Ipoh Old Town – Peter Tan – The Digital Awakening

Restoran Wong Koh Kee Take Two

We went on a road trip last Friday. Wuan had to clear her annual leave. So we decided to do some travelling up north. First stop was Ipoh where we spent the night. A trip to this former tin mining city is never complete without a hearty lunch at Restoran Wong Koh Kee. This popular restaurant is tucked along the narrow Lorong Panglima at Ipoh old town where Chinese tin tycoons used to house their mistresses. I have put up an entry about Restoran Wong Koh Kee last year. I love the food there so much that I feel it warrants another entry in this blog.

Restoran Wong Koh Kee steamed three yolk egg

Sam wong tan – steamed fresh chicken eggs, salted duck eggs and century eggs.

We went with Wuan’s parents, Florina and Sam (Wuan’s sister and brother in law). We ordered two of my favourite dishes, which are also the restaurant’s signature dishes, are “ching sam wong tan” and “sai yong choi siu yuk chau ma lai chan”. The other dishes were stir fried bean sprouts with anchovies and “hung siu chu sau man hum choi” (braised marinated pig trotter with salted vegetables).

Restoran Wong Koh Kee stir fried watrercress in belacan

Stir fried watercress in belacan.

“Ching sam wong tan” literally means steamed three yolk egg. Fresh chicken eggs (kai tan), salted duck eggs (hum tan), century eggs (pei tan) were steamed together with minced pork. Soya sauce was added just before serving. This dish was perfectly done, like always. It had a smooth custard-like texture. The minced pork and chopped pieces of century eggs provided contrast and taste. As a kid, I liked to mash them together with rice. I still do it now.

Stir fried beansprout with anchovies.

“Sai yong choi siu yuk chau ma lai chan” is watercress and roast pork stir fried in belacan (shrimp cake). Belacan gave it a salty and pungent aroma. Only tender watercress stalks were used. Otherwise, it would have been fibrous and chewy. This dish is usually fried with beef slices. We do not eat beef and subsituted it roast pork instead. It tasted just as good.

Braised deep fried pig trotter with salted vegetables.

I do not know how much the final bill came to. It was Florina and Sam’s treat. Thanks, you two! Nevertheless, the price of food here is reasonable. That is the other reason why I like eat here. The menu is quite extensive. But they are written in Chinese. The son of the restaurant’s founder is running the place now. He will usually recommend some of the popular dishes. The next trip to Ipoh will definitely be Restoran Wong Koh Kee again and most probably the same few dishes. It may sound boring but my taste buds are not complaining yet.

Ipoh Chee Cheong Fun At Ipoh Old Town

Wuan and I were in Ipoh over the weekend. We took Cheeky there to have him neutered. He is nearing one year old. Of late, he has been making awful noises and showing signs of restlessness and aggression. Neutering would calm him down somewhat. We also want to let him out of the house regularly. Neutering will reduce the occurrences of him roaming too far away.

Jalan Bandar Timah in Ipoh Old Town.
Photo by Wuan.

That trip to Ipoh was also a good opportunity for us to explore Ipoh Old Town, especially the coffee shops along Jalan Bandar Timah. The coffee shops here serve the famous Ipoh White Coffee. Since Wuan and I do not drink coffee, we were there for the food only. Finding a parking space was difficult. We had to circle the area twice and decided to park a distance away.

Hong Hin Hakka noodles at Jalan Sultan Yusuf in Ipoh Old Town.
Photo by Wuan.

While making our way there, we chanced upon another kopitiam called Hong Hin at the corner of Jalan Sultan Yusuf and Persiaran Bijih Timah. It was packed to the brim with the breakfast crowd. There were people standing around waiting for tables. While Wuan when to check the food that drew the crowd, an uncle who was waiting beside me said it is Hakka noddles and really worth the wait. When Wuan got back, she said they had run out of Hakka noodles. So we made our way to Jalan Bandar Timah.

Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong and Kedai Kopi Sun Yuan Foong at Jalan Bandar Timah in Ipoh Old Town.

The coffee shops there were equally packed with people standing around waiting for tables too. We chose Sin Yoon Loong and waited for our turn at the tables. We were lucky as several aunties occupying the table where I was waiting had just finished their breakfast. While I took my place at the table, Wuan went over to Sun Yuan Foong, the coffee shop next door, and came back with two plates of Ipoh chee cheong fun.

