I recall my father telling me when I was a teenager that Won Ton Mee, which is translated as dumpling noodle is very well-known in Bentong. During the search for the famous Bentong Tau Fu and ginger, our stomachs were growling quite loudly (it was around 2pm). Then we met some locals and chatted with them with the hope of finding the restaurants that sold the famous dumpling noodle. But to our disappointment, we were told that most of such restaurants were already closed by noon. We were determined to try out other local food instead.
Then, while walking down Jalan Chui Yin (aka Cultural Street) towards Bentong Hospital, voila, we chanced upon a stall inside Kopitiam Thong Kee (Thong Kee Coffee Shop) that sold Won Ton Mee.
I guess our cravings for Won Ton Mee were so strong that despite knowing it may probably be just ordinary, we still took our chances and tried it. It appeared that the coffee shop was filled with local residents, and without much hesitation, we quickly grabbed our seats and placed our orders. To our astonishment, there were also photos of the famous 8TV food programme, Ho Chak’s hosts posted on its wall. Looks like this coffee shop is not that ordinary after all.
From the pictures on the wall, we figured that it should be famous for its local coffee and toast. Knowing hubby, a coffee addict, he quickly ordered a glass of coffee. Come to think about it, we were able to kill two birds with one stone – indulging in the coffee and at the same time, enjoying the noodle.
I wasn’t able to enjoy the coffee (I’d get palpitation) as much as hubby did, but from his comment, the coffee didn’t sound as good as the ones in Ipoh old town. Nevertheless, the hot weather didn’t stop him from ordering another glass of it (first time seeing him in all these years ordering two glasses of coffee during a meal). Oh, the best thing was a glass of coffee only costed RM1.90, surely something you wouldn’t be able to find in Kuala Lumpur.
It didn’t take long for our much awaited noodle to be served. As in every Won Ton Mee stall, we had a choice between the dry or the soupy form, and we chose the former. Each plate came with slices of barbecued pork (Char Siew), and served with hot dumpling soup sprinkled with fresh scallions.
The noodle was springy in texture and delicious to be eaten while it was hot. What I liked about this dish is the usage of lean Char Siew, unlike the usual ones which come with layers of fat. Each plate was served with 2 pieces of dumplings filled with minced meat (although I’d prefer shrimp, which is commonly served in Ipoh). If you observe carefully, the Bentong Won Ton Mee was served with bird’s eye chillies as opposed to the usual pickled green chillies. Both of us agreed that this may not be the best Won Ton Mee we had ever tasted, but for the price of RM4 per plate, it really wasn’t that bad.
And my verdict? I would recommend giving it a try if you happen to be in Bentong. Who knows, you might find the taste more appealing to you than it was to me. By the way, Kopitiam Thong Kee also has a branch in KL – you might wanna try its branch rather than travel all the way to Bentong.
Address: No. 4, Jalan Chui Yin, 28700 Bentong
Operating Hours: Monday till Sunday from 8AM-5PM
NOTES:
All photos and information on Daphne’s Escapades are copyright protected. Please do not use any of the images or content without any prior permission. Should you wish to share this post, please direct this post to its original source.
