Soo Kee (Ipoh Kai See Hor Fun) @ Seapark PJ

Ipoh sar hor fun is one of my favourite soup noodles to eat and I've been eating it regularly at a shop in Taman Shamelin near me.  My spouse, who has never liked soup noodles, decided to try one day after noticing me eating it religiously every time I'm there.  Since this place offers kai si hor fun in dry-style, he has a newfound love for this noodle though the default (and best) way to eat this should be in soup.

And because of this, I can now walk into a shop dedicated to serving Ipoh sar hor fun only (which I wasn't able to do previously...but, of course, I had to check if they serve the dry-style version first). ^_~  So that brought us to Soo Kee @ Seapark PJ, a very old (and established) name when it comes to Ipoh sar hor fun (or shredded chicken kuey teow)...but the shop is old and dated (as evidenced by the very worn out signboard), not the most conducive place to eat.

Anyway, let's start with a bowl of their signature Ipoh Kai Si Hor Fun in soup which came with the usual ingredients of kai see (shredded chicken), prawn wontons, gow choy (Chinese chives) and a sprinkling of fried shallots (unfortunately store-bought).

The hor fun isn't the thin, slippery smooth and transparent like the Ipoh sar hor fun I've come to know.  Their version of kueh teow isn't as thin and tends to clump together with a starchier feel.

As for the taste of the soup, it was fairly flavourful but lacking the aroma and sweetness that I seek...plus it was also missing that lovely fragrant prawn oil.  The key to a good bowl of Ipoh kai see hor fun is in the soup base and the overall taste was just off for me.  

They offer the dry-style here which my spouse ordered, of course.  I don't know how the dark sauce fared but it looked too oily and in great abundance at a glance.  I didn't need to try as my spouse said it wasn't anything like the one he eats at our usual Ipoh Kai Si Hor Fun stall.

Both the dry-style and soup versions came with five prawn wontons, a good and generous number indeed.

The single prawn inside wasn't a very big one though they were fresh and firm but not exactly all that sweet-tasting.

Perhaps the glory days of this well-known Ipoh sar hor hun are over.  It's certainly nowhere near some of the good ones I've eaten thus far.  Heck, I even have two unassuming kai see hor fun stalls in my housing area (like the one above) that I'd rather have although the broth could be better.

Even though they don't come with prawn wontons, they have prawns to make up for it and this other one (at least) tastes better than Soo Kee's.

As with any kai si hor fun shop, they're touted to serve good poached chicken and fat, crunchy beansprouts as well.  Since there were only two of us, I ordered an extra plate of poached chicken (for one pax) to share...and asked for my favourite cut of kai yee tou (chicken thigh).

I didn't enjoy this poached chicken (for 3 reasons) even though I must admit that the chicken was smooth and tender.  1)  I didn't like was that it was drenched in thick oyster sauce (which was too salty as well) that drowned out and overpowered the taste of the chicken itself.  I'd much rather have a sauce made with a good quality light soy, maybe with a bit of fried garlic and garlic oil.  2)  The chicken felt cold.  I read some reviews that say it's served chilled (it makes no sense to serve it chilled when it's usually accompanied by a bowl of hot noodles or rice)...but yet it wasn't cold enough to be categorised as chilled either (yet it wasn't quite room temperature).  I don't know how to describe it.  Maybe it's because the chicken parts were left sitting exposed as they were all chopped up beforehand (that's what I saw when I walked in and some parts looked too bloody).  3)  The chicken wasn't deboned.  I'm not expecting for the chicken to be totally deboned but I was expecting some parts to be deboned (especially the main drumstick and thigh bone) as it's usually done by most chicken rice stalls.

I don't know the individual prices of what we ate but the total bill came to RM29 for the two of us (probably about RM10 for a bowl of noodles) with a glass of Chinese tea.

I also read about the proprietors temperament (a mother-and-son team) of shouting with one another on a daily basis.  That was after I went to their shop (if I had known beforehand, I'd probably have chosen not to go).  Thank goodness I didn't witness any such altercation on my visit.

My Personal Opinion

Since this is such an old name specialising in Ipoh sar hor fun, perhaps the standard isn't as good as they were back then.  Nothing from the hor fun to the soup base to the prawn wontons to the poached chicken I cared for really.  The environment of an old and dated shop with a slightly dark and not-so-clean interior didn't help it one bit.

In the end, it's not a kai see hor fun I'd want to eat again! >_<  Why would I....when I have a much, much better one nearer me in Taman Shamelin and a fairly decent one right in my neighbourhood. ^_~

Restoran Soo Kee

33 Jalan SS21/17

Seapark

46300 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Tel: 03-7876 7736