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.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
To me kiaw, pian sip and wonton are more or less the same thing and so is the taste too. I just can’t tell the difference. Not all kiaw has more meat than others, it all depends how generous they are when the wrapped them. Personally, I prefer dry kiaw to soup ones.
I’ve never had dried kiaw. Has the soup one at Lau Ya Keng – the taste was stronger, not so bland/simple, very different from our Sibu pian sip, a lot more meat inside…my girl loved it – I did not get all excited, still prefer our Sibu pian sip.
By the way, my relatives in Kuching are praising this place to the sky – one went 3 times this week alone, couple from Song…said all the Foochow dishes, the kampua, Foochow fried and what not, so good. You can go and give it a try:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Restaurant/Back-Yard-Garden-326948861436089/
You are right to say wantons are thicker, firmer and yellowish. I enjoy eating wantons in soup. I hv not tried pian sip before.
I like wantons too – the skin may not be so thin but it is not chewy/rubbery. Some thick-skinned pian sip are like that, not nice!
I like those thin and smooth skin. Now that you mentioned it, I do noticed pian sip has less meat but more skin than those Kuching kiaw. Some people that selling kiaw mix some prawns in the meat filling as well.
I think strictly speaking, the ones with prawn are called har kao…like the dim sum ones or was it shui jiao? We had one KL guy here once, migrated to London already, and I had a hard time telling him that I wanted pian sip with prawn inside. His were very nice!
I would say they are the same? But then it depends on how they are made. Some of the wonton here have very thin wrapping.
They may not be as thin, usually a bit yellow, not translucent but they can be nice and smooth, not chewy or rubbery…but the soup is quite different. I like the wanton soup over at your side, not as plain. Here, the soup at many places, quite diluted.
Looks silky smooth!
Yes, the good ones. There are also the failed ones, thick, chewy…not nice.
I like bitter coffee too – no sugar for me.
I’ve acquired that taste too now but not until quite recently, no sugar in my coffee.