You can say that Hoi Yin Restaurant is an institution for curry mee in Kuantan. Finding this place is simple. All you need to do is to drive to Teluk Chempedak in the morning and head for the only crowded restaurant there.

This small humble place serves mee kicap (black soya sauce noodle) which are yellow noodles mixed with soya sauce and taugeh (beansprouts), mee soup which are yellow noodles in a clear fish stock and their signature dish, The Curry Mee which they have been serving to their loyal patrons for years. For latest prices, look out for the MILO sponsored signboard with the words JUMBO, BESAR and KECIL which represents the portion sizes. Last we checked, RM4.20 for JUMBO.

Good curry mee always go well with a good cup of local coffee. People say that the local coffee here is great. It is. But there are ‘off’ days. Come early (7am) to enjoy a more serene experience and the occasional sea breeze from the kaki- lima (pavement) alfresco dining. A bit later, it’s probably as hectic as a fish market with occasional gas fumes from passing cars.

Now, the restaurant layout itself is simple. A hawker stand with two compartment levels in the front store. One laden with mee, meehoon and koay teow. The upper level laden with fishballs, cuts of fish cakes, chicken and siham. At the side are several pots, almost cauldron like- one with curry broth and the other boiling with a clear broth, both as if bubbling with some magical portion. Drinks are all made at the back.

"Aunty! Mee kari satu, cepat!"

What makes Hoi Yin special is its simplicity. The curry broth is mild yet spicy. The word that best describes this would be milky. Stirring the curry cauldron, one can see that generous portions of fried bean curd are cooked slowly with the broth.

This is how the Aunty wields her magic. Firstly, take one blue purple bowl. Next goes a dollop of blanched yellow noodles. By this time, the Aunty has another hand stirring the curry cauldron with a long 1 ½ foot ladle. Why? To make sure that the curry broth is properly mixed. Yes, the good stuff is always at the bottom. With one ladle run, in goes the curry broth and some fried beancurd. The Aunty then adds some pieces of steamed chicken, fishballs and fishcakes. And then some almost perfectly cooked siham. By now the bowl is oozing all kinds of curry scents. One whiff, you are hooked.

If you are watching the Aunty making this, by this time you are already going crazy visualizing youself slurping up the mee and making all kinds of noises. You see the waiter picking the bowl up, coming to you smiling and then giving the bowl to the next table. Then you realise that you are salivating over someone else’s bowl of curry mee. Drat! Hurry up la Aunty! Hungry already… Oh well, maybe I'll just slurp my coffee first…. Sluuurrrrrpppppp!



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Hoi Yin

                   

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