The Ugly Nasi Kandar in Old Town, & The Imported Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun

February 24, 2009 | 10,555 views

Imagine to circle endlessly around the perimeter of the famed (maybe over-rated) coffee shops in Old Town serving those inimitable (doubtful?) cups of white coffee …. Then by a stroke of luck, you finally manage to find a parking spot out of nowhere, either double-parking, or illegal parking (who cares, right? …. but one note of warning though, the officers in blue work EXTRA hard around this area, mainly cz IPD (Police HQ) & Majlis Perbandaran also located nearby only ma… no need to ride out to oblivion to achieve daily quota of summons!)

Direct competitors side by side. Which would YOU choose?

Then after punching your fist repeatedly in the air, you strut your stuff and walked over to Nam Heong, Sin Yoon Loong or Sun Yuan Foong (bitter rivals ….. a fight to the finish’s at hand!) only to discover that the place’s crowded to the max! Holds true on most days, especially weekend mornings and public holidays. You can either kiss your white coffee goodbye, wait for aeons for a table (even more troublesome if you decided to bring your whole busload of relatives) or …. you can set up your own tables/chairs. But of course, don’t try this and credits to yours truly lah … =P

This Indian uncle VERY eloquent in conversing in Cantonese! It’s almost funny.

But don’t worry, help’s at hand. Though comes slightly late, for someone who has worked in Old Town for a good 1.5 years. LOL. This stretch of old, dilapidated shophouses consist of various Nasi Kandar stalls, and some rather rundown shops. It’s facing the Old Town famous 20-storey flats, and a stone’s throw away from the white coffee outlets. Just imagine Jalan Bijeh Timah (Nasi Kandar) is parallel to Jalan Bandar Timah (White Coffee).

Did you see what i see? Can you see ME? 😉

Nasi Kandar Pekan Lama is the shop at the end, manned by a pair of Indian (maybe mamak, not very sure) twins, who are both very good at speaking in Cantonese. It’s hilarious how they tease customers, and nonchalantly converse in OTHERS’ mother tongue. Probably the reason why the place was crowded with Chinese patrons that Sunday afternoon.

Not the prettiest sight eh? Swear I did NOT purge this!!!

Nasi Kandar in Ipoh and those in Penang is slightly different. Whereelse Penang’s version has been commercialized, branched out, and franchised, Ipoh still has yet to develop a mamak nasi kandar stall worthy of a mention in food guides, or rave reviews. Except for Yong Suan or Nasi Ganja, maybe. Still miss Penang’s Kayu, Pelita, Subaidah and Kassim. Those good times …..

Tastewise? The similarity exists in the gravy doused onto the pile of rice; The Kuah Campur (mixed gravy) whereby he’ll scoop every type of curry imaginable from the pots and bowls in front of him, and then proceed to ‘banjir’ (flood) your rice. If you’re not in favour of ultra wet curry rice, you can hold the gravy.

About RM4 for a packet of rice with chicken and vegetable, and the killer sour-ish sambal at the side, as well as cucumber slices to lessen the heat.

Location : Nasi Kandar Pekan Lama @ 125, Jalan Bijeh Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak. Notice the next door neighbour? Omar Nasi Kandar has a following of its own, heavily promoting the Ayam Merah (chicken cooked in a reddish sweet and spicy gravy), and has a branch somewhere on its own.

Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun (RM2.20 for 2 rolls)

Remember the post on my previous Teluk Intan’s excursion in Jan? We didn’t manage to sample the famous Teluk Intan CCF that time as the original factory only churns them from evening onwards, and the shop (Teck Kee Foodstuff) which gets their supplies from the factory was not selling them due to the CNY season. Shucks, right?

See the dried shrimp enveloped by the rice rolls?

