The Infamous 45 Minutes Buntong Fried Noodles @ Taste Good Restaurant, Greentown, Ipoh
February 1, 2011 | 5,319 views
The (in)famous one-of-a-kind Buntong’s Cantonese style Wat Tan Hor from Sun Seng Fatt; notorious for the 45 minutes ++ waiting time back then!!!! (RM8.50/USD2.80 per portion with pork and shrimps)
Remember this post on good pan mee in Ipoh? Yeah, Sun Seng Fatt on Leong Sin Nam Road is not only famous for the relatively new pan mee stall; but come night time; after 9pm until late night, you’ll be treated to an unbelievably tiresome waiting period for a serving of Buntong famous Wat Tan Hor.
So much so that we have heard of people waiting for more than 2 hours (!!) for their food, and some even ordered the moment the uncle set foot upon his stall, and returned an hour or so later after shopping at Ipoh Parade.
Talk about patience, and the lengths one would go for GOOD food in Ipoh. Or are we that obsessed with our hawker fares that we don’t mind the time spent idling around and watching helplessly at how they perform their nightly routine in slow-mo (almost)?!
Creme Brulee (RM6/USD2) - Yes, a remixed version of the classic dessert; this one using caramel egg custard (like the ones from Thean Chun/Hall of Mirrors in old town), with a layer of burnt sugar on top. And of course, to justify the almost triple in pricing; a strawberry sliced into quarters for aesthetic purposes.
But if you’re thinking all is lost …. since your patience runs thin (like yours truly here), and waiting for food for any period longer than 15 minutes will render you incapable of rational thoughts and making a fuss at the scene is your norm, then you’re in luck.
More or less. Read about where this legendary stall has moved to …. and how we got our Wat Tan Hor in record time – mere minutes !!!
“Por Lor Bao”; or Polo Bun was so named because of its resemblance to a pineapple (the criss-cross pattern above formed from the caramelized glaze). At Taste Good however; the Polo Buns are pushovers. A cube of butter in each; the set of two buns came looking lacklustre; and deservedly so. (RM4.50/USD1.50 per set of two)
The ironic thing was that; we were NOT aware that this cafe-cum-kopitiam like establishment houses the famous fried noodles cook(s) within. I have only heard of their supposedly delicious steamed egg custard, only to be surprised by the classic creme caramel with a layer of caramelized sugar on top. A tad too sweet, since the egg was served with ample amount of caramel syrup beneath, plus the layer of sugar laced on the surface. Oh, it’s a makeover of half-hearted success; named Creme Brulee (posh huh?). But the egg custard was not bad, brought to mind the good old ones from Mun Thin back then – ironically a short distance away.
Mango Sago Paste (RM8.50/USD2.80) does NOT come cheap; rivalling even the ones from KL and beyond. Thick puree of mango with luscious cubes of mangoes within. And ample sago beads to make things interesting, but yet a little bland overall.
Taste Good serves a myriad of savoury dishes; all individualized portions from fried noodles and rice under the Buntong Fried Noodles category; to vegetarian fares and light bites like thick toasts, desserts, fries and nuggets.
Can’t remember if they serve Western fares, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they do. Since the concept mimics a kopitiam more than a ‘dai chow’ restaurant now.
And as for the notoriously renowned (just ask any Ipohan, and you’ll know why) Wat Tan Hor, at RM8.50 per portion (with pork and shrimps), the price did come across as a little steep. Yes, the wait was more than bearable, since it took them all of 5-10 minutes only to whip up the noodles! As compared to an hour or two.
But bear in mind that the Wat Tan Hor here is NOT the same version elsewhere, usually in a lighter hue of brown, and streaks of eggs whipped and fried to perfection. You can’t even see the eggs in the darker-toned, sweetish and starchy gravy coating the flat rice noodles. But the ‘wok hei’ (breath of the wok, or the smoky flavour imparted to the noodles) was present, no doubt. Yet we did not jump in unison and waxed lyrical about this.
Old Bean Strawberry Milk Tea (RM3.90/USD1.30) – Old Bean’s the brand of their beverages; a little awkward when you think about it … as opposed to NEW bean? But the lightly fruity-tinged milk tea was satisfying enough for me.
Had we known that Taste Good IS the new Buntong Fried Noodles specialist, we would have gone all out and ordered away to sample the other noodle dishes. They have fried yellow mee, vermicelli noodles (bee hoon, supposedly another one of their signatures), etc.