Ipoh chee cheong fun from Kedai Kopi Sun Yuan Foong.

That was my first time eating Ipoh chee cheong fun. It has mushroom and chicken gravy (I think), red sauce (tim cheong, tee cheo), chilli sauce, pickled green chillies, sesame seeds and deep fried shallots. Somehow, I still prefer the Penang chee cheong fun that comes with red sauce (tee cheo), chilli sauce (huan cheo cheo), prawn paste (heh ko), and a sprinkle of sesame seeds (mua) and deep fried shallots (eu chang).

Kon lou Hakka noodles from Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong.

Still feeling hungry after that, I ordered a plate of kon lou Hakka noodles without extras. It was just the flat noodles stirred in soya sauce and bean sprouts, and garnished with spring onions and comes with chilli sauce by the side. It tasted, well, just like noodles in soya sauce. After those two dishes, my taste buds were still screaming to be titillated.

Siu yuk lou (roast pork seller) at Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong

Siu yuk lou (roast pork seller) at work at Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong.
Photo by Wuan.

Right beside our table was a siu yuk stall. The siu yuk lou (roast pork seller) has a steady stream of customers buying from him. All the time we were there, he never stopped chopping the roast pork. He also had char siu (barbecue pork) on skewers displayed but his siu yuk seemed to be more popular. Wuan ordered RM3 worth of siu yuk which was the minimum amount he would sell. The skin was crispy. Finally, I had a few bites of good food that my taste buds agreed with. Siu yuk is not unique to Ipoh but it was good nonetheless.

Siu yuk (roast pork) from Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong.

It was not an exactly fruitful morning where food was concerned. The next time we are in Ipoh, we plan to go to the coffee shop opposite this one called Nam Heong to have a taste of what is being offered there. If we are early enough, we will surely drop by the Hakka noodle shop at Jalan Sultan Yusuf to find out why people would queue for the food.

Restoran Wong Koh Kee – Delicious Home-Cooked Style Dishes In Ipoh

Restoran Wong Koh Kee, Lorong Panglima, Ipoh.
GPS: N4 35.778 E101 04.684
Photo by Wuan.

The first taste of Ipoh food that I remembered to this day is at a restaurant tucked in an nondescript lane in the Old Town called Lorong Panglima. Restoran Wong Koh Kee may look like any other Chinese restaurants but this is where the similarities end. The dishes that they proffer are commonly served in Chinese households but they are delicious. The lunch time queues outside the shop is testament to that.

Restoran Wong Koh Kee sam wong tan - steamed chicken egg, century egg and salted duck egg

Steamed eggs.

Lorong Panglima is also known in Cantonese as “Yee Lai Hong” meaning Concubine Lane. This unsavoury name came about a long time ago when Ipoh was a boom town awashed with rich towkays who made their fortune from tin mining industry. These rich men would then keep a mistress or two and put them up at the two rows of houses in this infamous place.

Restoran Wong Koh Kee sai yong choi chau siu yuk - stir-fried watercress with roasted pork

Stir-fried watercress with roasted pork in belacan.

I still remember vividly the three dishes that Wuan ordered at the restaurant for Peter, Mum and me at Wong Koh Kee many years ago. They were nga choy chau hum yee (stir-fried bean sprouts with anchovies), sai yong choy chau ngau yuk (stir-fried watercress with beef slices in belacan) and sam wong tan (steamed chicken egg, century egg and salted egg). Since then, whenever Wuan and I were in Ipoh, we would make it a point to drop by for lunch.

Braised pig trotter in preserved soya bean gravy.

Our trip to Penang via Ipoh last Sunday was no different. We had lunch with Wuan’s parents at the restaurant. The first dish we ordered was sam wong tan. It was nicely steamed and smooth in the mouth. As I no longer eat beef, the second dish we ordered was sai yong choy chau siu yuk (stir-fried watercress with roasted pork in belacan) instead. The watercress was tender. We had yau cheong chee sau (braised pig trotter in preserved soya bean gravy) for the third dish. The pork was tender and the gravy delicious. The bill came to RM29, rice and Chinese tea included – a very reasonable price for a hearty meal for four. Restoran Wong Koh Kee is the place to go in Ipoh Old Town for some delicious home-cooked style dishes. Highly recommended.