But TallGal and FCOE were kind enough to ‘tapau‘ (takeaway) 2 packets back from Teluk Intan, succumbed to my pitiful pleas and let me share their lunch. Hahahah ….. The power of persuasion? 😉

The experience brought back memories indeed, as I’m a fan of Teluk Intan’s CCF, and used to buy back 10-20 packets at one go, whenever my family went to the town for any occasions. Of course, detractors may condemn the oiliness of the rice rolls. But the deadly combination of dried shrimps, fried shallots, wrapped inside the freshly steamed rice rolls …. I’m sold.

Teck Kee’s CCF wasn’t exactly bad, but rather dry and tasteless. For your information, the Teluk Intan CCF does not need any accompanying gravy, or sides. Only some pickled green chillies would do fine. Makes me wonder does Teck Kee REALLY get their supplies from the factory? Hmmm…..

Bye Bye office ….. muahaha …. =)

On that note, Motormouth’s going on another journey up north ….. C ya around guys !!!

Categories: Ipoh Food
Tags: Chee Cheong Fun, Ipoh, Ipoh Food, Nasi Ganja, Old Town, Teluk Intan
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41 Responses to “The Ugly Nasi Kandar in Old Town, & The Imported Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun”

foodbin says:

February 24, 2009 at 6:27 pm

CCF in T. Intan-Jalan Hill-that’s right eat only with pickled green chillies, if leftover fry it with eggs-best!

[Reply]
Wendy says:

February 24, 2009 at 8:55 pm

u working in old town? the old town nasi kandar bit “geli” sometimes. if i look at the way the pack the rice ill vomit. usually will just ask someone to tapao for me and will eat at sun yuan foong 🙂

[Reply]
ahlock says:

February 24, 2009 at 9:17 pm

Bye bye office? Moving up North? You’re going to migrate to Sg Petani???

My guess shall be Penang, right? And covering the whole Northern states.

Best of LUCK !!!

[Reply]
ahlock says:

February 24, 2009 at 9:21 pm

Hey, forgot to comment on the CCF…Looks delicious if you add dry curry chicken. Yummy!

Nasi kandar looks like a warzone. A friend brought me to this restaurant b4, and it was the first and last of it.

[Reply]
sc says:

February 24, 2009 at 10:25 pm

the tarpau rice dont so bad la…hehe. i love teluk intan CCF too, got my friend to pack for me when he travels there. yummy stuff

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thenomadGourmand says:

February 24, 2009 at 11:13 pm

wahh so gd tat can eat plain?? my food excursion up north is seriously overdue!
hey, if ur in Pg this weekend drop me an email. A bunch of us got a gathering on Sat nite..

[Reply]
~Christine~Leng says:

February 25, 2009 at 3:36 am

i wanna try teluk intan’s CCF again ;P i’ve only tried em’ once, ta-paoed by WMW a year ago, and it was delicious 🙂

Heading up north again? Have fun!
Going there for work or holiday? ;P

[Reply]
iamthewitch says:

February 25, 2009 at 8:50 am

The nasi kandar is really VERY different from the ones in Penang, look-wise. 🙂 But I know I know, never judge a book by its cover. 😛 So you’re going up north, which state? If you’re going to Penang and need a tour guide, let me know! 🙂

[Reply]
Elinluv says:

February 25, 2009 at 8:50 am

I was so happy to see the Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun on your blog, thinking you have found a place in Ipoh selling those…haih sure miss TI’s Chee Cheong Fun leh 🙂

[Reply]
Little Inbox says:

February 25, 2009 at 9:03 am

The price is much more cheaper than Penang’s.

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"Joe" who is constantly craving says:

February 25, 2009 at 9:24 am

expanding ur tastebuds to penang?…excellent..

[Reply]
Selba says:

February 25, 2009 at 9:55 am

The last pic is so beautiful… and can see the mountain….and there’s a river?

[Reply]
PureGlutton says:

February 25, 2009 at 11:40 am

Hey, that pic of the Ipoh Nasi Kandar is sooo typical – that’s how they pack this stuff in ipoh! Ya, the Old Town white coffee area looked like a WAR ZONE during CNY period when i was back there – we really thought there was a fight there or something due to the HUGE crowd milling outside the shops, on the street, by their cars… OMG! We quickly got out of there!

