Mie Celor HM Syafei @ Palembang, Indonesia

Having just arrived in Palembang this morning, I asked my friend "Where do the locals have their breakfast?" and to that question he just answered "Come, I will take you there." . And after a 30 minutes drive, we came to the wet market area called Pasar 26 Ilir and to a small stall called Mie Celor HM Syafei. I was made to understand that they only serve a single dish here and this dish is authentic to Palembang and is not found elsewhere in Indonesia. I let him do all the ordering and we just waited for the food to arrive. I was also made to understand that though you get this dish in a number of places in Palembang, this outlet is the best and most famous. There were a number of photographs hanging on the walls and they were typically VVIP's who have visited this restaurant which includes a number of the past Presidents and Ministers. I was also told that during long holidays, this stall sells about 900 plates a day and on usual days, it is around 400 plates a day and that is a massive amount for such a small stall. He also has an ongoing contract with a Mie factory to deliver the noodles twice a day i.e. once at 0900 and again at 1200 to maintain its freshness. In total, his daily orders of noodles is close to 50 Kilograms. 

This stall is just a very simple set up cramped with tables to seat as many people as possible. Cleanliness was very basic but by observing the number of people that were coming and going, I was certain that my friend knew what he was talking about. Within 10 minutes, the dishes arrived. 

Us Trying Out The Mie Celor

Mie Celor

This is the Mie Celor. At a single glance it may seem like our Malaysian Mee Rebus but it tastes no where close to that. Added into this dish is basically Egg Noodles, Prawns, Bean Sprouts, Sliced Boiled Eggs, Onions and Garlic. 

The broth is made from the following ingredients: Prawn Head, Rock Sugar, Salt, Starch Flour, Eggs and Onions boiled together for at least four hours.The key ingredient here is the Prawn Head and I was told by the owner that on an ordinary day, he buys on average 5 Kilograms of Prawn Head from the local market.  A very simple dish as it may seem but it was delicious. I would admit that this was way better then any of the continental breakfast that the hotel would have served us. 

It tasted slightly slimy and it was also sweet and salty with a strong influence from the onions and garlic. We definitely loved the dish. For the three of us, the total bill came less than USD 3.00 including the drinks and it was a fantastic breakfast. I would rate this dish at 9/10 . Definitely a must try dish when you are in Palembang, South Sumatra. 

Address: HM Syafei, Pasar 26 Ilir, Palembang, South Sumatra,
                Sumatra, Indonesia.

Telephone: 081 3675 71 888