Time Travelling DOZEN大街茶餐室

 

Mastering the art of dishing out a bowl of the famous Tow Kee’s Hakka Mee was never easy for Kong Zai 光仔 but it did not deter him from perfecting it.

It all started when one of the brother from Tow Kee’s Hakka Mee and Kong were working together at the famous apparel and goods store named Wun Cheong Loong萬昌隆 along the Birch Road whereby today it is called Jalan Dato’ Bandar Tunggal.

Kong was asked to help out at the Hakka noodles stall in Pasar Besar Seremban and that’s how Kong gradually mastered the art of making the famous Tow Kee Hakka Mee which took about a Dozen year. 

 

 

DOZEN is currently run by 3 partners, Kong who is in charge of the noodle stall together with Mr Lim who manages the coffee, tea, drinks and beverages and Uncle Keong who runs the chicken rice, roast pork and Char Siew stall. 

Similar to Pasar’s Tow Kee Hakka Mee where the juicy sauce is fused together with the minced pork and lard before being tossed with the Hakka noodles. 

 Pasar Besar Seremban Hakka Mee at DOZEN 大巴剎客家麵

Reminiscing the good old days working at Wun Cheong Loong(WCL)萬昌隆,the shop in the background with the protruding overgrown shrubs and with the prominent classic signboard of embossed concrete words is still looking very solid and sharp.

During its heydays in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s it was the place to go for Serembanese in search of Pagoda T-shirts, singlets, short pants, National brand batteries, Singer oil, textiles, the green canvas Swan school bags, Fung Keong shoes and many other traditional brands that can be considered as classic today.

But unfortunately the shop was partially ruined by a fire incident which happened in the early millennium and since then the shop has never seen the light of day.

Many would be curious of how Kong came up with the name DOZEN, well, when he was working at (WCL) he was in charge of procurement and he would order goods by the dozen and somehow the word rubbed off on him until today and so he decided to name it DOZEN.

 

Let’s get inside and see what else DOZEN has to offer.

The second partner of DOZEN Mr Lim has 30 over years of experience in brewing a perfect cup of coffee and tea and I shall let the photo of Teh ‘C’ Kosong speak for itself.

I asked fellow patrons at DOZEN and they all gave a ‘Two Thumbs Up’ for Mr Lim’s coffee and tea. The Teh 'C' kosong that I ordered is very rich and creamy probably the best around the neighborhood.

Mr Lim's Kopi Ais Ikat Tepi

Kopi 'O' Ais kurang manis ikat tepi satu please

The third partner of DOZEN Uncle Keong’s roasted meats of roast chicken, Char Siew and roast pork大街強哥燒臘飯店

It’s already way past noon and Uncle Keong is cooking the second pot of chicken rice as he get ready for more customers that would arrive at 1.00pm right until 3.00pm for dine-in and takeaways.

What’s so special about Uncle Keong’s roasted meats?

You must try the Char Siew, it is super thick, tender and juicy.

There are many roasted meat shops in Seremban but how many are willing to give you this kind of thickness??

Uncle Keong's Char Siew the top of the meat is perfectly charred in deep red and with a shiny coat from the glaze of sweetness that gives it an incredible appetizing gloss look.

 

 

 

 

 My perfecto combo lunch of the day... Bon Appetite!! 

The super thin Mee Fun Koh is another one of Kong’s top seller and some even call it the 玻璃麵粉糕 loosely translated the thin strip is fragile as glass in Chinese. 

Carefully pouring the glass thin strips of Mee Fun Koh and not spilling a drop of the delicious soup.

玻璃麵粉糕 A piping hot bowl of glass thin Mee Fun Koh ready to be sreved.

Enjoying brisk business during lunch hour and customers from all walks of life come here to grab a quickie before heading back to work. And of course always check-in via mySejahtera App and practice social distancing wherever you go.

Strategically located in the smack of town on a busy street once called Birch road and despite of how things have changed over the years but the old street of Seremban still oozes with a rustic appeal together with plenty of time travelling tales to share.

DOZEN大街茶餐室

Address: No.132, Jalan Dato Bandar Tunggal,

70000 Seremban,

Negeri Sembilan

Business hours营业时间:  7.00am-3.00pm

Closed on every Saturday每星期六休息