Sunday December 28, 2008

Seremban’s best beef noodles

Story and photos by STEPHEN NG

Beef noodles are almost synonymous with Seremban. Read on to find out where you can enjoy the best beef noodles in Seremban.

FEW food stalls have survived more than a generation, but after more than 60 years, the Seremban Beef Noodle stall in Seremban is still in operation.

It is a legacy that its founder, Goh Hian Hai hopes to leave behind for his family.

Goh is well known in Seremban for his famous “Ngau Lam Meen” (Beef Noodle). However, he politely declined to be interviewed, citing that he was too busy with stall customers.

Tasty: Beef Soup with radish.

The stall, which the 95-year-old patriarch had begun in the early 40s, has a rich history. It was popular back then, and still is today.

He started operating the beef noodle stall at the old Seremban market before moving it to its current location in the Seremban Central Market.

Today, it is the second and third generation of Gohs who run the stall. However, the elder Goh is often at the stall, greeting his regular clients. He personally checks the food himself to ensure the beef noodles served are up to mark.

Goh’s son-in-law, Chong Nyuk Ling, 60, and his sons, have been running the stall in the Seremban Central Market for almost 30 years. The family bought a shop in Jalan Dr Krishna in 1979, and operated under the name, King’s Restaurant. Like the saying goes, a king cannot be without his queen, so in 2003, the family opened another restaurant in Kemayan Square and named it Queen’s Restaurant.

Chong’s wife, Goh Chee Eng said that ever since her father started the stall, the noodles have been made by the family. “We do not use any preservatives. That’s why our beef noodles taste very different from the rest,” she said.

The man who started the business is 95- year-old patriarch Goh Hian Hai.

“Making the best beef noodle isn’t just about how one cooks the noodles, but my father has a way to make the noodles taste better. It starts right from the noodles, which is why we emphasise so much about making the noodles ourselves.”

The noodles are mixed with a special gravy made from the elder Goh’s recipe, which gives it an inimitable flavour. Just as he made it back then, gravy is today still preservative free.

“The beef comes from selected cuts to ensure that the meat is not too tough or soft,” Chee Eng explained.

“We are also very careful with what we serve. This is the reason why for almost two generations, people continue to enjoy our original recipe. We want to keep it that way.”

Apart from the beef noodles, Chee Eng said that they also serve rice noodles (“lai fun”) and beef soup with radish. “These two dishes are also very popular,” she added.