SEREMBAN, Sept 28 — Sometimes life can lead you down strange and wonderful paths. Or in the case of running late one day, looking for the nearest spot for lunch.

Which, today, turns out to be a nondescript shop in a row of shophouses of similarly blend-into-the-background character. What caught our eyes was the shop’s name, which was in the form of a question almost – “Tehkee 茶记Tehkee 茶记Tehkee 茶记Tehkee 茶记Tehkee 茶记 茶记 x TBD?”

Located in the commercial centre of Seremban’s Lobak neighbourhood, Tehkee 茶记 茶记 x TBD? (hereafter referred to only as Tehkee for brevity’s sake) is one of those shops that tries to do it all, serving both traditional and not-so-traditional fare.

The interior of Tehkee 茶记 x TBD? in Seremban — Picture by CK Lim

The clue lies in its name: Tehkee 茶记 (or Chájì) can be taken to mean teashop or kopitiam in this case. TBD? “To Be Determined” seems to be the answer, which might explain how the outlet brands itself as a “modern kopitiam” – you will see why in a bit.

First, largely because we are famished, we peruse the traditional portion of the menu.

There are an assortment of toppings for the noodle and rice dishes: from the classic spam and egg combo to less commonly seen ingredients such as gold coin BBQ meat (jīnqián ròu gān).

Those who are more adventurous might find the cheese tofu appealing whilst the bursting meatballs will delight those who enjoy a surprising explosion of broth.

These toppings can be enjoyed with your choice of carbohydrates – instant noodles or mǐxiàn (rice noodles) – and either dry or soup. A spicier, dry málà version is also available as well as soup rice (泡饭 or pàofàn) for those who eschew noodles.

What we decided on are Fuzhou fish balls, given one of us has Fuzhou heritage. (As good a reason as any, to prevent decision fatigue from attempting the perfect menu selection.)

The draw of Fúzhōu yú wán goes beyond the bouncy fish ball made from freshly ground fish but what lies within – a secret heart of moist pork.

Fuzhou fish ball soup noodles – truly comfort food. — Picture by CK Lim

Basically it’s a pork meatball inside a fishball, which is thrilling, surely? Certainly it invigorated our jaded palates. Opting for the lighter and more delicate tasting soup noodles and mǐxiàn meant this was a bowl of sheer comfort.

An absolute delight.

The soup has a light and delicate flavour. — Picture by CK Lim

Yet this is only half of the story, you hasten to remind us. And so it is.

The “modern” part comes to the fore when we flip the pages of the menu, past the bowls of fishball noodles and soup rice, and come across a cornucopia of Western dishes.

There are sourdough tartines with bacon and cheese for those with smaller appetites; Kurobuta pork shoulder steak, house brined for more than 24 hours before being pan seared, for those who crave more meat.

Those with a sweet tooth might be intrigued by the thought of macarons in a kopitiam. These are available in strawberry, chocolate, blueberry, mint, coffee and lemon flavours. Or perhaps mini croissants, filled with salted egg or passion fruit?

“Modern” then, doesn’t necessarily mean contemporary so much as it means Western or European. Certainly authenticity isn’t high on the priority list when the mini croissants can come filled with mango cheese or avocado.

Is it any surprise even our beverages straddle both worlds? A glass of iced cham from the kopitiam side and a cup of English tea, complete with a tea bag to dunk in the hot water.

Iced ‘cham’ and hot English tea. — Picture by CK Lim

The latter seems to match our other main better, an order of Tehkee’s Big Breakfast: sourdough toast, bratwurst sausage, thick cut bacon, grilled portobello mushroom, scrambled eggs and roasted cherry tomatoes.

Tehkee’s Big Breakfast. — Picture by CK Lim

Honestly, the sheer size of the hearty portion earned the “Big” in the dish’s name. We are surprised though that the roasted cherry tomatoes arrived chilled in contrast with the other warmer ingredients on the platter.

Perhaps that is the experimental nature of the “TBD?” side of the shop. A stark temperature difference is encouraged in certain Scandinavian studies of hot sauna sessions alternating with ice baths, I believe; alas, it doesn’t work quite as well with a huge English breakfast fry-up.

Sometimes life can lead you down strange and wonderful paths. We might enjoy some of what we experience; others less so. But it’s an interesting journey nonetheless.

So always make time to make a stop from time to time. You might discover a new bowl of noodles that delight you… along with an entirely inadvertent plate of bratwurst and bacon. Savour the unexpected.

Tehkee 茶记 x TBD?

25, Jalan PKL 2, Pusat Komersial Lobak, Seremban

Open daily (except Thu closed) 9am-5:15pm; 6-9pm

Phone: 017-556 6321

FB: https://www.facebook.com/tehkeextbd/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/tehkeextbd/

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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