I have had many a wat tan hor in my lifetime and what I know of wat tan hor is - koay teow, wok hei, thick yummy eggy gravy - delicious! delicious! delicious!
I have had good ones and not so good ones. After my visit to Ipoh Tuck Kee@Damansara Uptown where I was supposed to eat the wat tan hor fun but instead had yu kong hor, I decided to return to check out their wat tan hor fun.
My experience with the yu kong hor was somewhat underwhelming. Someone commented that yu kong hor should taste exactly like wat tan hor. Really? I have eaten wat tan hor many times and the taste of the yu kong hor was nowhere near that of wat tan hor.
So let's see how the wat tan hor (RM10.00) at Ipoh Tuck Kee measures against the ones I have eaten elsewhere.
It came like this, in a bowl with a big ass ladle.
I removed the ladle to a bowl. I saw pieces of chee yau char. Yay!
Then I dug in and had a taste.
Errr....it did not taste like the wat tan hor that I am used to.
Taste again. Then it clicked. This wat tan hor tastes exactly like the yu kong hor. It's like they cooked the yu kong hor and then doused it with eggy gravy. So yeah, the yu kong hor here taste exactly like their wat tan hor hahahaha..
I was in need of pickled green chilies. Why they don't give, eh? Then I realized that the condiment counter was just behind me (when a young lady from another table walked over to help herself).
A few more things about the wat tan hor - there was no wok hei (in fact the yu kong hor the other day also lacked wok hei, something I failed to mention in my previous post) and the koay teow had a faint unpleasant smell.
Besides, the gravy was very watery. Suffice to say, the only thing I enjoyed at Ipoh Tuck Kee was the sour plum lime juice. It was super pekat that day. A lip smackingly refreshing drink.
Sorry, no more Ipoh Tuck Kee for me.
Then a few days later I checked out the wat tan hor at Yu Tao Xuan Restaurant (CLOSED). Their Penang Char Koay Teow impressed me, so let's see how is their wat tan hor.
If you are looking for this restaurant, it is along the same row as Village Park and next to Rod Dee Ded. They are still carrying the old yellow Yok Tho Hing signboard.
They also have a wanton mee stall inside. Without further ado I ordered the wat tan hor (RM10.00) .
Very pale watery gravy. My heart sank a bit.
But don't be fooled or disheartened by its looks.
It was actually pretty decent, lots of wok hei and flavor. Definitely better than the one at Ipoh Tuck Kee.
Now let me tell you who makes my ultimate wat tan hor experience. If you have been following my blog, you might already know.
The wat tan hor (RM18.50) at Champ's@A Foodie's Nest The Starling (CLOSED) is the BEST to me. Sure, it is the most expensive of the lot but it ticks all the right boxes for me - big portion, lots of ingredients, thick eggy gravy and deep wok hei aroma and flavors. DELICIOUS! Eating this after the other two experience was pure ecstasy!
I would gladly pay the extra RM8.50 for a far superior version of wat tan hor. Conclusion - I don't need to try any other wat tan hor after this. Hah!
We have an Ipoh franchise here and I would say it was most disappointing! Expensive some more! Yes, that last one does look so so so good, a cut above the rest!
ReplyDeleteThese places are basically selling the name "Ipoh" and "Penang" and yet the food, well, no need to say.
DeleteThank you for confirming that the wat tan hor tastes the same as the yut Kong hor for Ipoh tuck kee. It is because from what I know the cook will cook the dish the same way n put in uncook egg yolk for yut Kong hor and scrambled the egg yolk into egg gravy for wat tan hor but the cook cooking style for both is the same. But cannot cross compare from other shops of course.
ReplyDeleteFor Ipoh Tuck Kee, you were right!
DeleteGood to hear that The wat tan hor (RM18.50) at Champ's@A Foodie's Nest The Starling is still around. Hhmmm wonder when I can go eat there again. So syiok to read about all the wat tan hor that you have been eating.
ReplyDeleteAll the stalls are open but not many people were at the food court when I visited.
DeleteLooks like this Ipoh Tuck Kee's wat tan hor is not quite the wat tan hor we know (or are familiar with). I've not seen a wat tan hor gravy so darkly coloured. I'm not a big fan of wat tan hor though I love kong fu chow (I prefer a version with yee meen or ying yong, a combo of meehoon+kway teow). At least your favourite wat tan hor at Champ's costs only RM18.50 as opposed to Sean's RM31 for a disappointing CKT! >_< I don't think I can bring myself to pay such prices for this hawker-type food where I can find equally good ones from coffee shops for 1/3 the price! O_o
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately for me, there is no good wat tan hor at the coffee shop around here or else you will find me there hee..hee...
DeleteWah u really go to taste every wat tan hor at ur area...Yes i can see the diff by champ's compared to the rest. Memang berbaloi to pay extra.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have covered all, but no need to try all. I just stick to Champ's!
DeleteIf you like Wat Dan Hor, you must try this place ->
ReplyDeletehttp://www.choiyen.com/restaurant-pan-heong-2/ which I blogged 11 years ago, LOL but it is still my number one Wat Dan Hor, until now.
If you blogged about it 11 years ago and it is still around, then it must be good. I will check it out.
DeleteI love this noodle dish. In fact it's one of my favourites....I also tried the Champs one after many attempts at getting a good one and loved it but it was very filling. I only went to Champs after you mentioned it many a times in your blog :)
ReplyDeletehah..hah...I love Chanmp's! The wat tan hor is a big portion, delicious and full of goodies. That'a what I like :)
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