Think Ipoh is all about Ipoh hor fun and white coffee? Think again. In fact, if you ask Joel Choo for food recommendations, he’d tell you to skip it. “It is the most underwhelming dish Ipoh has. I was actually expecting a lot from Ipoh hor fun but it just tastes like hor fun in a broth. There’s nothing special about it,” the 25-year-old tells 8days.sg. Oops.

Well, the actor should know. He spent more than three months up north filming Mediacorp drama Titoudao: Inspired by the True Story of a Wayang Star, and when he wasn’t working, the self-professed foodie was eating his way around Ipoh. He shares with us his recommendations on where and what to eat, including Ipoh hor fun, you know, in case you really want to try the city's eponymous noodles.

Address: 13, Jalan Chung On Siew, 30250 Ipoh, Perak

If you only have time and stomach space for one breakfast in Ipoh, go yum cha at Fulin, one of the favourite brekkie haunts of the cast. Not only are prices very affordable, the dim sum menu is expansive, offering everything from the usual suspects like siew mai and prawn beancurd skin rolls to “weird stuff” like stuffed pig skin with plum sauce (“it’s like a steamed meat ball” slathered with plum sauce ) and oozy tau sar pau.

“The selection there is different from what we have in Singapore and I like a lot of the fried dim sum like the deep fried pork and preserved egg roll with ginger. It is crispy on the outside and complements the creamy texture of the century egg. The ginger taste is a little strong but everything comes together nicely.

“My favourite dish is the shrimp cheong fun (steamed rice rolls) ‘cos I like the texture of the skin — it is soft, silky and slippery. They are not very generous with the filling, though. When we order two rolls, they only give four shrimps at most, but the best part is eating the skin with the sauce. It’s like eating noodles,” says Joel, adding that it’s best paired with their dried shrimp chilli sauce.

Pro tip: Not all the items are not on the menu so look at what the other tables are having or simply ask the staff for recommendations.

Address: 5, Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak

Another one of Joel’s favourite breakfast spots in Ipoh. The dry curry noodles is their bestseller but the actor prefers their gan ban mian (dry noodles), which is “like dry wanton mee with dark sauce, char siew, bean sprouts and shrimp”. “It’s very tasty and it’s my go-to dish at Nam Chau. The average price of their noodles is 6.50 ringgit (S$2.30), which is relatively cheap,” he says.

The dry curry noodles are served with shredded chicken, char siew, prawns and an aromatic curry gravy.

“Nam Chau is also famous for their Ipoh hor fun, but I am not a big fan of it. I prefer dry noodles so I gave it a chance, but I was quite disappointed,” he says with a shrug.

Wait, isn’t Ipoh hor fun supposed served with thick brown gravy, we ask. “That’s why I was quite confused! I thought it was supposed to be dry but a lot of places serve it in soup. I still don’t know what exactly consists of an Ipoh hor fun ‘cos it is so different everywhere,” he laughs.

But if you still want to try Ipoh’s version of the dish, head to famous food street Jalan Yau Tet Shin where you can hop from stall to stall to find your favourite shredded chicken hor fun. It’s like the Katong Laksa shops along East Coast Road, where you can find three to four rival shops, says Joel, “They all taste pretty much the same and if you ask around, everyone has their own favourite. It’s not bad but it’s not the tastiest thing I’ve tasted there.”

Address: 7, Jalan Windsor, 30250 Ipoh, Perak

No visit to Ipoh is complete without trying their white coffee and for that, Joel recommends Chang Jiang, which is “the most famous in Ipoh”. So popular that tourists not only flock to the eatery for their fix, but also take bags of their instant white coffee home with them. Apart from kopi, the eatery also serves traditional kaya toasts (also available steamed in a bamboo basket a la dim sum) as well as staples like their signature Chang Jiang noodles (dry noodles with minced meat) and fried rice.

“When I was in Ipoh, I made an effort to try the white coffee from every eatery so I know the standard and this is my favourite ‘cos it’s very aromatic. I usually have kopi-O kosong peng (iced black coffee with no sugar) with their Chang Jiang noodles and kaya toast. The owner also gave each one of us two packs of their most premium instant coffee so I am still enjoying the coffee now.

“I think they use Hainanese kaya and it’s one of the best kaya toasts I’ve tasted ‘cos of the way they put the butter — it’s in chunky strips and they space out between the bread. The feeling of biting into the butter is very shiok. Some people like to dip their toast in coffee but I prefer to eat it on its own ‘cos once you dip it, it loses its crispiness.”

Address: 61, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, Taman Jubilee, Ipoh, Perak

You know the food at zi char restaurant Tuck Kee must be good when Joel wakes up craving for it. At the top of his list is the baby octopus in soy sauce, which “looks so simple but tastes so good”. According to Joel, the octopus is first blanched before it is bathed in an umami mix of soy sauce, shallot oil and fried garlic. The result: tender and crunchy morsels.

Other must-tries are the wok-hei laden moonlight hor fun and wat dan yu mian, where the noodles are made with fish paste. “It’s quite unique ‘cos the texture of the noodles is springy like fish balls, and complements the thick slurp-worthy sauce very well. The sauce is similar to our zi char hor fun gravy and comes with ingredients like seafood, sliced pork and vegetables.

“There are two shops, Tuck Kee and Sun Tuck Kee next door, but I prefer going to the original outlet ‘cos the baby octopus there is nicer. I think they are brothers but there was some family feud, so they opened another outlet next door.”

Address: 124, Jalan Sultan Iskandar, Taman Jubilee, 30000 Ipoh, Perak

To escape the hustle and bustle of the city, Joel checks in at Seong Man teahouse. Besides an array of teas, the quaint teahouse also offers cakes, traditional desserts like ang ku kueh, and vegetarian meals on weekends.

“The place is very chill and quiet and there, they show you how to brew your own tea. I usually only go there on weekends ‘cos I want to have their set meals, which are wholesome and substantial. You only have four choices, sometimes less, and they are quite standard: brown rice with a mock meat stew, pickled cucumber, and dessert like agar agar. I went during Winter Solstice Festival so I had tang yuan which was served with tasty sweet ginger soup.”

Address: 27 Jalan Theatre, 30300 Ipoh, Perak

Chicken rice is also a staple Ipoh item and the one at Pak Kong is touted as one of the best. The place is perpetually packed with locals hungry for their saucy poached chicken, though Joel feels it is “not as nice as [Singapore's] bai ji (steamed chicken)”.

“The char siew is good and the chicken rice set which comes with tofu and bean sprouts is quite interesting, but I think it is very far off from our Hainanese chicken rice. The texture of the chicken is drier and tougher and it doesn’t have the taste we are familiar with,” notes Joel.

Address: 75, Jalan Panglima, 30000 Ipoh, Perak

When Joel wants a break from local food, he heads to Plan B, which is situated in Ipoh’s touristy Old Town. Though prices are a little steeper at this restaurant chain, which also has outlets in Kuala Lumpur, he prefers it over cosy hipster cafes for a simple reason: the food.

“They have your usual brunch choices and western grub but I mainly go there for the pastas, which are really unique. They have a chilli pan mee pasta — it is like a dry ban mian but instead of ban mian they serve it with pasta and onsen egg, and I also like the Ang Mo Indomie. It’s actually just pasta carbonara with Indomie seasoning but it’s very tasty and the banoffee cake is one of the best cakes I’ve had,” gushes Joel.

Titoudao: Inspired by the True Story of a Wayang Star airs Tuesdays, 9.30pm, on Ch 5. Watch the series on meWATCH here.