We are not the same…

I was watching this very popular Singapore food series, the episode where they went to Bintulu in 2018 and it seemed like they enjoyed the food there and at all the places that they went to, most of it, that is.

However, there was one part where they went for some kampua mee and pian sip and the lady had this to say about the latter (7:30): “The portion of meat is really tiny!” but they sure were right when they said that it was different from the Singapore wanton mee.

Pen sip/pian sip or pian nik (扁肉) in Foochow is similar to wanton in how it is minced meat wrapped with skin but that is where the similarity ends. It does not have so much meat – the person making will just smear a very thin layer of it onto the skin like applying butter to bread and wrap it up. After all, it is a noodle dish and one is supposed to enjoy the skin, not so much the meat and talking about the skin, it is soft, thin, white and translucent while wanton skin is thicker, firmer and yellowish. Kiaw in Kuching has more meat but unlike wanton, the skin is a lot more similar.

Having said all that, considering how they are not the same, I really would not compare the two and just enjoy each of them as they are but of course, if they are one and the same thing, then one would tend to make comparisons between those at different shops and stalls – which one is better, why I like this one more, why this one is not as nice and so on and so forth.

Well, I had pian sip (RM3.00)…

…here the other day. I had their kampua mee once, before the COVID-19 lockdown, and I thought it was really good.

Yes, the skin was just right…

…thin and smooth, not overcooked till over-soft and there was not too much meat plus the guy seemed mighty generous with the chopped spring onion and the fried shallots so those added to the fragrance and the taste of the dish. I wouldn’t say the same about their complimentary soup though, if you get what I mean.

The coffee was great too or to me, at least. It was a bit bitter, not sweet (enough) but I loved it that way.

EMAS CORNER CAFE BARU (2.292229, 111.838162) is located to the extreme right of the blocks of shops along Lorong Tong Sang 1B at the junction of Jalan Tong San and Lorong/Jalan Langsat.