Tan Cha – Herbal Tea with Egg
Yee Fatt in Ipoh is famous for laid-back breakfasts, slow leisurely late morning tea and coffee sessions whilst browsing the newspapers, old-timers sitting around killing time and young guys grabbing a quick bite before the sales pitch starts. I am of course talking “off peak” here and not referring to the madness that is Chinese New Year time, when all hell breaks loose. No, I am talking about a normal morning at 10 a.m. at this iconic coffee shop in Ipoh. There’s nothing more soothing than sitting in a coffee shop, sipping black coffee, as the cars and motorcyclists zoom by outside, a mere 20 feet away.
Such is the experience one may have while visiting the old Yee Fatt – Ipoh’s coffee shop that is famous for its Tan Cha (Herbal tea with egg), Dry Curry Noodles and Loh Mai Farn (Sticky Glutinous Rice). Heck, this place is famous for most of the things it has on the menu.
The egg tarts at Yee Fatt are both flaky and buttery at the same time. This crust is a bit puffier than many egg tarts I have tried and the smoothness of the custard is superb. It is not overly sweet – just the way I like it.
This has got to be my favourite Dry Curry Mee in Ipoh. The curry flavour is thick and cloying, the mint leaves are pungent and the char siew (BBQ pork) is chunky and full of porky flavour. What more can you ask for in a curry noodle. My colleagues don’t eat the mint leaves at all .. what madness! I grab it from their plates faster than you can say ‘Tan Cha’ ! Yee Fatt’s dry curry noodles are not as salty or oily as the one by the police station at Xin Quan Fang (which happens to be my other favourite Dry Curry Noodle shop in Ipoh).
Loh Mai Farn (Glutinous Rice)
The Lor Mai Farn here is also better than the ones we get in KL because firstly, it has loads more ingredients – from chicken to pork to chinese sausages to mushrooms etc, and also the quality of the glutinous rice is much softer in texture. Fantastic. Again it is not as greasy as some of the ones you get in KL. I am so happy at this point, there is nothing left to do than to keep stuffing my face and drinking my black coffee and sighing with pleasure.
Tan Cha is totally addictive.. the way the herbal tea (leong char) seeps into the egg and colors the egg-white brown, tells you that the flavour of the tea has gone into the egg. Extremely fragrant and delicious, I find myself beginning to count the eggs I eat a day because, this is just the start of my Ipoh eating spree. I really need to pace myself;)
Add: Yee Fatt Curry Noodle,
39, Jalan Kampar (Jalan Permaisuri Bainun), Ipoh. (opposite Methodist Girls’ School)
Opening hours: 7.30am-3.30pm. Closed on Monday.
Tel: +605 242 1043
The noodles are taunting me – they keep saying: “Give in to the dark side! Carbs are delicious”. Haha…
they are they are! i died and went to heaven! if i lived in ipoh, id be stuffing my face all day
Coffee, tea, or uhm, egg? 😛
egg!
The herbal tea with egg – is it served cold or warm? I’ve seen tong sui with a quail egg inside and I’ve had herbal egg – does it taste like the latter?
it tastes like leong char and is sweet. it can be served either hot or cold, it does NOT taste medicinal. thank god!
I like the slow lazy pace in Ipoh. When I go to Ipoh, it feels like a real holiday. 🙂
agree!
Drooooooooooooool, Sun Chuen Foong aka Curry Mee near Balai Polis gets a mention again, woo hoo … my family fave since I was 6 years old 😉 Hmmm, must try out Yee Fatt as well!
I want dry curry, mmmh….
yar man.. i tell you .. never go hungry in Ipoh
worse come to worse, u can jog around ipoh, cant b that big for u rite? haha..
reminds me its been so long since i went back to ipoh.. but i got some custard eggs tapaued sitting in the fridge..yummm
yar, rite.. at this rate, no amount of running around ipoh can help me. wait till u see next post. thats’ why going for 15K jog with cumi !
You’re in Ipoh! Best right!?!! My hometown – the town of good food and pretty girls. Gosh I missed those fluffy pastry of the egg tarts!
bessssst! oh… no wonder u so pretty la.. u from ipoh!
omg!! wonderful breakfast!!!!
i like…..
very long didnt eat tis kind of breakfast already
yar totally rocks my world! 😆
*patiently waiting till March*
oh ru going back to ipoh? hehe
Once upon a time longlongago 😯 we will make a big circle around the section with that horrible medicine smell ( brown eggs in balck soup in rice cooker ) in shopping malls. aiya how to eat such things 1 !
Good Ipoh. Great Ipoh . We want Ipoh back !
Such a pity now mr smiley Zambry is in charge. 👿
no no! this one is the sweet leong char! no medicinal smell one.. very pleasant! 😆
How’s the taste of the egg tea? Sweet? Bitter? 🙄
i’d order half-a-dozen eggs to start with! it looks perfectly cooked! 😀
ROFL.. your crazy! 😈
Strangely i have never been to Yee Fatt, despite i grew up in Ipoh and lived near MGS. Made me want to drive back now just to savour the Egg Tart. BTW- not all tarts are made of eggs and can be eaten especially those found at Cangkat B. Bintang
LOL, yar .. so when u taking me la 💡
Hopefully it’s open when I’m down next week!
oooo… balik kampung:)
Haven’t been back to Ipoh in yonks, but I hear it’s sleepier than before! Perfect holiday place. Must bookmark this next time I go. Look at that flaky egg tart and luscious lor mai fan!
yar if any place can be sleepier , id trade in my asics! LOL.. are you from ipoh too?
So so so sorry! I did not log in to my Twitter, nor did I receive your msg woh …. You sure you got send not?
Yee Fatt’s one of my personal fav as well, the only other worthy contender being Nam Chau.
yar i did! i saw it and a lil fatmonkey saw it too .. wail 😥 so sad..
This place is a must try when i’m in Ipoh each!
OMG! the dry curry looks mouth watering!!! tan cha looks so yummy too! hungry neh.. 🙁
agreed wif James. One of my fav dry curry mee, used 2 go there 4 lunch after school many, many yrs ago…..
gotta lurve ipoh. that’s why we head there every school holiday.