You can't come to Ipoh and not have its famous hawker food. There is a wide range to choose from, most of which you can't get elsewhere.
1. Hor Fun
Ipoh hor fun is the best, no doubt about that. There are so many dishes made with hor fun and all of them are gooo-oood!
Nga Choi Kai (Taugeh Ayam)
I like: Onn Kee and Lou Wong in Ipoh Old Town (though I like Onn Kee better - Lou Wong is too commercialized... these people spoil everything!!), Kam Hor in Ipoh Garden (super slow but worth the wait if you're not in a rush).
Kai Si Hor Fun
I like: Kong Heng and Tin Chun in Ipoh Old Town. Actually there are many other coffee shops in Ipoh which serve really good kai si hor fun as well but I don't have them at the back of my head at the moment.
Chee Cheong Fun
I like: Ipoh Central (next to Ming Court, near Excelsior Hotel). Again there are tonnes of good chee cheong fun stalls all over Ipoh! But this is one that I really like.
Hor Hee
I don't fancy hor hee to be honest, but many people do and apparently one of the better ones is Lok Wee Kui in town. I don't mind the ones at Ipoh Stadium and Gourmet Square in Ipoh Gdn but then again hor hee doesn't appeal to me so you shouldn't trust me on this one. Haha.
2. Hakka Mee
Ipoh isn't exactly renowned for hakka mee but the one at Pusat Makanan Majestic (seriously I never knew what it was called until yesterday when I bothered taking note of the signboard. I would just call it "That Hakka Mee Place Under The Tree" - for obvious reasons) is my FAVOURITE OF ALL and I would die if it were to close down. I brought Pei Shern here and she absolutely loved it! The noodles are chewy and drenched in lovely sauce, topped with a generous portion of wonderfully-marinated minced pork and served with your own choices of liew (which are homemade and not mass-produced). THE BEST.
3. Chicken Rice
I don't like chicken rice, whether in Ipoh or in Mars. But I am compelled to state that Ipoh chicken rice is the best so here it is. The famous one is Pak Kong. I don't know if the one next to it called Rasa Sayang is any good, but to be safe just go to Pak Kong lah.
4. Dim Sum
For coffee lovers, no trip to Ipoh is complete without having a cup of the famous white coffee. If you think you can simply settle for the ready-made packets or the white coffee served at commercialized Old Town Kopitiam branches which are sprouting like mushrooms all over the country, YOU ARE STUPID. Authentic white coffee can be found in Ipoh old town at Sun Yin Loong, Nam Heong and Chang Jiang (to name a few). These coffee shops are usually crowded at any time of the day but if you do manage to find seats, try having your white coffee with Hainanese kaya butter toasts. Very nice. =)
The best place for tau fu fah and soya bean has got to be Funny Mountain (lame, I know. I mean how can a mountain be funny, stupid). I've brought Loo Yeen, Pei and Ho Wai there and they all liked the tau fu fah! The texture of the beancurd is smooth and the ginger syrup is just nice, not too sweet. I'm not a big fan of tau fu fah but I love the one here very much. Funny Mountain is a little stall near Foh San Dim Sum Restaurant (can easily be seen).
I don't like chicken rice, whether in Ipoh or in Mars. But I am compelled to state that Ipoh chicken rice is the best so here it is. The famous one is Pak Kong. I don't know if the one next to it called Rasa Sayang is any good, but to be safe just go to Pak Kong lah.
4. Dim Sum
OK I know that dim sum isn't considered hawker food but I'll just list it here anyway. My favourite dim sum place is Ming Court as opposed to the popular haunt that is Foh San. Both are great but there's just something about Ming Court which I like. I think it's the ham sui kok and the black sesame dessert. =P
Another good dim sum place is right opposite Ming Court, called Yoke Fook Moon.
Basically those are the 3 good dim sum places in Ipoh. Always always crowded, be it on weekdays or weekends (of course weekends would be worse), so do try to get there early as the good stuff like char siew pau is sold out by 9am!
Another good dim sum place is right opposite Ming Court, called Yoke Fook Moon.
Basically those are the 3 good dim sum places in Ipoh. Always always crowded, be it on weekdays or weekends (of course weekends would be worse), so do try to get there early as the good stuff like char siew pau is sold out by 9am!
5. White Coffee
For coffee lovers, no trip to Ipoh is complete without having a cup of the famous white coffee. If you think you can simply settle for the ready-made packets or the white coffee served at commercialized Old Town Kopitiam branches which are sprouting like mushrooms all over the country, YOU ARE STUPID. Authentic white coffee can be found in Ipoh old town at Sun Yin Loong, Nam Heong and Chang Jiang (to name a few). These coffee shops are usually crowded at any time of the day but if you do manage to find seats, try having your white coffee with Hainanese kaya butter toasts. Very nice. =)
6. Tau Fu Fah and Soya Bean
The best place for tau fu fah and soya bean has got to be Funny Mountain (lame, I know. I mean how can a mountain be funny, stupid). I've brought Loo Yeen, Pei and Ho Wai there and they all liked the tau fu fah! The texture of the beancurd is smooth and the ginger syrup is just nice, not too sweet. I'm not a big fan of tau fu fah but I love the one here very much. Funny Mountain is a little stall near Foh San Dim Sum Restaurant (can easily be seen).
7. Other Goodies!
Clockwise from top: Egg tea (dan char); poh piah; old-school caramel custard; pork satay!
I also love: salt-baked chicken at Aun Kheng Lim, ondeh-ondeh sold by this old man on a bicycle at the Canning Garden shophouses; ais kacang at Ipoh Stadium; dai gau min (kuih bulan) at many places but I like the one at Yat Yat Seng in Ipoh Gdn; fah sang wu (peanut butter dessert) at this roadside stall in Pasir Pinji.
