Pan Mee - Restoran Shangri-La - Jalan Batai
0 Comments Published by smoking salmon on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 at 9:40 pm.
The trouble with working in Damansara Heights, is that there just aren't enough Chinese coffee shops to go around. So after doing some digging, I was alerted to the busy but rather ineptly named Restoran Shangri-La on Jalan Batai. Nestled within a small block of shops in a parking lot, this place, along with the 2 other coffee shops on the block is a haven for many Chinese workers from Pusat Bandar Damansara and the surrounding areas. I was recommended to try the Pan Mee and the Wan Ton Mee at Restoran Shangri-La.Pan Mee (flat noodles) has always been one of my favourite dishes, so I decided to give it a go. A typical Pan Mee dish comes in soup or dry varieties, and usually has the following ingredients - ikan bilis (anchovies), minced meat, fried onions, black fungus, Chinese mushrooms, tapioca leaves and chilli. But what makes for a good bowl of Pan Mee? In my opinion, a Pan Mee dish is only really really good when the ikan bilis is big and crunchy, soft tapioca leaves are used instead of other veggies, and the chilli condiment is thick and packs a punch. Oh, and I personally much prefer the dry or 'Kuan Lo' Pan Mee to the soup version.
Back at Shangri-La, I ordered the dry Pan Mee and was kinda unimpressed when it arrived. Upon tasting it i felt that the ikan bilis was a little too flaky and the noodles a little too dry and sticky. And choy sum instead of tapioca leaves? I was underwhelmed. What could've maybe saved this from being dumped in the pile of 'average' Pan Mees was the chilli, but even that was as bland as it looked.
I doubt they would be overly concerned though, as business is pretty good. It's hard to get a table here at lunch time, so on weekdays you really should get there by 12.30 latest to beat the office crowds. I've had to wait 20 minutes just to sit down, and its not uncommon to see different groups of people sharing tables. At least the service is reasonably quick.
Parking is easy, but it'll cost ya RM1.50 to get in. If you're lazy, cheap and/or obese you can always park further out and walk.
Anyway, I wouldn't recommend the Pan Mee unless you can't be bothered to drive to KL or Damansara Utama for a good one. Or if you work in Damansara Heights at a company that'll send you a warning letter if you take an extra minute for lunch. There's definitely better to be had for your RM4.00.
5.5/10.
