Honestly, I’d never loved eating Hakka mee; a popular hawker noodle topped with minced meat, despite being a Hakka (a Chinese dialect group) myself. One reason why I disliked it was because I’d never encountered a decent Hakka mee that was to my liking. However, my perception changed soon after hubby introduced me to this famous and authentic Hakka mee at Paris Restaurant. This restaurant occupies two corner shoplots and is situated along Jalan Sultan Iskandar (Hugh Low Street) in Ipoh. Up until about a decade ago, it was still operating from the shop (Yin Yau Kui) directly opposite to where it is currently. Today, many faithful customers still refer to it as Yin Yau Kui Hakka mee.
This Hakka mee is very popular among locals but not many tourists are aware of it. It’s a norm to see the restaurant packed with customers, particularly during weekends and that speaks volumes of its popularity. Even though the shop may be filled with diners, the turnover rate is pretty fast as well. Its employees are extremely efficient at their work and hence, the average waiting time would only be approximately 5-10 minutes.
The food menu can easily be seen hanging on the wall. Every food order and payment are to be made to an elderly man (owner of the restaurant), who speaks with a loud voice and walks energetically around the restaurant from table to table. He is apparently the third generation descendent of his ancestors who started this business.
The Hakka mee is served with its yong tau foo in separate bowls. Diners can customise the yong tau foo portion to be served according to the number of people, and it comes with a variety of items such as pork meatballs, fishballs, stuffed tofu and fried beancurd skin. One particular yong tau foo tastes really different from the others, where the meatball has a tinge of cuttlefish in it. The yong tau foo is best eaten with the homemade chilli sauce, which brings out the fragrance and sweetness in each of its piece.
Besides the toothsome yong tau foo, its noodle is the one that stands out the most. Each strand of noodle has the perfect springy texture and mixes perfectly with a rich topping of minced meat along with a generous amount of fresh scallions.
Address: 164, Jalan Sultan Iskandar (Hugh Low Street), 30000 Ipoh
Operating Hours: Monday-Sunday from 7AM-12PM
NOTES:
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