Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Runny golden yolk flowing from the beautifully done half-boiled eggs on crispy buttered toast @ Ah Chow coffee shop in old town of Ipoh. Simple yet magnificent creation that’s suited for breakfast.

Sin Yoon Loong started this white coffee craze way back then; probably more than half a century now? Nam Heong took things to a whole different level; capitalizing on the potential of white coffee and the concept of old school kopitiams in general; rebranding the franchise into something so BIG nobody thought the idea would work, initially.

Until Old Town White Coffee grew from strength to strength; now more than 100 outlets all over Malaysia. And still counting.

So what makes a good cup of white coffee? And bear in mind that the colour of the brew is NOT white to start with.

Nam Chau, Sin Lean Lee, Chang Jiang, Sun Yuan Loong and Xin Xiang Er Nong soldiered on with their respective valiant effort in taking things into their own hands; cashing in on the popularity of white coffee usually complemented by equally delicious hawker fares; like curry noodles, chee cheong fun, chicken kuey teow soup and most importantly …. the breads.

Oh holy luscious toasts sandwiching a glorious proportion of butter (or margarine) and rich swirls of kaya (egg and coconut jam).

Tucked somewhere in the middle of the row of pre-colonial shoplots, Ah Chow might escape your radar if you have no prior awareness about its existence. I know I did, for a good many years of my life.

And so, after travelling back in time for breakfast, Ah Chow was our next stop. Within walking range, and you’d be better off walking than driving around old town ….. trust me. The magnitude of congestion in the mornings, paired with haphazardly parked vehicles, lorries carting goods from the many wholesale sundry shops as well as the sheer diligence of the local council officers in writing summons will almost certainly kill your perfect breakfast experience.

White coffee can be served hot (or warm) in the unmistakably classic porcelain cups, or with ice in case you’re fuming from the summons or breathing fire from your curry mee.

As in the case of the locals who shy away from the more established brands (the incessant wait for seats, pricey food, QC affected), I joined the fray this particular morning.

And chose to savour my cuppa intoxicating brew at Ah Chow. And rest assured that you won’t be disappointed, as their coffee is as good, if not better, than some of the famous outlets. For one, this cup of Ipoh’s incomparable sweet elixir at Ah Chow was most definitely better than Nam Heong’s, though some may not be agreeable on this.

But taste is indeed, very subjective. So why bother arguing?

Why not relish in the fact that there ARE more options for you to try in Ipoh’s old town, aside from the usual suspects? And let’s not ignore the fact that the kaya and butter toast, and half-boiled eggs on toast (‘dan ji’) here warrant a special mention too. An honorary consolation, being just good enough for your consideration …. The dry curry noodles, roasted pork and Hong Kong chee cheong fun are passable too.

“In case you don’t feel like jostling with the breakfast crowd at Sin Yoon Loong or Nam Heong ……. try Ah Chow. Motormouth’s caffeine craving was fixed. How about yours?”

AH CHOW COFFEE SHOP
31, Jalan Bandar Timah,
30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

* Here’s a very good pictorial take on Ah Chow – Mun Fey Collection