claypot fish head noodles

On one hand, I’ve always maintained that Goon Wah is the fish head noodles place to visit, and then about a couple of months ago, I tried the fish head noodles at Soon Lei, just a few doors down the road from Goon Wah.  I thought it was really tasty, so I dragged HairyBerry there one weekend for a second taste.  Even before the dish was placed on our table, I could already smell the aroma of the wine simmering in the bowl of seafood broth.  Inside were thick chunks of fried fish head, preserved vegetables, tomatoes and yam.  All very good, of course.

claypot lou shue fan

Then there’s the claypot lou shu fan (rat tail noodles), dark and sticky, with minced pork and dried shrimps, also very good.

noodles with pumpkin and salted egg yolk

One of the better dishes is the stir fried noodles with pumpkin and salted egg yolk. A strange combination, no doubt, and perhaps the generous portion of pumpkin is an overkill, and perhaps less is more, but still…very…good.

goon wah

So I paid Goon Wah a visit last week.  I had to make up my mind.   Indecision wouldn’t do.  Equipped with just my trusty iPhone to take pictures, Ecstatic Eeyore and I ordered three dishes, and we tucked in.  We left an hour later, bloated with soup, and still confused.  To be honest, I prefer the claypot lou shu fun in Goon Wah, because it is a little more charred and black, the way I like it, but it doesn’t make it better than Soon Lei’s version.  I still love the fish head noodles in GW, although the aroma of wine is a little more faint in GW’s version as compared to SL’s, but that is compensated with the generous portion of fish head in GW.   The fried intestines in GW is still a must-have; it is not the crunchy deep fried type, but more chewy and its strong smell is masked quite a bit by the fried dried shrimps and other sauces.  But I do like that orange noodles in SL.   Hmmmm.

To cut a long story short, I have failed in deciding which one I prefer.

Perhaps it isn’t important to decide.  Choice is always a good thing.  And this world is certainly big enough for two good fish head noodle restaurants…or ten.

Kedai Makanan & Minuman Soon Lei
G7, Blok KPI, Jalan 3/115C
Taman Kuchai Jaya
58200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 016-608 7282/016-273 5369
Open MONDAY TO SATURDAY 8.15am to 4.30pm.  CLOSED SUNDAY.