Ipoh Street Snacks – Funny Mountain Tau Fu Fah, Happy Fried Dough & Tong Sui Kai Desserts
December 21, 2009 | 1,792 views| 51 Comments »A most saliva-inducing, gastronomic trail awaits you …. DON’T say I did not warn you …….
After the amassed listing of Ipoh Street Foods not long ago, I’ve decided to write about a few eateries in one single post, rather than separating them into several shorter blogposts. No particular reason for this, but I’d rather have you tormented enjoying a much longer rambling extravaganza from J2Kfm, than having you begging for more at the end of the post.
I can be such a nuisance, can’t I? It’s all in the spirit of giving, nonetheless. So here goes nothing …..
Mention Tau Fu Fah, also known as Soybean Curd, or Soy Custard, and almost instantaneously the image of white-as-snow, silky smooth curds made from soybean emerge in one’s mind. And if you’re wondering where to get the BEST Tau Fu Fah in Ipoh, Funny Mountain’s the place to go, hands down.
WHAT Mountain you ask?! FUNNY Mountain. That famous soybean stall, almost renowned throughout the land of Malaysia, which may be the first Tau Fu Fah and Soybean stall that provides excellent Drive-Thru service. Yeah, you can literally enjoy your bowl of Tau Fu Fah in the comfort of your roaring engine, and risk perforating that ozone layer with another hole or two.
All in the name of wacky, good fun. Nah …. but really, the thought of slurping (yes, no chewing required!) on those smooth, almost melt-in-mouth Tau Fu Fah, served commonly with a drizzle of sugar syrup with a faint hint of ginger, all the while in the comfort of your air-conditioned vehicle – Priceless. Plus, you do not have to search for an empty parking lot in the rather congested area, or risk getting a ticket for parking haphazardly or for not scratching a parking coupon.
The stall opens daily from 10.30am onwards, until whatever supplies they have on that day is finished. Yes, it’s a rather arbitrary signage on the wall, but truth be told, it holds true on most occasions. On peak periods, such as weekends and public holidays, you can expect to be sorely disappointed if you arrive after 2-3pm, for the Tau Fu Fah may probably be finished by then. So it’s best to come as early as possible, and relish in a bowl or two of the Tau Fu Fah (you can have them as it is, or with soybean milk, or even with cincau/grass jelly). And if you feel like it, help yourself to the take-away containers of those sweet, slithering down one’s throat wonder. Or a bottle or two of their equally satisfying soybean drink, which is creamy, milky and wholesome in itself.
Prices : Tau Fu Fah (Soybean Curd) @ RM0.80 / USD0.20 per bowl, Soybean drink and Grass Jelly drink @ RM0.80 per glass.
Location : Funny Mountain Soybean & Traditional Tau Fu Fah
49, Jalan Theatre,
30300 Ipoh, Perak.
Tel No : 016 595 0369, 05 546 9968, 012 516 1607 (information from THIS site)
Directions : This stall is located a street away from the old Foh San and within the vicinity of the famous salted chicken from Aun Kheng Lim, the unbelievably popular Kaya Puff from Sin Eng Heong, and the over-rated Lou Wong and Onn Kee Tauge Ayam.
Here’s a GOOGLE MAP TO FUNNY MOUNTAIN for easy reference.
While we’re still on the subject of snacking around in good old Ipoh, kindly allow me to introduce my personal favourite stall that sells amazingly sumptuous, yet greasily-intimidating Chinese style of fried dough, made up of an amazing array of snacks such as fried bread sticks or youtiao/yau char kwai, batter-fried sweet potatoes, yams, and the perpetual favourite of ours – The Fried Nin Gou, or New Year Cakes.
This stall was previously situated at Hong Kong Restaurant at the other end of this row of shop in Canning Garden, for a good many years. Recently moved to this new spot at New Hollywood Restaurant, a coffee shop that caters to all races (pork-free) and opens for breakfast-late lunch.
All of her ‘creations’ (she refused to supply me with her name, though grinning all the way, proclaiming “Call me HAPPY lah!!”) are priced at RM0.60 / USD0.17 each. Her charming demeanour plus the freshly fried dough is clearly a winning combination, for the snacks at her stall (aptly named Happy) sell off on most days.
The Nin Gou is a sticky and sweet rice cakes made from glutinous rice, and commonly eaten during the Chinese New Year, for its symbolic blessing for a “Higher Year Ahead”. Sandwiching the sticky block of sweet delight with a piece of sweet potato, and a slice of yam each, then dipped into the batter and deep-fried to crispy perfection, these snacks make GREAT tea-time accompaniments.
Location :
Happy Fried Dough @ New Hollywood Restaurant
38, Jalan Lee Kwee Foh,
Canning Garden,
31400 Ipoh, Perak.
Telephone : 6012-510 9971.
