From An Ugly Duckling, to A Beautiful Swan? (Soon Fatt Restaurant @ Ipoh)

Lest one thinks that Motormouth's migrated to KL, given the number of food posts from the southern part lately, let me re-clarify this; I'm still staying, working & eating my way in and around Ipoh. Therefore, for today, here's something from my hometown .....

Soon Fatt advanced from a simple 'Dai Chow' restaurant to a full-fledged Chinese dining restaurant over in Greentown

When I was working near Greentown aeons ago, we used to have lunch over at Soon Fatt, back then a simple 'Dai Chow' restaurant on the same road as Oversea Restaurant near Hotel Excelsior. The price was cheap, the food was good, though the place was noisy, usually congested, and definitely NOT for long conversations.

I was impressed at the transformation ....

Then sometime last year, Soon Fatt relocated to another premise on the same road, nearer to Overseas Restaurant, which occupies a good 2 shoplots. Very spacious, with modern ambience, almost Zen-like, and a certainly more comfortable seating area. Of course, the pricing 'improves' as well. But that's an understatement.

Stir-fried Asparagus with Prawns in Sambal Belacan

The wait can be a little ... relentless comes weekends or peak hours. Do not expect to be served ASAP, and don't go when starving. The asparagus stir-fried with medium-sized prawns, in sambal belacan sauce was delicious. Crunchy, fresh asparagus rates rather high in my book of All-Things-Greens. And the slighly spicy sauce, with a subtle sweetness (owing to the onions and succulent prawns) made this dish a stellar one, a step above from the average/mundane/compulsory greens.

Pork Knuckle with 'Kai Choy' in spicy & sour gravy

The right combination of ingredients in the next dish was spot-on. Piquant, tangy, yet not overpowering, the 'Kai Choy' (mustard greens?) is a popular dish commonly served by chicken rice stalls, as the usual concoction involves left-over bones, meats, and such. Not entirely appetizing on paper, but the spicy and sour gravy will definitely tingle your tastebuds!

Here at Soon Fatt, they upped the ante, pairing a whole pork knuckle (can feed 4, really!) with the 'Kai Choy' in gravy, an awkward combination, yet worked wonders. One minor gripe would be the meat was a bit over-cooked, requiring more chewing than the desired melt-in-mouth texture. But still, try this for its authenticity.

Steamed Tilapia in Taucu Sauce

The fish was fresh, flesh was firm and sweet, completely lacking in unpleasant muddy taste usually feared when it comes to fresh water fish. The thick, spicy and savoury sauce complemented the fish to a tee. But wanna know what's THE secret ingredient? :)

Yeah Baby! A handful of these, and come running to a pharmacy .... Want some Statins? :)

Lots and lots of crunchy, sinfully addictive pork lards!!! Seldom do restaurants nowadays incorporate these babies in their dishes. Unhealthy? Yes. But once in a blue moon, who cares?! The meal costed the four of us RM74.50, including rice and drinks. No service charge/gov tax.

Location : SOON FATT RESTAURANT @ 42,. Jalan Seenivasagam, 30450 Ipoh, Perak. Tel No : 605-243 6864. Got MAP !!!

P/S : They're having CNY dinner sets as well. Do call for enquiries. And no, I'm NOT paid for this, LOL.