Fish Head Noodles @ Ipoh Garden, Ipoh

UPDATED 24/8/08 : Do take note that the owner has since ceased operation, and moved back to her original stall in KL, for some unforeseen circumstances. Aw, shucks ... Now where do I get MY fix of fish head noodles? =(

Fancy some fish head noodles?

Fish head noodles in Ipoh seldom incorporate evaporated milk, and lots of tomatoes, unlike KL's version. That probably explains why on normal days, I shunned myself from them in Ipoh. Unless there's nothing else to eat, the odds of which, is barely noticeable. Hehe ....

The stall owners ran away, leaving a trail of dust, as soon as I took my phone out, LOL.

Situated in Ipoh Garden, directly next to Aneka Selera (or whatever it's called nowadays), and within the vicinity of Woolley Food City, is this place named San Kam Wan Restaurant, housing several stalls selling hawker fare. (Point to ponder : Why is it that the usual coffee shop is rebranded as a restaurant nowadays? Higher status?)

The various ingredients - Soft beancurd, Salted Preserved Vegetables, Tomatoes, Ginger

Deep-fried to crispiness, but the boney parts certainly outnumber the flesh

The sour, tangy, and fiery dipping sauce

A bowl of fish head noodles (vermicelli being used) in all its glory

The lady commented that they branched out from Cheras, supposedly the stall there is quite popular for fish head noodles. They surveyed Ipoh, and could not find any fish head noodles resembling KL's version with sour and thick milky broth. Therefore they wanted to "spread the lurve", or so the saying goes.

Tastewise? Do not under-estimate the portion, as they were really generous with the noodles and the ingredients, being fried fish fillets. The soup was not as thick as I'd imagined, with a tinge of sourness that's appetizing, and savoury from the preserved vegetables (ham choy) added. For roughly RM5.50-RM6.50 a bowl (sorry, I forgot to jot down the price), you certainly get your money's worth. One minor gripe ; they have YET to serve the thicker type of rice noodles, which would be perfect. But she said it's in the plans.

Seafood Noodles

Of course, if you wish to have something else, they do serve seafood noodles with prawns and scallops, and choy sum as well as fish slices. Well worth the RM5 paid.

Fried Dumplings (Gyoza)

Gyoza / Gao Ji (a Chinese snack, but famous in Japanese cuisine as well), are dumplings stuffed with meat (usually prawns and pork), chives and spring onions. Some outlets serve them steamed, but most pan-fried them. The dipping sauce plays a vital role as well, normally soy sauce with ginger (+ vinegar, sometimes) is the preferred accompaniment, but spicy chilli paste also complements the gyoza well, as in the case here.

Tackle the heat, Malaysian style ...

Of course, slurping on a hot bowl of fish head noodles on a hot day sounds absurd. That's when their Ais Kacang, and Tong Sui (Sweet Soup) come to rescue. Nothing beats chugging sweet spoonfuls of peanuts, sweet corns, cendol, cincau, and red beans to beat the heat. Yeah ....

Location : Restaurant San Kam Wan, beside Aneka Selera food court. Facing Woolley Food City, another revamped food court. Click HERE for my previous take on Woolley. This is situated behind Shell petrol station on Jalan Dato Lau Pak Khuan, which is situated opposite Hospital Fatimah.