Opens daily from 10am until 4pm. Closed on Mondays.
Here’s a GOOGLE MAP TO HAPPY FRIED DOUGH @ NEW HOLLYWOOD RESTAURANT, CANNING GARDEN, IPOH
(The famous Canning Garden Chee Cheong Fun is situated at the row of shops behind New Hollywood Restaurant)
Come the later hours of the day, what if you’re craving for something sweet (and savoury to some extent)? No worries, the ever present, ever crowded Tong Sui Kai (Dessert Street) is conveniently opened for business, catering to the late night crowd, or hungry souls wandering after a perfect night out.
Recently went for a satisfying bowl of Mixed Fruit Ice (Jap Gor Ping) with Jason at Tong Sui Kai, I rediscovered youth (so to speak), with memories from the yesteryear’s flooding over me. It has been a good EIGHT years since I’ve paid this famous dessert stall a visit. Yes, and I’m an inhabitant of Ipoh. So what gives?
Since the opening of various cafes, bistros, and kopitiams, outings with friends were never the same again. Sacrificing varieties and taste for comfort, we found ourselves time and again falling for the same tricks (or bane of good food), patronizing those franchised outlets that promise free Wifi, air-conditioning, and mediocre food at inflated prices. And in return, forsaken the simpler, pedestrian level of stalls that have been gracing the amazing Ipoh Street Food scene since day one.
Well, MY day one on this planet of course, not necessarily yours. I’m an 80’s baby, so there. Yeah, I’m Jurassic, but damn proud of it …….. Bite me? 
Tong Sui Kai has been there for as long as I remembered, a row of stalls that come to life come the darker hours of the day. Supper’s never a chore in Ipoh, with outlets like this around.
Stall No 21 @ Tong Sui Kai (Dessert Street)
Jalan Sultan Ekram,
Ipoh, Perak.
(Next to Sam Tet High School), off Jalan Sultan Idris Shah.
Here’s a GOOGLE MAP TO TONG SUI KAI of IPOH
So where’s YOUR favourite hangout spot for GOOD old, Ipoh Street Snack?
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Ipoh Street Snacks – Funny Mountain Soybean & Tau Fu Fah, Tong Sui Kai, & Happy Fried Dough | Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog…
Snacking around town in Ipoh, and round the clock. Ipoh is indeed, a food heaven….
all look yummy!! maybe i can try try
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Right, right, right!! all these 3 places are authentic places.. the famous chee cheong fun canning garden, have u snap his picture before? hehehe… he is a bit “G” like the one in snow white..
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Not front shot of his mug, but from the back loh.
Since he IS indeed a little on the grumpy side.
You can read about that in this post : http://www.j2kfm.com/ipoh-famous-canning-garden-chee-cheong-fun/
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The you tiao looks awesomely nice.
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Missed Ms Happy…Wanted to pay her a visit after a lapse of nearly six months…Used to be her regulars…Loved her yau char kwai with curry chicken…cooked just the way I loved it…AND she was closed today…!
Loved her variety of tong sui too. Where? At moon river, kinta river front. Open at night. but not tonight…sigh!
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:49 pm
She closes on MONDAYS, remember that.
Oh, last time she mentioned bout moving her stall to somewhere one, a shop.
But then miraculously opened back at this shop, instead of the other end.
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wah…. all the foods are attempting. Will try out the tau fu fah in my next trip. lol
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Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas to you.
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Thanks, same to you there!
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Wow! I definitely must visit Ipoh someday!!!
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i love that soft silky white tau fu fah!!! super silky. we tried the tong sui at tong sui kai too. nice one and colourful ^^
happy xmas!
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Yeahloh, saw your amazing RUN with Christine/Chris and KgBoy/CityGal.
I missed all that gluttony ….
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i know the happy fried dough lady. her son is from SMI eh!
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Yes ah?!! Now still studying there or graduated already?
Should’ve told her I’m from there too. Hahahaha … 10 cents discount for the students from the same Alma mater?!
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yikyang Reply:
December 25th, 2009 at 3:03 am
no longer lor.. same age as me.. 1988 batch.. HAHA.. 10 cents!? you should charge them back for the mass audience you’re reaching here!!
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 25th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
1988?! Hmm .. . lemme see … wait, we may be of the same age then !!! Hehehehe, though I was not originally from SMI.
Mass audience? Nah, she already had a legion of fans of her own.
Funny Mountain and Happy Fried Dough? *lol* What cute names!
(Wah – that is pretty frighteningly bright purple though!)
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Purple sans the colouring agents, so no worries. All natural.
Cute names eh? I tell you, Ipoh people are liddat one ……
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there is no doubt that these street food are great tasting.
