Jack Fah Nyonya Kuih, Tong Sui & Lok-Lok @ Anderson Road, Ipoh
May 30, 2012 | 11,069 viewsDisclaimer (Sept 2012) – Apparently, Restoran Jack Fah belongs to the owner who runs the Teochew porridge stall next door, and this Nyonya kueh + lok-lok stall should not be in any way, affiliated with Jack Fah. Hence, short of renaming this post, take note that this stall in Restoran Jack Fah does NOT belong to the owner of the restaurant. Hope this clears things up.
Just look at the well-preserved facade. And no, this was NOT taken by my late grandfather … in case you’re curious to know. The shot was snapped two nights ago, albeit treated with a layer of old school filter.
It’s scary sometimes, whenever I return for an eating spree in Ipoh and noticed that one by one; the newer cafes/bistros/restaurants had closed down. And more so when the thought of having to update the relevant post(s) with the appropriate tag;
“Closed”. “Relocated”. “Temporary renovation”. “Long vacation” (?!).
Very charming layout of various colourful “Nyonya kuih” laid out on the pieces of banana leaves in the glass display cabinet, tempting one into a frenzy of making choices.
Though all hope’s not lost. Not with good old Ipoh; burning spirit of the hawker souls still lighting up the light at the end of the tunnel. Those true blue classics from decades ago; some over half a century’s old (!) yet still drawing hordes of people on a daily basis.
Case in hand; Jack Fah Restaurant off Anderson Road; near to the roundabout where Sri Maju Express Bus Company is and the famous Embassy’s Hor Hee stall still operates until late night.
Gingerly wrapping up the tiny diamond-shaped sweet snacks in pieces of nicely-cut newspapers layered with a thin piece of plastic sheet on top; the elderly couple was mechanical in their approach. Almost automated, save for a gentle nod every now and then.
As an Ipoh boy growing up in this picturesque town built on tin mines, I have a confession to make.
You see, in spite of the hundreds of posts on Ipoh food lingering around this blog since 2008, there ARE quite a number of good eateries that had escaped my radar. Imagine for a good portion of my life (more than two decades) spent without noticing these gems already standing on sturdy grounds for decades prior to my first cry.
This Motormouth has constantly failed in identifying the ‘kuih’ from one another. Being one staunch fan of pulut tai-tai (the sweetened glutinous rice with a faint blue tint from natural dye served with homemade egg and coconut jam; kaya) and ‘kuih bingka ubi’ (the yellow blocks made from tapioca with a browned, smoky layer of roasted sides), I could not tell my “Seri Muka” from my “Ketayap” etc.
Jack Fah This stall apparently has a long stretching legacy that could have been dated half a century ago. A small stall that opens for only 4 hours a night selling nothing but Nyonya kuih, fried economy noodles and glutinous rice with BBQ pork; this stall possesses a strong following judging from the crowd that evening.
There are two stalls at the premise next to this; one porridge stall and another lok-lok stall; those skewered ingredients dipped into a bubbling pot of hot soup; then served with various condiments of your choice. The fun factor lies in the fact that you have to stand while waiting for your food to be cooked.
How patience is the key to success? Nah … I’d be more than glad to take away a few pieces of the Kuih and be gone with the wind.
What if you favour savoury over sweets? Then go for the Nasi Pulut with pieces of barbecued pork and slices of egg omelette. The accompanying sauce was a homemade version too.
At RM0.50 per piece (about USD0.20 each), the KL-ites will be jumping for joy since Nyonya Colors serves these at double the price. But to us Ipohans, the price is a little bit steep for the generally small portions.
Mum commented that most stalls sell theirs at around RM0.40 and almost double the size of these. Really? To me, the difference is miniscule and I’d be more than glad to return unless I find better stalls out there. Come to think of it … there just aren’t many of these around in Ipoh, huh?
Oh, just so you know, Khoo Eng Chee behind of Tuck Kee and Big Tree Foot is a household name selling various Nyonya kuih by wholesale. You can walk in through the (more often than not) half-closed shutter doors and buy from them. Their “Bingka Ubi” is particularly good.
If “Lok Lok” is your thing, then by all means .. have fun. The Nyonya kuih stall is just beside this.
Not particularly hard to find this place, if you know your way around Ipoh. This is in between old town and new town; though with the recent development around Greentown, Ipoh Garden East and Station 18, you’d be hard-pressed to call this portion NEW town per se.
