Today I visited the Food Place food court, located at Pavilion Mall. The food court is located beside the Oriental Kopi Restaurant.
This time, I ordered Tangy Tomato Shrimp Balls Rice Noodles from the Xia Yuan Yuan stall, which cost RM17.90 per plate.
"Xia Yuan Yuan" roughly translates to “Shrimp Balls Round Round,” reflecting their specialisation in handmade shrimp balls and other homestyle Chinese comfort foods.
This is a vibrant and hearty bowl of noodle soup with a rich, reddish-orange broth that looks both savoury and appetising. Inside contains white rice noodles, Shrimp Balls, Lotus Root, Enoki Mushrooms, Sliced Potatoes, Crab Stick and a sprinkle of freshly chopped green spring onions, adding a mild, sharp freshness and a pop of colour.
Overall, it's a beautifully balanced meal that combines savoury, tangy, and sweet flavours with a delightful variety of textures—from the soft noodles and potatoes to the bouncy shrimp balls and crunchy lotus root.
This dish is a modern creation from a contemporary restaurant, its components are deeply rooted in Chinese culinary traditions, particularly modern hot pot culture.
They have cleverly taken the most popular elements of a communal hot pot meal—a flavorful broth, a protein like shrimp paste, and classic additions like lotus root, potatoes, and mushrooms—and combined them into a convenient and complete noodle soup meal for one person.
In essence, you are enjoying a modern culinary trend that deconstructs the traditional, communal Chinese hot pot into a quick, satisfying, and personal meal, with the tangy tomato broth serving as the delicious foundation.
