We dropped by here again for brunch one morning last week and my missus had their curry mee special (RM8.00)…
I’ve tried it before and yes, it was nice but with all that santan (coconut milk), I found it a little too lemak (rich) for me so it has never really been my favourite here, there or anywhere. Given a choice, I would much sooner go for our own Sarawak or Kuching laksa.
Well, my intention of dropping by was to give their pan mee a try. I’ve had the soupy version here before but though I thought it was quite nice, I have never been a fan of pan mee in soup so I never ordered that ever again. Somehow, the idea of fried ikan bilis (dried anchovies) in soup does not quite appeal to me. However, the last time we were here, I saw somebody having it dry and I made up my mind there and then that I would come back to give it a try…and so I did.
I loved the one here but they closed down the place and carried out some renovation works. Sadly, when it reopened, the lady who was running the stall and selling that did not come back. I don’t know if she had called it a day or moved elsewhere.
Luckily, the wife was around…
…and she had her daughter to lend a hand. Usually, around the end of the month when the hubby is away doing his own business, the stall would not be open…and there she was rolling the handmade noodles for my pan mee order (RM5.00)…
…which came in no time at all.
I got a huge plate of the noodles…
…and they sure were very generous with the ikan bilis (fried anchovies). It doesn’t come cheap these days, not at all.
The very nice soup came in a little bowl…
…with the cangkuk manis and two fish balls and two meat balls. I sure enjoyed that though I would have liked the bowl a little bigger. Hehehehe!!! The noodles, tossed with the fried ikan bilis and whatever other ingredients…
…tasted great and went especially well with the cili padi in light soy sauce dip that came with it.
Yes, it was good and I wouldn’t mind dropping by here again for this.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
She was certainly generous with the anchovies. What was in the pan mee? Hand pulled noodles and crispy anchovies. Was the soup part of the package?
Yes, inclusive of the soup. Here, for the dry version, the noodles are tossed with the same ingredients as our kampua mee, I guess…and the fried anchovies is an added bonus, brings the taste to a whole new level.
I, too don’t like curry with coconut milk. The worst curry I ever had was curried belly pork cooked in coconut milk at someone’s house. It became a standing joke in the family for years as we do not eat belly pork and it was a well known fact the respective cook was a terrible cook in the neighbourhood.
Gotcha the 2nd time, see below – dunno why your comments were awaiting moderation. I was out of town and I could not gain access to my blog – see my reply to roseliew below. Home now, business as usual.
I on the other hand prefer soupy pan mee. The taste of fried anchovies gives the soup that added taste. Hehe. Again, individual preference.
Tasted dry pan mee before. Actually once in Sibu. My sil brought me to one corner shop at night for dry pan mee. Tasted alright.
The curry mee looked too lemak for me. I also not that fond of such lemak curry mee. Sure will have stomach discomfort later. ^^
Yes, to each his own.
I’m like you, not fond of curry mee because it is so lemak.
P.S. (…and to whoever it may concern as well)
I’m in Kuching right now, going back later. A dear aunt of mine passed away suddenly. Having problems accessing my blog on hotel’s PC. Will get back into the flow once I get home…I hope.
My deepest condolences to you and family on passing of your dear aunt.
Catch up with you when you are staying longer another time.
Thank you. I’m back in Sibu now, 10 minute delay owing to the late arrival of the aircraft from KK. Yesterday when I went over, it was 25 minutes ahead of time! Did not even have time to go to the lavatory.
Oh? So it’s not too bad for RM5, eh? The other one I used to enjoy was white too, can’t remember any that I had before, just some soup ones that I am not all that fond of.
I always prefer the dry version, be it pan mee, kolo mee, kway teow, kiaw…& etc. Ermm, I always thought you like anything lemak. Overly lemak puts me off too.
Masak lemak, yes…eaten with rice, and nasi lemaktoo, I do not feel not so jelak eating those…but not curry mee, Sarawak laksa that is too lemak, not quite to my liking. I find that generally, Sibu people prefer it lemak but not Kuching folks.
Dry and soup version, both i like…
You’re not as fussy as I am, obviously. 😀
Huge prawns for curry mee at Rm 8 ?! That’s a steal!
Yes. I would prefer the chicken meat pulled though or at least de-boned, not in huge chunks like those but that’s just me. I guess others are fine with it that way.
Their menu is large and bright. 🙂
That’s the standard practice here – all the photos to let you know what they are selling and the prices in front of the stalls…but some photos may not be all that nice.
I very much prefer dry style noodles. They gave you a lot of ikan bilis. Nice!
Yes, and tossed with the noodles, it tasted great!
I, too don’t like curry cooked in coconut milk.
There was a standing joke in the family that went on for years. A family friend asked me to run an errand for her (I was a kid then). She then fed me with curried belly pork cooked with coconut milk. My mum thought it was a hoot as we do not eat belly pork and it was a well known fact that the respective woman was a terrible cook.
Pork curry, I’ve had but not pork belly – not so nice though. I prefer chicken, beef or lamb. Yes, curries may vary between individuals and regions. Even between one Malay stall and the next, the curry may not be the same. I guess it is the same as everything else – must know where to go for the good ones.
I like curry with coconut milk or evaporated milk, not a problem for me but the ones extra rich in coconut milk will go bad very quickly in our tropical heat, would need refrigeration.
Oh pan mee! My favorite. When I mentio pan mee to HB, he will ask if there are others things to eat in the shop..Hahah. He is never into pan mee.
The soup or the dry version? The dry version here seems to be tossed exactly like same way as kampua mee so I do like it, not too sure about the dry ones elsewhere.
So… how closely related is curry mee and curry laksa?
Generally quite similar, I would think – just the name but I find that the condiments may vary depending on regional likes and dislikes.
I love cangkuk manis, usually I request for extras if eating pan mee 😉
I prefer the vegetable fried but a bit in soup is ok. They did not tear the leaves though – easier to chew and that will bring out the sweetness a lot more.
I like the portion of the ikan bilis… Yes, normally it is only a small handful and sometimes I request them to put a bit more… This lady seems generous enough though…
One reason why I enjoyed it – the ikan bilis. Very nice, the noodles with all those tossed together.
I’ve never had noodles with ikan bilis. Looks like a nice dish to try.
Never had that before either. Can’t remember when this pan mee thing started, maybe in the 90’s. There was only the soup version and my colleagues praised it to the skies – I went and tried and no, I thought it was nice, not great. So long now and I’ve never got used to fried ikan bilis soaked in soup so all this while, I’ve never been a fan of the soup version.