The Dead Cockroach: Grandma Mee Siam @ Tekka Market & Food Centre

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The Chinese and English names of this signboard at Tekka Market & Food Centre tells of two very different things.

The English part says Grandma Mee Siam while the Chinese part says 燻鲨鱼五香虾饼. It translates as "smoked shark five spiced prawn fritter" or what we normally called ngor hiang.

But neither one is wrong because mee siam and ngor hiang are the very two things on the menu.

The stall is run by Madam Lim whom I believed to be the grandma in question here. I wanted to give her special mee siam a try after seeing multiple postings about it on social media.

So, what is so special about her mee siam? Basically, what you can find here is literally MEE siam that is served with yellow noodle.

Have you ever wonder why mee siam is not called bee hoon siam when it is served with bee hoon (rice vermicelli) and not mee (noodle)? I know I have.

What makes this MEE siam even more intriguing is its association with terms like "best mee siam", "old school", "traditional", etc in reviews.

At just $2.50, the MEE siam come with a substantial mound of yellow noodle, two halves of an hard-boiled egg, chopped chives, tau pok and a dollop of sweet sambal all sitting in a pool of gravy.

While giving everything in the plate a good toss, I spotted a single lime seed floating by with no sight of the lime itself. I guess Madam Lim has already squeezed the lime for me therefore I do not have to do it myself.

I had a sip of the gravy but realized this is not quite your usual Malay mee siam as the flavors are not as robust.

This is like a milder version where the flavors have been toned down quite a bit.

I love the sourness of assam in the Malay mee siam but, I suspect that Madam Lim's recipe does not include this crucial ingredient at all.

What's even stranger is the presence of coconut milk in the gravy which makes me wonder is this the nonya-style mee siam instead? I have not tried this version before therefore, I have no concept of how it is supposed to be like or able to pass a fair judgement.

As a matter of fact, this tastes more like laksa to me but is served mee siam style with the addition of chives and a squeeze of lime.

It is unique in its own way and in all honesty, does not taste bad at all but just not what I would return for.

Although this mee siam is not what I was expecting, that is not to say it does not have its fair share of fans. Just google for the reviews and you would be surprised by the number of people swearing by it.

I am relieved to know that the majority still like it because it sounds like I am dissing this mee siam although that is not my intention. All I can say is, it does not agree with my palette.

Personally, I feel there is really no right or wrong as taste is a very personal and subjective issue.

Do go try it out yourself and let me know what you think?