Slurping up fish head noodles
29
September, 2019
Recently,
after attending a wake in Nirvana, My Best Friend and I drove around aimlessly
and ended up in Taman Danau Desa, somewhere off Old Klang Road.
Our sharp
eyes spot an open-air restaurant that is packed. “Must be good food,” says MBF.
Luckily, we manage to snag a parking lot nearby as the area seems filled with
cars.
Woo Pin Fish
Head Noodles Sdn Bhd is a no-frills eatery that has been around for years and I
am told there are now a few branches in the Klang Valley.
It’s housed
in a corner shoplot and the 3-sided apple-green signboard that hugs the
perimeter of the shop is hard to miss. Inside, you’ll find the menu literally
on the wall, with pictures acting as a visual guide to the undecided. But most
customers seem to know exactly what they want.
 |
| Fish paste noodles |
It’s not too
difficult, given that Woo Pin offers a very basic menu of Fried/Fresh Fish Head
Noodles, Fish Paste Noodles, Fish Paste Soup, Fried/Fresh Fish Head Soup at
RM11 (small) and RM13 (big). There’s also Prawn Noodles (market price).
I find the
fish paste, made with threadfin fish, a tad on the coarse side, a clue that
this is definitely house-made, instead of the commercial variety. Woo Pin uses song
yue, a fresh water fish that’s prized for its head. The meatier part of the
body has a lot of small Y-shaped bones typical of river fish, so do be careful.
Eat slowly and you’ll appreciate how sweet the flesh is.
 |
| Creamy Fish Head noodles in soup cooked with tomato wedges and salted mustard leaves |
Customers
can also choose between rice vermicelli (bihun) or yee mee (fried wheat
noodles). The vermicelli used is neither the thin, stringy type nor the thick,
fat type. It’s sort of an in-between thickness with a smooth texture and yet, it
manages to soak up the flavours of the soup.
Haven’t
tried the yee mee as I am not too fond of this deepfried noodle.
There are
two soup variants – clear or creamy. Though both types are delicious, I still
prefer the creamy soup best. It is flavoursome and the addition of evaporated
milk gives it a richer edge.
Both soups
are cooked with fish bones, wedges of tomato and chopped salted mustard which adds
a slightly tangy flavour. Before serving, a sprinkle of browned onions is
scattered on top although personally, I’d fancy pork lard croutons would have given
it better flavour.
The noodles
are served with Penang-style sambal belacan (oh, yes!) or sliced fresh chilli
padi.
 |
| Fried Fish Cake and Fried Stuffed Foo Chuk |
For side
dishes, there’s Fried Fish Cake and Fried Stuffed Foo Chuk (RM7 each or RM13
for a combination of both). There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about the
Fish Cake but the Foo Chuk is stuffed with fish paste that has a definite
bounce in the bite. Served with a sweet chilli sauce and two slices of
cucumber.
We ordered
this so that we’d have something to nibble on while waiting for the noodles but
service at Woo Pin is quick and the noodles actually arrive before the sides.
As for
drinks, there’s the usual array of drinks you can get in a kopitiam, such as
coffee, tea, soft drinks and fruit juices. What I like about the ginkgo barley
(RM2.50) is that it’s cooked in soya bean milk and has real ginkgo in it. There’s
also 3 Layer Tea/Coffee (RM3.80).
Woo Pin Fish Head Noodles Sdn Bhd (non-halal)
37 Plaza
Danau 2, Japan 109F
Taman Danau
Desa, Kuala Lumpur
Telephone
+6017-209
9020
Opening
Hours
Daily,
7.30an to 10pm
Closed
Friday (except public holiday)