I foresee this place going far, since people from all walks of life would be enjoying their favourite fried noodles in the comfort of air-conditioning, Wifi-ready setting, and paired with various beverages and desserts for the young ones. Especially come CNY, when business SHOULD be booming.
After all, one can only have so many cups of white coffee from Old Town, and Milo Dinosaur from Pappa Rich, before getting ‘jelak’ of such fares.
Taste Good Restaurant @ Greentown of Ipoh.
Taste Good Restaurant (non-halal)
23 & 23A, Jalan Dato Seri Ahmad Said,
Greentown, 30450 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 605-253 2211
Location : Opposite of Tower Regency Hotel, and same row with Pakeeza Indian Cuisine Restaurant. A few doors away from Good Times Steamboat.
Not sure of the business hours; but you can call them up to ask about their operating hours during the CNY season.
I should stay away from you, you are bad for my health, but I can’t, so I won’t, not for now anyway…
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 1st, 2011 at 10:12 pm
Don’t. Reading my posts are like self-restraint in practice.
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RM6 for a creme brulee + strawberry ( almost rm 5 for a small strawberry !) is a bit expensive if compare with ?? !
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Thanks, I had written them off as another pseudo asian, western fusion FAD. Now must try.
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 1st, 2011 at 10:05 pm
Yeah, me too. I passed by once and thought this was another kopitiam-cafe-bistro place.
Only to see the menu with BUNTONG fried noodles emblazoned on it, then getting to know that Sun Seng Fatt’s noodles stall has moved there.
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Really miss the wat tan hor, so tempting.. The Mango Sago Paste and Creme Brulee look real good, I’m so into the desserts
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oooh, there’s a restaurant called ‘taste good’ in puchong too. but it’s definitely not related to this one, since it’s more of a dai chow place. and they don’t have creme brulee (looks interesting)
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:14 am
Haha… definitely not. Wait, can they even share names?! But this one is spelled as Tastegood. I think it’s one syllabus.
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ok super hungry nowww…
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No more waiting? The noodles taste better after waiting 45 minutes.
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:14 am
Haha…. yeah, maybe that’s what happening now; the quality has dwindled somewhat. Maybe no more waiting?
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Glad the waiting time has reduced significantly… but it’s good enough to deserve 45 minutes, I guess a good book can while away those minutes easily….
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:10 am
Yeah, that’s also an option some chose back then. But I doubt the shop was meant for reading! Haha ….
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Wishing you Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year !
And wondering where did your take your reunion dinner , at home or dine out ?
The word that didn’t appear in my previous comment was actually typing in Chinese ,” Thean Chun”…….Forget that your page won’t show up Chinese words.
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Food is expensive for Ipoh folks….since it serve local fried noodles for price > RM8.00. I’m not going there for 2nd time though my office nearby. So is many friends & colleague. They can priced that in KL or JB. This is Ipoh. Anyway ..crowd dwindle during lunch. Only crowded probably festive season..after that is matter of days..
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 7th, 2011 at 10:26 pm
HuLK!!!! you’re still reading my blog! Hahhaa … been ages since I have heard from you.
Yeah, but when compared to a bowl of Ipoh kai see hor fun for RM6-7 at Old Town, this one ain’t so bad … no?
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We went there on 3rd day of CNY dinnertime. The place was packed. There’s clearly not enough waiters around. We sat down waited for 10 minutes, no one came to give us menus and order chit. I had to walk up to the counter, take the menu myself. The waiter was right next to me at the counter pretended I was invisible.
The drinks alone took 30 mins. The food, another 20 mins. C’mon, this is not Buntong or Sun Seng Fatt already where ppl is willing to put up with their 2-hour-wait gimmick. I look around and it’s clear I’m not the only one who is frustrated and annoyed. I can imagine non-locals, who aren’t aware of this so-called infamous Buntong noodles trait, will curse having to wait more than 45 mins for a plate of fried noodles or rice.
I did not read your post in much detail to notice its RM8.50 for wat tan hor. And it’s all uphill from there. The prices for these common hawker fare is daylight robbery but if it tastes damn good, then maybe it’s justified.
I dig into my plate of wat tan hor which took 50 mins to prepare and I can only think of one word – salty! ‘Wok hei’ may be there, I’m not sure. Why? Because all I can taste is how overwhelmingly salty that wat tan hor was.
