Ipoh Chu Cheong Fun with Mixed Sauce add: Fried Mini Mixed Stuff) Was scrolling around social media and got to learn about the new Shan Cheng Express 山城 outlet that has recently opened its doors within the Food Garden food court at Asia Square. Shan Cheng 山城 should not be a brand that is too unfamiliar for most locals here; the brand has already established its presence around the island for quite some time, though they are perhaps better noted to be an establishment that operates standalone eateries mostly within malls serving up Malaysian-style cuisine — Ipoh-style cuisine in particular. Other locations of Shan Cheng includes their outlets at Compass One, Midview City and Bukit Panjang Plaza; their outlet within Food Garden at Asia Square being their first that operates as a stall within a food court setting. Shan Cheng Express takes over the former premises of a now-defunct stall that served up Indian cuisine; this would be the stall that is situated right beside Avorush and is also located right across from Hor Fun King / Tun Xiang Nanyang Delights 豚香南洋館. Shan Cheng Express’s menu at its Asia Square location does seem to be more similar to that of their outlet at Compass One, though the “express” nature of the stall also meant that the menu at this outlet is slightly more limited as well — the food menu comprises of sections dedicated to Noodle, Side Dish and Rice, while beverages available at Shan Cheng Express includes Ipoh-style White Coffee, Teh, Milo etc..
We have visited Shan Cheng several times at their other outlets and given a few of their items a go; that being said, we had never tried the Ipoh Chu Cheong Fun offerings that they have to offer. Shan Cheng does offer quite a few variants of their Ipoh Chu Cheong Fun featuring different sauces such as that of Mixed Sauce, Crispy Shrimp Sambal Chilli, Classic Soy, Mushroom, Curry and Red Sweet Sauce. We opted for the version that comes with Mixed Sauce; patrons can also choose to add on a side order of either Ipoh Handmade Big Fish Ball, Fried Crispy Cracker, Curry Pig Skin or the Fried Mini Mixed Stuff — we found ourselves going for the Fried Mini Mixed Stuff for our order. Digging into the Ipoh Chu Cheong Fun with Mixed Sauce, it does seem that the mixed sauce comprises of a mix of red sweet sauce and curry — the end result was one where the flavour profile was sweet yet savoury with a slight hint of curry spices that linger at the back of the tongue, though there was nothing spicy with the dish despite the inclusion of curry. We also did feel that the dish wasn’t in anyway overwhelming despite the mix of sauces, while the rice vermicelli rolls were slurpy and springy with a bit of a chewiness to it. There are also bits of fried crispy cracker than can be found sprinkled atop the Ipoh Chu Cheong Fun with Mixed Sauce that helps to give it a contrasting crunch to the rice vermicelli rolls. Meanwhile, the Fried Mini Mixed Stuff that we had opted for comprises of fried fish balls, more fried crispy cracker and fried fishcake(?) that were a good-to-have.
The Iced Ipoh White Coffee does come slightly sweeter with a more caffeinated kick than the local Nanyang-style brews that we are more accustomed to; the iced cuppa also coming with a frothy aesthetic that one would typically expect for a cup of Malaysian-style iced coffee. Whilst not the most full-bodied cup of Malaysian-style iced coffee there, this does get those cravings sorted out. The addition of Shan Chang Express is probably the answer to the Central Business District’s lack of Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishments to cater to the office crowd. Prices of the various offerings in its Rice and Noodle sections of the menu range from $8.10 to $10.80 ala-carte; whilst a bit pricey for such fare, it is still rather reasonable considering this is the Central Business District that we are talking about here. We would probably find ourselves giving their Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah a go when we are craving for one and aren’t wanting to travel too far away from the office to get those cravings sorted out!
