Kam Hor – Ipoh’s Nga Choy Kai/Ayam Tauge
August 16, 2009 | 562 views| 28 Comments »Since the previous post was on Nga Choy Kai/Ayam Tauge/Chicken Bean Sprouts (click HERE for some Buntong Cheap Eats), might as well dig deeper into the backlogs, and allow yours truly to write on another similar Ipoh’s specialty …..
This shop has TWO entrances on both ends; The front and back portion of the shop can seat the customers. Loads of them during dinner hours. Be prepared for the wait.
The patient, gentle and careful uncle. Just don’t expect your food to be served in a blink of an eye! And the smooth, incomparable Hor Fun.Kam Hor has been serving its loyal customers since 28 years ago. And counting. Out of towners commonly flock to Lou Wong or Onn Kee (both household names, situated directly facing each other in town) for their fix of Ipoh’s famous Nga Choy Kai. But you might have realised that I have yet to blog about them, throughout the one plus year I’ve been running this blog.
Reasons being? They’re famous enough to be discovered, stumbled upon, or referred. And I was not exactly pleased with my last visit to Lou Wong, for I find that their poached chicken is a little too raw (even to the point of oozing blood from the marrows!) to my liking.
The dry version of the Hor FunOf course, if you’re wondering, where else for good Nga Choy Kai? Or decent ones, at best. Especially if you’re not fond of the traffic at Lou Wong/Onn Kee. For one, Cowan Street’s Ayam Kuetiau serves some mean Nga Choy Kai of their own (yet to write on them, but soon … I hope), and the one from Buntong is equally famous, as well as the Fifteen Tower’s version near to the now ‘extinct’ Medan Kidd bus station (click HERE for the post).
Thankfully, it was NOT bleeding (lurve) ……Kam Hor is run by an elderly couple, probably in their 60’s (or more). Loving, accomodating, but terribly slow at times. Especially if the shop’s packed to the brim. So be warned, as your bowl of noodles may not arrive until after 45 minutes of being seated!
But we were there comparatively early (7pm), and were greeted with the welcoming sight of a few patrons digging in to their chicks, crunchy tauge and slippery smooth rice noodles.
Fat, crunchy … and healthy bean sprouts. Or at least healthier than those stir-fried, deep-fried or even curried version of greens.A meal for three came to RM22.50. Including drinks, but no sides. You can opt for the innards if you’re in favour of the slimy and sinful delights.
The poached chicken was less oily compared to Buntong’s, still tender and smooth, but generally smaller in size with more boney parts than flesh. A mere minor gripe though. And the bean sprouts was good; fresh and crunchy, with a dash of sesame oil and white pepper, and served with soy sauce.
The Hor Fun (flat rice noodles, or kuey teow) was even garnished with fried shallots. A nice touch, adding flavour to the broth (the soup version), and crunch (the dry version, or ‘Kon Lou’).
Lovey-dovey they ain’t … but prove of their lurve in the food itself?
Location : Kedai Kopi Kam Hor (Nga Choy Kai/Ayam Tauge) @ No 89, Jalan Canning Estate, 31400 Ipoh Garden, Ipoh, Perak. (Not so sure about the exact address)
Here’s a GOOGLE MAP, in case you’re lost. But this shop faces Aneka Selera aka Tung Koo Thing, and near to Woolley Food City.
Opens daily, from about 6.45pm onwards until night. May close every other Tuesday.
my mum loves this place gau choy gai more than any other place
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haf u tried the See See Heng Hor Ee Fun @ Jln Chamberlain….
i recently tried their nga choi kai, the chicken was really tender and poached to perfection…. giving a sensation of kinda like chicken that melt in your mouth and not your chopstick … .. hehehe
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hey there!
good one on this eatery! i always frequent this place, and the broth is always better than lou wong or other places. my mom used to say the broth is MSG free indeed!
and one thing different, the old uncle always run the plate of chickens through hot soup to reheat the chicken, so you're not eating cold chicken like in lou wong and cowan street!
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I love your pics, J.. i dare not go so close to snap them unless with permission.. hehee.
but their preparation is very neat and nice…
Though this shop is near my house, i seldom go there to eat, unless i m not not hungry and have all the time to spare.. yes, at least 30-45minutes..
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SimpleGirl : yup, ditto with my aunt. but sometimes very annoying wait, hence we'd rather jumped to Woolley for a quick fix.
D-Tourist : wah …. really ah? I've only tried the Hor Hee there, which is one of the best in Ipoh. but it's been some time.
wenxuan : oh, really? i was seated at the back portion of the shop (or front, depends on your perspective) hence i did not witness the preparation. but really neat.
reana : oh they were friendly, and loving couple. or maybe the crowd was not as intimidating as usual that evening?
