Find a great ‘pan mee' out of a house in Sungai Way, at Kedai Kopi Hoh Piah

PETALING JAYA, June 15 — With its narrow, densely packed roads and many businesses still run out of converted homes, Sungai Way has an aesthetic unlike other suburbs in Petaling Jaya.
While rapid development has transformed much of the city into a landscape of shopping malls and bustling commercial hubs, Sungai Way retains its distinct roots.
Established as a Chinese new village under the Briggs Plan, it remains one of the city's last visible vestiges of Malaysia's colonial past.
As in many former new villages, the eateries that have become pillars of the community are often still run out of a family home, with the people behind them still living under the same roof.
Kedai Kopi Hoh Piah is one such spot, and despite the kedai in the name, it is pretty clearly the front of a house.
'Kedai Kopi' Hoh Piah operates out of a house. — Picture by Ethan Lau
The time-honoured setup is full of worn tables, old but not obsolete, and many regulars come from the neighbourhood for their breakfast, particularly on the weekend.
Young families with kids still in their pyjamas, young couples still in their pyjamas... or maybe everyone just felt like pyjamas that morning, and I missed the memo.
Everyone's gathered here today for the simple, soul-soothing bowl of noodles that is pan mee.
In addition to the standard offerings of dry and soup pan mee (both RM9), there are also left-field options like tom yam, mala soup pan mee, and even a bak kut teh noodle.
Noodles being made from scratch. — Picture by Ethan Lau
It's telling, then, that when I walk in, it's not the medicinal scent of bak kut teh or the sharp sting of chillies and tom yam that greets me, but the mild aroma of anchovy broth.
Soup is by far the most popular order, and it's easy to see why. The broth is clear and very light in colour, but it has more depth than it lets on, with a gentle sweetness carried by the anchovy base.
A scoop of minced pork adds a touch of savouriness, but the real punch comes from a handful of well-fried, crispy, salty anchovies.
Tying it all together is a smack of spicy, tangy sambal. Whether you go for the hand-torn or thick-cut noodles, it's a satisfying bowl.
I personally prefer the dry preparation, as I like to really ruminate on the texture of hand-torn mee hoon kueh.
The noodles aren't tossed in a particularly noteworthy sauce, but they're fairly thin, with a smooth, slippery texture that makes for an easy eating experience and doesn't demand much chewing.
It looks light, but the soup 'pan mee' is filled with depth from the anchovy base. — Picture by Ethan Lau
I suspect that's part of the appeal for much of the crowd here.
Hoh Piah is far from the only eatery in Sungai Way that operates out of a home, and it's not the only pan mee shop in PJ either.
But there's something about it that feels undeniably Sungai Way. Maybe it is the way it stays put, holds on, and keeps feeding the people around it the same way it has for years.
Dry 'pan mee' is my favourite way to eat these noodles, which have a satisfying texture. — Picture by Ethan Lau
As PJ continues to grow and businesses come and go in the name of progress, I suspect we'll come to miss places like this — even if the parking never really improves.
Kedai Kopi Hoh Piah
75, Jalan SS 9a/4,
SS 9a, Petaling Jaya.
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 8am-2.30pm
Tel: 03-7875 5910
• This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
• Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
• Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Malay Mail

32 minutes ago

• Malay Mail

How a former maternity hospital, clinic and pharmacy became the shining example of heritage restoration in George Town

