Sometimes, the line between tourist trap and local authentic food is a thin one. Whenever Pasir Pinji‘s Big Tree Foot Yong Tau Fu is mentioned, I get the same reaction: “it’s a freakin’ tourist trap!”
Then how does one explain that even the Ipohians recommend it? Maybe it’s only a tourist trap when an outsider mentions about it.
So I am just going to compare this with the yong tau fu you get in KL from a tourist’s perspective. When we are traveling for food, time and stomach space are usually the main constraints.
If you are coming from KL and visiting Ipoh on a short trip like for a weekend, I honestly feel that this yong tau fu can be skipped.
But if you are coming from other places like Penang or Melaka, then it should be worth a try. Simply because the standard of yong tau fu in the said states are not as good as KL’s.
One other thing that makes Choong Kee’s yong tau fu special is that they also serve it with asam laksa. I’d consider that as unusual since chee cheong fun and curry mee are the common pairings. However, don’t expect the asam laksa to knock your socks off, as it’s just average at best.
Most of the yong tau fu we had were decent but not really outstanding. The only item that was special enough to be memorable was the ‘sar kot’ (stuffed turnip) – mainly because it was my first time having it, and we don’t get this in KL. But then again, I get comments saying there are plenty of other places that make tastier ‘sar kot’.
Just to be clear, I take all the comments positively and I know for a fact that this is definitely not the best Ipoh could offer. So if you have any yong tau fu recommendations for me, drop me a comment, thanks!
Choong Kee Big Tree Foot Yong Tau Fu 忠记大树头炸料粉
Address: 1277 Jalan King, Taman Hoover, 31650 Ipoh
Business hours: 8.30am – 5.30pm, closed on Wednesdays
