The NEW Foh San - And The Astounding Ripple Effects !!!

Unbelievable. That's the word to sum up the experience this Sunday morning. I pushed my luck, trying to see if the hype's justified, judging from the repeated claims that Ipoh's "Dim Sum Street" is perpetually jammed up with dim sum lovers, from morning until early afternoon. Even on weekdays!

The gigantic new lot that was specially built, with a generally more spacious seating area, albeit with modern influences as compared to the previous outlet

9 am should be early enough, on a Sunday morning. Or at least that's what I thought. Given the new location's humongous dining area, it did not cross my mind at all that the place would be soooooo packed. Both floors were fully occupied, and the 'vultures' perched on every corner were daunting, eyeing and scrutinizing every action of the (damn lucky) ones seated and picking on their morsels of choice.

The sea of people everywhere, as if FREE food was being distributed! Notice the specially-designed Take Away counter? SWARMED!

Unlike dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong, or maybe in KL (not so sure, as I doubt there are dim sum restaurants with such impressive traffic flow!), whereby numbers would be given to those queueing up, to ensure everyone gets their table, fair and square. Foh San however STILL practises the same old routine, ie : The "Let's Stand Around with Sharp Stares & Grunts, & Give the Patrons some Pressure, so they DO NOT refill their pot of Chinese tea any Longer & instead Buzz the Hell Off!" rule.

Seriously, this does not bode well, as the customers may feel threatened, disturbed, and their breakfast experience marred by the incessant urge to empty their seats ASAP.

But on a positive note, the place does look spanking clean and new, with a brighter, and generally more pleasing atmosphere. Though lacking in terms of the original Foh San's nostalgic ambience, they compensated with wooden panels, classic windows, and rustic furnitures.

The restaurant can easily fit several hundreds patrons at one go. But this morning, the ones standing/lurking around, with their steel-y glances may even outnumbered the ones stuffing their faces with the sumptuous dim sum. Hence, we made an early retreat and proceeded to Plan B.

The crowd @ Ming Court was spilling onto the sidewalk! WHAT?

Plan B - Ming Court Dim Sum right across the road. With that many people in Foh San (probably half of Ipoh's Chinese population .... hehe), we expected the other competitors along the street (Jalan Leong Sin Nam aka Dim Sum Street) to be swatting flies, succumbing to the almighty Foh San.

But we were dead wrong. Here's some evidences .......

Chef Fatt Hong Kong Dim Sum - A new addition to the scene (not so new though, opened a year or two ago, but without much fanfare)

Ming Court Dim Sum Restaurant has always been the top contender to Foh San's crown. Some may even argue the fact that Ming Court actually serves BETTER dim sum than the old Foh San. Yup, I do agree that the variety of dim sum at Ming Court is a notch above Foh San's, but the dainty morsels had me feeling dissatisfied time and again. Prices are generally the same across all outlets, and tastewise not much difference.

Chang Keong Dim Sum - Many may not even recognize or notice this restaurant beside Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Hua Nam. They operated at a stall in Hua Nam previously, but ventured out on their own now.

Yoke Fook Moon - To complete the BIG 3 of Dim Sum Giants, this restaurant seems to be at the losing end, due to the very near location of both Foh San and Ming Court now.

All the other dim sum outlets around the area were fully packed!!!! Even the lesser-known ones, and even the coffee shops surrounding the area. The whole road was jammed up with cars, people, kids, animals, and whatnots. Hehehe .. OK, maybe not animals.

People from all walks of life, be it locals or tourists from other states, were probably pushing their luck like yours truly, wondering how the epitome of Ipoh's dim sum restaurant; Foh San, looks like now at its new location.

Go and have yourself some Chee Cheong Fun, Dim Sum (again?!) and Egg Toast from Hua Nam, if you're frustrated with the wait!

So we surrendered, white flags and all, and decided to have our breakfast the simple way; at Hua Nam Coffee Shop across the street. Only to be greeted with another mind-boggling sight of a large crowd of people feasting on the hawker fares. Geez .... is there no other place for breakfast in Ipoh?!