GEORGE TOWN, June 21 — Fronting the corner of Lebuh Acheh and Carnarvon Street is an imposing British colonial white building with modern touches and Straits Chinese influences. The architectural style of the imposing double-storey building straddling the corner of two streets is almost similar to that of the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce building, the former Majestic Theatre and Loke Thye Kee building at the junction of Burmah Road and Penang Road. This is because the building, currently the office of George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI), was designed by the same man – the prominent Straits Chinese architect Chew Eng Eam – back in 1922. Chew's signature style is evident in the symmetrical facade, decorative pilasters and cornices and louvered windows that reflect a blend of Straits Eclectic architecture and British colonial influences. The building was originally built to house the Universal Dispensary and a medical clinic for Dr Ong Huck Chye. There was also a maternity hospital on the second floor of the building. It is unclear when the maternity hospital, clinic or pharmacy shuttered but a picture taken sometime in the late 1970s to early 1980s showed the main building vacant and in a dilapidated condition while the adjoining building housed a hairdressing salon. An old photo of the building taken in the 1980s. — Picture courtesy of GTWHI Sometime in 2002, the main building and its adjoining building, 116 and 118 Lebuh Acheh, were renovated and Penang Heritage Centre moved into the building. After George Town was jointly inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site with Melaka in 2008, the Penang Heritage Centre was renamed as World Heritage Office. It was only on April 21 in 2010 that GTWHI was formed to manage, safeguard and promote the world heritage site. The building underwent a massive restoration in 2019, not merely to restore it to its former glory but also as an example of restoration in accordance with heritage guidelines. The restoration was completed in 2021 and it now serves as the office for GTWHI and also as a model for heritage restoration. GTWHI Senior Cultural Heritage Officer Ng Xin Yi said the restoration took longer to complete due to the pandemic but they managed to keep the costs low, at RM1.8 million for both 116 and 118, to show that restoration costs of heritage buildings can be kept reasonably low. She also said some of the features in the restored office were intentionally left exposed, such as the steel beams installed to stabilise the structure, as a showcase of best practices in restoration. The ground floor of the office also features a mosaic of different colourful tiles of varying designs and patterns, similar to those found in many of the pre-war buildings all around George Town. Materials used for the restoration were also kept strictly as near to the original heritage materials as possible: lime wash to paint the walls to ensure breathability, timber for the wood flooring on the second floor and the staircase, stone for the stoop below the staircase and terracotta tiles for the roof and floors. The building underwent a massive restoration in 2019, not merely to restore it to its former glory but also as an example of restoration in accordance with heritage guidelines. — Picture courtesy of GTWHI 'This building is a model for other building owners to see how they can apply these features to their buildings,' she said. Interestingly, due to George Town being originally swampy before the British cleared it, walls of pre-war houses in the inner city tend to 'sweat' from dampness that leads to mould and peeling paint. Xin Yi said the way to resolve this is to install an aeration model on the ground between the inner walls to allow moisture to escape. The aeration model, similar to a narrow drain, will run alongside the length of the inner walls so that moisture will drip down instead of being trapped on the walls. In GTWHI's office, several panels of display glass were installed on top of the aeration drainage system to showcase how it was done. GTWHI's building is listed as a Category II heritage building and it is one of the eight buildings that will open their doors to the public for the Historic Building Open House programme during heritage celebrations on July 7. GTWHI Manager of the Department of Cultural Heritage Research and Development Ng Boon Nee said GTWHI will be open to the public for a visit and they will be taken on a tour of the building on that day. Similarly, the public can visit the seven other historic buildings under the programme and community volunteers will give guided tours of the buildings while explaining the significance of the organisation and buildings. 'The open house programme is to raise awareness, appreciation of local heritage and to promote storytelling and community engagement,' Boon Nee said. She said the aim of the programme is to empower the community to be able to continue with guided tours of their respective historic buildings as a way to generate income to maintain the buildings. 'We want them to be self-sustainable and this is also a way to encourage dialogue and foster cultural exchange,' she said.

Malay Mail

17 hours ago

• Malay Mail

Argus Residence: Celebrating the memories of a former Eurasian ‘enclave' in George Town

GEORGE TOWN, June 20 — Every evening along a short narrow lane, just behind the Assumption Church in George Town, shrieks of laughter would fill the air as children ran and played. It was a time before there were many cars on the roads and that narrow lane was a playground for the children living in the row of five terraced houses. 'It was like a dead end because the road leads to a narrow back lane so cars didn't come in,' said Stan De Souza. The 86-year-old was one of the children who used to run and play along Argus Lane back when Eurasian families lived in that row of houses. That was between the 1930s to the early 2010s, a period of over 70 years. The five terrace houses, built in 1928 and owned by the Church of the Assumption, were rented to the Eurasian families. 'We were like one big family where everyone knew everyone who lived there,' De Souza said. Among those who lived there were the De Souza, Scully, Newman and Cutter families. De Souza, who lived in the first house of the row, said his parents lived there from the 1940s. 'We went through World War II here, watched the bombs drop, hid in our homes,' he said. He remembered going to school at the nearby St Xavier's Institution before it was bombed during the war. 'After that, school was in a small attap house next to Convent Light Street,' he said. He reminisced about going back to study in a newly built St Xavier's Institution when he was in Form Four. 'I came back in January this year, wondering what happened to my childhood home when I met the George Town Heritage Hotels (GTHH) people who were restoring the buildings,' he said. GTHH has leased the row of houses from the church and restoration started last year. Today, Argus Residence is an extension of Seven Terraces Hotel — also a part of GTHH — and they are connected by a back lane. Each of the houses is named after each Eurasian family who lived there; Dragone, Cutter, Newman, Scully and De Souza. According to De Souza, Dragone was his mother's maiden name. 'My mother was Sybil Dragone and she was a teacher at Convent Light Street,' he said. 'I hope to book a weekend in this house one day and bring my siblings and our families to relive our memories growing up here,' he said. The last of the Eurasian residents living there was Ann Cutter who died a few years ago. Her niece, Corinne Cutter, who used to live in one of the houses too, remembered the strong sense of community among those who lived there. 'We used to gather outside and sing Christmas songs during Christmas,' she said. GTHH founder Chris Ong said the residences are decorated in an eclectic Edwardian mid-century style. — Picture by Opalyn Mok GTHH unveiled the Argus Residence yesterday and invited some of the former residents to visit the newly restored buildings GTHH founder Chris Ong said the residences are decorated in an eclectic Edwardian mid-century style; a mix of modern furnishings and Ong's unique creations. 'We are honoured that the church approached us to restore these buildings,' he said. He said GTHH hoped to also collect stories from the Eurasian community who used to live in these houses. The Argus Residences are decorated in an eclectic Edwardian mid-century style. — Picture by Opalyn Mok 'We want to honour the memories of those who lived here and tell their stories too,' he said. The Argus Residence is now open for booking here.

