(This is a 3-part series on my recent trip to Ipoh. You can read the first two posts here and here)

A stall outside  house

We skipped lunch on our second day in Ipoh as we needed a break after the curry mee meal.

Not for long though and by tea time, we were primed and ready for the famous Hong Kee Mah's Fa Sang Wu. It is a fantastic Chinese Peanut Cream dessert eaten piping hot.

This in my opinion must be one of the best Fa Sang Wu around but it has the usual Ipoh treatment. Humble and non-descript. If you drive too fast you may miss it. It is a plain looking stall outside a house in a resident area. And it is only opened from noon till about 4 pm.

This is an old-fashioned drivethru.
You drive up, place your order and go for a takeaway. If you eat there, you eat in your car in your own air-cond comfort.

It is nothing like the modern Macdonald's drive thru. If you have a bunch of kids, you will be pleading for mercy as you try to place the order: upsize, downsize, happy meals, sad meals, chili, no chili, bbq sauce etc. The multiple options multiplied by your fickle children leaves you frazzled as you scream at your kids and into the speakerphone (why does the reply sounds like radio from the 60's?).

With Hong Kee Mah Drivethru, you only need to make two choices. A and/or B. Fa Sang Wu and/or Mah (Muah) Chee. One size, one price.

A potful of FSW. On a good day this disappears fast

The peanut cream is thick and smooth. It has good "viscosity" and visually appealing. You smell the glorious fragrance of roasted peanut as you hold the bowl. As you taste the first spoonful, don't just gulp it down. Let it fill your mouth. You will soon see why so many are going nuts over this. It has everything perfect - fragrance, taste and texture. While it is okay to do a take away, it is best eaten there.

Muah Chee, as we call it here in Singapore

We were too distracted by the FSW to pay attention to the Mah or Muah Chee, which is also raved by many and has been featured in Ho Chiak. It is very good too but as I am not a Muah Chee lover, I can't compare it with the versions here. Ieat has raved about a local one here and it is good to know that you can get good MC down under.

But as for FSW, it looks like nothing has come close so far to Hong Kee's.

This really made our day. I can think of nothing better than this for tea. Perfect.

And once again, this stall epitomizes all that is good, unique and rustic about Ipoh.

I love this city. 


Hong Kee Mah
550A, Jalan Queen
Pasir Pinji
31050 Ipoh, Perak
Tel : 05-321 2620
Open from 1.00 pm to 4.00 pm (or till it last).
Close on Mondays 

Look at the Google map to this stall here