Deciding on places to go for lunch has never been an easy task for us minions, but with the good recommendation of Senior Minion last Friday, we set off for Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee at MacPherson.
Recently opened in Mar 2014, this famous dish from KL attracted queues of 2 hours when it first opened. When we arrived at about 1.30pm, there were seats to fit 7 of us, though we had to split up. Knowing that it has been described as a "legendary" dish, we were ecstatic to try it.
Humble menu plastered against the wall
Being a seafood lover, I contemplated ordered the Sea Asparagus Pan Mee or Clam Pan Mee. However, I succumbed to Dish 01: their signature dry chilli pan mee. With Ms B's brilliant idea of sharing Dish 06: Fishballs, Bean Sheet & Meatball soup, our lunch was settled.
Dry Chilli Pan Mee ($5)
When the bowls arrived, the impeccably done half-boiled egg was the first thing that caught our attention. Topped with a generous serving of crispy ikan bilis, fried shallots, and braised minced meat with three meat balls at the side, the only missing ingredient is chilli. I like that we can control the amount of chilli we put into the noodles! Their signature dry roasted chilli flakes is probably what makes all the difference in this simple-looking dish (and the half-boiled egg too!)
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When tossed altogether, the egg oozed and gave way to a watery heap that blended so well with the rest of the ingredients. (Actually, I pretty much like anything with poached/half-boiled egg..) The minced meat and shallots also added a lot of flavour to the dish. The noodles are cooked al dente, just the way I like it. The comrades at my lunch table mmm-ed in enjoyment as they tugged into this simple bowl of pleasure.
Fishballs, Bean Sheet & Meatball soup ($4)
The handmade fishballs had a springy and soft texture to it, and it tasted less processed than the fishballs we usually have in fishball noodles. However, there was just a slightest hint of fishiness in the fishballs... Nothing to rave about the meatballs, but the fried beancurd skin was still tasty and crispy even when dunked in soup.
If you're vegetarian (which one of the minions is), you can actually customize the noodles to be so. Ms W did away with the meat stuff, and replaced with another egg and more veggies. And she was also/still mightily pleased with the concoction and flavours. Thumbs up!
Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee
534 MacPherson Road, Singapore 368220,
+65 6743 1372
11:00am – 8:00pm
How much spent per pax: About $6 per pax (excluding drinks)
Would I come back again? If it were more accessible, yes!