Today I visited the Food Place food court, located at Pavilion Mall. The food court is located beside the Oriental Kopi Restaurant.
This time, I ordered Ipoh hor fun with shredded chicken and prawn soup from the Ipoh Treasure stall, which cost RM14.90 per plate.
At first glance, this comforting bowl glows with the warmth of amber-hued broth — a mix of slow-simmered chicken bones and prawn shells that releases a naturally sweet aroma. Floating atop the silky hor fun (flat rice noodles) are tender strands of shredded chicken and a few succulent prawns, glistening under a sprinkle of fried shallots and chopped spring onions. The broth is light yet rich, carrying that signature umami depth from both land and sea — a hallmark of a well-made Ipoh-style noodle soup.
Each spoonful is soothing. The hor fun noodles, smooth and slippery, are said to owe their delicate texture to the pure limestone-rich water of Ipoh, Perak — a city famous for producing some of Malaysia’s silkiest rice noodles. When combined with the savoury-sweet soup and the faint aroma of shallot oil, the dish offers a perfect balance of simplicity and elegance.
Ipoh hor fun, also known as Kai See Hor Fun (鸡丝河粉), traces its roots back to the 1940s in Ipoh’s old town, where Cantonese and Hakka immigrants began crafting rice noodles using locally milled rice. The city’s unique water quality — filtered through limestone hills — gave the noodles their exceptional softness. Early vendors paired them with light chicken or prawn broth and shredded poached chicken, a modest yet nourishing meal for miners and townsfolk alike.
Over time, this humble street dish evolved into one of Malaysia’s most iconic noodle soups. It became a breakfast staple in Ipoh coffee shops and eventually spread to major cities, from Penang to Kuala Lumpur, each version adapting slightly to local tastes. Today, Ipoh hor fun remains a proud culinary ambassador of Perak — a bowl that captures the soul of its hometown in every gentle slurp.