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hahahahah they used to be my cousin's neighbour at Ipoh Garden east!, They started small and did well! Kudos to the couple!
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Sure is different from the stalls packed with tourists. The chicken looks firm. Will check it out too…thanks!
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fat crunchy beansprout and chicken looks muscled too-must try!
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BBO : oh really? wondering if they'll pass on the business to their children. if not, there goes Kam Hor …
cklam : it is. and a different target crowd from the usual Lou Wong/Onn Kee tourists.
foodbin : muscled chicks?
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I miss the fat beansprouts and silky smooth hor fun! Near Woolley? Should be able to find this place…
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2 taugeh chicken posts continuously? Force me go to eat this?
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have always passed by the stall but never enter. will make a point to try it soon.
my best taugeh ayam is still 15 storey. forget about low wong. also can forget about the one in cowan street. it used to be as good as the 15 storey as they r brothers. but now it has became very oily, saltish and expensive but the one in 15 storey maintain its taste.
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craving for chicken tauge lately?? Your previous blog also mentioned the same dish
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Bangsar Babe : yeah, pretty easy. it's facing the Medan Selera anyway.
mimid3vils : erm, or so the theme continues …
amelie : oh really? and I thought most ppl like Cowan's, compared to the others. OK, i'll make it a point to cover Cowan's, asap.
thule : yeah, just dug deep into the stash and came up with another nga choy kai post. don't worry, it ends here.
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i really dunknow ipoh garden got such nice ngar choy kai there
i always tot..
i live in the middle of city
the ngar choy kai nice is nearby my house..1 minute walk
Lou Wong
wau..hey dude..i really learnt a lot from ur blog..
i know where to bring my friends to eat
what they want to eat..just browse in you blog…hahahaha
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hungry lar, i miss ipoh ngar choi gai… da bao for me when u come to KL. wakekeke
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Yes, this place serves damn good ngar choi kai.
Like you mentioned, the wait is damn too long. So mom decided a while back, after having to wait for above an hour, that, its not worth the time wasted, no matter how good the taste, therefore, that's the last we've been there.
Unless la, you go early. Alas, early is not in our vocabulary…
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Amazing what some rice noodles and boiled chicken can do for the soul, innit?? I'm racking up Ipoh to-eat recommendations from your blog… one fine day soon, they're all going to come crashing down on me if I don't act soon!
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yeah… used to go for their hor hee only.. until recently gave their poached chicken a try… and was pleasantly surprised.
Hopefully it was not just an anomaly of the right timing, right chicken, right cooking.
Need to try out a few more times to ensure the consistencies of their chicken.
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Nic da Nic : hahaha, thanks. Yeah, this place has been around for so long now. there are others everywhere serving decent nga choy kai in Ipoh.
ai wei : hehe, i just came back from KL though.
ahlock : haha, how true. go at about 6.30-7pm. then you can savour the chickens and tauge, then hop over for more snacks and desserts at Woolley or Tung Koo Ting!
550ml jar of faith : hehehe, dont worry. at the rate of new outlets opening in Ipoh, i doubt one can get overwhelmed that easily.
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hahaha i just went there few hours ago..no fuss and not much people there, so I can enjoy the good food!
Lou wong is terribly overrated and so is onn kee.
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45-minute wait?? That's really longgg! Can only go when i'm in a patient mood, hehe!
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i like reading ur entries on Ipoh food, esp the older restaurants which bring so much memories flooding back to me
Bless the dedicated couple who are still preparing the wonderful dishes that I'm still craving for..
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wenxuan : gotta go again and again eh? tempting.
Pureglutton : erm, go earlier, and the wait is bearable.
adel : yeah, they're really patient, and down to earth.
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thanks for ur visit! I forgot if I ever left a comment here before but I definitely came to ur site b4
Yummy!!! Now in Singapore and really miss all those irresistible Ipoh food. U know I put on weight after returned from Msia! But somehow, I’m not used to eating Ipoh steamed chicken, I find them abit tough for me. They say it’s kampong chicken. I’m used to the meaty type in SG. haha
cheers
.-= TravelerFolio (eunice)´s last blog ..Get Free Tickets to F1 Rocks Concert! =-.
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Ya got to waaaaaaait. He takes his time to get the food ready. Prepares on Order. He does it himself, Not like Lou WOng.
Go on weekdays. Not on weekends when you really got to waaaaaaaaaaaaait. Otherwise go there real early.
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 7:52 pm
yeah, they indeed take their own sweeeeettt time.
bhahahah ..thats the reason why i tend to avoid on weekends, or public hols.
else must go very early. right b4 7pm is best.
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wow…it makes me hungry already…i stay in kl though…but i will definately go check it out when i get to Perak…
.-= kitkat´s last blog ..Win Limited Edition Adidas Goodies on YAHOO! Treasure Hunt Contest YOUREKA! =-.
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