Ipoh’s Old Town : Hor Hee @ Li Heng Fatt
March 10, 2010 | 1,199 views| 19 Comments » |
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Since I started the ball rolling with the post on Chang’s Hakka Mee with Beef in Ipoh’s old town, might as well continue the Ipoh’s Old Town series with more hidden gems. Probably not the first-line options when it comes to food hunting in old town for tourists, but still ….. these are decent outlets that deserve a mention, or if you’re ever lost on what else to eat aside from toasts and white coffee.
From only RM2.50/USD0.70 per bowl, you’ll be getting a hefty amount of noodles in soup, brimming with an array of extra ingredients ….. from fishballs to fish cakes, and fish wantan to bean sprouts.
Last I wrote about Ipoh Hor Hee was the time I devoured a bowl at See See Heng Or Ee Fun (yeah, that’s how it’s spelled on their signboard) at Restoran Embassy in town, opposite of the former Bersatu Complex, now a college.
And NO, Hor Hee is not some funky dish resembling the guffaws of a horse’s, but instead is best explained as Ipoh’s version of Penang’s Koay Teow Th’ng, albeit with no chicken, and all fish-y ingredients. I meant, stuff like balls, cakes and dumplings; all made from fish paste.
Pick your noodles, from a choice of Sar Hor Fun (Ipoh’s incomparably smooth, flat rice noodles), the yellow mee or beehoon, or even the personal favourite of mine; Tang Hoon (glass vermicelli noodles)
Many Ipohans would attest to the fact that Li Heng Fatt in old town serves one of the BEST Hor Hee in town. But previously operating ONLY during dinner hours, I was not keen on going all the way to old town AGAIN after work just for my Hor Hee fix.
Yeah, KL-ites may argue that a half hour journey does not sound daunting at all, but still ….. I’d rather not visit old town TWICE in a day, for I have my breakfast AND lunch there on most days.
The make or break ingredient for me, the Yue Wat (fish paste resembling a piece of wantan/dumpling) is almost a MUST in a good bowl of Hor Hee.
Thankfully, Li Heng Fatt moved to its own premise not long ago, and operates from 11am until 10pm everyday. Yes, so you can satiate your cravings for something soupy, wholesome and lighter than the average rice binge for lunch/brunch.
The hefty serving of glass vermicelli noodles in the most delicious soup (it was thankfully, not MSG), sets the bar rather high for imitators to emulate. And when you bite into those bouncy fish balls, toothsome fish cakes, and a piece of that special fish wantan (tasted uncannily like ham, really!!), you’ll be thanking me for this alternative to Ipoh’s BEST Kai See Hor Fun, the GOLDEN Char Koay Teow, or even the famous Gopeng Mee; all within walking distance from Li Heng Fatt.
You CAN’T miss the glaringly red banner ….The stall next to the Hor Hee stall sells economy rice (‘chap fan’) for lunch as well.
Don’t just take my words for it. Go and taste this simple yet delicious Ipoh Street Food in Ipoh’s old town. Maybe, JUST maybe, you might fall in love with “Hor Hee“, and starts your pilgrimage to seek for your favourite bowl instead.
Other places for “Hor Hee” in Ipoh : See See Heng Hor Hee, Lok Wee Koi on Jalan Raja Musa Aziz (near to Kamdar), a stall in Medan Selera Stadium (sorry, anyone can tell what number the stall is?), Kafe Fook Sing in Medan Ipoh Baru near to Jusco Kinta City, and other random places I may not be aware of.
IPOH FAMOUS HOR HEE @ RESTORAN LI HENG FATT
14, Jalan Panglima,
30000 Ipoh,
Perak, Malaysia.
Business hours : 11am until 10pm daily.
Days off not fixed.
Here’s a GOOGLE MAP updated with locations of Chang’s Hakka Mee with Beef, and Li Heng Fatt’s Hor Hee.
Ah… Ipoh still eludes me! Wanted to stop by for lunch last week but received important call that required me to shoot up to Butterworth right away… sigh!!!
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Oh my, I am definitely heading to Ipoh for this!! I love the idea that it comes with all fishy stuffs…being the fish-lover I am =)
I do need more directions to get to this place…LOL, since I have not been to Ipoh for a long time, since they constructed (or rather obstructed) the entrance to Ipoh =D
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J2Kfm Reply:
March 10th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Erm, you can exit at the Ipoh Utara toll exit, or if you’re from the south, exit at Simpang Pulai instead. Or if you miss that, exit at the Tambun exit, then proceed forth towards old town of Ipoh.
Give me a call or msg if you ever need help.
I’m there 5 days a week anyway.
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i thot hor hee sounded more like a donkey’s call! hehehe..my ipoh friend calls it ‘spaceship’ for an easy reference..i’ve only tried the on at the stadium..this one looks larger
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J2Kfm Reply:
March 10th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Donkey’s?!!! Hahaha … true also lah.
Bigger portion yes, and the soup’s almost too sweet (tasty/savoury) to be true.
But no thirsty spell afterwards, so rest assured the MSG level is not overwhelming.
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That “thingy” you called yue wat we called it yue pei wantan.
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J2Kfm Reply:
March 10th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Thanks Tham.
Fish Skin Wantan then ……
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i am eating bread and sausage for lunch now… but i want tang hoon =p
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oh they just moved into their own premises! a nice place to indulge!
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J2Kfm Reply:
March 11th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Yeah, you’re also frequent customer of the previous premise?
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i’ve never had Hor Hee before (nope, haven’t tried the ones at Old Town branches either…rather go to ipoh for the ‘real’ thing) but i’ve always been curious abt it… the fish wanton looks good enough to whet my appetite! plus i love tang hoon! so will you bring me to eat hor hee if i go to ipoh?
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I was so tempted to try it.
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i think when foreigners look at our noodles and rice dishes at the coffee shops they just laugh their heads off at how cheap it is.. that and alot of other things.. sigh, i must stop earning ring-dings man
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ya know, i’ve always enjoyed tang hoon with fishball soup and some perserved choy poh. it’s such an old skool dish! i dont see this often, these days. lucky you!!!
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[...] blog from Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia, with a strong desire to share the best of Malaysian food, and his personal [...]
good explanation on ho hee, always listen ho hee ho hee last time at Myfm
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I love fish balls and fish cakes, but maybe I am biased, I find that fish balls and fish cakes outside of Penang are not as good as the ones in Penang–always taste so fresh, bouncy, and a lot more flavorful (or fishy in a very good way). Outside of Penang, the fish balls and fish cakes are more “floury” and whiter color, not greyish (meaning more fish) like Penang’s. Know what I mean?
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Thank you for having recommended the Restoran Li Heng Fatt Hor Hee. As a resident in Ipoh for more than 50 years, I found that this is the best Hor Hee around the old town area (if not the whole of Ipoh) since my schooldays in the 60s, where street stalls were popular then.
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J2Kfm Reply:
May 12th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Hi Jimmy, indeed. I share the same opinion too. Plus, the place opens from lunch until supper now, so one can have his Hor Hee at odd hours, not only after the sun has gone down.
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