Stopping for wantan mee in Sg Besi

A typical night at Wan Tan Mee Sg Besi.

HANDS up if you can name the yummiest element in wantan mee.

Would that be the mustard greens done just right? Or the springy egg noodles evenly coated with thick black sauce and shallot-flavoured oil?

The answer is all of the above, and more.

Don’t forget the dumplings. Or the stewed chicken feet with flower mushrooms. Maybe even curry chicken or stewed pork in red fermented beancurd and wood ear fungus.

And yes, make room for the roasted meats, too.

Wan Tan Mee Sg Bes

If the sky’s the limit for you when it comes to wantan mee toppings, then the place to go is Wan Tan Mee Sg Besi. The place opens from 6.30pm to 3am, making it an ideal stop after day-long shopping trips in the city.

We chose plain noodles with only mustard greens – because this meant we could order more side dishes.

We had a bowl each of big and small dumplings. These well-loved parcel of minced meat in paper thin egg dough wrappers were packed just right.

However, we felt the bigger dumplings, which had chopped chestnuts mixed into the minced meat, were a tad too thin.

Luckily, the platter of roasted pork neck ends and crunchy-skinned pork belly made up for it. This dish stood out because the meat was still piping hot.

Ah! The joy of biting into freshly roasted meat.

The vinegared pork trotter is a sinful indulgence.

When we asked stall owner Mak Lai Kam if the dish had been popped into a microwave before serving, she was indignant.

“Choi! We don’t do things like that,” said Mak, who has been running the business for 17 years.

The meats are roasted in-house, not ordered in bulk from a supplier. And Mak makes them in small batches, which explains their juicy texture.

“I cannot stand the idea of roasted meat hanging out from opening till closing time. How nice can the taste of ‘dried’ meat be?” she asked.

There were four of us and our table was heaped full, including a plate of vinegared pork trotters with lots of garlic bulbs. The children enjoyed the fried wantan, while the adults relished the plate of wild boar curry.

Spicy and addictive- Wild boar curry

Mak, who confessed to being a fussy eater, said her wantan mee stall passed the test of time because she was sincere about serving good food.

For example, she deep-fries the chicken feet on her own instead of getting ready-made versions from the market.

“I make sure the nails are trimmed and the feet are washed twice before cooking. Hygiene matters to me,” said Mak.

A wan tan from Wan Tan Mee Sg Besi.

If you are heading there from Kuala Lumpur, make sure to slow down as soon as you pass the BP petrol station on your left. Turn left at the Tenaga Nasional Bhd Jalan Tiga substation. This road will lead you to a carpark where you can leave your vehicle instead of causing congestion by parking on the roadside.