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Eating Out With Wong Ah Yoke: Ipoh hawker food gets elevated at Small Tables
https://www.straitstimes.com/life/food/eating-out-with-wong-ah-yoke-ipoh-hawker-food-gets-elevated-at-small-tables
2022-09-24
SINGAPORE – Ipoh hawker fare is finally getting its due recognition in Singapore, with new stalls opening in recent years that sell authentic versions of chicken hor fun and curry mee that have won the approval of Malaysians living here.
But these tend to be standalone, humble coffee-shop eateries, similar to what you find in the Perak capital – except for the OldTown White Coffee chain of eateries which, unfortunately, has done little to elevate the cuisine after 14 years here.
Small Tables, a sidewalk cafe that opened in Pacific Plaza on Sept 3, takes its food a lot more seriously. It is a joint venture between Minor Food Group, which operates casual dining chains like Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe and Poulet roast chicken, and Three Eats, which is set up by chef Sandra Sim and her silent partners.
Sim, who is known for her private-dining venture Lady Boss Dining Club, designed the menu for the new eatery.
Similar to what she does for her home business, which boasts a very long waiting list, she pumps up the recipes with choice ingredients and cooking processes which coax the best out of them. So while the results accurately capture the flavours of Ipoh, they also often exceed what you find in their place of origin – with finer cuts of meat or more delicate sauces you will find in a restaurant rather than a hawker stand.
While prices are not cheap, they are fair and hover around typical downtown cafe prices.
Many customers have baulked online at the $7.50 price tag for its Ipoh White Coffee, but the drink comes with a custard-filled pastry in the fish shape of a Japanese taiyaki. Incidentally, the cold brew boasts a stronger aroma than the hot cuppa rendition.
And if you think $20 is a lot to pay for a bowl of curry mee, it is probably what you fork out for a bowl of laksa or ramen in a similar setting in the Orchard Road area. Plus the serving here comes packed so generously with toppings, I could split it among my party of three.
But while many dishes are big enough to be shared, the tables are tiny. I guess you get fair warning from the eatery’s name, but it is a hassle trying to make room for new dishes as they arrive.
Hits
Ipoh Curry Mee ($20)
The dry version of Ipoh Curry Mee is tossed in a spicy gavy and is chock-full of toppings like prawns, roast pork and char siu. ST PHOTO: WONG AH YOKE
You get a choice of having this dish with soup or dry. The latter is a novelty for me because I have only eaten curry mee in a laksa-like broth.
Having tasted both, I recommend the dry version. The sauce is more aromatic and intense, and coats the smooth hor fun (flat rice noodles) well. It is also very spicy. The broth for the soup version seems less spirited in comparison, tasting mainly of curry paste but with little fragrance.
There are many different toppings, in fact a surfeit such that the noodles are completely smothered. Besides more common items like poached chicken, roast pork, char siu and pig’s skin, there are also wedges of braised pig’s ear, poached prawns, a quail egg, fresh lime and a showering of fresh mint leaves.
Many of the toppings are very good. Some, like the roast pork and pig’s skin, are also available as side orders. The only letdown are the prawns, which are overcooked and tough. But that should be easy to fix.
Curry Pig Skin ($12)
The soft Curry Pig Skin is irresistible whether on its own or eaten with noodles and chee cheong fun. ST PHOTO: WONG AH YOKE
This is one of the toppings for the curry mee that is also available as a side dish. The deep-fried pig skin is braised till soft in curry and it soaks up all the delicious flavours like a sponge. Think of it as a cheaper version of deep-fried fish maw with a similar bite.
The curry is mild enough for the dish to be eaten on its own. But it pairs well with a plate of Ipoh Chee Cheong Fun ($12).
Siu Yoke ($16)
The Siu Yoke or roast pork has very crispy crackling and even layers of fat and meat. ST PHOTO: WONG AH YOKE
Siu Yoke is roast pork in Cantonese, which is the dialect widely spoken in Ipoh. This is included in the curry mee, but you should still order an extra portion to share.
This version is one of the best I’ve eaten. The crackling is crispy and the proportion of fat to meat is balanced, with evenly-sized alternating layers of each. Each bite delivers bursts of aromatic oils and meat juices that make a winning roast pork. The dish comes with a piquant chilli sauce, but that was largely ignored by everyone on the table. No one wanted to adulterate the delicious crunch.
