by Anne Das
Located within a residential area of Wah Keong Park, this quirkily named Kopitiam has been operating for the longest time and has continued to satisfy the cravings of both locals and visitors when it comes to their noodles. People flock here for their “Kai Si Hor Fun” a Chinese inspired aromatic soup noodle dish and the ‘lip smacking’ dry curry noodles.
Reputed to be Ipoh’s quintessential dish, the Kai Si Hor Fun is made out of simple ingredients like chicken, shrimp, bean sprouts and is paired with a rich umami broth that begs for more with each spoonful. The secret of this noodle dish lies in the flavoursome soup. Add a handful of shredded tender poached chicken, halved shrimps, and chopped chives, served with a small saucer of chopped ‘chilli padi’ in soy sauce makes for a perfect bowl of goodness.
I am a sucker for a good Kai Si Hor Fun and had to try their ever-famous dish. Without a doubt, the most important factor of a tasty, “I will come back again” type of Kai Si Hor Fun lies within its broth. And this one had a weight to it, a richness and sweetness topped with a layer of aromatic prawn oil. It was so good. Judging by the bright orange hue of the broth, the stock was obviously boiled for hours with a combination of chicken carcass and prawn heads. Unlike the numerous stalls that sell less aromatic, usually lighter, and clearer soup, this awesome rich soup was ‘Numero Uno’ for me. The profound sweetness from the prawn stock was unlike any other I have tried and mind you, there are heaps of Kai Si Hor Fun options to be found in Ipoh. Sadly, not many come close to the superior quality of the prawny umami flavour found here.
The other dish from the same stall that I enjoyed was the Dry Curry Chicken Mee. In terms of aroma and taste, spices was closer to that of Indian curry than Chinese. The yellow mee with beehoon is a perfect mixed texture that works well with the heavy, complex curry. This dish comes with a few pieces of chicken which are thoroughly marinated, fragrant and flavourful. Their version is thick and rich with coconut milk. Squeeze some calamansi lime before eating and do not forget to munch on the mint leaves. Both do their job of cutting the heaviness and work beautifully in tying everything together. It was a little heavy for breakfast but oh, so satisfying.
The Kai Si Hor Fun is probably the most sought-after item at Moon De Moon, followed closely by the Ipoh-style curry mee. Almost every table in this coffeeshop had a bowl of each noodle that was happily devoured. Expect to wait between 30-45 minutes for your noodles, especially if you go during peak hours. Parking around the kopitiam is fairly easy since it is away from the town centre. However, getting a table might be a challenge.
Name of Kopitiam : Restoran Moon de Moon
Tel : 012-516-0485
Address : 148, Hala Wah Keong, Taman Mirindi, 31400 Ipoh.
Operations : Opens Wednesdays to Sundays,
Time : 7.30am to 1pm (closes early if they are sold out)