My wife’s fish fillet rice, RM14.50, nothing to shout about. Plain fried hor fun, fried rice … downright unimpressive. Not worth the money at all.
Tastegood? Good riddance. As soon I footed the bill, I told myself I’ll leave the worst comment/feedback I could think of. But I doubt Motormouth would approve it. Hell the censorship board wouldn’t let it through as well.
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 7th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
Yeah … I can imagine that. Furthermore, for RM8.50 you’re NOT getting what you pay for. Except maybe for the pleasant environment.
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Janice Reply:
March 22nd, 2011 at 9:36 am
I totally agreed with what Stanley said. Service was bad (and they charged 10% service tax) and prices are steep for Ipoh standard. Food is just so-so. I asked a few people who have been there and they all agreed never to return again ! I foresee this place will not go far.
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I with my family went there on the 3rd day of CNY as well where we ordered the Wat Tan Hor and Fried Hor Fun where it is not tasted as the infamous Buntong Fried Noodle where the taste of this one is far far away from the Jalan Leong SIn Nam. If Compare to the original Buntong Fried Noodle as rated the best (No. 1), this will be rated No.10.
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 7th, 2011 at 10:24 pm
Hmm, maybe they have hired new cooks? But just for your info, the one at Leong Sin Nam has closed down, and moved to Tastegood. So should be one of the same.
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Saw this place on 3rd day of CNY… and I guess that place is not called Greentown lar… practically grown up there
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 7th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
Yeah,… supposed to be called Greenhill, BUT the address printed on their receipt stated as such. And I have always considered the Green’s to be one of the same place anyway.
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went there on the 3rd day of CNY too with my ex-schoolmates for reunion ………. my rating are environment not bad; food so-so, service pretty bad – waited for 30mins-no one come with the menu, then gotta delivered on my own to the waiter on our order-the worst part is some food and drink finished eaten yet some still gotta wait for their food-difference of another 30mins. Furthermore the food is quite pricey (my opinion). Guess no second time ………….
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 7th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
Service so poor? Maybe because of the crowd? We went on a late afternoon, when the place was half empty.
Anyway, they are notorious for taking their own sweet time frying their noodles …. hence, the ardent fans would be able to relate to your predicament.
Me? Thankfully our noodles arrived within minutes.
I don’t have the patience NOR the eagerness to wait.
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The food is so-so only and very expensive. The fried rice is very bland and the so called famous buntong mee taste kinda salty. Will not go back there again ever!
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 7th, 2011 at 10:03 pm
I don’t disagree with you though. I haven’t been back or plan to go back in the near future.
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Tis WTH so so bloody expensive now….wait close shop la….cook the WTH also not the ori chef which always stand there goreng long long one. Now taste too salty…..and too expensive !!! 3 person eat noodles can come up bill RM85 !!! Really crazy…..the actual owner of tos shop is China businessman…he bought all the recipe with big sum of money pay to that chef……
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J2Kfm Reply:
June 22nd, 2011 at 9:10 am
Oh they have changed owner then? Never knew this. But yeah … if this was the famous Buntong Wat Tan Hor, then I am not taken by it.
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this shop is going to be closed shop!!! yes, it’s still the famous Buntong 45 mins WTH….but he is not the chef…..and it’s bloody expensive for one plate of WTH…..some more it’s not tasty at all……..i’ll never go to this place anymore…..gunung rapat charcoal fried mee is the best so far in ipoh!!!
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[...] you even need any more hints?), restaurants to the bistros, commercialized hawker stalls (imagine one notoriously famous 45 minutes Buntong Wat Tan Hor suddenly going upmarket and …. lost the charm) and whatever [...]
the name of his shop used to be buntong fried me
we called it pork mee or 45 min mee.
when he took pork out of the mee……..
it taste like shit
i am a 12 years customer of his .
nowadays i dun go there. i hope he goes to basic buntong mee
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 21st, 2012 at 5:58 pm
Yeah, I have not tried the original version back when they were at Leong Sin Nam Street, but this was actually pretty bad in itself.
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Was there last weekend and the wat tan hor was really disappointing. No wok hei and salty. Other stall can offer better taste wat tan hor at much cheaper price:(.
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 27th, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Yes, sad to say. This did not go down well with us too. But do try Tuck Kee (if you haven’t) and see if that is better like we thought so.
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