Annie 1

Annie 1 is one of those hybrid kopitiams that have evolved from the good old traditional coffee shops. It boasts of "Famous Menglembu Wanton Mee". I did not even know that Menglembu is famous for wanton noodle.

It is located in Jalan SS21/58 in Uptown, Damansara Utama, PJ. I have passed the shop numerous times and it did not strike me as a worthwhile place to eat until a family member recommended it. The shop facade and the name Annie seemed to me like one of those shops that serve pseudo western food which does not appeal to me one bit. But I was pleasantly proven wrongly. It is not pseudo western. On the contrary, they serve mainly local fare and they are quite good. Annie 1 is more a breakfast or lunch place. Although they are opened till 9.30pm, the menu offering does not look like one that I would want to go there for dinner.

If you are there, you might as well try the Menglembu wanton mee. It is quite good. The noodle has the springy texture which is pleasantly different from the soft flaccid noodles that we find in most wanton stalls. You can have it with a assortments of accompaniments - chicken (plain or curried), char siew, chicken feet, braised pork trotter, pork ribs and of course wanton.

Or if you prefer the ordinary mee and meehoon, you can have it kon loh (dry) with a chilli sambal sauce which when mixed with the noodles, is quite agreeable with my palate.

The "home-made" yam cake or woo tau ko (芋头糕) is very good. It is soft and has the right texture, with a good flavor of yam. It is served with a chilli and a sweet sauce and generous dose of fried shallots. Very authentic.

So is the chee cheong fun (猪肠粉) which is also served with similar sauces. But you don't really need the sauce. It taste equally splendid (if not better) with the soy sauce, oil, sesame seeds and fried shallots and the green pickled chillis. 

The Ipoh white coffee (available hot or cold) is so-so. OK enough for a satisfying breakfast or lunch.

Finally, the egg custard is very very good. It is very sweet - perhaps too sweet for some of us. But it is soft, smooth and very flavourful. You may ask why in the world sweet custard for breakfast. Never mind. Just try it. You won't regret.

 

Annie 1's menu is a lot more than the pictures I have. I found the braised pork trotter particularly delectable. Unfortunately my picture turned out horrible. They also serve nasi lemak and rice with the various different dishes. Annie 1 is definitely worth a visit.