Whenever I head out to Pekan Nanas or Pontian for food hunting, Chin Chin wanton mee in Skudai always gets in the way. I mean, it is hard to resist pulling over for another bite of those skinny eggy noodles with that tender spring and egg taste.
Mr. Lau runs this Chin Chin shop founded by his dad in 1988.
Chin Chin is exactly the same today as when I first ate here 6 years ago. It has a timeless, laid back kampung feel. I got a feeling it was like this decades ago, and (selfishly) hope that it remains like this for much longer. But, it is hard. JB is changing so fast. Paradigm Mall - JB's newest and biggest shopping centre (bigger than the biggest in Singapore) is just a short drive away down Jalan Skudai.
We had one 原味 "original flavour" and one with chili sauce. I did prime Alex that for folks accustomed to WTM with relatively strong tasting sauce, it will come across as "bland". At Chin Chin, the old school flavours are delicate and has to be eaten with some mindfulness to appreciate its subtle goodness 😋
The "original flavour" is just egg noodles tossed in a blend of aromatic oil, sesame oil and lard. This style is also known as "white wanton mee" because it is so plain looking.
In this dish, the star is the egg noodles.
The aromatic oil and lard complement the egg noodles, accentuating its subtle egginess and sweetness. The noodles though slender have body and a nice gentle bounce and spring.
Chin Chin makes their own egg noodles at the shop with just flour and 100% duck eggs 全蛋麵. Chin Chin do not use any alkaline lye water 枧水 at all. (As you know, lye water often used in making noodles to make them springy is also an ingredient for making detergent 😱 )
Ok.... Chin Chin's char siew is nothing to write home about but this is just the best man not the groom.
This is quite unlike KL style wanton mee where the best man (char siew) outshines the groom (noodles) 😛 Wait, even the bridesmaid (dark robust sauce) outshines the bride (noodles) 😂
The wanton is also old school. Just a tiny soft knob of minced pork folded in a slippery smooth wanton wrap. Its savoury sweetness with a touch of sesame flavour is exactly the way I remember it from my childhood.
My neighbour in our 1960s one room rental flat in Lorong 5 Toa Payoh was a wanton mee hawker who made everything at home including noodles with a fat bamboo pole which we kids love to take turns to bounce on. (That's a story for another post.)
Chin Chin's clear soup is made by boiling old hen, chicken feet and watercress, so it will not have the "tastiness" of MSG "soup". I love Chin Chin's savoury chicken soup.
I also like to eat Chin Chin's egg noodles with a bit of chili sauce. The spiciness is at a level that complements the noodles' subtle eggy taste.
Chin Chin makes their own chili sauce, so it has a certain freshness and zest which pre-packed factory made sauce won't have.
4-Star (out of 5). I love Chin Chin Wanton Mee for their house made duck egg noodles and old school wanton. I also like their fresh house made chili sauce. Chin Chin's char siew is pale compared to KL style wanton mee (which are just excuses to eat more char siew 😝).
Restaurant name: Restoran Chin Chin 晶晶云吞面
Address: Intersection of Jalan Lawang and Jalan Kaloi, Skudai (next to MPJBT building)
Map: http://g.co/maps/p7wmw
GPS: 1.538014,103.660721 / 1°32'16.9"N 103°39'38.6"E
Hours: 7:30am to 4:00pm. Closed on Thursdays.
Non Halal
Date visited: Numerous times since 10 Feb 2012
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