Heavenly Hor Fun

It's time for me to get back to my mainstream topic, food review after a short break. We're back to another round of local delight, and I bring you one of Malaysia's most popular meal, Ipoh "Kai Xi" Hor Fun (Shredded Chicken Rice Cake String). As in the name, this meal is most popularly known in "Ipoh" (a town in Northern Malaysia) but due to public demand, it is now available almost anywhere in Malaysia. Tucked away in a little corner lot along Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur is this little coffee shop known as Kedai Mei Sin that sells one of the best Ipoh "Kai Xi" Hor Fun in town. The shop has been operating for more than twenty years. The taste of the food they serve reflects the experience that these people have in preparing the dish. It's really, really good ! Besides Kai Xi Hor Fun, the rest of the stalls sell good stuffs as well such as the Chicken Rice, the "Char Kuey Tiow" (Fried Rice Cake String) and also not forgetting the local delight .. the Toasted Bread or more commonly known as "Roti Bakar" - the actual translation meant "Burnt Bread" but trust me, it's definitely not burnt in any way. It is actually very good, toasted bread layered with butter and "kaya" (locally produced jam made with coconut and egg).

Ratings

OVERALL RATING : * * *

Environment Rating : * *
Food Rating : * * * *
Service Rating : * *
Value Rating : * * * * *

Operation Details
Operating Hours : Mon - Sun 8:00am - 2:00pm

Miscellaneous Details

Halal : No
Dining Method : Dine-In / Takeaway
Special Dishes : Ipoh "Kai Xi" Hor Fun, Chicken Rice, Char Kuey Tiow
Food/Cuisine : Local chinese
Ambience/Features : Well, it's a coffee shop. Imagine oily floors and char kuey tiow smell all over
BYO Allowed? : Yes
Reservations : Definitely not.


A little something on Hor Fun

Shāhé fěn (Chinese: 沙河粉), colloquially called hé fěn (河粉), is a type of wide Chinese noodle made from rice. While Shāhé fěn and hé fěn are transliterations based on Mandarin Chinese, there are numerous other transliterations based on Cantonese Chinese, which include ho fen, hofen, ho-fen, ho fun, ho-fun, hor fun, hor fen, sar hor fun etc. In addition, shāhé fěn is often called kway teow (粿條, lit. "rice cake string," transliteration based on Min Nan Chinese) or guo tiáo (corresponding transliteration based on Mandarin), as in the name of a dish called char kway teow.

Shāhé fěn are believed to have originated in the town of Shāhé, now a district of the city of Guangzhou, in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, from whence their name derives. Shāhé fěn is typical of southern Chinese cuisine, although similar noodles are also prepared and enjoyed in nearby Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam and Thailand, which both have sizeable Chinese populations.

Shāhé fěn noodles are white in color, broad, and somewhat slippery. Their texture is elastic and a bit chewy. They do not freeze or dry well and are thus generally purchased fresh, in strips or sheets that may be cut to the desired width.

Shāhé fěn noodles are very similar to Vietnamese pho noodles, which are likely derived from their Chinese counterpart. Although the pho noodles used in soups are generally very narrow (similar to linguini in width), wider pho noodles are also common in stir fried dishes.