Where the crowds are, there is a high chance the food is going to be good. We applied this logic when we happen to walk past “Grandma Ong” in Bukit Indah, Johor, and were very pleased with the noodles we had.
My order was a small bowl of the hand-torn “mee hoon kueh” prepared dry-style. The pieces of al dente noodles were tossed in a dark sauce and came with plenty of “gao kee chye” (wolfberry leaves), handmade minced pork balls, springy fishballs and beef balls, crispy “ikan bilis” (dried anchovies) and fried shallots. What elevated this dish from tasty to ridiculously tasty was the super spicy “sambal belachan”. Laced with fresh lime, its refreshing brightness works remarkably well with the noodles. Furthermore, the eatery has another condiment I can never get enough of - the local variety of small green aromatic chillies that I seem to come across only in Malaysia nowadays. You can bet I spammed my bowl with those too.
My set meal which included a drink and a side dish of “ngor hiang” (five-spice fried meat roll) cost me just RM11.50 (about SG$3.80).
Here’s some info about Grandma Ong. According to the signs on display around the eatery, they have been around since 1999. One of the staff also shared with us that they have several outlets around Johor. So if you happen to spot one when you are in Malaysia, I recommend dropping in to try their food.