Best Ipoh Chicken Rice is NOT in Ipoh

I've been to Ipoh many times.

And Ipoh is famous for it's Chicken rice and bean sprouts. Ngo Choi Kai (NCK). Over the years, the NCK shops in Ipoh old town has ridden its fame to riches. It's probably because a lot of KL and Singaporeans go there and these Ipoh NCK people thought it's ok to charge KL or worse Singaporean price.

Well, your shop is in a shitty town and you probably pay no rent because your grandfather left you that old shop house.

I once paid close to RM300 (!) for pax of 5. When the bill came, we looked at each other and kind of like major WTF!! Too bad we didn't check the pricing before we ate.

So, it wasn't surprising that we were cursing all the way back to KL. We cursed the entire Ipoh people even though they may not all be involved in ripping us off.

These Ipoh mother fuckers are scums and I hope their shop burn down one of these days.

Anyway, I find that Ipoh Chicken Rice is overrated. Totally.

Sometimes they try to sell you the Kampong Chicken, and these are at a premium and good luck to us if you are stupid to order it. They all taste flat. And god knows if they dye the chicken yellow just to make it look "kampong". Bastards.

Anyway, my favourite Ipoh NCK is actually located in PJ at Jalan Gasing. A little further up from EPF building, there's a row of shop houses. It's at the end of the row.

Warning: There're TWO Ngo Choi Kai shops in the same row. DO NOT GO to the other one. The other one looks nice with aircon, the staff wear uniform, but they food taste flat. That's what happen when you have no soul and just go after the money.

The one that I go to is:

I've been eating here for more than 20 years. If you live in KL or PJ you've probably been here too.

The chicken is succulent and tasty.

Way better than those shitty chicken in Ipoh. I swear.

And the Hor Fun is just as good. I wouldn't be surprise their supply comes from Ipoh. The broth is light and yet tasty. No MSG.

Do yourself a favor. Order the pork balls even though you're not hungry. They are crunchy and meaty. Dip it in the chilli sauce and it pops!

The bean sprouts (Ngo Choi) are fat and juicy.

My brother knows a guy in Malaysia that grows bean sprouts commercially. Apparently, bean sprouts can be grown in different shape and sizes. Long, short, thin, fat, you name it, he can apply. And that made him a millionaire a few times over. Imagine, get rich by selling one single product. Brilliant!

Don't these look gorgeous??

While you're eating, the restaurant plays some music overhead. Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis... how cool is that?

It's obvious that the owner has got a little education and soul.

Otherwise, you would be listening to some Mat Rempit screaming some unintelligible trashy "local" rock as if some wild boar just poked him in the balls. Apa lagi Cina mau? Culture la.

The owner is taking a backseat now. The restaurant is run by a team of young man from Myanmar. This is one impressive team. They speak fluent Cantonese and English. They work quietly and seamlessly.

What I like about this bunch of guys is that they are really polite and soft spoken. It really makes a difference in terms of your dining experience.

This is you would not normally expect from a little chicken rice shop.

My wife and I paid RM27 including drinks. Someone should tell those Ipoh chicken rice shop to go to hell.

BTW, their roast pork and char siew are not bad either.

This has to be one of my TOP 10's.