Ipoh Ipoh Kafe @ SS2 PJ

I heard about this place, Ipoh Ipoh Kafe @ SS2 PJ, dishing out a mean bowl of kai see hor fun for a while now and since it's one of my beloved type of noodles to eat, it was only a matter of time before I found myself here for a dine-in.

After reading reviews by bangsarbabe (who didn't like it as much) and thokohmakan (who loved it) as well as their restaurant's Facebook and Google ratings (the latter two made for some juicy reading which I'll tell you about later), I knew I had to visit.  We were there on a Sunday morning and was surprised (but glad) that we got a seat quite easily.

Ipoh is synonymous with kai see hor fun making it one of their most successful exports, so to speak, to other States.  People flock to Ipoh just to have this kway teow with shredded chicken together with their well-known fat beansprouts and poached chicken.  Of course I had to start with none other than a bowl of kai see hor fun and went with the Kampung Chicken Horfun Soup Jumbo @ RM17 (go big or go home, right?).

First look at the bowl of kai see hor fun was impressive indeed.  Described on the menu as "thigh or drumstick with extra prawn", I could see three good-sized sea prawns (they use ming ha here), I believe it's one extra from the regular bowl) and it delivered on freshness, firmness and sweetness.  Then you have the aromatics that are critical in a good bowl of kai see hor fun...Chinese chives, fried shallots (freshly made, not pre-fried ones out of a packet) and a lovely, vibrant layer of prawn oil.

The broth was not only exciting in looks but matched in taste as well with an intensely flavoured broth that was made from a bone broth base with lots of fried whole prawns (emphasis on the words 'whole prawns'...not prawn shells, ok).  The unmistakably taste and aroma of prawn was front and centre at first sip followed by a robust tasting broth.  It was good, there's no doubt about that...but if you prefer a clearer soup base, then this may not be for you.

The hor fun was slippery smooth and translucent alright, no complaints on that, just not as thinly sliced or silky smooth as the one I had in Ipoh which glides down my throat effortlessly.  In the end, it was certainly a very commendable bowl of kai see hor fun that not only looks good but tastes equally good as well.  Special mention must go to their use of fresh, good quality, sweet tasting sea prawns and the golden hue of prawn oil just brought out all the umami flavours.  Besides the jumbo version, you can order the classic kaisi horfun (RM10), kaisi set'isfy or big-lah (RM14.50) or just with kampung chicken (RM12.50).

Since I got the jumbo version with kampung chicken, there was no kai si (shredded chicken) in their signature Ipoh hor fun.  Instead, it came with a separate plate of kampung chicken (thigh or drumstick) on a bed of fat, crunchy, juicy Ipoh beansprouts.  My son actually reminded me to state the cut I wanted (you order via a written chit) but because the menu mentioned thigh or drumstick with extra prawn in its description, I understood it as being up to them to give us whichever cut was available (coz it didn't say "choose between thigh or drumstick").  In the end, I wrote down the choice of cut I wanted just in case (there's a story about this that you can read on Google).

While the poached chicken thigh was quite tender and flavourful, it wasn't as wat (slippery-smooth) as some I've eaten before.  The skin was also quite fatty that I had to remove them.  I did like the soy sauce underneath that was lighter in taste and I enjoyed the beansprouts tremendously.  But the accompanying ginger scallion dip wasn't as likeable (I've had better ones from chicken rice stalls, even my mom's homemade one tastes better).

Besides the ginger and scallion dip (on the chicken), you'll find some accompaniments on the table as well for you to partake as much as you like.  They had the fresh chilli dip (for their chicken rice and roasted meats), vinegared green chillies (for their wantan mee and chee cheong fun) and fresh bird's eye chillies (for anything and everything).  Unfortunately, the fresh chilli dip wasn't to my liking at all (there was this off-putting smell and taste to it).  I initially thought that the dip on the table was compromised but that wasn't the case coz when I couldn't finish the poached chicken, I asked for a takeaway rice and packed the unfinished chicken with it.  They gave me another packet of chilli sauce for the takeaway rice and I tasted the same unpleasant smell at home (so I threw it away).  Not sure what it was (the vinegar, perhaps?).  I could describe the smell but it would be too unpleasant to read.  Hopefully it was just a one-off and only happened to that one batch of chilli dip they made. >_<

My son ordered their Dry Wantan Mee with Char Siew @ RM10.50 served with 2 pcs of fried wantan and choy sum.  The char siew was luscious, tender and caramelised but the portion we got was just too fatty.  If you don't like overly fatty meat (like me), this may not be the char siew for you.  Nothing to like or dislike about the wantans, they were as they should be...crispy.