Malay Mail

a day ago

• Malay Mail

Get your fix of Hong Kong-style cart noodles and peanut butter ‘cheong fun' at Sri Petaling's Luckee

KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — Cart noodles are as much a part of Hong Kong as dim sum and siu mei, but they haven't quite found the same footing in KL. Known in Cantonese as che zai mein, the dish dates back to the 1950s when hawkers served noodles with a wide variety of toppings out of mobile carts, hence the name. The options ranged from pork intestines and beef tendons to, later on, curried fishballs and luncheon meat. Diners would pick from these along with an assortment of noodles and broths, which varied from stall to stall, in a build-your-own-bowl tradition. These days, most of the mobile carts have vanished, and cart noodles are more often found in proper restaurants, with famous names like Man Kee Cart Noodle in Sham Shui Po making it into the Michelin Guide. Fortunately for us in KL, there's Luckee in Sri Petaling. The restaurant has been open for a year in a busy commercial area known for its high concentration of Chinese restaurants and cafes, and it specialises in the aforementioned cart noodles. It's no roadside cart, but the steel tables and retro Cantopop do their part to evoke a bit of Hong Kong. Dry versions are available, like this dry curry version with luncheon meat, minced pork and pork intestines. — Picture by Ethan Lau You start with a base: cart noodles with two toppings for RM11.90 or three for RM13.90. Anything extra depends on the topping. From there, it's all about preferences: dry or soup, spice level, and choice of noodles. The usual options are covered, but instant noodles offer that guilty pleasure slurp, while bamboo egg noodles bring a satisfying springiness. For broth, there's curry, braised (lou zap), beef, tomato, or the numbing, oil-slicked hit of spicy mala. I won't bore you with the full list of toppings, but expect classic Hong Kong offerings like curried fishballs, pig's blood curd, red sausage (a lesser-known part of siu mei, said to have originated in Lithuania), braised beef brisket, tendon, pork chops and, of course, my childhood guilty pleasure: luncheon meat. There's something about that unholy obelisk of sodium-laced forcemeat that spoke to me at 10, and still does now. Optimising your bowl takes a bit of strategy. I went with luncheon meat, minced pork and pork intestines on a dry bowl of bamboo noodles with curry sauce. The idea of a wedge of fried luncheon meat bobbing in a beef or braised broth didn't quite appeal to me, and I've always had a soft spot for the mild, slightly sweet character of Hong Kong-style curry. The luncheon meat scratched that sodium itch, while the intestines were braised with a sweet, soft chew that worked well with the springy noodles, all lightly coated in curry. Washed down with a bowl of white radish soup, it makes for a satisfying bowl. But that doesn't even begin to go beyond the surface of the potential combinations here. You could go all in on curry, with curried fishballs, pork skin and a thin, fried pork chop for good measure. Or you could beef up with a broth surprisingly deep in flavour, where radishes play a starring role, and round it off with soft, slippery beef tendons, tangy stir-fried pork with zha cai (pickled mustard greens) and some fried beancurd rolls for texture. The possibilities are endless, and most are comforting. Still looking for more food? The cheong fun with mixed sauce (RM6.90) is a must-have from the small snack selection Luckee offers alongside its cart noodles. Little chewy, unrolled tubes of cheong fun sit in a mixture of peanut butter, hoisin and sweet soy sauce. It's a canvas of beige streaked with dark brown, sweet and savoury, creamy and thick. A rare Hong Kong treat that's hard to find elsewhere, and one more reason to come. Luckee 叻記 19, Jalan Radin Bagus 6, Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. Open daily, 10am-12am Tel: 017-651 1005 Facebook: Luckee 叻記 Instagram: @luckee0905 * This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal. * Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems. * Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.