Setapak's Mama Lek serves up excellent Thai beef noodles
KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 – Mothers do know the best. Especially when it comes to drawing out the best for a bowl of superb beef noodles.
New start-up Mama Lek certainly hits a home run with their offerings of Thai beef noodles and Penang assam laksa.
It's a family venture run by a Thai-Malaysian woman whose mother cooks up beef noodles, based on her Isan heritage.
Located inside the unlikely Prima Setapak Food Corner, their food is also available on Grab Food.
You can easily Waze to the food court which is just off the Setapak main road
Find Mama Lek inside the food court where they also cater to delivery orders
Opened since March 18, the family moved to Setapak from Kelantan.
Great beef noodles need a great beef broth. And tender beef and gelatinous tendon. You have that here.
What amazed me was the gelatinous texture of the broth. This meant collagen!
It seems Mama Lek slowly coaxes the goodness from beef bones by boiling them for many hours to create this magic.
As I drink up every drop of that silky broth, I am thankful to discover this bowl of goodness.
Then you have melt-in-the-mouth beef brisket slices. And the jelly-like tendons. Even the white radish is soft.
The beef balls may be from a packet but these ones I reckon are the smaller Thai ones that have a meaty, springy bite.
Dial up the heat for your beef noodles with a dash (or if you're brave, a dollop) of chilli powder, their homemade chilli oil and Thai fish sauce
For those seeking heat with their beef noodles, help yourself to the condiments like fish sauce, chilli powder and their homemade chilli oil for more oomph.
Prices start from RM10 for a bowl of noodles with six pieces of beef balls. You can also have RM12 or RM14 bowls with different variations like beef balls with braised beef slices or fresh beef slices.
The beef mix for RM16 is a good choice for an everything-in-a-bowl offering. You get braised beef, fresh beef slices, tendon, tripe and beef balls.
Slurp all that down with smooth Thai rice noodles. Other noodle choices include kuey teow, beehoon and yellow mee. Rice is also available.
Tangy, thick Penang-style 'assam laksa' is also served here
Don't be shocked to also find Penang-style assam laksa (RM8) here too.
It seems Mama Lek's version was sparked off by a visit to Penang where she tasted assam laksa. Since Kelantan is devoid of this type of laksa, she cooked up her own version.
It's a bowl of thick laksa broth with a balanced tangy taste and finely ground fish. The spicy kick is a little milder though. Mix in prawn paste for a mellow taste.
There's also a wedge of lime for a touch of tanginess. Garnishes are pineapple, lettuce, onions and fresh mint leaves.
As they are pork-free, the other non-beef alternative is a chicken noodles.
The food court is spacious but there's limited parking space inside the compound
You can also keep abreast of whether food has run out or not by following them on Instagram as they post updates.
Mama Lek, Stalls No. 6 and 7, Prima Setapak Food Corner, Jalan Prima Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. Open: 12.30pm to 9pm or when food runs out (Tuesday to Sunday). Closed on Monday. Instagram: @mamalek.my
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