This wantan mee sauce though is a little different from the rest as it comes with minced pork and mushrooms (so it's a bit more watery).  Overall, I thought the sauce had nice flavours though my son didn't like that his noodles were cooked to death (as he puts it)...the texture was too soft for his liking as he likes it springy (personally I don't really mind softer noodles but that's just me as most prefer springy noodles).

I ordered the Curry Noodles with Char Siew @ RM11 for my husband coz he likes curry mee + I also wanted a taste.  The other options would be with kampung chicken or both.  We switched to wantan mee at an additional cost of RM0.50 coz we would change to this type of noodle if it's offered...but I've to say we've never been charged for such a change elsewhere! >.<  The curry noodles was served with char siew (the same fatty type you get in the wantan mee), pork rind, beancurd puffs, long beans, mint leaves and lime...basically the usual ingredients except without cockles and no sambal on the side.

The curry broth looked enticing alright but one sip and we knew instantly that we didn't like it as the balance of flavours was not right.  It was watery and though it didn't taste predominantly of curry powder and spices like Ipoh's version, it was also lacking that creamy taste of santan that's apparent in good KL curry mee.  Now, there's a debate on the style of curry dished out here and the owner is adamant that his is not Ipoh-style (yes, it's certainly not Ipoh-style lest I be chided to think that it is).  That's why he listed it as the chef's curry (he further explained).  So, Ipoh style it's not.....but it's also not the many delicious KL style I've had either....it's the chef's style that didn't get our seal of approval.

A final dish for sharing that I just had to try was their touted original Ipoh silky chee cheong fun that you can have with either fried onion oil and premium soy sauce, Ipoh (reddish) sweet sauce, curry sauce or mushroom sauce.  Or you can have it with a combination of sauces, their "Wen Lou" Chee Cheong Fun @ RM8 which comes with Ipoh's signature sweet sauce and chilli sauce (also from Ipoh according to the menu) or mushroom sauce that have bits of minced pork and mushrooms.

I welcomed the sight of freshly fried shallots and loads of fried sesame seeds.  The abundant sesame seeds gave it that crunchy dimension and added a lovely fragrance to the chee cheong fun.  The mushroom sauce I wasn't a fan, prefer it with a mixture of the reddish sweet sauce and chilli sauce.  Fried onion oil with premium soy sauce sounds like a combination I'd like too.

I tried their original brew of Chang Jiang White Coffee (Cold) @ RM4.50.....and nope, I still don't like this brand of white coffee.  You must be wondering why I ordered it in the first place....well, I didn't notice the words Chang Jiang. >_<

#A Long-Winded Story

Have you been eager to get to the end of this blogpost quickly to read some "juicy" stories?  Well, it's story telling time indeed....not a story I tell...but a story the owner tells himself.  So, I'm not hanging him out to dry since he kinda shot himself in the foot anyway.  Go to his restaurant's Facebook and Google ratings (click on "lowest ratings") and read it for yourself (and you'll understand what I'm getting at).

This guy obviously cannot accept anything negative being said about his food.  Some of his replies (to customers) are real shockers and downright rude.  You won't believe your eyes when you read his jaw-dropping replies but saying things like - 1) I'll refund your money x 2 or 2) Please be gone or 3) I don't want to serve people like you (and there are more)....I feel is just too much.  I'm not saying the customer is always right but if you're in the food business, you have to be able take what's thrown at you...and not go on the offensive.  Everyone's entitled to their opinion...even if you don't agree with it.

And don't even try to question the cooking of his food.  Someone once said his poached chicken was overcooked, he said it's not, the chicken was just a bit large that day, so the meat was not as tender.  He didn't need to react like that...just "take the critique on the chin" and say something gracious like "I'll try to do better next time".  Be careful not to say his curry isn't like Ipoh-style coz he'll pounce on you to say it's not supposed to be, that's why he clearly listed it as chef's style.

Not only that but he also tries to "educate" you about food (which comes off as him telling you he knows more about food than you).  Someone once said he put over roasted peanuts in the rojak, he said (it's clearly mentioned in his menu) that it's Sungai Siput style rojak which have roasted peanuts in the sauce (but that person was not questioning the peanuts in his rojak but what he meant was that the peanuts were over roasted as in burnt-lah!).  When an Ipoh mali guy commented that his kai see hor fun isn't quite like the ones from Ipoh, the owner reaffirms that he is born and bred in Ipoh and even suggests that the guy hasn't been back to Ipoh for a long time and asks him to reacquaint himself and try more Ipoh food! :O

When someone said there was nothing extraordinary about his kai see hor fun (kshf), he says he's an ordinary chef that knows how to cook a decent hor fun but not an extraordinary one.  He even counter-reacted to say his place is one of the most spacious dining area in Chow Yang area when a customer commented that she didn't particularly liked the place coz it's a bit small (he's defensive even when the comment is not about his food!).

