I HAD Aaron Phua’s handmade noodles twice at Fifty Tales in Bandar Sri Damansara before the first lockdown.

I kept thinking of these noodles, made without kan sui or alkaline water, and how the different twists in condiments, sauces and toppings render a unique flavour to them.

Takeaways are an option and since Fifty Tales is near enough for our lunch to be delivered, we scoured the menu and decided on: Emerald Dragon, Sss Aah Sss Aah and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

Sss Aah Sss Aah was easily the winner among the three. The noodles were tossed in a sauce of bean paste, garlic and chilli.

Pork balls, ajitama egg, lard crispies and a cloud of finely julienned spring onions complete the noodles.

The zesty sauce hugged the springy noodles, which were cooked to perfection, and though they did not have the springy texture of Hong Kong wantan noodles (courtesy of kan sui), they were firm and smooth.

The tasty meatballs stood out for their light crumbly feel, with hints of ginger, garlic and spring onion.

I loved the ajitama or seasoned egg, which had stayed in a bath of soy sauce and Shao Xing wine for 12 hours.

The flavours seeped right into the translucent, custardy yolk and the egg was so delicious. The lard crispies travelled well, staying crispy throughout.

Why the name Sss Aah Sss Aah?

“It’s to give a presumption about the food and be a little playful,” said Phua. It’s probably the sound made when you slurp up the spicy noodles.

Emerald Dragon presented light green noodles aromatic and yummy from a spring onion pesto stirred into them. A chunk of tender braised pork and house-made salted vegetables come with the noodles.

When I last had Emerald Dragon at Fifty Tales, it was Tiger beer char siu, lightly torched. The salted vegetables were moist, with the sweet and sour well-tuned.

For Phua, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (RM25) is drawn from his memory of some very good wantan mee he once had in Hong Kong. He recreated this with his own house-made noodles in a light pork bone soup with Shao Xing wine. Four springy tiger prawns topped the noodles, as well as a thick slice of beer braised and torched pork belly, and an ajitama egg.

The only flaw in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was the broth, which was a bit too salty. I remedied this with the fermented chilli paste (that came with all the noodles), balancing the salty with the hot and tangy chilli.

Another noodle dish that I Iike at Fifty Tales is Funk Mee (RM18). It’s bean paste meat sauce noodles with shiitake mushrooms and lacto fermented carrot. The noodles are laden with umami from the sauce, and a sour tinge from the crunchy carrot ribbons. It’s so yummy together with a hot lift from the fermented chilli sauce.

Lacto fermented radish and onions are served with your noodles if you dine in at Fifty Tales. These tangy pickled vegetables help to refresh the palate especially when the noodles are rich with lard.

Rice is also on the menu. There’s Rice Please (RM16) with braised pork or just rice with pork lard as in Grenade (RM8), a recently introduced rice bowl features gula Melaka citrus duck.

Aaron is a champion barista too. He bagged the title in the 2019 Malaysia Barista Championship. He still pulls coffee shots at Fifty Tales, and at his mum’s cafe Thirty Seconds next door.

Fifty Tales is at 5 Jalan Margosa SD10/4A, Bandar Sri Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. To order, call 012-399-2697.It’s closed on Wednesday. – July 3, 2021.

 

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.