Sungai Petani mamak mee gorengs – Thajudeen VS Alaudin

When done right, a plate of mamak mee goreng – much like char koay teow (which, to me, is the undisputed king of Malaysian stir-fried noodles) – is a glorious creation. Its complex, multi-layered flavours and textures make it a meal that is deliciously, magically, so much more than merely the sum of its ingredients list.

But, also like char koay teow, not many people are able to do it right. Most of those I’ve had in Klang Valley have been rather poor approximations of what real mamak mee goreng ought to be.

The good ones I know of are all up north. In Penang, Hameed does a pretty good and unique spicy version with sotong; and the stall at Bangkok Lane with its reddish noodles is not bad either. Even further north, in Sungai Petani, I’ve found another two stalls that have been serving up good mamak mee goreng for many years.

Having tried both, I find myself preferring Thajudeen just a sliver more. But they are very close in terms of taste and quality, so here’s a showdown/comparison that will hopefully highlight why each of them deserves their respective groups of loyal fans.

Taste

Both have a similar salty-sweet-spicy flavour that is distinctive to mamak mee goreng. I find that Thajudeen has slightly stronger and saltier flavours, hence my preference.

Texture

Alaudin cuts its ingredients in bigger chunks – you can clearly see and taste the skin-on potato wedges, fritters and beancurd in it. With Thajudeen, the ingredients are cut significantly smaller so while you still get various distinct textures as you eat, it is more difficult to visually discern the different ingredients in the dish. Advantage to Alaudin on this one.

Mee Thajudeen is like creamy peanut butter... everything practically pureed together.

And Mee Alaudin is more like chunky peanut butter, with distinctive pieces of its various ingredients.

Noodles

Both use the yellow noodles that appear to be unique to Sungai Petani. They’re thinner, lighter in colour and have a firmer, chewier texture compared to the yellow noodles found elsewhere. To me, these noodles give Sungai Petani hawkers an overall edge over their counterparts elsewhere in Malaysia, even – though it pains me to admit it – those in Penang.

How to eat

Both noodles tend to be a little moist when it arrives on the table. I would recommend stirring and tossing them around a bit to let the moisture dissipate and allow the noodles to dry out a bit. I find that the flavour is best when the noodles are slightly warm – rather than when they are piping hot.

Price

Thajudeen noodles are RM3.30 a plate while Alaudeen’s is a little below RM3.00.

Shop

Like Improved Pickup Radius on Diablo III items or the points on ‘Whose line is it anyway?’ ambience doesn’t really matter but I am including this here because I suspect it may help explain the slight price discrepancy between the two stalls.

Restoran Taulat where Thajudeen is located is off the main road, large and has spotless, gleaming metal tables and chairs. It has a large open-air kitchen with a team of about 3 or 4 cooks.

This shop looks like it belongs to a max-level artisan on Diablo III.

In contrast, Alaudin is in a smaller, slightly more run-down location next to a big main road with lots of cars zooming past nearby. Its stall is a single pushcart outside a mamak shop that supplies the plastic tables and chairs and drinks. 

While this stall looks like another destructible object in the game that players couldn't even be bothered to smash. 

Conclusion

You know which one I prefer, but the ultimate decision on which one is better is very much a matter of individual taste. Next time you roll by Sungai Petani, be sure to give both a try and decide for yourself.

Mee Thajudeen

Restoran Taulat, No. 214-B, Jalan Hospital, 08000, Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia

Mee Alaudin

Mee Alaudin Stall, Jalan Kampung Baru (Bakar Arang), 08000, Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia

Bestari Mamak – Eat the prawn curry!

E-0G-10, Plaza Mont Kiara, 2, Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara, 50480, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Working in Mont Kiara, I don’t have many options to pick from when it comes to relatively economical mixed rice places. So lunchtime is usually at one of two places: Banana Leaf (sort of a budget Indian curry house that of course doesn’t serve beef) or Bestari (an Indian-Muslim mamak that does).

Service is better at Banana, but there are fewer choices in the mixed rice buffet line and prices are very slightly higher compared with Bestari. So even though the service at Bestari moves slower than lethargic tectonic plates and isn’t terribly competent (they frequently get orders wrong) I still go there regularly because:

1. I like the fact that I have more varieties of food to choose from at the mixed rice buffet line.

2. I personally prefer the flavours of the food at Bestari over those at Banana.

3. This magical, magical prawn curry…

Cue angelic choir.

The curry is mild, rich, smooth and fills the mouth with an intoxicating fragrance. I’ve not encountered this flavour before, and now that I’ve tasted it, I’m absolutely convinced that no other curry will go better with prawns. I want to say more, much more, but I know that my vocabulary is not up to the task of adequately describing how incredibly delicious this is.

Let’s take one more look; maybe staring at it will help me find the words to descr… nope, nothing. You'll just have to go eat it yourself.

It’s not just the curry. The prawns are perfect as well.

Far too many cooks ruin the texture of their prawns by cooking them all the way. This leaves the flesh opaque and tough and not as juicy as it should be.

But not Bestari. Their prawns are always fresh and always cooked just right. The flesh flesh remains springy and firm and slightly translucent. You can feel how juicy they are as you pop each prawn open between your teeth.

It’s one of the items you can choose from when you get mixed rice at Bestari, and it runs out pretty quick. If you want some, you should go there early before the lunch horde (one of whom will probably be me) grabs up all the prawns.

Snack-sized review

Mamak with not-so-good service but decent food at reasonable prices. Nothing to shout about except their mind-blowing curry prawns – a dish at the mixed rice buffet line. Go early before the lunch crowd finishes all the prawns.

Stats

Hours: Morning to 10pm. But the prawns usually run out by lunchtime.

Price: Pretty reasonable for Mont Kiara. One plate of rice with prawn curry, two slices of beef cooked in dark soy sauce and some bitter gourd cost only RM8.

Service: Dismal. Sluggish. Forgetful. If you order dishes that are cooked-to-order in the kitchen (such as fried rice and noodles and what not) prepare for a long wait, especially at mealtimes when the place is packed. But I usually just take the mixed rice so this is not an issue for me.

Note: I am writing this based on my experience at Bestari Mont Kiara. There are other Bestari branches where service may be better and the food may be different.