Shan Cheng Ipoh Delicacies - Great Entry Point To Ipoh-Style Hor Fun

If there’s one dish (noodle or not) that I’m quite fond of in Malaysian cuisine, it would definitely be Ipoh Hor Fun, hands down. Growing up, I’m fortunate to be able to try different varieties of hor fun in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, each with their distinct styles and flavours that you’ll never get bored trying all three consecutively (that would be a fever dream for me 😄).

And for the uninitiated, hor fun is essentially a dish known for its stir-fried flat rice noodles with starchy and savory gravy on top of meat, usually either seafood, pork and/or chicken, with the latter used quite extensively in hor fun from the city of Ipoh. For this post, I’ll be introducing a place that serves decent Ipoh hor fun at Shan Cheng located at the heart of Sengkang.

Brief History

Shan Cheng first established their store in Ipoh, and true to its origins, the name Shan Cheng (山城) literally means ‘city of mountains’, perfectly describing the city of Ipoh known for their hilly and mountainous landscape.

Sisters Elaine and Cheryl Tioh were the founders, and were no strangers to the F&B business since they learnt their culinary crafts from their mother, an established cook herself. Leaving to Singapore for work and craving for some food from home after 10 years of being homesick, they opened their first outlet in Singapore in 2011¹. Over time, they’ve opened several more outlets, and the one that I’ll be visiting to today will be their outlet at Sengkang in Compass One.

Experience

Getting to Compass One was a pretty simple affair where elevators were right in front of me the moment I exit Sengkang MRT Station and into Compass One. Situated in the second level with their very own store, Shan Cheng was an easy find with an array of other eateries behind Shan Cheng.

To begin, you have the option of either ordering at the station/machine or through the counter where a staff will take your orders. Both methods will have you take a buzzer to alert you when to collect your main order. But for anyone ordering a set (that comes with a drink), you can collect your drink right after payment so there’s no need to wait for the buzzer to vibrate or light up.

Taste Test: Authentic Shredded Chicken Hor Fun Set (Dry, Iced Milo, $13.19)

Unlike most Ipoh hor fun, Shang Cheng‘s comes with a separate bowl of soup, which I was taken aback the first time it was being served to me. The soup tasted robust without feeling overpowering and doesn’t distract from the main course, which I guess it’s a good sign.

To keep you all on the loop, I’ve been to Shan Cheng many times, and in my latest visit, I was shocked to see them using tiger prawns instead of smaller prawns with the shells off. I guess this creates another obstacle to enjoy your meal for anyone who’s rushing for time and don’t want to have their hands dirty, but good for anyone who prefers bigger prawns to savor all the flavours and brings to mind the freshwater prawns back in Ipoh.

It’s unusual seeing chives used in hor fun, and thought that those were long scallions/spring onions the first time I ever tried it. With that said, the chives do add a certain tinge of mild bitterness to create a more three-dimensional taste profile to prevent the entire dish for tasting rather one-note. Whether you take that as a good or bad thing is entirely up to your subjective preferences and that’s all I have to say about that aspect.

If I have to describe the chicken used, it’s a mix of chicken breast and chicken legs with skins attached to retain some flavour and moisture on the chicken, preventing it from being too arid and bland. Add in the sauce, and you got yourself juicy and tender chicken slices to savour.

Maybe I’m in the minority here. While I prefer the bigger noodles found in most hor fun stalls, Ipoh Hor Fun is known for using smaller kway teow strands and they are my preferred choice since instead of gravy, it comes coated with sauce thinner than the latter so it makes much more sense for narrower (and more fragile) noodles to be used. I still respect and like the typical hor fun with larger noodles and thicker gravy, if you think that I’m no fan of them.

Final Thoughts

Some changes aside, Shan Cheng Ipoh Delicacies is a good place to start for anyone new to Ipoh cuisine and want to try their hands on something a little off the beaten path. I’ve tried their chicken chop hor fun before out of curiosity’s sake and craving for some fried stuff in hor fun (mostly unthinkable and unheard of), but sadly as of this writing in 2024, it is currently unavailable.

Address & Opening Hours

Address

Compass One
1 Sengkang Square, #02-28/32, Singapore 545078

Opening Hours

Mon to Sun, 10am to 10pm
Nearest MRT: Sengkang (NE16/STC)

Shan Cheng’s About Us Page: https://shancheng.com.sg/about-us ↩︎