Choong Kee Big Tree Restaurant – Famous Yong Tau Foo Spot
There are many places to get this Hakka dish in Ipoh. The most famous of them all is Choong Kee Big Tree Restaurant.
This simple food court over at Pasir Pinji area draws big breakfast and lunch crowds. As a result, there are a few paid car parks. And even nearby houses are putting up signs for parking fees.
If you want to read about our personal experience here, you are in the right place!
Why Is This Place So Famous?
The original name of Choong Kee Big Tree Restaurant is Big Tree Foot (Dai Shu Geok).
Even before 2015, this eatery was making a name for itself online with bloggers praising the yong tau foo as well as ice blended red bean drink.
Besides this, you can get assam laksa here!
Beware Of Copycats
In case you do want to try the food and drinks at Choong Kee Big Tree Restaurant, you should know that it is back-to-back with a competitor.
And this competitor is not shy with their advertising. Their signage deliberately fools unknowing tourists into thinking that they are the real deal.
What’s even more confusing is that the competitor occupies the original spot of Choong Kee Big Tree Restaurant when it was previously known as Dai Shu Geok.
But is their food as good? We admit we have never tried their food or drinks and just bypass them for the original.
Today, Choong Kee Big Tree Restaurant now has a large sign in front to proclaim that they do not have any branches.
You will know you are in the right food court if you see a lot more people. Moreover, Choong Kee Big Tree Restaurant does not have its own car park. Unlike the competitor.
What You Can Order Here
Yong tau foo is a must try if you come to Choong Kee Big Tree Restaurant. Pick what you want and put them into the provided plastic bowls.
Pass them over to one of the staff and let them know what kind of noodles you want. And whether you want your noodles dry (with some dark sauce) or in soup. You can also just get assam laksa together with your yong tau foo.
They have a huge selection of yong tau foo, and they fry them continuously so don’t worry about your favorite ones running out.
Popular yong tau foo include the stuffed eggplants and crispy sar kot. We got about 6 different types of liu (sides), one bowl of assam laksa and one bowl of dry noodles. These cost RM16.9 altogether.
The noodles are nothing to shout about. They are average for Ipoh standards. Meanwhile, the assam laksa is quite sour.
For both, the noodle portions are small. In contrast, the yong tau foo are very generously stuffed with meat. And are sizeable too.
The highlight of our meal is the ice blended red bean drink that costs RM4.60. It comes in a big glass with a straw and spoon. And it’s cold which is very refreshing on a hot day.
Plus, it has an appealing slushie consistency (after some stirring). It tastes mildly sweet and of red beans. Just perfect, in our opinion.
Note: We also saw other tables get dragon fruit juice and this looks thick and undiluted.
Other than the large yong tau foo stall in front, there are other stalls in the food court. For instance, there is one selling chee cheong fun.
Conclusion
The yong tau foo and ice blended red bean drink at Choong Kee Big Tree Restaurant are worth ordering.
But if there is one thing that would make us think twice about coming back to Choong Kee Big Tree Restaurant, it’s that the dining environment is a little dark and not so clean.
Not unlike another famous spot, Thean Chun Restaurant which is another must-try food in Ipoh. So, if you can’t handle this, we do advise going elsewhere for breakfast or lunch.
