Paramount 86’s claim-to-fame is playing host to the legendary Ah Wah Fried Hokkien Mee kiosk - one of the best proponents of KL-style fried Hokkien noodles, called “mee” in local Hokkien parlance.
KL-style Hokkien mee bears no resemblance to Penang-style Hokkien mee. The former is a gluggy stir-fry - thick yellow Hokkien noodles fried in lard, garlic and an aromatic salted leatherjacket fish powder. Bits of sliced pork and de-shelled shrimps, “choi sum” greens or cabbage, and golden-fried lardons are thrown in, together with a lot of dark soy sauce to give the dish its signature glossy, “black-as-night” appearance.
Penang-style Hokkien noodles, on the other hands, consists of the same yellow Hokkien noodles, but steeped in a light, pork-prawn broth. It’s garnished with slivers of pork and de-shelled shrimps, blanched beansprouts, water spinach and hard-boiled egg, then topped with golden-fried shallots and, sometimes, lardons.
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The Hokkien mee here was once touted as one of the finest in the Greater Kuala Lumpur (Klang Valley) metropolitan area. Sadly, it was a thing of the past. The present rendition was a far, far cry from its illustrious predecessor - bland, and lacking the wok-seared aroma and balance of flavors this place used to boast of.
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Wat tan hor fun, also known as kung fu chao - stir-fried flat rice noodles, blanketed in a thick, eggy, pork-and-seafood-studded gravy. It’s produced by the Ah Wah chef, and was also blander than I remember from a decade ago.
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Tauhu bakar - tofu puffs stuffed with vegetables in rojak sauce.
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Cuttlefish with kangkung (water spinach) - quite tasty version here, with the sweet-savory flavors pretty well-balanced.
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Kam heong lala clams - stir-fried spicy, turmeric-flavored local clams. “Kam heong” is a typical KL-style spicing which includes a lot of lemongrass, which I never took to.
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Roasted chicken wings - very tasty: this was the best item we had this evening.
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Oh chien - Hokkien-style oyster omelette. A bit to dry and bland for my taste.
I remembered a time, perhaps 10-11 years ago, when a trip here for late-night supper was a treat. Sadly, times have changed - most of the local hawkers (who used to be Cantonese or Hakka) have retired, or else delegated all the cooking to foreign, mainly Myanmarese, workers. The food here all simply do not taste the way I remember them all to be.
Address
Restoran Paramount 86 (formerly Restoran Millennium Eighty Six)
1, Jalan 20/16, Paramount Garden, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +6010-358 6862
Opening hours: 6.30am to midnight, Tue to Sun. Closed on Mondays.
