Koon Kee Wantan Mee

We chanced upon this hole in the wall one blazing day in Kuala Lumpur, restless for something to fill our bellies and something to talk about back home since the entire trip had started out to be a mistake (of sorts).
I remember walking down Petaling Street a little disappointed because it was redolent of Chinatown back at home — touristy with a contrived local character and cheap souvenirs. Boy, was I wrong.
We settled at Koon Kee without even knowing the name of the place out of sheer impatience and hunger but it turned out to be the BEST MEAL of my entire trip, and dare I say, the the best wanton mee I’ve had in my life.
Now, I have a bad habit of dawdling when I eat, and an even worse habit of almost never finishing my food but this time, this time, I slurped up every strand of my noodles, scooped up every last bit of wanton, and made sure no char siew was left unpicked.
I prefer my wanton noodles slightly thicker and in dark sauce, as compared to the thin and dry Cantonese ones that still reek of alkaline sometimes. Koon Kee’s thick dark sauce, with a tinge of sweetness, was spread out evenly and the noodles were nice and springy sans the coarseness of its Cantonese cousin.
I frequently think about this plate of wanton mee, and am sure this would be the only reason why I’d go back to Kuala Lumpur in a heartbeat.

We came here on a Saturday afternoon at about 3pm, and the shop had a few customers. We had a bit of trouble finding it, so when you see the cart selling beancurd, it is along the street perpendicular to it, on the other side.
Shared a small plate, and did not see what the hype was about. Char siew — 6/​10, noodle texture — 7/​10, seasoning — 4/​10, chicken — 6/​10, the two wantons — ⁶⁄₁₀.
Worth the hype? No. Save your calories, eat elsewhere.

In my opinion, i think this is one of KL’s best places to find good wan tan mee. Hidden in a little shop in Chinatown, Petaling Street; Koon Kee wan tan mee is serves customers delicious, thin, springy noodles here!
The place here look a little bit aged but that doesn’t stop nobody from coming here to get the best wan tan mee! They also serve up a portion that has quite a generous amount of noodles and char siew pork! The service here is fast just like any other street food stall. Finding this place will be a tough challenge if you are new here in KL or even if it’s your first time here in Chinatown. Most of the street food stalls here look quite similar and the entrances are covered with other stalls selling items. If you’ve never tasted good wan tan mee before, you should come here and try or if you aren’t too sure what good wan tan mee tastes like, then i suggest you have to come here to evaluate your taste buds!

I got to know Koon Kee Wantan noodles because I needed something to fill my stomach before my tuition class starts. I eat it almost every week. That’s how much I love wantan noodles. The place is quite secluded so you need to really look properly to find the shop. Another way to identify is sometimes there is an old uncle making apam balik infront of the shop.
The place looks unhygienic but so far nothing went wrong with my stomach (: It cost about RM6 for a small sized plate and RM7 the big one. They have shredded chicken/​chicken feet/​siu yuk to go along with the wantan noodles or you can just order wantan noodles itself. The shredded chicken is topped with their signature gravy and I got to say it is delicious. The siu yuk might look quite dry but it doesn’t taste like it. I love the wantan because it holds together firmly.

One of my favorite street food places around town! Well wantan mee lovers might say they’ve tried better elsewhere but I think this place serves quite a mean noodle plate. Bear in mind since it’s sorta a street food place, the level of hygiene is expected to be… well, street-​like.
This store has been operating for three generations. Locating at one of the hidden places along Petaling Street, this gem hides itself behind a pop-​up stall where an old man sells «apong kuih» — last I’ve visited, at least. This place had such high traffic that the owner needed to hire a couple of foreign workers. These workers understand Cantonese which means they’ve been around the shop for quite some time.
They’ve got a three choices of meat to go with your noodles — chicken slices, prawn and pork wanton, and siew yuk slices. The most important ingredient of this noodle dish is obviously the noodles itself. These noodles are all handmade on the spot. Its texture is so smooth that you can slurp all your noodles at one-​go. Gosh just thinking about it make my mouth water.
When it comes to pricing, I’ve sadly forgotten to note it down in my memory. It is slightly pricer than your average hawker/​street food centre but it’s very reasonable given it’s quality. I believe it’s no more than RM7 for a huge dish.
If you’re planning to travel by car here, do brace yourself for a bit of a walk. There’s no street parking anywhere nearby but might I suggest to plop your car at one of the paid parking areas near MABA (Malaysia Basketball Association). You can opt for public transport or grab an Über if you want to skip the parking hassle.