Psst! Eat where the locals eat

IPOH: Curry noodles and kai si hor fun are staple food for Ipoh folk.

But instead of jostling with tourists at famous over-crowded eateries, locals get their fix at Restaurant and Café New Weng Fatt in Ipoh Garden South here.

Despite its name, the Fei Lou Curry Noodle stall – named after its burly owner Toh Kong Jen – serves not only curry noodles but also an extremely satisfying shredded chicken kuey teow as well as lam mee.

Made from stock infused with Indian spices and slow-boiled for four hours, Toh’s curry noodle dish is aromatic and flavourful and packed with a generous portion of roast pork, braised pork, shredded chicken and shrimps.

“Customers have the option of adding braised pork head skin, pork skin or cockles to their curry noodles.

“Another option is to have plain curry noodles with an accompanying bowl of ingredients, along with meatballs with a special garlic curry dipping sauce on the side,” said Toh, 63, who has been operating the stall with his wife, Chen Yoke Wah, since 1990.

Toh’s kai si hor fun meets all the prerequisites of what makes the famous Ipoh dish authentic – silky smooth flat rice noodles served with plentiful amounts of shredded chicken, shrimps and chives in a piping hot, tasty broth.

“Our kai si hor fun is actually the same as the one at Thean Chun coffee shop in Ipoh old town as the owner is my brother-in-law,” he revealed.

Regular customers would probably know that Toh used to serve his famous curry noodles at the Ipoh Swimming Club many years ago.

“My father used to work at the Ipoh Swimming Club cafe. I practically grew up there.

“From young, I’d watch the chefs work in the kitchen and eventually, I became a chef who specialised in French cuisine and operated a restaurant at the club. My specialties were roast lamb and my own curry noodles.

“When my business partner and I dissolved our partnership, I ventured out on my own by selling noodles at the Sun Heong Yean coffee shop across the road from here before moving to the present location,” he said.

Fei Lou Curry Noodle is open from 7.30am to 2.30pm daily.

The master cook: Toh preparing a plate of dry curry noodles at his stall in Ipoh Garden South.

Looks good, tastes good: Many people head to Fei Lou Curry Noodle for a satisfying meal like this.