Taugeh Chicken Hor Fun At Ong Kee Cafe, Ipoh


I seldom write about food, and let me try my hands on it again.

I was in Ipoh from 14th to 16th December. Throughout my two-day sojourn, I had tried a lot of famous eats, the likes of Buntong Beef noodles, Funny Hill Soya milk, Popiah, Taugeh Chicken Horfun and Dim Sum. I was most impressed with the Taugeh Chicken Horfun at Ong Kee Cafe.

Strictly speaking, Ong Kee was not the most famous eatery for Taugeh Chicken Horfun. The most famous being Lau Wong Cafe, a pioneer restaurant that stood opposite the former, divided by a narrow street. However, it was closed during my stay in Ipoh, thus denying me the opportunity to sample its signature horfun. Situated kitty corner from Lou Wong was Lou Leong Cafe, a spin-off in the same league as Ong Kee. I had tried its Horfun but its MSG-loaded soup made me swig water frequently through the night.

Let's go into the whole Ong Kee's Taugeh Chicken Horfun shebang - the  Horfun noodles, the chicken and the Taugeh.  The smooth, velvety Horfun was served in a bowl of rich chicken bone soup, which had been simmered for hours in a grubby kitchen. Infused with the sweetness of the soup, the noodles slipped off the wooden chopsticks easily and I was kept busy twirling them up. When there were no more noodles left in the bowl, I raised it to my lips and gulped down the remains of the soup.

Selective cuts of meat were served - an ensemble of chopped chicken drumstick, breast and wings. The meat was rich with the aroma of sesame oil and its texture was smooth, slightly springy and moist, going well with the accompanying chopped bird's eye chilies. Some of you may prefer ground chilies but I hardly give them a thought.

The Taugeh was fat, sweet and crunchy at every bite and the cook must have stir-fried it in a short burst of time. There was a hint of oyster sauce to it, which I found very appetizing.

I was dining al fresco at a big, round table under an overcast , afternoon sky. The restaurant was packed to the capacity inside. I tried to finish my meal as fast as possible lest the rain pour. It did not spoil my appetite though.

I washed down the food with a glass of refreshing lime juice. To pay the bill, I motioned for a waitress to come over. The whole meal cost me only a mere RM12.00. "The food was nice,"I said. "I had a good time eating." The glum-faced waitress gave me the ghost of a smile and thanked me for enjoying the meal. I left the restaurant feeling happy and satisfied. The Horfun combo did not induce thirst in me and I would definitely return for it on my next visit to Ipoh.

Comments

suituapui said…
Was in Ipoh on a day trip once - wish I could go again.
January 7, 2015 at 1:12 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Creative Writing Workshop

Image
I attended a creative writing workshop in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah last Saturday. It was organized by Jude Day, president of Society of Performing Arts Kota Kinabalu Sabah(SPARKS), The invited speaker was Robert Raymer, a Sarawak-based American writer who is a lecturer of creative writing at Universiti Sarawak Malaysia. He is the author of 'Lovers and Strangers Revisited', 'Tropical Affairs', 'The Boy Who Shot Santa' and 'Spirit of Malaysia'. It only took me ten minutes to get to Wisma Anglican, the workshop venue from my hotel on shanks's pony. I felt honored to have met Mr. Robert Raymer in person.He exuded a quiet air of confidence and patience. I bought a copy of his 'Lovers and Strangers Revisited' and got it autographed by him. I was thrilled and could not help smiling from ear to ear. I picked up a lot of knowledge during the workshop. First, Robert Raymer expounded the essence of creative writing.Next, he showed us how to organiz...
Read more

Article on My Art Lessons

Image
The title is originally 'A Realisation As An Overaged Art Student' but it was changed to something cringeworthy. Many young children between the ages of six to fifteen hunched over the tables in the sitting room, sketching and painting.   At the age of forty-five, I was by far the oldest student, overweight, too, and somewhat shabby looking.   Sitting in an inconspicuous corner, under a freezing air conditioner, I surfed the Inter­net on my ipad to hide my discomfort. One by one, more kids poked their heads around the door, entered the house barefoot and took their seemingly pre-assigned positions in the sitting room. When Vaz, the elegant art teacher in her late fifties arrived, she frowned at where I was sitting. “This is not where you sit,” said the lecturer cum artist, while beckoning me to follow her into a little room beside her office.   She handed me a beginner kit and frowned again when I told her that I had forgotten to bring my coloured penc...
Read more

My Life as a Boarder at St. Patrick's

The first time I came to Kuching was in 1990. Failing to secure a place in government schools after the SPM, I enrolled in the sixth  form  at the now defunct school on Stampin Road, St. Patrick's. It was my first time away from the comfort of home, and I was staying in the school ’s  wooden boarding house, naturally fe eling  emotionally challenged. In the first few months of my stay, I was wrought with unmitigated homesickness, which sapped my confidence, energy, and optimism for life. My weight plunged, and it took a toll on my health. One time, I was so delirious with fever that the world was almost dead to me. My fellow boarders took turns looking after me, bringing me food, sponging my feverish forehead, and washing my sweat-soiled clothes. I finally came to my senses when a boy named Simon  warned me that if I continued letting my emotions control me, I would disappoint my parents. Like me, he had come all the way from Miri to study. He...
Read more