elizbeartravel posted: " The first item on an Ipoh food list is definitely Beansprouts chicken as its importance to Ipoh is like Hainanese chicken rice to Singapore While most might wonder if this is just another rendition of chicken rice in Ipoh, the star here is the b" Bear Travels . Bear Eats . Bear Cooks
The first item on an Ipoh food list is definitely Beansprouts chicken as its importance to Ipoh is like Hainanese chicken rice to Singapore
While most might wonder if this is just another rendition of chicken rice in Ipoh, the star here is the beansprouts. For those who hate beansprouts, the chicken is still worth trying as it is quite different from the ones found in Singapore. My go-to place in Ipoh for this dish has always been Lou Wong, although some prefer Ong Kee, which is opened directly next to Lou Wong. In fact, if you speak to locals, they will probably introduce their own favourite stall as these 2 brands are considered tourist traps
Located along the busy tourist stretch at Jalan Yau Tet Shin which is considered Ipoh's Chinatown, Lou Wong is always fully packed during peak hours and it becomes even more challenging to get a table if it is raining as half of their tables are placed outdoor beyond the awning. Sandwiched between competitors and various pastry shops, Lou Wong is clearly the more popular restaurant
As there were 4 of us, we ordered a whole chicken which was chopped up into small chunks and generously drizzled with their in-house soy sauce gravy. In comparison to the Singapore version, the chicken is more bony and less meaty but definitely more fragrant. As you bite into the meat, you can still taste the natural umami flavour of the chicken and the sauce only enhances the flavour. This is hard to find in Singapore as our chicken meat is mostly bland and depends on the sauce for flavour. The chicken skin is also less fatty and extremely flavourful to eat on its own but when combined with the tender succulent chicken meat, it is a blissful mouth of goodness
The next item is the star of the meal in my opinion which is the beansprouts. At first glance, you can tell they are fatter and shorter compared to the ones found in Singapore. This difference in size and taste is due to the clear waters in Ipoh used in farming the beansprouts. The result is extremely sweet and juicy beanprouts that do not have the grassy aftertaste of the usual sprouts. The light soy sauce also complements the natural sweetness of the beansprouts
We ordered other side dishes like steamed tofu in soy sauce, lettuce with soy and fried garlic and braised chicken feet. The tofu is very light and smooth and the soy sauce was semi-sweet and savoury giving the tofu sufficient flavours but not overpowering the original soy flavours. The vegetables were crunchy and juicy as they were lightly blanched and drizzled with soy sauce and fried garlic. I cannot give a verdict on the feet as I do not eat chicken feet but my travel group says they were pretty normal only
You can choose to order rice or hor fun soup to eat with the dishes and in Ipoh, it is common to order their hor fun as it is silky smooth and does not have the alkaline aftertaste that some of the packaged hor fun that is sold in Singapore. One highlight was the soup as it tasted like chicken feet peanut soup and not normal chicken broth. The soup was so flavourful that it added so much layer to a simple bowl of silky rice noodles. This is a must-try when you are in Ipoh
Overall, even if Lou Wong is visited by tourists only, I still think they have one of the best beansprouts chicken and I will gladly visit them again when I visit Ipoh
Address: 49, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, Taman Jubilee, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
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