[Reply]
PureGlutton says:

February 25, 2009 at 11:41 am

Where exactly is this Teck Kee place in TI?? I haven’t had TI CCF for ages!

[Reply]
jason says:

February 25, 2009 at 12:02 pm

Dear KLites, you can get your TI CCF fix at the DU foodcourt stall, ransack WMW’s blog for the address.

Sorry ya J2Kfm, pinjam your comment box for a bit of announcement 😛

[Reply]
Nic (KHKL) says:

February 25, 2009 at 2:52 pm

woah, talk about double dosage of goodness! love nasi kandar, love teluk intan ccf! i like my nasi kandar ugly cos that means it got lotsa gravy! me weird, hor? haha!

[Reply]
mimid3vils says:

February 25, 2009 at 4:45 pm

Never have Teluk Intan CCf b4, so shame to tell u this 🙁 Btw, only dried shrimp inside the CCF, I saw other ingredients ler…

[Reply]
cariso says:

February 25, 2009 at 7:28 pm

Moving up to Penang hor? 🙂

[Reply]
email2me says:

February 26, 2009 at 9:27 am

The beef price looks pretty expensive compared to Penang’s. In Penang each piece cost RM1.50 only.

Will try them out very soon ….

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Tummythoz says:

February 26, 2009 at 4:03 pm

*Standing by Nic (KHKL)’s comment*
The uglier the Nasi Kandar, the better the taste. As long as the rice is hot.

[Reply]
Life for Beginners says:

February 26, 2009 at 8:47 pm

I just love how in midst of this food review you manage to remind us that the cool thing about being Malaysian is how we learn each other’s languages and dialects. Too cool. 😀

[Reply]
fatboybakes says:

February 27, 2009 at 12:27 pm

haha, love this post…
so, hangon, u went for nasi kandar coz u couldnt get any place in the 3 aforementioned white coffee places? and the ccf was a separate occasion?

[Reply]
alan says:

February 27, 2009 at 4:07 pm

hey, some gd reviews u hv done on ipoh..
i’m iipoh mali also, now based in KL.. got a few suggestions in ipoh for u to checkout, when u got the time…
1. Mun Toong Hau (Buntong mouth) Ngau Lam, Fried Sengkuang (Liu) nxt to Pat Kong Teng(demolished).
2. Ko Lou (Tall Guy) Hakka mee. the row behind Public Bank Yang Kalsom, next to the church. Their’liu’ quite gd, fried brinjal a bit oily but damn gd…
3. Thoong Kee noodles, “lius” foo pei, tau fu and stuff..the best in townalong same row as Sun Yin Loong , old town.
4. Ah Chau curry mee, 2 doors down from Thoong Kee, white coffee quite gd.
5. “Leng Chai” wan tan mee in Buntong.. behind Buntong Market. open 7pm sharp with lots of ppl waiting…gd wantons, nice soup and nice pork strips.. not char siew…
thats all for now.. see if u like it…
cheers
Alan

[Reply]
Wendy says:

February 28, 2009 at 11:07 am

yea yea…must try ko lou hakka mee!

[Reply]
J2Kfm says:

February 28, 2009 at 6:41 pm

Hey thanks everyone for the comments. rest assured Motormouth’s STILL alive n kickin, and STILL from Ipoh. 🙂

I’m currently on holidays up north …. Vietnam, to be exact.
will come back to you guys very soon ….

[Reply]
kampungboycitygal says:

March 2, 2009 at 12:51 pm

it looks like the nasi kandar ganja at yeong kalsom road wo..that is really good too! and they have a branch at greentown now..

[Reply]
amole Reply:
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:33 am
The Star had a feature recently on the Yang Kalsom nasi kandar (nasi ganja). Proprietor said there are no branches. Nasi Vanggeh in Greentown is a rip off trying to copy nasi ganja.

