Shinny Noodle House

Update: This business has ceased its operations.

In the midst of low-cost flats at Jalan Tengah is a popular lunch spot for Bayan Lepas employees and local residents alike. This is because the food at this hawker center is cheap and choices are plentiful. My favorite stall here is The Nest Chicken Rice which I covered earlier this year.

A new shop has opened its doors recently: Shinny Noodle House (西关竹园面家).

As the name implies, most dishes are noodle-based. In particular, the signature noodle here is Jook-sing noodle (竹升面). Made from eggs and wheat flour, this noodle is similar in appearance as the more common wantan mee (云吞面). Jook-sing noodle is more common in Cantonese cities such as Hong Kong (香港), Macau (澳门) and Guangzhou (广州).

Jook-sing noodle borrows its name from its traditional preparation process. After mixing wheat flour with eggs, the chef uses a long bamboo pole to knead the dough with help of his own body weight. As a Class 2 lever, the bamboo provides mechanical leverage to knead with greater force. If you are confused, just imagine how you can easily remove a bottle cap using a bottle opener.

Besides noodle, this eatery also features several side orders such as wantan (云吞), dumplings (水饺), pork ribs and trotter.

In line with Cantonese tradition, a number of sweet desserts (糖水) are also available. The prices are quite reasonable, probably cheaper than the neighboring shops.

My main dish today is Pork Ribs Noodle (秘汁黄金排骨面, RM6.50) which comes in either soup or dry version. I opted for the latter, but I find that the gravy is quite dilute. Usually, I prefer the gravy to be thicker so that the noodle feels more flavorful. If I have known earlier, I would have gone with the soup version of this dish.

The jook-sing noodle is just moderate in terms of taste and not as springy as I expected. In fact, I feel that the noodle is indistinguishable from regular wantan mee. Although this noodle is not terribly bad, I have come across other noodles which have better flavor and more springiness. I believe the key here is by using higher egg content in the preparation process.

As for the pork ribs which come with this noodle dish, I feel that the meat has not been boiled sufficiently long, therefore still quite tough at places. Exercise caution because there may be tiny bone fragments.

Cantonese cuisine is typically soup-based, therefore I decided to try some soup dishes. There are two choices from the menu: H.K. Style Wanton (港式鲜虾大云吞) and Sui Kaw (水饺). A serving comes in 5 pieces for RM5.00. One can always request a combination of both.

Appearance-wise, the wantan and sui kaw are well-prepared. The translucent skin makes them so tempting to try!

Unfortunately, the taste of sui kaw is not as impressive as I expected. Its filling is lacking in savory flavor, therefore its taste is dominated by the skin instead. Not to say that it is a bad thing, but I prefer my sui kaw's flavor to be centered on succulent fillings.

The wantan is better received among the two. I love the minced prawn fillings which yields its juicy sweetness with every bite.

As for desserts, I ordered a bowl of Barley Fu Chok (腐竹薏米, RM1.00). As the name implies, the main ingredients are bean curd skin (腐竹) and barley (薏米).

In my humble opinion, there is too much barley in comparison to bean curd skin. The level of sweetness should be toned down too. Apart from these, this dessert is enjoyable nevertheless.

Although the food appeal here is generally mediocre at best, the price is pretty attractive considering stiff competition from other stalls around. Another plus point is that the staff is very friendly and accommodating. A smile can go a long way in a customer's eyes.

Address: 70-G-5, Jalan Tengah, 11950 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 011-2027-3544
Business hours: 8:00am-9:00pm
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