Using mother’s recipes, young noodle entrepreneur draws crowds with kolo mee, kampua mee

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By Wilfred Pilo

KUCHING, May 6: Using his mother’s closely guarded recipes, 29-year-old noodle enthusiast Ryan Phang is winning over patrons at SG 21 Cafe in Wisma Saberkas with 12 noodle dishes, led by crowd favourites — his own versions of Kuching’s iconic kolo mee and Sibu’s beloved kampua mee.

Since joining the bustling eatery on the ground floor of Wisma Saberkas a few months ago, Phang said the response to his savoury, springy noodle dishes has been encouraging, especially among office workers and regular visitors to the commercial centre.

Despite being new to the eatery scene there, Phang is no stranger to the culinary world. A pastry and baking enthusiast since his teenage years, he has long been crafting biscuits and cakes for customers during festive seasons and special occasions.

“My Hakka-Chinese maternal family are culinary enthusiasts. I inherited the passion from my grandmother and mother. I jokingly call them kitchen freaks because they were always making Chinese-style savoury foods, pastries and snacks commonly found in local eateries.

“Operating a noodle stall feels natural to me. Even though I spent more than a decade making pastries and cakes, I’m not unfamiliar with preparing noodles and local dishes,” he told DayakDaily.

However, Phang credited his mother as the mastermind behind the flavours that have been drawing customers to his stall.

“I have to admit my mother is the one preparing all the ingredients for the noodles. It’s her recipe that I’m serving,” he revealed.

Phang said culinary passion runs strongly in the family, with all his siblings sharing an interest in food preparation.

Before he took over the space, his older brother had operated a chicken rice stall at the eatery before moving to Singapore in search of better opportunities.

“My brother convinced me that the eatery is always busy, especially with office workers and shoppers coming to the commercial centre,” he said.

Preferring self-employment over working for others, Phang saw the opportunity as the perfect time to venture into noodle-making with his mother acting as his culinary “safety net”.

“With that in mind, I’m optimistic this venture will succeed and that my savoury noodle dishes will suit patrons’ palates,” he said with a chuckle.

Apart from his popular kolo mee and kampua mee, Phang also serves dishes such as kuih tiaw (flat rice noodles) and mee tikus (mouse-tail noodles), with prices ranging from RM5 to RM11.

He noted that the stall is particularly busy during breakfast hours before office workers begin their day, while customers from all walks of life continue to visit the commercial centre throughout the day.

Phang described Wisma Saberkas as a place rich in nostalgia for many Kuching residents.

“The shopping complex still has a lot of character for people who used to shop here. Now, it’s become a nostalgic destination with eateries serving authentic local dishes,” he said.

Looking ahead, Phang hopes to further refine his culinary skills and eventually open his own eatery specialising in authentic local cuisine that resonates with the Kuching community.

“My stall at Wisma Saberkas is definitely a good start. With my mother by my side, I’m focused on making noodles that suit customers’ tastes,” he said with a smile.

Phang’s Kolo Mee and Kampua Mee stall operates at SG 21 Cafe on the ground floor of Wisma Saberkas, daily except Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, contact 018-905 9877. — DayakDaily

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