Mee Gopeng and Yong Tau Foo (noon only), and Char Kuey Teow on banana leaf

Hua Nam has always been one of my favourite haunt, back then when I was working nearby Greentown area. But since moving to old town (jobwise, of course), my visit to Hua Nam has been lesser and lesser.

But of course, given the fact that this area is no doubt THE hot spot for dim sum, there's even a stall in this not-so-humble coffee shop selling dim sum to the masses! Tastewise? Forgettable. Go for the char kuey teow instead, which is good in its own right; comparison with Penang's authentic versions notwithstanding. The egg toast came in bite-sized cubes, toasted with margarine, then served with 2 half-boiled eggs. Still prefer Nam Chau's version, but this should do on average days.

Bigger than the average budget hotel, this magnificient restaurant will book (or maybe already had!) its place in Ipoh's history ......

Sorry if you're feeling duped into believing that this post covers all of Foh San's delicacies. Promise there'll be another write-up in the near future, ok? As of now, I certainly am not in the mood to jostle with the maddening crowd!

Here's a MAP, with all 5 dim sum outlets around the area, within walking distance from each other. Parking's sure to be a problem here, given the already limited lots around the place even before Foh San moved in. Do bear in mind that this area is a HOT SPOT not only for your favourite dim sum joint, but also a popular target for the enforcement officers from MBI, aka those who write you FREE tickets. ;)

The Old Town Coffee Face-Off : Sin Yoon Loong White Coffee vs Madras Coffee

Old town of Ipoh is forever bustling with activities come morning until evening, a nostalgic part of Ipoh that's far from forgotten, and no doubt a dream come true for all food lovers on a gastronomic trail; From north to south, and vice versa.

The one that started it all ....

Previously, I blogged about Sin Yoon Loong white coffee, the oldest joint serving the now legendary white coffee of Ipoh. Though no doubt Nam Heong, or rather, Old Town White Coffee (those Kopitiam outlets that are mushrooming everywhere) is responsible for putting Ipoh's white coffee on the map, both domestically and internationally.

The same old setting, albeit plastic chairs being used now, instead of those classic wooden ones from days of yore

Sin Yoon Loong has been in business probably in my past life. Right until today, they've managed to retain the authenticity of their forte; the white coffee brew, a secret handed down from generations to generations.

Realise that having breakfast in Ipoh's Old Town can be a stressful endeavour. Searching for an empty parking lot is one, while fighting for a seat is another. Thankfully, the row of white coffee shops consists of 3 shops in a row, and Nam Heong on the opposite side. So there is backup after all.

Chee Cheong Fun with Mushroom Gravy


Toast with Kaya and Butter

All this while, I never had a full meal at Sin Yoon Loong. Only coffee and toast. Or their famous "Kai Dan Kou", or egg-flavoured roll with kaya.

The Chee Cheong Fun passed the test, at least to Mr Z anyway. He of course, was comparing to Sin Lean Lee's version, which is nothing to shout about in the 1st place. Sin Lean Lee is the coffee shop with that infamous stall serving Kam Chau Fan aka GOLDEN Fried Kuey Teow.

A hot, frothy cup of good old Ipoh's white coffee. THE original taste.

But nothing beats spending precious time chatting away with acquittances over a cup of rich, and fragrant white coffee. Feeling peckish? Order a serving of toast, buttered yet not overly cloying although substantial 'kaya' (coconut jam) is spread on the thin slices of crisp bread.

Location : Sin Yoon Loong @ Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak. The corner lot, before reaching the towering 20-storeys flat of Old Town.

But what IF you've waited for hours (slightly exaggerated, but you get my drift), yet you found NO empty seats? And with your craving for a shot of caffeine at an all-time high; runny nose, jittering teeth, sweat beads forming on the temple and all?

Another one of those famous banana leaf outlet in Ipoh .....

A hop and a skip away, you'll seek Nirvana. Your light at the end of the tunnel. Your solace, your requiem, your COFFEE. @ Sri Ananda Bahwan Restaurant.

