Ipoh, Malaysia - Local Ipoh Culinary Delights at Thean Chun aka "The Hall of Mirrors"

I caught "The Lady", Luc Besson's new film on Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, at the theatre in Singapore last weekend.

The lead role, portraying the heroine, was played by Ipoh-born veteran Malaysian actress, Michelle Yeoh. Watching her on-screen made me want to re-visit Ipoh then - and also Thean Chun, one of Ipoh's most popular coffeeshops, and a favorite dining spot (together with Kong Heng coffeeshop next door) for Michelle Yeoh whenever she visited her Ipoh home.

So, I took a 2 hour drive up to Ipoh from KL this morning to savor the city's culinary options and ... visit Thean Chun :-D

Thean Chun is also known to local Ipoh-lites as "The Hall of Mirrors", owing to the large mirrors lining one side of the ever-crowded coffeeshop.

We ordered most of Thean Chun's staple hawker foods today:
- Chinese pork and pig's intestines satay skewers, served with a deliciously-rich spiced peanut sauce;
- "Chee cheong fun" (豬腸粉) - steamed rolls of rice noodles sprinkled with a thin soy-based sauce, and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds & crisp, brown shallots;
- Ipoh "hor fun" (河粉) - thin, flat rice noodles served in a delightful prawn-chicken broth, topped with fresh prawns, slivered chicken and chives. The broth was tinged orange from boiling prawn heads and shells to extract the flavors. Utterly delicious!
- Creme caramel - perhaps Thean Chun's claim-to-fame. This French dessert was produced perfectly here and a must-order.

Address details
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Thean Chun Coffeeshop
73, Jalan Bandar Timah
Old Town
30000 Ipoh
Perak
Tel: +605 255 3076