White Chopped Kampong Chicken With Sand Ginger ($20 for half)
White Chopped Kampong Chicken With Sand Ginger stands out with its firm flesh and deep flavours. ST PHOTO: WONG AH YOKE
White chopped chicken is the direct translation of poached chicken in Cantonese. Kampung chicken is used here, which is great because it boasts a firmer texture and more intense flavour than broiler chicken. I find meat that is too soft unappealing and bland.
What makes the dish stand out is a coating of minced sand ginger spread over the fowl. Sand ginger, which is seldom found in markets here, is used mainly in Cantonese restaurants as a dip or marinade for chicken dishes. It has less bite than regular ginger, but boasts a nice aroma. Blended with shallot oil and some salt, it stimulates the palate and smoothens the meat.
Whole Fish Otah ($28)
There is more fish than otah in the Whole Fish Otah. ST PHOTO: WONG AH YOKE
This is not otah made with fish, but a fish stuffed with otah. The yellow croaker is deboned but otherwise left intact, including its head and tail. The cavity is filled with otah paste and the fish is baked on a banana leaf. The meat is moist and easy to eat because there are no bones to avoid except at the fringes.
I prefer the otah to be more spicy, but the trade-off is that you can savour the freshness of the croaker better this way.
Bullfrog Legs ($18)
The Bullfrog Legs are meaty and moist with a crisp coat of batter. ST PHOTO: WONG AH YOKE
These deep-fried frog legs are marinated in shrimp paste, battered and deep-fried. I can just about make out the alluring funky taste of fermented shrimp, but no matter because these drumsticks have so much else going for them.
They are big and meaty. More important is how smooth and moist the meat is, which is a pleasant surprise because I have eaten so many tough and stringy versions. Not these, as the flesh falls off the bone in glistening white chunks.
Maybe
Ipoh Shredded Chicken Hor Fun ($16)
The Ipoh Shredded Chicken Hor Fun is the real McCoy but it is a bit spoilt by overcooked prawns. ST PHOTO: WONG AH YOKE
This noodle soup, perhaps the most well-known dish from the Malaysian town, is the real McCoy and not the starchy gravy version that often passes as Ipoh hor fun here. The rice noodles, brought in from Ipoh, are silky smooth and the broth boasts enough chicken and prawn sweetness to pass muster.
Unfortunately, the prawns here also suffer the same overboiled and tough fate. I also miss the dark green Chinese chives usually added to this dish. The light green ones used here just do not taste the same.
Miss
Hakka Yong Tau Foo ($16)
The filling for Hakka Yong Tau Foo is disappointingly soft. ST PHOTO: WONG AH YOKE
The recipe follows that of a popular stall in Ipoh called Big Tree because it’s located at a cluster of hawker stalls next to an old tree. I am not a fan as I find the pieces of deep-fried stuffed beancurd and vegetables at that stall overcooked and too dry.
The ones here are, in fact, not as over-fried. But the stuffing is soft to the point of being mealy and does not resemble fish paste at all. But it could be a hiccup on the day I am there because other people, who ate it on other occasions, had no such complaints.
Ambience
The seats that are open to the sidewalk are great for people-watching. ST PHOTO: WONG AH YOKE
The cafe is divided into different indoor and outdoor areas, including an area which looks out to the sidewalk and is ideal for people-watching. There is also an elevated air-conditioned room at the back which is more private. My favourite, however, is the enclosed area facing the pavement with a glass front - this allows you to tuck in while watching the world go by in cool comfort.
The bottom line: Ipoh flavours that are elevated above hawker standards at decent prices.
Small Tables
01-09 to 12 Pacific Plaza, 9 Scotts Road, tel: 6452-9688; open: 11.30am to 10pm (Mondays to Thursdays), 11.30am to 11pm (Fridays and Saturdays), 11am to 10pm (Sundays)
Food: 4 stars
Service: 3.5 stars
Ambience: 3 stars
Price: Budget from $35 a person, including drinks, if you’re in a group. But you can have a one-person meal, with drinks, for about $25.
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