Madras Coffee (thanks to yikyang for the heads-up)

The sweet Indian desserts of Ladoo, Palkova, and Mysore pak. Spelling may be off though.

So you're wondering what's Madras coffee? Also known as Indian Filter Coffee, not many might have heard, let alone tried this saltish, milky brew. I for one, was completely oblivious to its existence until duly notified by a reader.

Firstly, you gotta know how to drink it. Yup, you'll be served with not one, but TWO separate steel container, a cup with the thick & frothy coffee, and another smaller steel bowl of fresh cow's milk. Tastewise? Not too strong to jolt up that draggy system in the mornings, but pleasant and smooth, with a tinge of saltiness. There's a faint hint of herbs/spices which is not overwhelming, but leaves a fragrant note after you slurp down a mouthful. Not bad, definitely a beverage I'll come back for.

Whazzup, Matcha?!!!!

The desserts at Sri Ananda Bahwan were not sickeningly sweet, unlike most. The Palkova or milk sweet in particular, is creamy, soft and sweet enough to leave a lingering taste, yet not tooth-numbing terror. The ladoo was disappointing though, Samy's was far better.

Location : Sri Ananda Bahwan @ 7, Persiaran Bijeh Timah, 30000 Ipoh. It's the row of shops perpendicular to Sin Yoon Loong. Turn right at the crossroads with Nam Heong and Sin Yoon Loong, and you'll see this shop on your left.

SO, WHICH ONE'S RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY?

The Twins' Chee Cheong Fun in Menglembu, and It's Buntong's Kacang Putih

##This post was featured in the Star's Sunday Metro (3rd May 2009). Click HERE for the article. ##

I'd better return to my roots .... for now. Ipoh food galore, back to back. How bout that?! Had enough of Ipoh famous Nga Choy Kai aka Tauge Ayam aka Chicken Kuey Teow? Here's some Chee Cheong Fun (steamed rolled rice noodles, with condiments & gravies), all the way from Menglembu. The town famous for groundnuts, and hawker fare.

The famous Menglembu Twins Chee Cheong Fun - Even featured in 8TV's Ho Chak before.

At this corner shop named Wing Kat Fong, in operation since the 60's (!!) and still going strong, sits a stall resembling your average 'chap fan' (mixed rice, or economy rice) stall. But with a twist or two. Not only are they famous for their nasi lemak and various curries (from chicken to pork, and squids, fish and prawns), their forte is the Chee Cheong Fun. Those smooth, steamed to perfection rolls of flat, white rice noodles.

Too full for a meal? Have some snacks, or chomp on a drumstick.

The stall is manned by a pair of male twins, probably in their 30's to 40's. Jolly, witty fellows (if you know them well enough) they are, also assisted by several staff, they run the stall ala clockwork-style, systematically taking orders and preparing them in a jiffy. Though the shop may be crowded (both the front and back portion of the colonial shop can be seated) at peak times, ie lunch hour, rest assured the wait for your food won't get relentless. After all, all that's needed is merely scooping and serving in an instant.

Curry Pig's Skin Chee Cheong Fun

I haven't tasted their CCF for a good many years. Since secondary days, if my memory serves me right. But the quality is still maintained; the silky smooth noodles actually needs no condiments per se, but douse them with generous ladles of pig's skin curry, and the plate of CCF rises to the occasion. Gracefully, albeit sloppily. Bring a tissue or two.

A plate of Nasi Lemak with Sambal Petai (!!! oh yeah !!!), a boiled egg, curry vegetables, and cucumber slices.

But my personal favourite, the utmost delicious, almost divine, Sambal Petai. With heavy scents of kaffir lime leaves, the sweetish, sour and slightly spicy sambal complemented the crunchy stinkbeans perfectly. I can almost imagine myself chomping on them day in and day out. But Motormouth may mutates into Stinkymouth by then though.

