IPOH, Aug 24 – Yat Yat Seng literally means “everyday rising”, and could well have been this restaurant’s motto judging from the crowd that gathers every morning for the curry mee from the main stall that also sells chicken rice for lunch. 

The eatery sits at a relatively strategic corner facing the Ipoh Garden roundabout; connecting Fair Park, Simee and Canning Garden and with several landmarks instantly recognizable by a true-blue Ipohan -- Maybank and CIMB facing one another, and the Ipoh Garden post office seated at another corner.

I have been eating at Yat Yat Seng for at least two decades if my memory serves me right. Back then, the curry mee was not the only attraction that pulled us back again and again.

There was another stall that was selling incredible pie tee or top hats, the Nyonya classic snack of tiny crisp cups filled with juicy turnip, fried shallots and a piquant chili sauce. But sadly, the lady has since ceased operating from Yat Yat Seng. No news on her whereabouts, and that was the last good pie tee I had in Ipoh really.

It was barely lunch hour and there was already a crowd forming to tapau chicken rice from this stall

Anyway, back to the curry mee stall.

Now, the name of the restaurant is more or less synonymous with the curry mee here, clearly the number one attraction that entices hundreds of hungry souls daily.

Ironically, the name Yat Yat Seng also describes the escalating prices over the years.

A serving of curry mee will set you back RM6 per bowl; an average of 50 per cent more than the other stalls in town.

So what’s so special about Yat Yat Seng’s version of curry mee that has fended off challenges from other contenders and the new breed of modern kopitiams?

Well, Yat Yat Seng’s version could be the only curry mee that comes with a whole load of ingredients; shrimp, char siew, roast pork, boiled pig’s skin, shredded chicken, juicy cockles and the usual crunchy bean sprouts and a sprig or two of mint leaves for garnishing.

The chee cheong fun with curry pig’s skin is a nice alternative for breakfast at Yat Yat Seng

Talk about everything AND the kitchen sink!

But of course, as I mentioned earlier, the curry mee here does not come cheap. For additional curry pig’s skin (sounds gross, but trust me... you will fall in love with those bouncy slices of gelatinous skin doused in rich curry) and juicy boiled cockles, you pay an additional RM1.80 (this was a few months back, by the way); effectively pricing this almost on par with modern, air-conditioned kopitiams that are a dime a dozen.

I usually have my curry mee the dry style; the noodles are first tossed in a soy sauce-based dressing with a dash of shallot oil sometimes, and very faint hint of dark soy sauce for that sweet kick.

Then, a scoop or two of thick curry paste is ladled on top of the ensemble consisting of my favourite Ipoh sar hor fun (kuey teow or flat rice noodles), and the myriad ingredients mentioned earlier.

The curry here is not as fiery hot like say, Yee Fatt (sometimes) or Xin Quan Fang (the famous police station curry mee in the town centre) and much less creamy or rich like Nam Chau (in Old Town).

However, the special ingredients of fabulous pig’s skin and cockles make this my preferred choice in this part of Ipoh; nearer to home and less traffic/crowd to bear with. The abundance of parking spaces around the area makes a quick bite at Yat

What better way to start the day than with a cup of aromatic white coffee brewed in Ipoh? (left). Remember to ask for additional cockles to fully savour the full-blown curry mee experience (right)

Yat Seng so much more achievable than say, a breakfast at Nam Chau in Old Town with the crazy busloads of tourists on weekends, or the working crowd on weekdays.

If curry mee is not on your list of lunch food, and rice is a MUST, then by all means give their chicken rice a try. Thankfully still priced at a very reasonable RM4 per portion, this is easier to stomach during difficult times (read: the last sprint before pay day).

Aside from curry mee and chicken rice, the chee cheong fun served at the adjacent stall is pretty decent too. The classic curry pig’s skin and mushroom gravy is available;  this is how chee cheong fun is commonly eaten in Ipoh.

The next time you drop by Ipoh and suffer from the jitters brought on by the maddening, white coffee-deprived crowd in Old Town or barely survived the New Town’s bean sprout chicken “warzone”, try coming over to a slightly more peaceful Ipoh Garden and relish the “premium” curry mee at Yat Yat Seng.

Yat Yat Seng Restaurant (non-halal)

83, Lebuh Ipoh (off Jalan Dato Lau Pak Khuan)

Taman Canning, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.