PETALING JAYA, July 4 — Ngau yuk hor or fried beef hor fun with ginger and scallion in gravy, is a bastion of Cantonese cuisine that can be found anywhere from a hawker stall to Madam Kwan’s, but what if you don’t like beef?

Fortunately, for the considerable part of the population that doesn’t eat beef, Chef Simon has been slinging plates of delicious hor fun and other dishes at Restoran New Pom Pom.

Naturally, one will find the standard version with beef, ginger and onion all smothered in thick gravy, but the real gem here is the version with mutton.

This version provides many an opportunity to enjoy a slightly different version of this dish, but it is also much more than just a substitute or pale imitation.

Each strand of ‘hor fun’ is nicely charred (left). Each sliver of meat is velvety smooth (right).

When it arrives, both the fried mutton hor fun (RM13) and fried beef hor fun (RM13) bear all the hallmarks of exceptional technique.

Thick and translucent yet marbled with streaks of egg, the gravy is sublime, a product of an impeccable cornstarch slurry at work.

Light brown in appearance, each piece of hor fun sports some deep, caramelised marks, worn proudly like a stamp of wok hei.

Topped with an abundance of scallion and ginger slices, the dish’s fragrance is also helped by the strong presence of cooking wine and a dash of white pepper.

Some impressive-looking lion’s head meatballs (left). It looks just as good on the inside and tastes even better (right).

Having ordered both versions to compare, I actually found myself preferring the more unique preparation, as I’m quite a fan of the robust, gamey flavour in mutton.

Both types of meat are just barely cooked and incredibly tender thanks to some “A1” velveting game, but there’s something undeniably more exciting about the mutton version.

After a short conversation with Chef Simon, we found ourselves ordering an old-school classic in the form of lion’s head meatballs (RM14).

Cragged like the surface of the moon, massive orbs of pork dressed in the chef’s signature sauce glisten in the light like a prized jewel.

A master at work, Chef Simon is pictured here adding cornstarch slurry to the wok (left). Look for this stall at the back of the coffee shop (right).

Savoury with some sweetness from bits of chopped carrots and onions, the tangy and sticky sauce is the perfect foil for the meatballs.

A rough exterior gives way to a bouncy, almost crunchy texture with meat that’s almost certainly hand chopped in a rustic fashion. I’d honestly be content to come back here just to eat this with plain rice and nothing else.

From what I can tell, most who frequent this stall come here for the excellent fried noodles, but there are hints of a greater repertoire of dishes, like the lion’s head meatballs, waiting to be uncovered.

Though I went to try the noodles, there was a mini-whiteboard with a list of daily specials like curry fish head and black pepper pork which call out for a return visit.

Look for the sign at the end of the street, a few doors down from the popular Botak Nasi Lemak.

Chef Simon’s Stall

Restoran New Pom Pom

1, Jalan SS 3/37, Taman Universiti, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Open daily, 9.30am-8pm (closed on alternate Sundays)

Tel: 019-330-5488

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