Nam Heong Ipoh @ My Town, Cheras

If you have been a “foodie tourist” in Ipoh, Nam Heong would have been a perennial stop-over on your tour list. The rag tag team plus the cow boy team from outstation were already hooked on their food after our own “foodie tour” of Ipoh, and we were happy to find that Nam Heong had opened a branch in our hood. But as with all franchises, does the food match the lofty standards of THE original Nam Heong, Ipoh? Lets have a look.

In terms of ambience, it is pretty good, a definite winner over the original Nam Heong. But here you have to do your own ordering using an ipad available at each table. This took some getting use to and would cause problems for those who are less technology savvy. Though the normal menus were still available on the table.  

We ordered all the signature dishes. First-up came the signature chicken hor fun. In terms of taste yes ! it matches the original Nam Heong Ipoh. But what sets this hor fun apart from the rest is the reddish oil made from the prawn shells that is poured over the soup. This oil really brings immense burst of flavour to this signature chicken hor fun. A thumbs up from me.

Next we tried the signature egg tarts and chicken sou. There even had a time table of their baking time for customers to view, which was a great way to show freshness and to time your visit if you want a bulk take away! The flakiness and crust of the egg tart was very good, however the egg in the centre was less soft and well just less in quantity compared to the original. Still good but not 100%. The chicken sou was however quite good with the taste matching the original in terms of crust and fillings.

We also ordered the chee cheong fun with curry pork rind for the oldest member of the rag tag team. This had quite an unusual taste, certainly it was curry chee cheong like I have never tasted before. Aside from the spiciest from the curry, there was a tinge of sour taste from the green chillies on the side. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but certainly an interesting dish.

Two dishes that were not their signature dish from the original Nam Heong that we also tried were the chicken rice and lo mei kai (glutinous rice with chicken and mushroom). I would not recommend either of these dishes as they were just ordinary. The chicken from the chicken rice was also quite dry.

Lastly, but also most importantly was the Ipoh white coffee and tea. Sadly, the beverages were a disappointment. The taste was far-off from the original Nam Heong Ipoh. In the original Nam Heong there is this “uncle” who does the drinks, definitely missing here was the “uncle’s” magical touch.

Overall rating:

Food: 3/5

Bang for buck: 4/5 (though prices were double that of the original Nam Heong Ipoh, the prices were fair for an air-conditioned restaurant in a shopping mall)

Service: 4/5

Do you agree with this review? Drop us a comment in the comment box below.

Nam Heong Ipoh (Non Halal) Address in KL:

L1-036, My Town, Seksyen 90, Jalan Cochrane, Cheras, KL  

Other branches at Da Men Outlet (Subang Jaya), The Starling (Damansare Uptown), Pavilion Elite (Bukit Bintang) 
Links: 
Nam Heong Ipoh website
Nam Heong Ipoh @ Da men
Nam Heong Ipoh, The Starling
Nam Heong, Pavilion Elite