Restoran Yu Ai (PJ Branch)

I'm sure all foodies out there have already tried this famous seafood noodle of Restoran Yu Ai in Segambut. I first heard of this restaurant about 7 or 8 years ago, but believe it or not I have never get to try them out....until now.

One of the reason why I never try the one in Segambut was because of the notorious traffic jam over there, and I heard many people telling me how hot and errr....unhygienic that place is.

But one afternoon I had wantan mee at Restoran Okay in Cheow Yang area, and I noticed this Restoran Yu Ai. Now that they are in PJ and within the radius of my lunch's hunting ground, nothing can stop me from trying them anymore!

The place was already packed with mainly office workers when me and my colleagues reached there at about 1pm. Finding a parking spot here during lunch time is a bit tough, so you might have to park further in the residential area. Just make sure you don't park inconsiderately and you should be fine.

Once you managed to find a table, the Burmese/Thai waiters will promptly put down worn-out menus. The menu is pretty straightforward, with few large photos of their specialties and the prices.

Once you made the order, the waiter will immediately pass the orders to the cook/chef in the kitchen, which is in full view of the patrons at the back of the shoplot.

From the photos I saw of the Segambut main branch, I can tell that the kitchen's arrangement and processes are similar, if not exactly the same. First a kitchen worker will get the ingredients and the noodle, and put it all in bowls.

Then the cook will throw those into individual small pots, and add in the respective broth (tomyam, curry, seafood). It will be cooked over an extremely hot fire, and it will be ready in about 10 minutes. Once garnished with some green onions and coriander leaves, another staff will serve the noodles to the customers.

The Tom Yam Mee (RM13 for small and RM15 for large) came brimming with assorted types of seafood. There are some green mussels, considerably large prawns, chicken meat, la la (clams), and squids. The tomyam soup itself is the dark and thick, and its more sourish than spicy. The yellow noodle tasted different from the usual ones, with a slightly more chewy texture. Not bad I reckon, but I personally would prefer it to be spicier and with a not-so-thick broth.

Some of my colleagues whom can't take spicy food opted for the regular Clear Soup Seafood Noodle (same price as the Tom Yam). Similarly with the Tom Yam Noodle, this one also came with heaps of seafood. In addition to the ones mentioned, you can also find seaweeds for the clear soup (ching tong) version. My colleagues told me that the soup tasted very sweet, most probably because it was cooked together with the mussels, clams and the prawns.

A colleague of mine who only takes vegetarian food requested for a special vegetarian noodle. They entertained the request, but fishballs were added into it. Maybe they thought that fish is considered as vegetarian food as well? This customized noodle costs RM5.00.

One of the thing I like about this restaurant is the chilli paste they put on each table. If you need extra kicks, just eat your noodle with it, or better still, add heaps of it into the broth and mix it up! Sweats are guaranteed! There is another type of chilli that is more suitable to be eaten as a dip for the seafood.

A very satisfying meal and definitely a filling one as well. No doubt its overpriced in my opinion, and some hardcore spicy food lovers might find the noodle here a tad too mild. But I will come back one day, to try their Curry Noodle, or when I have cravings for seafood or tomyam! Those that find Segambut to be a bit too out of the way might wanna pay a visit to this branch soon too. And this PJ branch is open for dinner as well, while the Segambut's only open till 5pm.