ZAMBOANGA CITY | Mee Goreng Hunt ~ Malaysian Restaurants
Friday, September 15, 2023
On one of my visits to Zamboanga City, I passed by a small eatery with a mee goreng sign. My mouth immediately watered—my favorite Malaysian (or Indonesian) noodle dish, available in Zamboanga City! I was on a media trip with a fixed itinerary at the time, so I was unable to try it out.
| MEE GORENG ZAMBOANGA TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ WHAT’S INSIDE?
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On this last outing with the family in Zamboanga City, I finally got to have a taste of that particular mee goreng, and more. It turns out, the city, being so close to Malaysia, has adopted some of their dishes and actually has whole restaurants serving nothing but Malaysian cuisine.
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| A VENDOR MAKING ROTI CANAI IN ZAMBOANGA CITY |
And to my amazement, my favorite fried noodle dish can not only be found in restaurants, but on the streets as well—it has become Zamboanga City's street food answer to Metro Manila’s instant pancit canton.
During our recent trip, we were able to try four places selling mee goreng in Zamboanga City. There are definitely more, and I will update this every time I go back to Zamboanga.
TINIS RESTAURANT
ADDRESS: 49 N.S. VALDEROSA STREET, DOWNTOWN | OPENING HOURS: XXX | GPS MAP: 6.904004, 122.076881
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| TINIS RESTAURANT SELLS BRUNEI AND MALAYSIAN FOOD IN ZAMBOANGA CITY |
This is the restaurant where I first saw the sign for mee goreng in the city, and naturally, the first one we tried.
Tinis is a small eatery near Zamboanga City Hall and seats around twenty people. It’s tight, with an unremarkable interior, but its frontage, where a lady making roti canai, is mesmerizing. Signs outside says they serve Brunei and Malaysian Food—we’re indeed at the right place.
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| TINIS RESTAURANT INTERIOR |
We ordered a plate of mee goreng, nasi goreng, and roti canai. Serving time was quite fast, and the mee goreng, which we requested to be topped by a sunny side up egg was almost spot on. The noodles, the flavor, the texture, somehow brought us back to Malaysia.
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| MEE GORENG ~ ₱85.00 | NASI GORENG ~ ₱85.00 |
The nasi goreng, on the other hand, was a bit of a let down. It was simply fried rice with chicken and veggies, with no hint of anything Malaysian. On its own, it was not that bad. Finally, the roti was very good, it was as legit as a roti can be. The accompanying curry gravy was unremarkable though.
PETTIT BARRACKS NIGHT MARKET
ADDRESS: RIZAL STREET, DOWNTOWN | OPENING HOURS: EVENING HOURS | GPS MAP: 6.903054, 122.079123
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| THE NIGHT MARKET ALONG PETTIT BARRACKS |
Mee goreng, it seems, is a popular Zamboanga street food meal, in the city. And we encountered our first plate of the mee goreng Zamboanga at the Pettit Barracks Night Market.
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| SABAH’S MEE CAP UDANG IS READILY AVAILABLE IN ZAMBOANGA CITY |
This iteration of mee goreng differs from the usual one we’re familiar with in Malaysia, or even Indonesia. The noodles is similar in form and texture to those found in instant noodles but is sourced from a Sabah noodle product, Mee Cap Udang, which is readily available in Zamboanga City. It’s then cooked in a vat filled with sauce until it permeates the noodles.
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| MEE GORENG ZAMBOANGA ~ ₱55.00 |
The result is an instant pancit canton-like dish—or Indomie-ish, if you must—only it’s much more flavorful. The whole thing is then topped by a fried egg, calamansi, and, I think, is complemented with spicy vinegar.
ATTY BABAN DRIVE
ADDRESS: ATTY. BABAN DRIVE, BRGY. BALIWASAN | OPENING HOURS: EVENING HOURS | GPS MAP: 6.914046, 122.060788
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| ATTY BABAN DRIVE FOOD STREET |
Another place to check out this local mee goreng Zamboanga is along Atty. Baban Drive, an alley between Zamboanga City State Polytechnic University and Western Mindanao State University. I asked one of our friends in Zamboanga City, and he recommended this area for the best street level mee goreng in town. While passing through the area, I noticed most stalls has a set of vinegar to complement the dish with a spectrum of spiciness.
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| SPICY VINEGAR SELECTION IN ZAMBOANGA CITY |
It was just too bad that we went too early, and the stalls were just preparing for the night. We’ll definitely come back next time.
LAPAN-LAPAN HALAL FAST FOOD & RESTAURANT
ADDRESS: 59 CORCUERA STREET, DOWNTOWN | OPENING HOURS: 5AM TO 9PM | CONTACT NO: (0965) 317-1690 | GPS MAP: 6.904195, 122.077624
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| LAPAN-LAPAN RESTAURANT IN ZAMBOANGA |
While walking to Rizal Park, we passed Lapan-Lapan Restaurant, and since it advertised Malaysian dishes, we went in with no question—even if we’re still a bit full.
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| AIR-CONDITIONED AND HAS DECENT INTERIORS |
The restaurant is air-conditioned, isn’t cramped, and has decent tables and chairs—meaning, they all match each other. We asked for a plate of mee goreng, a bowl of bakso, and glasses of kahawa sug coffee and teh tarik.
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| MEE GORENG, BAKSO, KAHAWA SUG COFFE, AND TEH TARIK |
We were surprised by how huge the serving were, however, it wasn’t as good as we expected it to be. The taste of what seemed to be kecap manis was just too overwhelming on their mee goreng. I was also expecting Indonesian-style meatballs on their bakso, but found none. And finally, their teh tarik (pulled tea) seemed to be made from an instant packet. Lapan-Lapan’s saving grace was their kahawa sug Sulu coffee, which tasted like the real deal.
OLE OLE MARI MAKAN RESTAURANT
ADDRESS: SAN JOSE ROAD, BRGY. STO. NINO | OPENING HOURS: 10:30AM TO 3AM | CONTACT NO: (0906) 573-8906 | GPS MAP: 6.911143, 122.066985
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| KL ICONS ALONG THE WALL OF OLE OLE MARI MAKAN RESTAURANT |
The best mee goreng we tried so far in Zamboanga City was from Ole Ole Malaysian Restaurant. It was recommended to us by one of the staff at Two Seasons Executive Suites where we were staying. Its location was a bit out of the way, but it was very much worth it.
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| CLEAN AND MODERN INTERIORS |
Their restaurant is air-conditioned, well decorated, and amply spaced—one of their staff, however, could be friendlier to customers. Anyways, we requested for a plate of mee goreng and nasi goreng, paired with a couple of glasses of kopi ais.
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| MEE GORENG, NASI GORENG | KOPI AIS |
Upon first forkful, we knew this was the mee goreng we were looking for. It was just like the ones we had in Jalan Alor, with a few liberties—for example, they use soft boiled egg instead of a fried one. But still, it was so good, we asked for another plate. Their nasi goreng (fried rice) was also spot on, and so was their kopi ais (iced coffee). We hit the jackpot.
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| THE BEST MEE GORENG WE HAD IN ZAMBOANGA CITY SO FAR |
Upon checking Google Maps, we found another Ole Ole Restaurant a few hundred meters from their place. We asked one of the staff and they said that it’s where they used to be operate, but it’s now occupied and run by a relative—although, they have no relation to the said restaurant.
iTravel Tourist Lane Zamboanga Tours
Address: Mayor Jaldon St., Canelar, Zamboanga City
Contact Number: (0917) 724-3199
Email: info@itraveltouristlane.com
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