CHAR-MED BY HOKKIEN CHAR

If you have been good boys and girls throughout the week, watching your carbohydrate-sugar-salt-oil intake, and would like a little treat during the weekends, go check-out this famous hokkien char restaurant located in Paramount Garden. Hokkien cooking in general, tends to be somewhat oily and salty, so don't step in here and expect anything different.

Famous for its Fried Hokkien Mee (福建面) and Fried Lala (炒啦啦), Restoran Mei Yen has been operating in its present location for the past 20 years. The place can get very crowded during the peak hours, so avoid dropping in between 1930 - 2100 if you dislike waiting too long for your food. Their noodles are served in three sizes, and are priced at RM8, RM10 and RM13 for small, medium and large respectively.

I personally find that the chef here has a Jekyl and Hyde-like personality. Catch him on his good days and the Fried Hokkien Mee will have very good wok hei, with just the right amount of dark soya sauce sufficiently wrapping around each strand of noodle, and served with generous amounts of fried pork lard. However on his not-so-good days, the Fried Hokkien Mee can be a tad too saucy (watery) and the fried pork lard nowhere to be found. Similarly the Fried Lala can be thick, spicy and full of kick one day, and watery and tasteless the next.

The real gem in their menu in my honest opinion is their Fish Head Beehoon Soup (鱼头米). Here the soup (non-milky version) is strongly flavoured with lots of ginger slices and chopped garlic, and garnished with generous amounts of chinese coriander. Sufficient slices of fried fish pieces are added to finish off the dish.

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Restoran Mei Yen

Address: No.39, Jalan 20/7, Paramount Garden, PJ.
Contact number: N/A
Reservation: 1st come 1st served
Opening hours: 1830-0200 (Daily)
Cuisine: Chinese (Non Halal)
Must order: Fish Head Beehoon Soup (鱼头米), Fried Hokkien Mee (福建面)
Must not order: N/A
Budget for 4 pax: RM30
My verdict: 2 stars