HING LOONG

"A taste of Taiwan in little Melaka"

Always on the hunt for a good beef noodle soup, my research brought me here one overcast afternoon. Standing alone in barbaric humidity, I peered in and saw a punter up and leave just in time to snag a seat. The restaurant was packed with locals fawning over noodles. My waitress was a kind lady who assured me her grandmother was from Taipei and knew her recipes. Without doubt I ordered the beef noodle soup and their house special fried pork chop.

The noodles were definitely akin to those you'll find at beef noodle shops in Taiwan. The beef too was succulent and well cooked. My only slight gripe was the soup was a little thin in flavour. If they managed to bump it up a bit this would be a winner.

Onto the pork chop, not something I'd normally ever order but since it was the house special I thought it insulting not to. It ate well, crispy on the outside, juicy in the middle and riddled with aromats from the rub or marination process. A good pork chop, but not something I'd go out of my way for.

Hing Loong is one of those delightful little places you only discover when out on the open road with no agenda, pouring over blogs or restaurant reviews. A true taste of Taipei in the outskirts of central Melaka. Pass by and have a bowl if you're in the neighborhood.

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG  and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.