On your next trip to Ipoh, head to the 56-year-old Cheong Kee Wan Tan Mee in Buntong for ‘wantan mee' and outstanding ‘wantan' made fresh from scratch
On most weekends, it's common to see folks from the Klang Valley flocking to the city for a taste of its rich food scene.
On long weekends, the crowd often swells into something closer to a horde.
After all, even if plenty of restaurants in the Klang Valley (some opened by the original Ipoh businesses themselves!) claim to serve Ipoh fare, nothing quite beats the real thing.
Preparing orders for a regular. — Picture by Ethan Lau
But venture a little further out of downtown, beyond the biscuit shops and bean sprout chicken, and things start to look a little different.
Buntong, a residential suburb known for Kampung Kacang Puteh, is just a ten-minute drive from the city centre and barely two minutes from the KTM station.
More than half of Buntong's population is Indian, but it is also home to Cheong Kee Wan Tan Mee, a time-honoured wantan mee spot that has been around for over 50 years.
Now I know what you're thinking. Wantan mee? Isn't that what Menglembu is famous for, not Buntong? And you'd be right.
Cheong Kee's 'wantan' is the clear highlight. They're made in the old-school fashion, thin, smooth and translucent. — Picture by Ethan Lau
The neighbouring township is only a five-minute drive away, so why come here? The answer lies in Cheong Kee's small, delicate wantans.
Cheong Kee has been run by the same family for three generations.
They still make everything fresh from scratch, daily, just as they did back in the day.
It is not at all uncommon to find wantan mee stalls that make their own noodles, but it is harder to find one that still makes its own wantan.
These put the old in old-school: small, barely the size of a coin, filled only with pork and wrapped in a supremely thin, nearly translucent skin.
They slip into the mouth with barely any resistance. The broth, made from anchovies and pork bones, is dark, clear, and deeply savoury.
Though one already gets five pieces with each order of wantan mee, an extra portion of 10 pieces at RM7.50 is well worth the price of admission.
This is the taste of wantans as they used to be: smooth, elegant, and dainty.
Cheong Kee also makes their own noodles, which are chewy and springy without being too snappy. — Picture by Ethan Lau
And what of the noodles? Unlike the slightly curly, alkaline-heavy variety common elsewhere, Cheong Kee's run a little stiff and thick, resembling Hakka mee.
Instead of the conventionally bouncy 'QQ' texture, these offer a springy chew without much snappiness.
They're tossed in a moderately dark sauce that leans more savoury than sweet, and topped with fat, crunchy bean sprouts.
A single portion is RM6.80, and for an additional 80 sen, you can add 'meat strands', shreds of pork cooked down in a glossy mixture of oyster sauce, light soy and dark soy.
It's a rustic, hearty plate that looks plain at first glance, but decades of know-how separate it from the rest.
It's the sort of know-how and technique that's developed from experience, not gleaned from a book, and a reminder that some things are better left the way they've always been.
In places like Buntong, it's a quiet snapshot of another time, not just preserved but still very much alive.
There is no big sign; just look for the house on the quiet street with the stall in front. — Picture by Ethan Lau
Cheong Kee Wan Tan Mee
542, Jalan Sekolah,
Buntong, Ipoh.
Open Monday to Saturday, 4.30pm-10.30pm
Tel: 012-595 3938
This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
*Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
*Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and self-deprecating attempts at humour.
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