Jalan Ipoh 2-fer

This beautiful bowlful is one of several star attractions at Restoran Argyle, a bustling coffee shop on Jalan Ipoh near the Kepong-Kuantan roundabout. Argyle occupies space in an area thick with coffee shops and vendors; a couple of months ago we enjoyed a delectable mee on a hot tin plate at a stall just up a block or two.

Arriving without plan or recommendation, we spy this stall offering Ipoh dried curry mee, a new-to-us Malaysian specialty. The camera-shy stall operator is, in fact, from Ipoh, and assures us that his version is true to the original.

He makes his own curry paste and boils it up with coconut milk and a few secret ingredients in a mammoth stainless steel cauldron behind his stall.

 

What makes a dried curry mee 'dry'? As near as we can tell, it's the curry gravy, or lack of it; there's less of it here than you'll find in a bowl of regular curry mee. As a result yellow mee noodles, hard-boiled egg quarters, chicken breast shreds, bean sprouts, and succulent slices of barbecued pork are just moistened by, rather than drowned in, curry.

We also find this curry to be less coconut milk-prevalent than other versions. The santan richness is here, but it's well balanced by the fragrance of spices like cinammon and nutmeg and the subtle heat of plentiful red chiles. To our tastebuds less curry gravy means that individual ingredients - those creamy egg yolks, tender bits of chicken breast, and smoky slices of pork - can shine through, rather than disappearing in a muddle of coconuty richness.

We'll have to travel to Ipoh to try the real thing in situ, of course, but we'd rate this dried curry mee as one of our best Kuala Lumpur curry noodle experiences to date.

At the back of Argyle, a few paces behind Mr. Mee, we find this stall dishing up rice porridge with peanuts. Suckers for congee since our days in Hong Kong - and often disappointed with versions we encounter outside the Territory - we eagerly place an order.

It arrives at our table resembling a painter's palette - golden brown fried shallots, bright green chopped scallion greens, honey colored sesame oil, pitch black pepper, and gray white pepper arrayed against a background of off-white porridge.

Now this is a rice porridge to love! Thick and creamy Cantonese-style, rice grains broken but not cooked to an undefinable mush, it's chock full of soft peanuts, unevenly shaped clumps of intensely piggy ground pork, bits of salty and pungent preserved egg, and nubbins of clam barely bigger than a pinhead. White and black peppers come through loud and clear but not too strong, and nutty sesame oil pulls all the ingredients together.

This is the dish I'll be dreaming of the next time I've got a cold, feel a chill, or just generally crave some comfort.

Ipoh dried curry mee and peanut-pork rice porridge at Restoran Argyle, Jalan Ipoh (Kepong end), a couple of blocks before the FAG building).

Comments

[bayi]

Would Restoran Rrgyle be near the Sungai Mas building?

[kalyn]

The curry mee looks amazing. Sometimes I try to imagine how the foods would taste, just based on the photos you have, but some day I'm going to come there and try them. I was interested to read about "dry" curry. That's something I hadn't heard of before.

[Karen]

I'm particularly interested in this porridge. I have a hard time finding porridge to my liking -- lots of watery, bland goop, but this sounds tasty! I can tell from the photo it's thick as I'd like it.

[Edward]

Robyn... that ain't the real stuff. the real one is served without egg but comes with roast pork, barbequed pork, chicken & prawns. There are a couple of well known ones in Ipoh - the famous police station curry mee & the one at Kuala Kangsar Road roundabout.

[Robyn]

Er, bayi - where the heck is the Sungai MAS bldg??
Kalyn - I should be featuring recipes once in a while, shouldn't I?
Karen - agreed! Too much crappy rice porridge out there. But I love khao tom, and you can get it there in Chiang Mai. We had some lovely bowlfuls early in the morning, esp. love it with an egg in the bowl.
Thanks Edward - obviously will have to make the trek to Ipoh for the original.

[szer]

Yes. Best one is at the Kuala Kangsar roundabout. I'm Ipoh-ian so I agree with Edward. Has to come with roast pork. Good chilli paste is also essential and Kuala Kangsar roundabout one has a good sauce.

[cupcake]

What's a FAG building? Is that something rude?

Food looks great tho'.

:-)
Cupcake

[bayi]

Robyn

You can't miss the Sungai MAS building if you are heading towards Kepong via Jalan Ipoh. It's on your left just before you hit the roundabout to Kepong. At the roundabout, 9 o'clock takes you to Jalan Kuching to KL. 12 o'clock takes you to Kepong and 9 takes you north to Ipoh. Incidentally I was puzzled about the FAG building too.

[Robyn]

I guess then that the FAG (a company name, not a slur!) building is near the MAS building, as it's just on yr left as you approach the roundabout. Perhaps it's not FAG's bldng, but the big FAG letters are right up there on the side, very visible.

[bayi]

Thanks, Robyn. The "dry" curry mee looks interesting. I go to Ipoh Road every week on an errand. I may just try to find my way to Restoran Argyle.

[babe_kl]

i think there is a huge TAG on the side of the Sg Mas Building. i wonder if this is it?