Chee Cheong Fun | wordspics.com

Ask any Ipoh folks about breakfast suggestions and you might get various answers. Some would suggest the infamous dim sum joints while some would direct you to other locations of their favourite coffee shops. And you might possibly get this recommendation; Thean Chun which is said to be one of the places to go to for good hearty food.

Thean Chun, Ipoh

And this is the place we went to when we were on our way to Penang (again!). We did consider Keng Nam but then, it’s always good to try some place new since we don’t often travel up north like it’s a weekly affair.

Thean Chun, Ipoh

This place somehow exudes great vintage charm with its old wooden chairs, plastic and marble table tops, gigantic mirrors and faded green tiny tiles. Getting a parking lot might be a challenge / problem but it is definitely worth the patience for the glorious foods that are waiting for you at this coffee shop.

Ipoh Kuey Teow / Sar Hor Fun / Kai Si Hor Fun (Shredded Chicken Flat Noodles)

One must not leave the shop without try the Ipoh Kuey Teow / Sar Hor Fun / Kai Si Hor Fun (Shredded Chicken Flat Noodles). It is epitome / mother of all noodles. Okay… Maybe I’ve over exaggerated. But this is definitely one of the better version (if not the best) version I had for the longest time. Silky smooth kuey teow soaked in savoury prawn-infused broth topped with shredded chicken and sliced prawns. It’s just pure goodness in every aspect. A small bowl will cost RM4.

Dry Noodles with Fried Food

I did not try the dry noodles as I was pretty engrossed with my bowl of awesomeness. I guess it was alright. But I did grab a bite of the fried stuff which I think they were decent, albeit cold. The (beef and pork) noodles were a-okay, nothing to shout about. Such selections will set you back RM6.60.

Chee Cheong Fun with Brown Sauce, Chili Paste & Pickled Chilies

Since we were famished, the chee cheong fun (RM3) was a side order to accompany other dishes. Light yet smooth, it arrived with mixture of brown sauce and chilli paste and pickled chillies and finished off with sprinkles of fried shallots.

Creme Caramel / Caramel Custard

The grand finale (but not that grand anyway compared to the epic noodles) has got to be their in-house Caramel Custard. Notoriously known for early sold out (by 10AM), it is something meant for those with sweet tooth. Wobbly smooth yet slightly chilled, one would get sugar rush from this. No wonder they will serve a cup of ice water alongside.

Iced White Coffee

As I walked out this nostalgic coffee shop feeling all full and satisfied, I vividly remembered that I did in fact visited this shop… about a decade ago. It was when my brother-in-law who brought us (my family) there for breakfast on one fine morning.

So… whether Thean Chun is famous amongst the locals, I do not know. But what I do know is that this coffee shop will be the place to go to for breakfast whenever I’m in Ipoh.

Address :
Thean Chun (天津茶室)
No.73, Jalan Bandar Timah,
30000 Ipoh,
Perak.

GPS Coordinates : 4.596159,101.077867

It has become some sort of ‘ritual’ to have dim sum for breakfast in Ipoh whenever we stopped by before resuming our trip to up north (Penang). After all, we’d usually depart from KL early in the morning, right before the sun rise. And it happened too frequently that we didn’t need to ask each other what we’re having for breakfast. It’s either the famous Foh San or its arch-rival; Ming Court, and Funny Mountain tau fu fa right after as dessert.

Curry Laksa

I think I got bored after the second or third time till the point that I need to ask an old friend of mine, whose hometown is none other than Ipoh, on food recommendation in Ipoh. And to ask such question will probably get you greeted with one simple answer ‘”Plenty. What do you like?”

One of those recommendations I got was this quaint little coffee shop which is located along Jalan Raja Ekram, a couple blocks away from Restoran Cowan Street Ayam Tauge & Koitiau. Finding a car park was a b*tch and knowing how efficient the authorities are (compared the ones in KL), we had to round the area for quite a number of times before we found one… which was quite a walk away from the coffee shop.

Chee Cheong Fun

Choices were limited but good enough to fill one’s tummy. Part of the main reason why I chose this place was because of its famous pulut kaya. Unfortunately, they were sold out (at 930AM on a weekday!) when we arrived. Disappointed I was but nevertheless, there were other stalls to try since it was our first time there.

These two dishes were chosen simply because the stalls were located outside and they were recommended by my friend. Besides, as one said (or from what I heard), you have got to try the curry laksa when you are in Ipoh.

Curry Laksa

They were really good recommendations, if you ask me. The broth of the curry laksa was perfect; adequately thick and flavourful yet packed with punch. The chee cheong fun was sliky smooth while the mushroom broth was light yet savoury, something different compared to the usual sweet brown sauce. A dash of chilli sauce was to provide some heat into the dish.

Oh… you should try their Iced Coffee too! Sorry, there’s no photo of it but rest assured that it was pretty good although it was not the famed white coffee. I couldn’t remember the price of those dishes but it should linger around RM3 to RM4 each.

Address :
127, Jalan Raja Ekram,
30300 Ipoh,
Perak.

GPS Coordinates : 4.599504, 101.086664

Tag: Chee Cheong Fun

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