The tragic Siew Pau, and crispy fried chicken

They offer a lot of side dishes, or snacks. A substantial and impressive repertoire, that consist of fried chicken, yam cakes, Siew pau, etc. The Siew Pau however, is not up to par, way beneath the delectable taste of the Seremban originals. But the fried chicken is a must-try of sorts, almost every table ordered a plate. The batter was crunchy, and marinated well, but a little salty. Therefore omit the need for chilli or tomato sauce.

Windows to the World ......

The food is no doubt, cheap. The mains are priced at about RM3 onwards, and a meal for one won't cost anywhere near to RM10, lest your finger goes into spasm, or overdrive and pointed at all the tempting curries, and dishes on offer.

Wing Kat Fong @ Menglembu town

Location : The road parallel to the main road of Menglembu town. Opposite the Magnum 4D shop, within a short distance from Maybank of Menglembu. Exact location unsure (sorry) but should be easy to locate. Coming from Jalan Lahat/Ipoh town towards the roundabout with the GIANT groundnuts, take the right road into Menglembu town. Wing Kat Fong is situated on the road parallel to Jalan Lahat, on the right side.

Remember this house in the last post?


Heavens for kacang putih lovers ....

Yup, this is a house in Buntong's Kampung Kacang Putih (What an apt name eh? =P) selling these Indian snacks so synonymous with Malaysians, even a small child can differentiate his muruku from his pagoda.

At RM3 per pack, you're getting them fresh from the cows. Wait, that doesnt sound right somewhere .... I mean, from the wok.

Buntong is a town in Ipoh populated by mostly Indians, and famous for two things. Or more but I'm being ignorant as usual. Wanton Mee, and Kacang Putih.

Coming from Jalan Tun Perak towards the Buntong's BIG roundabout, take a 12 o'clock. Take the first left, and then another left, between two prominent kacang putih shops. This house is on that road (Laluan Sungai Pari 4), on your right. Opens from day til night, but you've gotta waltz in casually, and enter the shop from the side of the house.

The address of the shop/house.

I'll be off for a week, from this Wednesday or Thursday onwards, going on a vacation-cum-holidays-cum-work to KL. But not 100% though, as work follows closely, much like a dog chasing its tail. Or the other way round. Whatever. So pardon me for the lack of posts. (Am I hearing a sigh of relief there?!! Huh? *_*)

NEXT POST : The Battle of the Coffees .....

How 'Bout A Cuppa ORIGINAL Ipoh Old Town White Coffee? (Nam Heong Coffee Shop)

Look at how they literally 'pour' the fillings of egg custard into the moulded pastries?

Hot, fresh from the oven egg tarts overflowing with the fragrant egg-y custard

Funny how I'm working so near to Old Town famous stretch of white coffee outlets, yet I haven't blogged about Nam Heong, the TRUE origin of Old Town Kopitiam outlets, mushrooming everywhere.

Old Town Kopitiam is the brainchild of the erm, child to the proprietor of NamHeong. Look at how some simple marketing, and novel concept breeds fortune, and an admirable number of copycats. Lest I digress further, let's go back to the root of the "ragingly-infectious" kopitiam craze.

Hakka Mee with Yong Tau Foo

No doubt, in comparison to Sin Yoon Loong, the oldest coffee shop in Ipoh's Old Town serving their patented white coffee brew, Nam Heong's history does not run that deep. Situated directly opposite Sin Yoon Loong, the obvious aim was of course, to compete in the mighty war of white coffee.

Many years ago, we were mighty pleased with the competition, for we did not have to scramble for seats in the permanently packed Sin Yoon Loong on weekends. And somehow, the quality of the white coffee in Nam Heong, as well as the variety & quality of food served was better than Sin Yoon Loong's, by a margin.

Char Kuey Teow

But somehow, the few recent visits, within these few years proved otherwise. Nam Heong's white coffee had gone from bad to worse, and could not even be classified as a frothy, rich, and aromatic cuppa, in the same line as SYL's or even Nam Chau's offerings. Pretty disappointing as owing to the popularity of Old Town Kopitiam outlets all over Malaysia, Nam Heong should've bucked up and fought for its brush of fame, but instead let success gone to its head and brewed some dismaying concoction masquerading as REAL white coffee.

