Mabrown (Bee/Mei Ah Tong) Restaurant 

21 Jalan Petri, Sungai Petani, Kedah

 

Foodelicious

Yes, so this restaurant has two different names. And one has nothing to do with the other. The Chinese name '味也同' roughly translates to ‘Taste Together’. According to my mum, the name ‘Mabrown’ was given by the Caucasian customers who found ‘Mei Ah Tong’ a real mouthful. 

It’s been around since the 1960s. My parents had their wedding reception at this restaurant in 1971. Mum said it was the best restaurant in town then. Point is most folks in Sungai Petani know this place. 

I’ve been eating here since I was a child and the restaurant has been a family business since it first opened. The daughter-in-law and grandson runs the front of the house now.    

The atmosphere in the restaurant is like an old Chinese coffee shop – just look at the tables and chairs. And the tiled flooring. I love it.

The restaurant also has an air-conditioning section located to the left of the store. It holds about five tables. My dad always picks the air-conditioning room. He cannot stand the heat and mugginess. 

We’ve always had pretty good service here but today, it was like pulling teeth to get one of the bussers to clean a table for us. The boss had to tell them at least twice before it got cleaned. 

Who can have food in Malaysia without cili padi, chili sauce, chili powder or anything ‘chili’. This restaurant gives a generous portion - two plates of each for 3 adults and 1 child. 

The order came pretty quickly. First to arrive was the 'Kau Yuk' (pork with taro), supposedly one of its specialty. Today, they didn’t have Mui Choy. Thus, the Kau Yuk came with taro only. It was still yummy. 

Next came the Dou Miao or Pea Shoots fried with garlic and salted fish. I really like this one. There was just enough salted fish to keep the pea shoots as the star of the dish.

We ordered the steamed tofu for the little one but it turned out to be a superb choice. I think this was my second favorite dish today. The dried krills, fried shallots and green onion garnish added some crunch and flavor. And of course I love my tofu drenched in sauce since it normally is quite bland otherwise. 

The Gulai (curry) Assam Fish was the best thing we ordered today. The ‘pari’ or ray is cooked well and the spicy sauce had the right tanginess. Okra is a usual accompaniment in assam fish curries but I was surprised to see cucumbers too. I thought it might get mushy unlike the okra which is quite hardy but it held up nicely and actually adds to the dish. I don’t think we would normally order ‘pari’ for this dish but it worked fine. For future reference, I would recommend a different fish.

See the fresh ingredients that were ground and used in the curry? Chili, shallots, okra…fresh ingredients – that’s what makes food taste even better. 

I had no idea how big the kitchen was until we went to the back of the restaurant. There is a huge extension and numerous cooks were prepping and cooking there. No wonder the food came quickly. 

Food                           4.5
Customer Service    3.5
Ambiance                  3
Decor/Details           1.5
Parking                       5 (if you know where to park or else it's a 3.5)

By the way, apparently, they are open for business from 10am to 3pm only. (Yes, don't let that sign in the first picture fool you. I found it propped against the wall in the air-conditioned room, presumably an outdated sign).