Ipoh is known for its variety of traditional noodle dishes, and curry mee is one of the local favourites worth trying if you haven’t!
Unlike the soupy curry laksa commonly found in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, Ipoh-style curry mee is often served dry, with a thick, concentrated curry paste coating the noodles.
Sun Seng Fatt (新成发), also known as SSF, is one of the established names associated with Ipoh curry mee. Its signature dish comes in both dry and soup versions, featuring a rich curry base accompanied by prawns, char siew and other ingredients.
About Sun Seng Fatt (SSF)
Sun Seng Fatt is a long-running curry noodle establishment in Ipoh, with a history dating back to at least 1980. When I was younger, it was originally located in Ipoh Old Town at 32 Jalan Market near other popular establishments like Thean Chun.
Currently it has multiple outlets, with some outlets allegedly run by the mother and others, the son.
Sun Seng Fatt Curry House Menu
Dry Curry Mee
This is a must-try if you’re visiting SSF Restaurant. It is one of my must-eats everytime I come to Ipoh 🙂 It’s one of the foods that Singapore doesn’t have!
I’ve tried a few dry curry shops in Ipoh and this is still my favourite, but may be biased because I grew up eating curry mee at this shop.
The curry itself is relatively thick and rich rather than watery. Although it may seem like a simple dish, there are many ways to customise it.
Noodle Choice: You can choose what type of noodle you’d like your dry curry mee to have. Personally, I love to eat Dry Curry bee hoon because the gravy clings on well to the noodles. Although I love Ipoh Kway Teow, I feel that it gets a bit gelat (surfeiting) and heavy with the curry sauce.
My grandmother likes to mix bee hoon and yellow noodles for her dry curry noodles for a mix of texture.
Meat toppings: The standard dry curry mee comes with a mix of prawn, char siew and roast pork (siew yoke), but it is customisable. Personally, I usually request roast pork only because I am not the biggest fan of char siew.
Sambal: The dry curry mee is OK spicy, enough to feel it in your belly but not uncomfortable hot in your mouth. If you don’t have good spice tolerance, you may want to ask them to put less of the curry paste / chili
SSF also provides lime juice on the table to adjust the flavour. The lime juice introduces acidity to balance the richness of the curry.
Soup Curry Mee
For those who prefer their noodles served in broth, SSF also offers a soup version of its curry mee.
Although the presentation differs, the soup version uses the same curry base as the dry noodles. The main difference is the consistency: instead of being concentrated enough to coat the noodles, the curry is served as a liquid broth.
There is a coconut milk flavour and the curry spice + heat is not as strong compared to the dry version.
Other Offerings
The restaurant also has a variety of other food options including dumplings, steamed chicken etc. But if you’re coming here, you should really be eating the curry noodles and have the others as add-ons if you’re super hungry.
I like to get the beansprouts because Ipoh Taugey is fatter and juicier unlike the ones we have in Singapore.
Dining Experience
Ordering: There’s a QR code on the table for you to scan and place your order, or you can place your order with the staff as well
Crowd: The place is popular and is usually crowded during peak mealtimes so come early or be prepared to wait 🙂
Sun Seng Fatt (SSF) Outlet I Visited
Address: 18, Hala Datuk 5, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
Closed every Friday