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i want the tau fu fah!!! we tested their drive through service the last time i was there yonks ago. efficient! and best of all no need to get out of the car into the hot hot sun. muahaha.
merry christmas!!
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Merry Xmas to you too!
Not bad eh, eat in one’s car, no need to think about searching desperately for parking.
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yea, i love funny mountain too!
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omg, some of my fave food! love love taufufah, youtiao blabla!
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the black oil looks so scary eh….. =.=”
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Erm, the wok was black. The oil not really that scary lah … seriously.
Of course, not using extra virgin olive oil or yadda yadda …. but still, not recycled many times.
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I love all the street food! Especially tou foo fah and you tiao… ahh.. But I haven’t yet tried the one in Funny Mountain. I was JUST talking about it with a colleague today who mentioned the exact same thing about the drive thru experience! LOL
.-= iamthewitch´s last blog ..Princely Wedding Fair 2010 =-.
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ah the tau foo fah stall, i always order the ba-cham-ba (white on white – soya beancurd mixed with soya milk) and hak-cham-ba (black on white – grassjelly mixed with soya milk)
another great compilation of Ipoh food here !
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:55 pm
I usually have the usual Tau Fu Fah, for I like the simple syrup against the smooth, velvety curd.
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One bowl of tau fu fah is never enough for me. I always take two! Do you know what time that tong sui stall closes? I went there around 8pm, and the stall was closed. T__T
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Eh?! Can’t be. It was still opened when we went around 10-11pm.
And last time, we went after midnight even!
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u’ve upgraded ur blog…congrat!
ur big photo of tau fu fah attracts my little gal’s eyes…..but i find this shop’s tau fu fah a bit too sweet wor..
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The fried dough…the purple one is yam right? :p My…how come you make me feel your daily job is eating profesionally? :p
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Gee… all these street food remind me of not visiting Ipoh for a long long time already. I used to visit Hollywood whenever am down in Ipoh. The only HALAL coffee shop in town. Will get to see lots of Muslim friends eating there. Reason is because of the soldier camp is just near by!
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haiyah all in Ipoh! damn, wish got good stuff like this in KL.
iu char koay! see also feel it already.
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The tau fu fah is a must have whenever I am in Ipoh. No other place does it so smooth.
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the nin gou looks good. the batter is different from the ones in kl…i think there’s egg in it. woah, perfect for a rainy day.
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tau fu fah in the car, so that store is contributing to global warming eh? lol!
i really have not seen yam that purple before!
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darn…that KL-ipoh express train proj better be on time. To wait til APR ‘10 is long enough!
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The next time i go to Ipoh, you have to take me out to eat all the good foods there.
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hey~ hey~… I’m going Sungkai from KL for 2days trip..
Any good suggestion for eat & hang around during my trip?
^^
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 25th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Sorry for the late reply Kerwin.
Do read my post on Choy Kee, Sungkai for the locals’ favourite Braised Pork Knuckle.
http://www.j2kfm.com/choy-kee-restaurants-famous-pork-knuckle-sungkai-perak/
Bidor – Pun Chun famous duck noodles/yam puff/wantan mee/confectioneries.
http://www.j2kfm.com/pun-chun-duck-noodles-bidor-perak/
And Slim River’s Fook Seng – Claypot Ikan Tapah, and Bullfrogs.
http://www.j2kfm.com/slim-river-fook-seng-claypot-fish/
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I love the Jap Gor Ping1 Last time when I used to study at KL, every time I went back hometown, I am gonna stop by this stall to have a bowl of jap gor bing.
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hey you! thx for inspiring me to keep blogging a better blog. im a big fan of yours ler. Merry Christmas and happy new year babes..see you in 2010!! muaks!
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 25th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Wah, LONG LONG holidays ah?!!! Inspiring you?! Eh… come on, shouldn’t it be vice versa?!
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heard about Gunung Kelakar punya taufu fah for a very long time… like a legend among Ipoh folks
wai sek kai.. is it still there? last time I heard, the council is relocating them to other place (I don’t know how true is this)…
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 25th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Yeah, legend indeed. But truth is, there ARE detractors out there, for tau fu fah stalls in Ipoh are aplenty.
It’s still there, the Tong Sui Kai, as known to us.
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Merry X’mas & Happy New Year!!!!!!!
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Those two stacked up pink bowls say it all: Yum yum yum! Slurpsss!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your readers!
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 25th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Merry X’mas Kenny! Just went there again this afternoon, and the crowd was AMAZING.
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Have you tried the Tau Fu Fah opposite Pasir Pinji Market – in front of the claypot rice stall at night? There’s an uncle who cycles his cart there every night except for fridays and weekends. I like the texture and the ginger syrup that they add in it.
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