Tong Sui Stall & Nyonya Kueh Stall @ Restoran Jack Fah
No. 3, 5, the street between Jalan Raja Musa Aziz and Jalan Dato Tahwil Azar (Osborne Street)
Opens from 7pm-11pm. Closed on Sundays.
This road runs parallel to Jalan Masjid; unofficially named as Coffin Street of Ipoh for the many funeral homes.
GPS Coordinates : 4.592429,101.083003
The glutinuous rice is quite good… The kuih however is not my fav but will do. The afternoon porridge stall’s “ham ju yuk” aka salted deep fried pork is my must fav
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J2Kfm Reply:
June 4th, 2012 at 11:09 pm
Salted Fish or Pork Porridge?
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Dt Reply:
June 24th, 2012 at 12:29 am
It looks something like roasted pork slices but salted version…goes nicely wif porridge…a bit chewy too
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I miss the nasi pulut with dried shrimps from Pusing,eaten with chili sauce…. ahhhh… the good old days!
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J2Kfm Reply:
June 4th, 2012 at 11:06 pm
Nasi Pulut with Dried Shrimps and Chili Sauce. Hmm. Yummy, but where?!
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I never know this place.. something to try when go back to ipoh
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Ahhh… those enamel plates are so old school! Love!
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I prefer more char siew , fried egg slices and bit curry gravy…my school day breakfast. Hardly find same taste in KL.
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In the 60s the nonya kueh in my housing estate used to be sold by an old hardy Indian man carrying 2 huge 3 tiered Nonya baskets on his skinny shoulders balanced on a long pole.The kueh was heavenly in taste & is believed made by old Nonyas who I assumed are always dressed in kebaya & sarong type clothes. They were a dying breed & are no longer commonly seen today. Most of them have passed on taking their recipes along as no young people are interested to learn from them.The kueh sellers above just looked too Chinky to be a true blue Nonya & Baba.
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J2Kfm Reply:
June 4th, 2012 at 10:55 pm
Haha … Igor, they’re not Nyonya in any way. Just naming the sweet snacks as such. However, you CAN find Nyonya kueh in towns like Melaka and Penang, whereby there are descendants of the Baba/Nyonya folks still making the colourful creations the traditional way. The problem is the distance and the lure of commercialization that might have affected the mass produced items.
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I will be arriving at the Sri Maju HQ bus depot tomorrow midnight; so this Jack Fah must be closed. I will walk my way to Tune Hotels, any nice place for food ? I will not want to go Lou Wong Chicken rice.
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Hi,
Kindly inform that you had mislead the information of Jack Fah Restaurant. It is a teow chew porridge restaurant which was founded since 1970. Besides, it is also famous on fried salted pork. Kindly please change the information.
The nyonya kuih is a separate business who rented from the jack fah restaurant owner.
I hope you please change the information as soon as possible. I apologize for any misunderstanding parts that occurred in this response mail.
Thanks
Nick
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J2Kfm Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 12:04 am
Hi there, thanks for pointing this out. So the lok-lok and Nyonya kueh stall can’t be named as Jack Fah?
But the stall remains nameless though.
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Anonymous Reply:
July 7th, 2012 at 10:09 am
Hi, no cause it is no under jack fah cause jack fah is famous on teow chew porridge with deep dried salted pork which special receipe. That nyonya kuih owner is only rent the shop lot from jack fah. U can see it in the day time where the nyonya kuih does not operate in the day time.
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J2Kfm Reply:
July 7th, 2012 at 11:37 am
Thanks Anonymous. Noted.
Hi,
can you please make some changes? the tong sui is still fall under jack fah name
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 21st, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Hi Anonymous, the tong sui stall is parked within Jack Fah shop. Shall I just remove the name Jack Fah altogether then?
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You should rename the place to Jack Fah Teo Chew Porridge Restaurant because that is the actual food sold in this restaurant since 1970s. The owners of this restaurant are not happy that you have changed their food to nyonya foods!
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You should omit the Jack Fah name because the actual food sold in this restaurant since 1970s is teow Chew Porridge. The owners of this restaurant are not happy that you have changed their food to nyonya foods!
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[Reply]
[…] that has stood strong for a good 40 odd years now. Almost two years ago, I made a blunder by naming this post Jack Fah Nyonya Kuih and Lok-Lok Stall. While partially true, since both stalls are parked within […]