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Hong Kong's On Lee Noodle Soup has finally landed in Pavilion KL
KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — The wait is over, you can now head to Pavilion KL to taste Hong Kong's On Lee Noodle Soup's offerings.
It's a boon for those who cannot fly to Hong Kong and make their way to Shau Kei Wan and Central, where this 50 years-plus fish ball noodle soup has been holding court.
At the heart of this noodle house is their repertoire of house-made fish balls, cuttlefish balls, beef balls, shrimp balls and fish cake.
Currently shrimp balls are off the menu as the team is meticulously making sure it's up to their standards before it's released as soon as possible.
"Stir" thick egg noodles is tossed with soy sauce sourced from Hong Kong and topped with a lovely stewed beef brisket and tendon, together with their fish balls and fish cake made in-house. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Using eel to craft their fish balls, it's a softer bite and lighter flavour versus the local variant that favours the use of saito fish. Similarly, the fried fish cake has a gentler bounce.
For a crunchier bite, the cuttlefish balls will be a better choice, where one gets tiny pieces of water chestnuts inside.
The beef balls here have a very bouncy, springy texture, a change from the ones served here that tend to miss the mark on bounciness.
What's exceptional is the beef brisket, beautifully stewed low and slow till it pulls apart easily, with an unusual caramelised dark crust.
Even the long piece of tendon is cooked to a lovely, gelatinous texture.
The cuttlefish balls and beef balls are prepared by the restaurant and served in a wonderful broth made with beef, pork bones, dried shrimps and fish. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
There's also a sliced beef brisket with a different flavour profile compared to the stewed version.
On the menu, there is also beef cheek, which has yet to be released to be paired with shrimp balls and noodles. In Hong Kong, their menu features other beef cuts like skirt steak, short ribs and outside skirt.
Their egg noodles, a choice of thin or thick, are sourced locally. There's also rice noodles.
Order your noodles with soup or 'stir' (as stated on the menu), which actually means dry noodles stirred with the soy sauce sourced from Hong Kong.
All of their offerings use one main broth, a wonderful rendition, boiled with a mixture of beef, pork bones, dried shrimps and even fish.
Cuttlefish balls (left) have a bouncy texture with crunchy diced water chestnut while the beef balls (right) have a super bouncy texture. — Pictures by Lee Khang Yi
What was most interesting was there wasn't any dreaded thirst after drinking the broth, something that plagued me when I was in Hong Kong.
Another friend who visited later in the day also had the same experience, signalling a lighter hand in salt and any other additives here.
With the soup noodles and a choice of thin egg noodles, the alkaline taste from the lye water used to make the egg noodles comes out stronger though.
One can be like the Hong Kong folks and add a dash of red vinegar found on the table, as that not overly sharp vinegar helps to balance out the alkaline flavour.
There's also their own cooked chilli oil that looks different from the bright red ones we usually find, where the spicy notes seem more muted.
There are also sandwiches, toast and French Toast to snack on. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Once you add it to the broth with the beef brisket noodles, it's reminiscent of the Taiwanese beef noodle soup.
With the 'stir' version, the dry thick noodles are a better choice if you're sensitive to the alkaline taste, as it's served with a bowl of the broth on the side.
Aside from noodles, you can snack on sandwiches with fillings like ham, egg, Spam, corned beef and cheese. It's RM12 for one choice of filling and RM14 for double fillings.
In Hong Kong, a signature is their fluffy toast with butter, or one where it's drizzled with condensed milk (RM10) or other toppings.
Instead, I sampled the French Toast (RM10) which is served with butter—golden on the outside but fluffy inside.
The kitchen is supervised by the chef from Hong Kong together with the help of a local chef. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
You can add either condensed milk or honey, adjusting it to your sweetness tolerance, which I prefer rather than those totally drenched and overly sweet versions
There's also a peanut butter version for RM5 extra.
Prices are also fair and comparable to that at the Hong Kong shop.
A comparison of the Shau Kei Wan shop's menu indicates prices for the noodles are relatively similar, for example the Fish Ball Noodles are HK$50 and in KL's menu, it is listed as RM22. Here, there's a 10 per cent service tax levy.
Their classic noodles range from RM22 to RM24 for the noodles paired with a choice of fish balls, fish cakes, cuttlefish balls and the soon to be released shrimp balls.
For the beef noodles, it's RM24 to RM28, depending on whether you select beef balls, beef brisket or sliced beef brisket.
Their signature noodles series is where you combine the beef brisket or beef cheek with an assortment of toppings that include their prawn-pork stuffed wontons, ranging from RM32 to RM38.
You can also curate your own combinations too, whether it's just two or three items with their choice of noodles.
Currently the restaurant is in its soft opening stage and their grand opening is scheduled to be held later in mid-July.
On Lee Noodle Soup,
Lot C4-06-01,
Level 4 Connection, Pavilion KL,
168, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
Open daily: 10am to 10pm.
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• This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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