Tucked away in a small corner past the line of almost identically named Hyderabad Dum Biryani, Biryani House, Hyderabad Biryani Restaurant, is the O.G! Hyderabad Birjani House may look simple, but is deceptively talented at creating mouthwatering Biryani for your anxious stomach. Try the Brinjal Korma also, which adds a nice touch of vegetable spicy goodness to the otherwise rich, moist rice.

Today is a hot one. Probably not the right temperature for a steaming bowl of hot noodle soup, but that has never stopped me before.

Since my first few visits to KL in the early 2000's, i've walked past this nondescript stall a hundred times without bothering to go in and try the food. Having decided this time to try and only eat at new places, I figured it was high time to give the Beef Noodles here a go.

The place was packed. Promising. I had to share a table with an old man reading comics. I ordered the special beef ball soup and watched as the waiter ran frantically around the shop hurling bowls to impatient customers. 

Delicious soup. First taste of the broth, spot on. Tremendous amount of flavour from a soup that looked so "thin". The two types of noodles were both excellent, the pieces of beef succulent and tender. The beef balls too were surprisingly good. At 1 Euro 50 for a bowl, you can hardly get a better or cheaper lunch anywhere.

Malaysian (Chinese) Beef noodles are very different to the type i'm most used to from Taiwan. There is always beef balls (something I never got in Taipei) and the broth is sweeter, the noodles generally thinner and most bowls are loaded with tripe (which I asked to kindly forego).

However, two of the highest rated one's in Kuala Lumpur are literally 200 and 160 meters respectively from my hotel. The first one I tried last week, was great, so today I figured I might as well check out the competition. This place was three times the size, and equally packed. I seemed to have arrived at the perfect time because as soon as I sat down throngs of locals turned up and had to wait.

I ordered the small bowl of beef ball noodles and a 100 plus. It was 34 degrees. Stiflingly hot. The city heaved under the pressure of the humidity. Cars added insult to injury, but inside was fairly ok. The labouring AC machines working overtime to keep the fire at bay. 

The food was delicious. Completely different to Shin Kee down the road which was a clearer soup, different noodles and had minced beef added too. The beef balls here tasted better and had a more pleasant texture, the noodles were better over there, but the most important thing: the broth, was a dead tie. Tho differing in taste and recipe, they both had their plus and minus points. 

I'll give this head-to-head a draw. 

Having almost lost my mind at their branch in Bangkok NUMEROUS times, I had to see if they were replicating the near-perfection a thousand kilometers south. In short: No. 

​It looked almost identical, with that frothy milk Tonkotsu broth causing deep gasps from near and far when set down gently at the table.


The main issue was the depth of flavour. At the Bangkok branch they manage to wizardly balance it between becoming cloyingly fatty, and thinly veiled. It packs a deep, comforting punch but doesn't coat your entire throat so you need a fire-hose to rinse you out.  This broth was more on the fatty side and less on the flavour. The pork and egg were pretty spot on, and the noodles were fine. It just goes to prove that even tho the name remains, the contents of the bowl can, ultimately, let you down.

If there was an award for the sweetest owner/host in Penang, it would surely go to the lady here. Everyone is welcomed in a really kind, considerate way, her manner is so gentle and friendly, and luckily enough for us the food is also really good.

They do a couple of different Laksa, I only managed to try the Lemak Laksa because of other obligations, but it was delicious and slightly different to the Asam Bowls i've eaten in town. The prawn crisp was dynamite!!