An egg tart and a cup of hot white coffee - Perfect combination?

But of course, every eatery deserves a second, or third chance. And one fine evening, I managed to steal some precious time and crawled my way over to Nam Heong Coffee Shop, at Jalan Bandar Timah.

The declining popularity was obvious if you go on a weekday, when the crowd would be packing the opposite row of coffee shops, instead of cramming themselves into Nam Heong like the old days. But surprisingly, on this specific visit, I found the white coffee (hot, do NOT order iced version, as you'll be sorely disappointed at the diluted nothings) quite deserving of its old moniker, the KING of white coffee. Hot, frothy, milky white coffee in a white porcelain cup, paired with a hot plate of Char Kuey Teow (fried flat rice noodles with prawns, cockles and eggs), and a freshly baked egg tart with the still runny yet fragrant egg fillings, equals a satisfying meal.

The addictive beverage that started all the craze, and put Ipoh's name on world maps, in every sense of the word ...

There are various noodle stalls, and a stall selling kuih and chang (rice dumplings). But my preference for the Char Kuey Teow and egg tarts surpassed all the other temptations. But of course, the egg tart stall is manned and owned by Nam Heong as well, also serving some delicious Char Siew Sou (BBQ Pork Flaky Puff) and Dim Sum.

If you're wondering; How do I rate the white coffee in Nam Heong nowadays? I'd say it closes in behind of Sin Yoon Loong and Nam Chau. But somehow, my tastebuds are accustomed to Nam Chau's saltier, yet fragrant brew, and I've yet to find another worthwhile contender. Anyone? :)

Easy to locate - Opposite of a row of coffee shops serving white coffee, and the side of the shop's facing the 20-storeys flats in Old Town.

Sun Yuan Loong White Coffee, Ipoh

This shop, located around Pasir Putih, at an area quite hidden from the main roads, is somewhat a branch of the original white coffee, Sin Yoon Loong in Old Town. Mum commented that the owner is a relative of the original shop's proprietor. Seems I used to have lunch/tea time here, when I was still in my primary/secondary education years. But no recollection on my part, obviously. Haha .... =P

Iced White Coffee and 'Cham' (RM1.40 each)

Signature must-haves? The coffee of course. They ARE related to THE original white coffee famously known nationwide anyway. However, the coffee was not as fragrant, nor smooth as the original's, slightly toned down (I had the iced version at the original's as well, so no bias) flavour. I believe the hot ones would have fared better, but it was freaking hot out there.

Dry Prawn Mee (RM3)

The shop was packed, full to the brim, and the noise was overwhelming. Possibly because of closed area with no sound-absorbing system (hehe), OR the owners are a clever bunch, building the wall so, to avoid customers who are prone to yapping non-stop, monopolizing the seats, while ordering a single solitary cup of coffee. Anyhow, chatting was akin to shouting.

There are quite a number of stalls selling rice/noodles, but I ordered a dry version of prawn mee, half expecting Thye Hong's signature Fried Prawn Noodles at Food Republic, Singapore. Nope, too far off. The noodles came drenched in the gravy, a mix of soy sauce, and prawn noodle broth, not exactly 'dry'. The verdict? HORRIBLE. Should've gone for the soupy version instead.

Portuguese Egg Tarts (RM1.10) and Toast with Kaya/Butter (RM1.40)

The prices quoted are estimation though, as I wouldn't dare to ask the lady to itemize. She was running around, or rather, warping around at full speed, not bothering to accept payment until nearly the end of our meal. Nevertheless, the toast was good, but the ones at the original shop in Old Town were better. The tarts were crispy and still hot, retaining the crunch of the pastry, but the filling was forgettable. Not as smooth as Baker's Cottage's or Gold Vision's for sure.

Location : A corner shop at Medan Bendahara 2, Ipoh. Coming from town direction, on Jalan Pasir Putih, you'll notice a Courts Mammoth store and a Maybank on your right. Turn right at the bank, towards some houses, then immediately turn right again at the next junction. Soon you'll reach an area with lots of shophouses and coffee shops. It's around there somewhere.