My first memory of pan mee is not a good one.
We were in the process of moving into a new house and during one of the 'cleaning trips', we were cleaning till almost dinner time so my parents tapau-ed some famous pan mee near Imbi Plaza (I'm not sure if the place is still there) for dinner.
I remember that the noodles were thick and there were hardly any condiments in them, just some ikan bilis, woodears and some vegetable. The noodles had expanded by the time we ate them and I had a really hard time eating that I didn't finish my pack in the end. What really killed me was the strong taste of flour with every mouthful. Ugh.
That was to be the first and the last time I would eat pan mee.
LC managed to convince me to try his favorite chilli pan mee and reassured me that the only thing bad about it would be the wait.
Indeed he was right.
The 'noodle maker' in action. Every 10 minutes or so, the lady puts flat pieces of noodle through the machine to produce the thin strands that end up in your bowls.
It actually looks a lot like the pan mee I knew and hated but a dry version.
But the real magic is in this...
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I swear, their chilli is God-like. If chillis ever had a God-level, this would be it.
With the otherwise, bland tasting noodles, the chilli brings the noodles to life, giving it flavor and a very much needed kick. I like the fact that you can add as much as you want and vary it based on your tolerance. The noodles are springy and chewy, not as 'floury' as I remember them to be. The poached egg was soft and mushy, it brought the dish together as it coated the noodles with the clings of chilli. The minced pork and ikan bilis add some saltiness to the dish, completing that perfect bowl of pan mee.
I can't believe I just swallowed my saliva thinking of the taste!
The soup has strings of eggs and sayur manis which is typically bitter-ish with a smooth texture. If you have kon lou noodles like the typical Malaysian, adding a bit of the soup to this noodles to get things going makes the dish even better.
LC's bowl is beyond fiery. Look at the amount of chilli in there.
Kin Kin has really changed my perception on pan mee. I might not be able to accept the typical soup pan mee but I forsee many, many trips for chilli pan mee.
They serve yong tau foo as well but we were there only for the pan mee so we didn't try any of that. Expect service to be slow because there's just so many people. The ah pek owner (apparently used to be a very grumpy ah pek owner) oversees the entire operations and pacifies or reassures customers when they ask how long they have to wait.
For me, it's well worth the wait.
Location: Malaysia Most Wanted
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