Ipoh – A city north of Kuala Lumpur and close to Cameron Highlands
Ipoh – A food haven and a charming town that brings us back to yesteryear.
Duration of Stay
1.5 days.
DAY 1 (Dinner)
Yoon Kee Bean Sprouts Chicken
Our original plan was to have dinner in Ipoh old town at the 2 popular restaurants Restoran Tauge Ayam LouWong (Lou Wong) and Restoran Oon Kee Tauge Ayam (Oon Kee). These 2 restaurants are famous for their chicken and beansprouts.
We arrived at 6:30 pm to discover that both restaurants had already sold out and were closing up! There were several tables still eating so for future reference, head there at 5:30 pm.
We trooped off to Yoon Kee Bean Sprouts Chicken at Ipoh Stadium. Depending on the crowd expect to wait. We waited for 45 minutes. Whilst waiting we ordered Rojak and Char Kway Teow (both stalls are all within sight of Yoon Kee). I would have (and should have) ordered the Wonton Mee that was right next to Yoon Kee. Many were ordering both the soup and the dry version.
Ordered from Yoon Kee :
½ Chicken
Beansprouts
Ipoh Hor Fun
Yoon Kee did not disappoint. I almost polished off the plate by myself.
The chicken was excellent. Succulent and juicy with lots of yellow-coloured fat. I am a huge fan of beansprouts and Ipoh’s beansprouts are famed for being sweet and juicy. Yoon Kee did not disappoint. I almost polished off the plate by myself. It is blanched lightly and served with soya sauce and sesame oil and white pepper. I should have perhaps ordered a second plate. I do not have a basis for comparison (with Lou Wong and Oon Kee) but I do feel this was good chicken. My friend who is from Penang and dined with us felt the same.
The Ipoh Hor Fun was average. I think if you want to save some stomach space you can skip this. The Ipoh Hor Fun at Fei Lou Wu is preferred (refer to my post on Fei Lou Wu).
Rojak
The rojak had crispy grilled cuttlefish that was delish. The hay chor (prawn paste) was not too much and the fresh ground peanuts sprinkled generously on top of the rojak made this dish a must-order (assuming you are not allergic or averse to peanuts). We did notice many locals were also ordering the fried prawn cake.
Char Kway Teow
A plate of Char Kway Teow shared by 4 was a great “small plate” whilst waiting for our chicken.
The noodles were soft and smooth. Though no “wok kei”, we still enjoyed this plate of noodles.
Address
Yoon Kee Bean Sprouts Chicken
No. 23, Medan Selera Stadium
31400 Ipoh
Perak
Malaysia
K’ommons at the Travelodge
Located at the Travelodge hotel, this trendy and chic café was a nice spot for coffee, tea, and cake.
A nice spot to relax in the morning or at the end of the day, the cakes which are in the shape of canelles are filled with soft flavoured mousse. Yums.
Day 2
Food Journey
- Ipoh Curry Mee at Restoran Xin Quan Fang (close to the Police Station)
- Yong Tau Fu under the Big Tree (Dai Shu Geok)
- Nam Heong for Ipoh Coffee and freshly baked Egg Tarts and Siew Pau
- Fei Lou Wu for Curry Mee, Chicken Rice and Ipoh Hor Fun
- Woong Kee Beancurd
Ipoh Curry Mee at the Police Station – Restoran Xin Quan Fang
I was introduced to this curry mee stall located close to the police station on my first visit to Ipoh in the early 2000’s. The memories of each bowl of curry mee remains close to my heart. We arrived at 7:45 am. Stand in line and you will be seated. Drinks and food orders are taken at the table.
The various curry mee options are illustrated. I like to go for Option 1, Curry Noodles with the ingredients served on the side.
Yong Tau Fu under the Big Tree Foot (Dai Shu Geok)
I won’t put this on my must go to list unless you have some free time and like fried Yong Tau Fu.
Fried Yong Tau Fu is the specialty of this stall. It has been written up by a number of food lovers and I thought I would give it a try.
Get into the queue, pick a basket and select from the wide variety of yong tau fu available. I found some unique ones and would recommend these if you do come here.
There are other stalls but they were not open for me to have a try. I won’t put this on my must go to list unless you have some free time and like fried Yong Tau Fu.
Nam Heong Kopi Kedai
Ipoh is also famous for its white coffee. We headed to Nam Heong Kopi Kedai in the late morning.
When you arrive you may be distracted from a queue outside the coffee shop. This is for the Chee Cheong Fun / Mixed Rice. If this isn’t what you want, proceed inside to queue for their freshly baked egg tarts and dim sum.
SG Butler Tip: Your drinks order will be taken at the table (so find a table whilst someone in your group queues for the egg tarts).
Coffee
Ipoh Coffee is the must order – you can have it iced or hot. Less sugar (I would recommend this) or normal.
Egg Tarts
The queue for the egg tarts can be long (depending on how many before you are ordering).
Expect a nice wobbly custard with pastry that is lovely and flaky. The tarts may look anemic to some as you may prefer to have the tarts more “baked” but I thought the flavour was lovely and the crust nice and flaky. This was old school egg tarts that paired perfectly with the Ipoh White Coffee.
This is a busy coffee shop and patrons were also ordering from the other stalls (Chee Cheong Fun, Curry Mee). Avoid peak hours unless you are prepared to wait.
Address
Nam Heong
2, Jalan Bandar Timah
30000 Ipoh
Perak
Malaysia
Note : the other place that was recommended to me was Chang Jiang White Coffee located at :
7 Jalan Windsor
30250 Ipoh
Perak
Malaysia
Fei Lou Wu
What to eat :
Curry Mee
Chicken Rice
Ipoh Hor Fun
Ipoh Hor Fun & Curry Mee
A local recommended Fei Lou Wu for Curry Noodles. We trooped there at lunchtime (12:45pm) to find that the chicken rice and roast pork was already sold out. Nonetheless we ordered their Curry Mee (minus the roasted pork) and Chicken Rice (minus chicken rice but using normal rice). We still enjoyed our meal.
Ipoh Hor Fun
The highlight was the Ipoh Hor Fun. Delicate, prawn flavoured broth and smooth hor fun in a bowl was heavenly. We also ordered a bowl of the Curry Noodles (to compare with Restoran Xin Quan Fang). Here the flavour of the curry was stronger and more intense. Without the roast pork it was hard to give a fair rating, nonetheless this was still a very good bowl of Curry Mee and I will come back for another bowl. I’ll just remember to come early.
Chicken Rice
The chicken rice was served with achar on the side and if you like innards do ask them to add the gizzards. The flavour was more robust than our local chicken rice and the achar gave this dish a Nonya feel.
Fei Lou Wu is located in a local neighbourhood and had a lot of locals dining. The family (dad, mum and daughter) are very accommodating and friendly.
Woong Kee Bean Curd
This is the perfect spot for a bowl of bean curd. Sit on little plastic chairs, enjoy your bean curd and scoot off to your next dining appointment.
Address*
Woong Kee Bean Curd
No.32-38A
Jalan Ali Pitchay
Taman Jubliee
30250 Ipoh
Perak
Malaysia
*There are several branches of Woong Kee Bean Curd (including a branch in Penang).
Accommodation
Travelodge Ipoh
We booked in at the Travelodge Ipoh. Previously known at the Heritage hotel, this hotel has recently been refurbished and rebranded. The rooms and hotel’s public area have all been remodeled. Basic and clean, the family room allowed for 4. Whilst spacious please note that there is only 1 bathroom. I am likely to try a different hotel on my next visit to Ipoh – more to just see what else is available.
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