Kedai Kopi Ria

Just when I thought I've eaten all the ngew chaps (mixed beef noodles, a Sabah specialty that is similar to the Vietnamese pho, but is not served with basil or beansprouts) this town has to offer, my MIL brought me to Restorant Ria next to Multi Bake, Damai (diagonally behind Tong Hing Supermarket) and I am blown away by the Thai ngew chap in one of the restaurant's stalls. And it appears I'm not the first flogger to eat there because the lady showed me a print out of a post on her stall from www.caneeliea.com.

I go to Apiwon whenever I crave a bowl of ngew chap . Apiwon's soup reminds me of that portable ngew chap stall at the now demolished Victory Cinema which was replaced by Wisma Tun Fuad. Does anyone remember that far back, when this guy used to carry his stall on a pole on his shoulders like how people still do so in present-day Cambodia? The soup at Apiwon is light and the yummy beef balls are big and 'home-made', unlike the rest of the beefballs in KK which are tiny and flavorless. Best of all, it's the cleanest non air-con noodles shop in KK and that's why I don't mind paying RM8/US$2.50 per modest bowl, making it the most expensive coffee-shop ngew chap in town. But wait, this post is about Rest. Ria's ngew chap.


Thai-style mixed beef soup mifen, only RM4.50/US$1.40 per bowlful of big meatballs, tripe, tendons and a choice of fresh beef slices or stewed beef. For another RM1/US$0.30, you can go for the big bowl which was so big I couldn't finish it.

From now on, I will have to decide between Apiwon and Res. Ria because the latter serves a big bowl of super yum ngew chap where the tasty beefballs are also big and 'homemade' and the soup is delicious with an extra flavor--bunga kantan!--and a tangyness and spiciness from a spoonful of lime juice and chili padi, and a superb chili dip flavored with lemon grass. Although Rest. Ria is the typical plastic-chairs-and-tables no-frills kind of coffeeshop, I give the Thai ngew chap stall two thumbs up for its tasty noodles and the fact that unlike other coffeeshops, including Apiwon, it serves its noodles in ceramic bowls, which wins high points from me. Remember my post on melamine?


Look Ma, I finished my food.


Tossed noodles (gon lao mien) with an assortment of pork, RM5/US$1.60.

Wey gave a high rating ("Because there's lots of pork oil!") to this plate of noodles, from another stall in Rest.Ria, except for the cha shao which he didn't eat because "First, it was colored, and you said never to eat colored cha shao and second, the cha shao was very dry, and I hate dry meat. But mom, look, the noodles don't have coloring." Good boy. He's going to inherit this blog. And have you ever eaten tossed noodles with so much topping? There's soup thrown in too, for RM5/US$1.60. In these inflationary days, when everybody's cutting back on servings?



Another look, close up.



If you see me there, do come over and say "Hi". Now where did I put my super-sized sunnies...