GASTRONOMY
The Great Noodle Dilemma at Hing Loong Restaurant
By Philemon Foo
A very delicious, minced meat noodle. Lovely, but I prefer larger chunks of meet.
There are restaurants that shout for attention with giant signboards, dramatic lighting, and enough social media hashtags to make your phone overheat.
Then there are places like Hing Loong Restoran. It sits there quietly in Kampung Enam, Melaka, like an elderly uncle who has seen everything, survived everything, and has absolutely no interest in impressing anyone because he already knows he’s brilliant.
For decades, this humble little eatery has been feeding generations with Taiwanese style beef noodles, porkchop noodles, and chicken noodles. No fireworks, no unnecessary drama, and no gimmicks. Just honest bowls of happiness arriving one after another. Naturally, my foodie friend and I had to investigate.
Lovely. Not crowded as we were rather early.
We only knew about this place because another friend insisted, with the confidence of someone who had discovered buried treasure, “You have to go.” So we did.
Walking in, the place felt exceptionally ordinary. Plastic chairs, round tables, and not crazy crowded. The comforting soundtrack of bowls clinking, light conversations flowing, and people eating with the kind of concentration normally reserved for brain surgeons during surgery.
That is a very good sign. I am not a fan of crowded spaces. But a restaurant with not much of a crowd, well, doesn’t really shout good food.
Anyway, we took our seats, and decided on what to excite our tastebuds with. I made my decision with the confidence of an army ant, and ordered the spicy beef noodles… Then it arrived.
Ladies and gentlemen, this was not just soup. This was a rich, aromatic bath of beefy goodness that had clearly spent hours persuading herbs, spices, bones, and beef to work together in perfect harmony. Every spoonful carried deep, comforting flavours that wrapped themselves around your soul like a warm blanket on a rainy day.
Delicious beef noodles. Spicy fragrant gravy, with delicious meat. The soup that it comes with is delicious too.
The noodles were thick, springy, and gloriously satisfying. Not the sad, floppy sort that surrender the moment they meet hot soup. These had character. They bounced back. They fought for your respect.
And the beef? Flavourful and beautiful. My only complaint is this… Give me more beef.
Seriously, who on earth has ever looked at a bowl of excellent beef noodles and thought, “You know what? That’s enough beef.” Nobody. The chef could have doubled the amount and I would probably have stood up to applaud.
Porkchop noodles, this is what I will likely order, the next time I return.
Meanwhile, across the table, my foodie friend was having his own life-changing experience with the pork chop noodles. Every few bites came another approving nod. Then another. Then silence.
That dangerous silence only happens when someone has entered the sacred food zone where talking becomes an inconvenience. When he finally resurfaced, he admitted something remarkable. He wanted another bowl.
No, not because he was still hungry. His stomach was already waving a white flag. His taste buds, however, were organising a rebellion and demanding another serving anyway. That tells you everything.
Now here comes my problem. At this place, I absolutely love the spicy beef noodles. I know this. It has already earned a permanent place in my breakfast memories here in Melaka. But, I have not tried the pork chop noodles.
My foodie buddy says they’re fantastic. He practically considered ordering a second bowl despite being one spoonful away from requiring a forklift. So what do I do on my next visit? Order the beef noodles that I already know I adore here? Or finally try the pork chop noodles?
This, dear readers, is the sort of crisis they never prepare you for in school. Mathematics cannot solve it. History cannot explain it. Philosophy merely shrugs.
Restoran Hing Loong Taiwanese Noodles, Kampung Enam, Melaka.
Perhaps the only sensible solution is to return with a larger appetite and an even larger group of friends, then order everything and negotiate spoonfuls like international peace treaties. Some decisions are simply too important to leave to chance.
If you happen to find yourself in Melaka one morning and someone whispers the words “Hing Loong Restaurant”, don’t hesitate. Walk in, order a bowl, and take your first sip. Then try very hard not to spend the next few days wondering when you can come back for another.
Just remember one thing. If you order the beef noodles and wish there was more beef, welcome to the club. I’ll happily save you a seat.
Additional Information
Hing Loong Taiwanese Noodle (Hing Loong Restaurant)
Address: 11-J, Jalan Bachang, Kampung Enam, 75300 Melaka, Malaysia.
Contact: +6062842529
Opening hours: 8:00 am–5:00 pm (Close on Thursdays)
Google Maps to Hing Loong Taiwanese Noodle (Hing Loong Restaurant)
