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 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.