauce that was drippy light yet heavy on flavour.
The noodles at Chin Chin 晶晶 in Skudai near the MPJBT Building is refreshingly light and crunchy. If you don't want to travel that far from JB, 許记 in Taman Sri Tebrau has similar noodles as they were disciples of the same noodle master. To me, Chin Chin has the edge because I love (crave) their wanton mee with their special braised chicken feet and braising sauce.
Sin Kee in Pontian though not related to the Loh family that originated the Pontian style of wanton mee, is probably the most popular Pontain wanton mee stall today. Sin Kee's handmade noodles were weighty and springy, and the sauce was spicy, tangy, sweet and savoury, in the signature Pontian wanton mee style.
Ah See Kee in Batu Pahat serves crunchy, al dente eggy noodles in a special savoury sauce loaded with delightful sesame fragrance. People from Batu Pahat are understandably proud of their Ah See wanton mee.
There are the other wanton noodles that I also like and would have them when I am in or around the area where they are located. You can view all of them by clicking on the picture below.
Wanton mee stalls and shops are found in many places in Johor. To me, the best wanton mee are those where good noodles, sauce, char siew, wanton, soup and the green chilies all come together perfectly.
Good wanton noodles are subtly crunchy, al dente and have an eggy taste as they are made purely with just eggs and flour 全蛋面. Good noodles have a certain energy that make them feel alive in our mouth and not lifelessly limp.
There are rather wide variations in the sauce depending on the stall and also the locality. In Johor Bahru, the sauce is typically light, has a sesame oil fragrance and balanced with a little lard. In Pontian, the sauce is a blend of spicy hot, tomato tanginess and sweetness with a bit of unami savouriness from oyster sauce.
Good char siew is sweet, savoury, slightly charred and caramelised with a pleasant smokey taste and flavour. The juicy grilled meat has a bite that is a little springy and bouncy. The best ones feel and taste like savoury sweet candy. I like my char siew in thick chunks with tacky firm outsides and juicy insides but in Johor, char siew that comes with wanton mee are always sliced thin.
Good wantons have slippery slurpy smooth skins wrapping a tiny ball of thumb sized tender minced marbled pork well marinated with sesame seeds and oil, soy sauce and white pepper.
Good accompanying soup has body from hours of boiling with stock bones and has the comforting aroma and flavour of anchovies.
Last but not least, good green chili pickles in vinegar are fresh, crunchy as fresh green apples, spicy yet sweet and tangy.
While most wanton mee stalls or shops in Johor have at least a few of these good qualities, I have found none that has all these qualities together, at the moment.
The following are wanton mee shops in Johor, that I would make a special trip to, if I have a craving for wanton mee.
Yit Foh in Taman Century has their slippery, slurpy wanton noodles bathed in fragrant sauce that was drippy light yet heavy on flavour.
The noodles at Chin Chin 晶晶 in Skudai near the MPJBT Building is refreshingly light and crunchy. If you don't want to travel that far from JB, 許记 in Taman Sri Tebrau has similar noodles as they were disciples of the same noodle master. To me, Chin Chin has the edge because I love (crave) their wanton mee with their special braised chicken feet and braising sauce.
Sin Kee in Pontian though not related to the Loh family that originated the Pontian style of wanton mee, is probably the most popular Pontain wanton mee stall today. Sin Kee's handmade noodles were weighty and springy, and the sauce was spicy, tangy, sweet and savoury, in the signature Pontian wanton mee style.
Ah See Kee in Batu Pahat serves crunchy, al dente eggy noodles in a special savoury sauce loaded with delightful sesame fragrance. People from Batu Pahat are understandably proud of their Ah See wanton mee.
There are the other wanton noodles that I also like and would have them when I am in or around the area where they are located. You can view all of them by clicking on the picture below.
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