a taste of Ipoh

Unless your dietary orientation forbids it, you can't ever go to Ipoh without having the city's famous Beansprouts Chicken Kuey Teow. And famous, it is. Tourists arrive by the busloads, and city folks here never seem to have enough of the stuff.

The last time Mae and I had this at Ipoh's famous Lou Wong Restaurant, Jesse was just a couple of months from being born. And despite Mae voracious appetite at the time, we were not impressed. Despite our mild disappointment the last time, we decided to give Lou Wong another chance and this time around the folks at Lou Wong completely redeemed themselves!We ordered the standard poached chicken, beansprouts, pork meatballs and Ipoh's famous Sar Hor Fun (Kuey Teow) noodles.
The chicken is perfectly done, cooked just well enough to retain a juicy smoothness that is often absent from overcooked chicken. Similarly the beansprouts are poached just right, removing any taste of green but retaining its crunchy goodness. And characteristic of Ipoh taugeh, the sprouts are stout and crunchy. Both are drizzled with a combination of sesame oil and a delicious soy sauce mix. And in that mix is the secret of Lou Wong's success.

Lou Wong's porkballs were excellent - springy, rubbery and tasty, the hallmarks of any good balls. *ahem* And of course, we ordered ourselves a bowl of Sar Hor Fun each. It must be said that the noodles here differ from KL's ever so slightly with it's slightly translucent look and superb slippery smooth texture.

So, yes, this time around Lou Wong came through for us. We're not sure why our previous outing was a letdown. Perhaps it was the peak holiday season and the guys here decided to water down their stuff; or maybe they have re-discovered what made them famous in the first place. We may never know. :) Anyway if you're looking, Lou Wong is located on 49, Yau Tat Shin Road. It's somewhere in between Syuen Hotel and Super Kinta.

Note: By the way, some Ipoh folks have told me that other places actually serve better Beansprouts Chicken, like Ong Kee Restaurant across the street and this other one on Coven Street. I have, however, learnt that people's personal taste should not be trusted. Go where the crowd is. Thousands of people can't be wrong, right? :)