Food Stall Gives Back To The Community By Offering An Affordable Menu

By KT Leong

Meng Foong Mee Kari, who are located in Kopitiam Soon Wah, have expanded their menu to cater to the lower income group.

We Malaysians love food and that’s doubly so for those of us from Ipoh. But times have gotten pretty tough for a lot of people, especially since the lockdown a scant few years ago. The cost of living has gone up and food prices are no exception.

The proprietors behind Meng Foong Mee Kari, Jason and Kane, realised this. They noted that post-Covid, most of their customers were males aged between 45 to 60, and that they were the sole breadwinners of their families. These workers had to take care of their aged parents on top of their own families. So in order to better serve their community, they wanted to offer good quality food at affordable prices to those who are struggling,by expanding their menu to include ‘economy’ versions of their meals.

“What we noticed was, below RM5, basically what people can eat was like economy bee hoon with a fried egg. Then we came out with this idea where anyone can have a good meal, where there are carbohydrates, protein and greens all-in-one for RM4.50 & RM4.00. Because our stall is for noodles only, so far this is what we can offer”, said Jason.

There will be ‘big’ and ‘small’ versions of their offerings. The Kari Mee w/ Roasted Meat will be RM8 for the big and RM4.50 for the small.

Meanwhile, their Kai Si Hor Fun, Penang Hokkien Mee, Asam Laksa and Nyonya Laksa will be priced at just RM7.50 and RM4 for big and small respectively.

But although they are called ‘small’, the amount of noodles provided are actually still about the same as with the regular meals. Only the toppings have been reduced in order to keep the cost sustainable.

Netizens may remember Jason and Kane from the following YouTube video:

Kopitiam Soon Wah, which opens from 6.30 am to 5.30 pm on Mondays to Saturdays, is located at No.203-205 Psn. Klebang, Kawasan Perusahaan IGB, 31200 Ipoh, Perak. It has a wide selection of stalls and is frequently packed during lunch hours. So those who want to give the place a try, especially Meng Foong Mee Kari, should aim to go there during the morning session.