And if you leave a one star rating without elaborating on the reasons why, he'll tell you rating in that manner is totally meaningless or that there must be some mistake as his food so far have gotten average to above average ratings.  I've never seen business owners reacting to negative reviews and ratings like that before. O_o

If you read his restaurant's Facebook posting, he comes off as arrogant and boastful to people who don't know him (like me, for instance).  Perhaps, he's not like that in person to the circle of people who knows him (I wouldn't know).  And he even boasts about how many bowls of kshf he sold in 7 hours...800+!  Maybe he posted it as a motivation for his hard work but it may come off as arrogant to others.  He may want to rethink about bragging how many bowls he sells a day, lest the Income Tax Department descends upon him...lol!  He even showcased his local hotel staycation (with his wife) while bragging mentioning that it cost him 600 bowls of kshf for a night's stay or his decadent "atas" meals of Tomahawk, wagyu steak and wine with his wife (sounds a bit show offy to me).  Don't you think such posts are more appropriate for his personal Facebook?  He should keep his business Facebook professional (and separate from his personal Facebook).  I'm only a customer, I'm not interested to read about your personal "exploits".

Of course, he has his group of supporters (online) too...his personal friends and family, regular customers or those who started off as customers and ended up as friends but, after a while, you'd realise the same names keep popping up.

He needs to treat his customers the way he wants to be treated himself...with respect (no-one wants to be shamed or belittled).  Stay humble and grounded.  Take constructive criticisms like a professional.  P/S: If he stumbles upon this blogpost of mine, I wonder if he'll come to my blog and say what he said to many of his customers who were negative about his food - we'll see, won't we?  He'll say he's trying to make a living...and I'm not trying to "kill" his business or his livelihood, he did this himself already by what he wrote on his social media platforms for all to see.  If anything, he's the "architect of his own downfall".

He's defensive about almost everything that have been said about his food - the taste of his food, the way he cooks his food, the way we interpret his food, the authenticity of his food...even down to the spaciousness of his place.  I'd like to end with a little story of my own.  I was at this chicken rice stall and ordered poached chicken rice. When the owner cut open the chicken, I saw that it was oozing a bit of blood and told him that it looks a bit too bloody for me.  The owner straightaway said, "I dip your chicken thigh into the hot soup to cook it a little bit more for you, can?.  And then he took it out, showed it to me and asked me if that's alright"  He didn't become defensive to say that's how a poached chicken is supposed to be cooked or people like it a little red like that or that's how to ensure the chicken stays tender and smooth or anything to that effect.

Hopefully, he (as in the owner of Ipoh Ipoh Kafe) reads this and learns to be always hospitable and gracious in the food business and polite in his replies.  If he needs some examples, here are some I picked up from other restaurants' Facebook...."We truly appreciate any feedbacks good and bad as we endeavour to constantly be better" or "We noted your feedback on other matters and we thank you for them.  We're always open to suggestions for improvements".  So there.  P/S: Sorry for making you read through such a long-winded story...I just couldn't stand it reading his rude replies and thought someone should stand-up to him for his rudeness.

My Personal Opinion

In the end, I'll still be objective with my review of his food and give credit where credit is due...and that his kai see hor fun is indeed good...oops, let me rephrase that - decent but not extraordinary (in the words of the owner himself).  Unfortunately, the rest like the curry mee (too watery and lacking that creamy santan taste), the poached chicken (not wat enough), the chilli dip and ginger paste (didn't hit the mark), the wantan mee (too soft), the char siew (too fat unlike the char siew by Sean & Angie's TNR that's also fatty but delicious), the chee cheong fun (this one acceptable-lah) and Chang Jiang white coffee (not my favourite)...all didn't impress, I'm afraid.

This will be my first...and last try of their kai see hor fun.....since my family is adamant about not supporting someone who treats their customers that way.  If they had known, they wouldn't even want to step foot in there (you see, I kept it from them before the visit).  My husband's motto on food has always been "even how good it is, I won't die if I don't eat it".

Now that I have tried his kai see hor fun (that's true to heritage taste in his words), it doesn't trump the one in Ipoh (at Moon De Moon) or my favourite one in KL (at Guang Ji Ho Fun).  These two are really good...and at Guang Ji Ho Fun, you can get wat and tasty poached chicken too.  At the end of the day, it's not in our nature to support someone who does not value their customers (but that's just us).  If it's not in your nature to be humble, don't be in the food business...that's all I have to say! ;P

Ipoh Ipoh Kafe

26 Jalan SS2/10

47300 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Tel: 017-873 6733