Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel Blog

A bowl of sinfully rich curry mee; loaded with boiled shrimp, slices of lean pork, crunchy bean sprouts (Ipoh’s taugeh!) and long beans. Can you spell B-L-I-S-S?

A squeeze of lime, a stir with the designated cutlery; a porcelain spoon and a pair of blood red chopsticks; and voila! Tuck in to a deliciously-sinful bowl of curry mee packed with flavours.

The massive hunt for the best of curry mee in Ipoh has led me to various interesting finds; some very established brands delivered while a fraction of those faltered amidst the hype. There were also the nameless stalls shying away from limelight yet garnered support from the locals (and trust me when I say that Ipohans ARE pretty picky eaters!).

This morning (yup, Motormouth’s back in town!) I was treated to plate of dry curry noodles that could effortlessly rival some of the more stellar names mentioned in this post.

Curious to know where? Read on ….

This graceful aunty was more than accommodating to the barrage of questions shot left, right, centre ….

The 20 minutes wait notwithstanding, the location belies the true popularity of this curry mee stall operating in the earlier portion of the day only. Not the most strategic venue, yet this corner shop named Moon De Moon Restaurant on Hala Wah Keong within the vicinity of Kampung Simee is packed with curry mee lovers every morning. Come on a Sunday morning and you’ll be thrilled to bits.

Or stunned like a stone; waiting for a table.

The dry curry here is quite distinct in a sense that the taste is different from the curry soup

The place was already packed with barely more than two tables left when we arrived at 9am, a tell-tale sign of its fame. At least, my initial fear that this was merely a flash in a pan was unfounded.

There were only three stalls operating in this coffee shop. The curry mee stall that also serves a killer ‘kai see hor fun’ (chicken kuey teow soup), another stall that serves lam mee, and a third stall that serves fried noodles and rice.

A beautiful mess.

The food and drinks took their sweet time to arrive; so don’t come when you’re on the brink of starvation … else you might risk chomping on the table or slither your way over to your neighbour’s bowl of curry noodles.

From an aesthetic point of view, the bowl of curry mee delivered. A deep red hue with golden tones from the curry paste and coconut milk, the curry was far from tongue-scorching stuff. Yet, balanced with the right degree of sweetness and creaminess (from the ‘santan’) this was indeed a bowl of curry mee that will charm your socks off.

But wait, if you’re a die hard fan of dry curry mee (like yours truly), then you MUST order their version with curry chicken and potatoes (without the conventional char siew, cockles and shrimp). This is by far the closest version to Nam Chau’s that I have devoured before. The dry curry paste left a lingering fiery kick at the back of the palate; but nothing that a typical Malaysian should not be able to handle.

Kai See Hor Fun – Shredded Chicken Kuey Teow Soup

In case your plan to go crazy with curry mee turned awry owing to a bout of ulcers or your gut of steel waving a white flag, you still don’t have to bawl like a baby.

Their “Kai See Hor Fun” (shredded chicken kuey teow soup) was really good stuff. Velvety smooth Ipoh’s kuey teow (flat rice noodles) in a hearty, clear broth redolent with flavours from the chicken bones and prawn stock, garnished with chopped chives, scallions and fried shallots, this comes highly recommended.

If you’re indecisive on whether to choose tea or coffee to start your day with, go for a cup of ‘cham’!

And what’s the best beverage to go along with a decadent breakfast of curry noodles? Ipoh white coffee of course! But then again, you don’t have to limit yourself to the routine old town’s concoction, or plain coffee as it is. Try a cup of ‘cham’; a mix of coffee and tea with milk that might just be your preferred choice in the future.

Moon De Moon Restaurant has ample parking spaces around, so there should not be any worry of extra stress from the pre-meal ordeal.

I would have to admit … that was indeed a picture perfect start to a warm Saturday. Now, let me retreat back to my shell and draft a list of “TO-EAT”s this weekend.

Happy Weekend dear readers.

Curry Mee Stall @ Moon De Moon Restaurant (non-Halal)
148, Hala Wah Keong, (corner of Hala Wah Keong – Selasar Tebing Kinta 5)
31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Business Hours : 7.30am – 12.30pm
Closed on Mondays
GPS : 4.621913,101.10545
Google Map to this place