It is not easy to find a particular shop that specialises in Bittergourd noodles. Recently, we chance upon this particular shop which is Restoran 126 Bittergourd Noodles located at 12, Jalan BM 1/2 Taman Bukit Mayang Emas Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
This shop has a simple no frill coffee shop setup which serves not just Bittergourd noodles but also some other noodles like the peppery soup, curry noodles, rice and porridge too.
We check out some of these house specialities; the first of which is the Bittergourd Special Meat Paste Noodles (RM7.80). We like the soup base as it was a strong tasty clear broth, we found out that the owner uses chicken as its base ingredient to brew the broth. It takes around 4 hours of boiling to extract out the full flavours from the chicken.
We like the Bittergourd as it does not have a very strong bitter taste; The Bittergourd that are used are a premium grade that has a nice crunch without being over bitterly in taste. This type is used especially for cooking purpose while the meat paste is made with minced meat with black fungus and chopped fried squid pieces. To complement the noodles; soft silky white Tau Foo and cut pieces of tomatoes are added in to give a different texture and taste to this noodle.
The second noodle that we tasted was the Seaweed Fish Paste Noodle (RM7.30). The fish paste is in-house made with 2 types of fish. It has a firm, bouncy texture and has a strong fish flavours. The seaweed that is used here is also of a good quality which does not cloud the soup base.
This is then followed by an order of Pepper Pork noodles (RM7.50). For this soup based we decided to try out the Yee Mee for the noodle. We like the strong peppery taste of the soup. It is the balance concoction of the black and white pepper from Sarawak that gets this peppery aroma and the real peppery kick.
and the last soup noodle is the Herbal Noodle (RM7.30). Our choice of Noodles is the Mee Suah. A nice choice as the Mee Suah absorbs the strong herbal wine fragrant broth. A combination of mixed herbs is used to produced this strong herbal broth and with a sprinkle of Hsiao Heng wine; it really makes the broth addictive. The noodles are then topped with a half boil eggs and wolfberries.
One of the other specialities of Restoran 126 Bittergourd Noodles is the Curry Noodles. The version here is slightly different that we are used to, in that it is infused with a Nyonya touch. This special family secret recipe has been passed down to one of the partners; the key to the taste lies with the preparation of all the ingredients which are prepared in-house to ensure the quality of the curry paste.
Available in limited daily quantities is the Deluxe Curry Noodles (RM10.00) which has a condiment and ingredients filled Curry Noodles; with freshly peel Cockles, Curry Chicken, Roast Pork (Siew Yok), Char Siew, Long Beans, Meatballs, Fish Balls, Fried Pork Skin, Bean Sprout, Fish Paste and your choice of Noodles.
Another off-menu item is the Seafood Noodle (RM13.90); comes with 3 Prawns, loads of Lala, Fish Paste and soft white Tau Foo. An order of this noodle comes with a Free Ice Lemon Tea or Barley. You can choose your soup base to go with these seafood i.e. Bittergourd, Seaweed, Pepper or Curry. A real treat for seafood lovers.
We were recommended to try out the porridge that is served at Restoran 126 Bittergourd Noodles Restaurant, we got to taste the Salted Eggs with Century Eggs and Minced Meat Porridge (RM8.00). The soft texture of the porridge is the testament that it was boiled for a long time. A hearty meal to warm your stomach if you choose to have a lighter meal.
To give more option to its customer, Restoran 126 Bittergourd Noodles Restaurant, also offers some rice dishes for you to choose from. One that caught our eyes is the Pork Chop Rice with Mushroom. At RM9.90, it is really value for money as you get a big piece of the Pan Fried Pork Chop that comes with the rice. We like the shitake mushroom with minced meat sauce as it is paired well with the steamed white rice.
The restaurant also offers a couple of snacks for you to choose, but too bad, we only have stomach for just one type which is the Fried Wantan (RM9.00 for 10 pcs). The meat filling taste was just right with the balanced flavour, it would have been better if not for the slight over frying of the Wantan.
For the coffee enthusiast, you must try out the coffee here. For the price you paid for (RM2.70); you get to taste a large glass of strongly brewed coffee that will linger in your mouth after every sip without paying a premium price.
If you are really looking for values for money with good quality ingredients, you would not go wrong at Restoran 126 Bittergourd Noodles Restaurant.
Restoran 126 Bittergourd Noodles Restaurant Address and Location