KEN HUNTS FOOD: Ling Mian Fang (琳面坊) @ Carnavon Street, Georgetown, Penang.

Monday, June 30, 2014

Ling Mian Fang (琳面坊) @ Carnavon Street, Georgetown, Penang.

It is easy to find Ling Mian Fang (琳面坊), the eye-catching coffee shop occupies three shop lots along Carnavon Street and interestingly, it serves Lam Mee only. A question that pops up in my mind immediately: what makes it stands out among the ubiquity of Lam Mees? The layout of the coffee shop is simple and standard but I did notice there is a twist to the conventional Lam Mee- Dry Lam Mee and their own creation, Special Lam Mee. Spiciness is what distinguishes between the normal Lam Mee and Ling Mian Fang's special Lam Mee. Prices are generally reasonable, though a little higher than those available in hawker centers but what Ling Mian Fang offers is a cleaner and spacious seating for its customers.

Ling Mian Fang's signature Original Lam Mee (soup/ Rm 3.80 for small/ Rm 5 for large) which comes with some Pork Meat, Shrimps, julienned Egg Omelette and a Fish Ball. One sip on the broth and my eyes widen, a strong jolt of sweetness hit the palate, as though I was having a dessert instead of savory main. It was quite apparent that a hefty amount of sugar was added to the broth. Fortunately, the addition of their hot Sambal Belacan was able to cut down the sweetness but generally, it was still too sweet to my liking.

I have never tasted nor heard of Dry Lam Mee (Rm 3.80/ small, Rm 5/ large), as expected, the Dry Lam Mee came in drenched with Dark Soy Sauce just like the ordinary Dry Koay Teow, with a complimentary Lam Mee broth. The flavor was a little thin on its own but it was better with the addition of Sambal Belacan, not too bad I guess.