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/4/18/sundaymetro/6038716&sec=sundaymetro

[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 23rd, 2010 at 8:25 am
Yes, amole. I read that article too. My mistake, for most people thought they’re one of the same.
Thanks for pointing this out.

[Reply]
vkeong says:

March 5, 2009 at 2:59 pm

wah, extremely smooth looking CCF there

[Reply]
ipoh mali says:

March 6, 2010 at 12:14 am

ppl who dnt like nasi kandar at oldtown……u all chinese tounge no need say f..k kay…like wendy she say geli and want vomit bt STILL want tapau for wat??? dun compare mamak and chinese food…stupido…

[Reply]
J2Kfm says:

March 6, 2010 at 2:17 pm

Hi there ipoh mali … Maybe she just meant it in a funny way?
She still eats it, albeit in another place ma.

I like my nasi kandar. A LOT. Though seriously, I can’t find one that really holds a candle to Penang’s version.

[Reply]
ipoh mali says:

March 7, 2010 at 6:22 pm

alooooo……j2kfm i dont puas hati with ur coment…im nasi kandar fanatic kay..u say u like nasi kandar… when dnt simply wrote kay…if u dnt like…. dnt simple drop someone bussiness …..

[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Aiks, ipoh mali. I realize that this may be your personal favourite nasi kandar, and I admitted in my post that it’s good, though not great.

Please read the contents thoroughly before throwing judgment. Thank you.

[Reply]
ipoh mali says:

March 8, 2010 at 5:32 pm

whatever u say i still nt puas ati.i want u apologies in ur blog…..im nasi kandar fanatic….. ist u take pork
?? so u dnt knw about nasi kandar….WHICH BETTER….PORK OR NASI KANDARR?????

[Reply]
naseer says:

July 22, 2010 at 8:08 pm

the nasi kandar is best in old town…..

[Reply]
Ultimate Ipoh Food List by J2Kfm | Motormouth From Ipoh - A Malaysian Food Blog says:

August 5, 2010 at 8:56 pm

[…] Nasi Kandar Pekan Lama @ Old Town […]
Perak Food Guide by J2Kfm - A List Of Perak Food Reviews | Motormouth From Ipoh - A Malaysian Food Blog says:

September 8, 2010 at 11:59 pm

[…] Food Teluk Intan – Chee Cheong Fun @ Keng Heng Coffee Shop Teluk Intan – Lana Tea House Teluk Intan – Liew Kee Chee Cheong Fun (packed […]
teluk intan-boy says:

March 25, 2012 at 6:58 pm

the liew kee at jalan hill has 2 boss!! the one selling at night is the one u said taste better which does taste good by just eating it like that or with the green chilies. another one, located inside the same building but they make it in the morning but this second boss, he is majoring in making kuey tiaw though he did make CCF for distribution around teluk intan and other places.. His kuey tiaw is the original type in which i can guarantee 0% of preservative were added!! if u can compare the kuey tiaw at ipoh, it taste like springy and sometimes its hard to bite it into two!. His kuey tiaw is far more smooth and i guess if anyone can use his kuey tiaw for making “kai shi hor fun” it will taste great.. haha.. his CCF kinda tasteless?? i agree but it will be different if u can pour over curry (especially vegetable curry with salty fish head) or simply modify it at home by frying it with egg!! and it will turn up a superb taste =) Both of them were brothers, running their own businesses and they do not share the profits. each of them has their own expertise.

[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
April 1st, 2012 at 10:47 pm
Oh you mean you can get CCF in the morning as well? I see… interesting to note this. Thanks TI boy!

[Reply]
teluk intan-boy says:

April 12, 2012 at 3:03 am

not really.. the boss made CCF in the morning for distributions around TI and not directly selling from factory.
he is different from the nite time liew kee

[Reply]
GeeeeLiiiii Chee Cheong Fun says:

September 19, 2012 at 5:29 pm

Hey, eating too much CCF can be too geeeeeliiiiii-lah! Too bad, not to my taste!

[Reply]