I'm going to let you in on a little secret. The truth is, I love pork. I do. And since I came here it's been ridiculously difficult to obtain any pork dishes. I suppose the good people of Palembang don't really consume pork as it's a Muslim-dominated city. But I do. I hail from Ipoh, Malaysia, which is practically the BEST place for food in the country - Penang Island, you lose - and pork noodles and dumplings are common fare (any Malaysians familiar with wantan mee?) So when I found out about this pork place in Palembang, I made it my personal mission to try it out, no matter the cost (figuratively of course, I live on a strict student budget!)
Mie Terang Bulan - I guess a loose translation would be 'glowing moon noodles' ?? HAHAHA - is basically a small hole in the wall located in an area known as Sayangan. We did a whole lot of research about the place so that we knew what were getting ourselves into. Apparently we were not supposed to go at rush hour (6.00 - 7.00 pm) because the boss would get really cranky and yell at customers, and rumour has it that if you don't bring your own container for takeaways, at least bring some tissues to wipe away your tears after being yelled at by the shop proprietor. At least that's what we heard.
So we put on our game faces on and made our way to Mie Terang Bulan for dinner after church (yes, we are holy people. Haha!) The cab driver didn't have much difficulty finding the place and contrary to what we had heard, there wasn't a long queue that required a tent and a donkey with provisions while waiting for your turn. The shop is basically a classic kopitiam (Chinese coffeeshop), with plastic stools and Formica tables.
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| Kuah Pangsit |
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| Mie Pangsit - Rp 24,000 |
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| Pangsit Goreng - Rp 29,000 |
Since there were three of us, we shared a plate of pangsit goreng (fried pork dumplings) which came in a set of 10 per portion. All I can say is WOW. The dumplings were fried to perfection, with the pork juicy and tender within the crispy golden brown wanton skin. The sweet plum sauce (at least that's what I think it was) was the perfect accompaniment. Good start.
Next was mie pangsit (pork dumpling noodles). Now this came in a pretty huge portion, but I was hungry as hell and scarfed the whole thing down. The noodles were slightly chewy, with pork slices. Pretty good, but it was a little lacking in the sauce department. I tried adding a little soy sauce, but the saltiness was too much for me. Eurgh. The noodles came with a side of kuah pangsit (pork dumpling soup). Now here was the true winner. The dumplings were so-so, as I found the filling to be a little too soft, but the soup was seasoned to perfection, with crunchy slices of Chinese cabbage and a slight peppery flavour.
The shop doesn't really have a variety of drinks.. In fact, that's an understatement. There's only sweet tea, unsweetened tea and lime juice. I had the iced lime juice (Rp 10,000) and it was amazingly refreshing, with the tangy lime giving a slight zing to the drink.
All in all the service was pretty good, there was a friendly young woman who was serving us and she didn't give me the look of disgust when I requested a fork instead of chopsticks (I just can't get the hang of chopsticks) . However we were apologetically but firmly ushered out as soon as we were finished as there was another family who didn't have a seat in the restaurant. I guess I should be thankful we weren't yelled at for any reason, bad vibes upset my digestion. (I don't know why I was so prepared to be yelled at).
The verdict ? I'd definitely go back for more. The mie goreng (fried noodles) was recommended, and we'd be sure to try it the next time. However if you're not a heavy eater you may want to ask them to reduce the amount of noodles. And if you're a foreigner, get ready to be a mini celebrity. Wanna know why? EVERYBODY stares at you like you're the Chosen One or something. Seriously it never gets old.
Oh yeah, the shop opens at 4pm and closes around 8, so try not to go too late or they would have run out of noodles and you're gonna have to go home and cry yourself to sleep. Haha.
MIE TERANG BULAN
Jln. Mesjid Lama No. 144B
Palembang
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