A spin-off from the Sean & Angie article? 💭🤔
I was going through and updating my various social media handles when suddenly (not terkejut which mean s “shock” in Bahasa Malaysia) the words “siew yuk” popped up which led to a short video clip on hakka noodles served with siew yuk and char siew (1).
At that time, the Batik Influencer was around, creating her next “JEANNIE’S OWN” label masterpiece.
“Let’s go to this place in SS2 for char siew, siew yuk noodles lunch. We can go now, since it is near midday”, I said. Jeannie agreed.
Off we went, heading to “TnR by Sean & Angie”. The name of the restaurant was quite unusual. The first thoughts that crossed my mind was this was a restaurant by a musical group or band.
Finding the restaurant located on SS2/6, Petaling Jaya; (2) was pretty easy. Getting a car park space there is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It requires a bit (actually [there I go using that word which means “the truth” or “really”😉😁] it requires a lot more) patience and a bit of luck. Our timing was right. As we were travelling along the street, looking for a spot; a can vacated a spot not far from where we were. Did I say this was a Sunday? It gives you an idea of how busy this street which is about 300 meters long, is.
As we were walking towards the restaurant from where we parked our car (which was not very far away); we bumped into Sarah, our niece; and her boyfriend, Khing; who were heading to another restaurant in the opposite direction from where we going, for a quick lunch. This long row of shops has many, many restaurants to choose from. We passed by several, making notes for future meals, while walking to Sean & Angie.
The restaurant was fairly crowded. We chose a place at the corner, inside; just next to the picture of Sean & Angie. A waitress came over and took our orders. Jeannie ordered Hakka flat noodles original, dry; which comes with delicious (it’s on the menu) mince meat. She got a complimentary herbal tea drink with her meal.
I ordered Wonton mee, dry, with siew yuk and char siew; and a plate of “tougeh” or bean sprouts. Bean Sprouts seems to be a standard side order when having chicken, char siew or siew yuk with either rice or noodles as a base meal. I ordered an iced coffee drink.
While waiting for our meals to arrive, we had a chance to meet with Angie, the co-owner of this establishment. I asked why the unusual name of, “TnR by Sean & Angie”. She said that TnR stands for Toast n Roast, another restaurant, located quite close to SS2. She and Sean (I am not sure if Sean is her husband or related to her in any way) started the Toast n Roast restaurant (which basically does the same business as Sean & Angie), in 2009 and sold the business in 2016. Then, they started “Sean & Angie” and have become a hit. “TnR by Sean & Angie” – a catchy way that links them to both the businesses. Jeannie, Laura (our daughter) and I, have visited Toast & Roast a couple of times before.
Our meals came a short while later. Jeannie’s meal was simple: Hakka (3) flat noodles, dry; with declicious (that’s what it says on the menu) mince meat. The noodles were mixed with a black sauce. There were two types of mince meat that came with this dish. It also had a sprinkling of cut green vege (yes, not “vegetables”. Hardly anyone uses that word). It looked good. Tasted as good as it looked.
Mine was wonton mee, dry, with siu yuk and char siu, a sprinkling of vege and minced meat in the spoon. The meal also came with a bowl of soup and pickled cut green chili. The ice was melting in my iced coffee while I waited for my meal to arrive. I wanted to have a go at the meal – the first bites before drinking the coffee. I wanted to get the full taste of the meal first. In the meantime, Jeannie took some of my noodles, siew yuk and char siew “to try”. I’m sure some of you guys go through the same thing with your wives or girlfriends.🤔
No prizes to guess which was the first bite I had. I could literally hear the crackling of the crispy skin of the siew yuk…the whole piece (chunky pieces, at that) just delighted my taste buds and senses. Literally. the next piece was the char siew – marinated in a sweet sauce preparation. It was the sweetest char siew I have ever tasted, if my memory serves me right. It was really good. Jeannie concurred. (4)
The mince meat that came with this meal was fried. It was crispy to the bite. I think the mince meat sort of takes you off the main course of the meal so that when you go back to the main meal, you will enjoy it even more.
One common thing that was missing which I consider a main ingredient was the Hainanese chicken rice type chili sauce (5). While it is supposed to be “Hainanese”; it is served in most restaurants with char siew and siew yuk. Apparently (my daughter uses this word quite often), not here. Maybe, if it was served, we may be “spoiling” the already great taste of the meals. So, that could be the reason for not offering this type of chili. The pickled green chili that did come with this meal, was o.k.. Preferences. 😀
Eating taugeh is definitely a must with meals like this, I don’t know why. Maybe, it is cultural. My early experience of eating taugeh was when my I was around 14 years old. My mother would send me to the shop to buy 20 cents worth of taugeh and 20 cents worth of kuchai (7). My mother would usually cook this together with yellow tofu. The kuchai was the tastiest part of the dish.
When we finished our meal, Jeannie ordered a plate of siu kow dumplings (8) – 3pcs / set (so states the menu). It was a nice sort of added dish. The chili paste spread on top of it makes this dish a worthwhile eat. The chili paste is also offered at some chicken rice / char siew / siew yoke restaurants. I love the spices that went into this dish. Good order choice by Jeannie.
This was an enjoyable lunch for Jeannie and me. I got to eat my favourites. Jeannie, being a food expert (she is a person of many talents), got to try out offerings from a new restaurant to us. Visit TnR by Sean & Angie for lunch or dinner or both. Factor a bit of time in to look for a car parking spot.
NOTES:
1. Char siu is barbecued roast pork, whereas siu yuk is roasted crispy pork belly.
2. SS2 is a bustling district / suburb in the city of Petaling Jaya, which is in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
3. Hakka is an ethnic group of China. Originally, the Hakka were North Chinese, but they migrated to South China (especially Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Guangxi provinces) during the fall of the Nan (Southern) Song dynasty in the 1270s. britannica.com
Hakka speaking Chinese are the sixth largest Chinese dialect spoken among Chinese in Malaysia. people_group, joshuaproject.net
4. “Concur” is a word commonly used at business meetings to mean “of the same opinion, agree. Now, you know why business meetings are generally long when it can be shortened if they get straight to the point. 🤔😂
5. Hainanese chili sauce that is commonly served with chicken rice, char siew and siew yuk.
6. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is used to describe something that is extremely good, super, amazing, or excellent. It is a real word and is listed in most dictionaries. It was made famous in the 1964 Disney movie, Mary Poppins which features a song that uses the word “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”.
7. Daun Kucai (kuchai) (Chives Leaves) +/-100g
Chives are extremely rich in flavonoid antioxidants, which contribute to most of the benefits. These antioxidants help fight cancer, improve heart health, and can even fight inflammation. They also detoxify the body and boost skin health. mygrocer.com
8. Sui Kow (Chinese Dumplings) are delicious-shaped dumplings served in broth. They can be deep-fried or pan-fried as pot stickers. Chinese Dumplings are little parcels of minced meat of chicken, prawns and vegetables wrapped in a thin piece of dough. They can be round or crescent-shaped, boiled, steamed, or fried. agrobazaar.com.my