Nam Hing Loong in Temoh is said to be very popular among those “in the know”. This is a recommendation by my father in-law, whom I feel is a veteran when it comes to off the beaten track food spots.
We arrived by 11.30am, and by then, Nam Hing Loong was almost a full house!
It is a quite a detour if you’re heading to or from Ipoh (45 minutes on average) but it is well-worth that detour. We made sure to arrive by 11.30am, before the crowd kicks in. Mind you, Nam Hing Loong receives diners by the busload, so arrive after them and you’ll have to wait quite a bit for your food.
My in-laws told us about the place and what we should order – the snakehead fish soup with rice wine. We also ordered the ginger and scallion stir-fried fish slices, house special tofu, nam yue pork and salted egg yolk pucuk paku.
Ginger and scallion snakehead fish slices
At Nam Hing Loong, the fish you order will be divided into two dishes; the bones will cooked with rice wine soup and fish slices will be prepared according to your preference. We asked for it to be stir-fried with ginger and scallion.
Wok-kissed and delicious
And it was delicious. The fish slices were smooth and tender but that sets this place apart from other restaurants is the wok control and quality of ginger and scallion. You that that delicious char and mild sweetness from both the scallion and ginger. Our kids really enjoyed this too.
Snakehead fish soup with plenty of ginger and rice wine
But the star of Nam Hing Loong remains the (snakehead) fish soup – which I dare say is one of my 2024 food highlights. The broth is packed with sweetness from the rice wine and wolfberries, and the fish bones are deep-fried to offset the muddy flavour that is dominant in a snakehead fish.
One of my best food discoveries for 2024!
This was comforting and tummy warming, almost soul-changing as I generally don’t eat snakehead fish because of this fish doesn’t have flavour nor character. But Nam Hing Loong’s version defies all those factors and thus, remains my top food discoveries in 2024.
Salted egg yolk fern shoots
The salted egg yolk pucuk paku is light yet redolent of wok char. This isn’t your usual sinful salted egg yolk paste/powder, but actual salted egg yolk that is mashed and fried alongside freshly harvested pucuk paku. Good stuff.
Deep-fried nam yue pork
Housemade tofu with minced pork and fried shallots
We also enjoyed the nam yue pork, which was juicy, tender and properly seasoned. This is a simple dish, done well. The housemade tofu with minced pork and fried shallots is also decent. We ordered this for our littles ones but ended up enjoying it as well.
There are other dishes I plan to try in the near future such as the deep fried pork knuckle and pig’s intestines but that would require a larger group in order for me to do so. Service is alright in my opinion – the lady boss was relatively pleasant so I cannot agree with what was said about her on Google reviews.
Well worth the detour!
I don’t remember how much each dish cost but our bill was about RM110 for all the above, which is more than reasonable considering the portion and taste. If you ask me, Nam Hing Loong is worth the detour – parking isn’t the easiest to find but there’s a small space at the back of the restaurant for tour buses. You can try your luck there.
Bangsar Babe on Facebook Bangsar Babe on Instagram
Ambiance: 6/10
Price: 7/10
Food: 8.5/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: You MUST call ahead to book a table. The snakehead fish soup is really quite stellar.
Do you have a food recommendation? Tell us!
Off the beaten track
Nam Hing Loong Restaurant
88, Jalan Besar,
35350 Temoh, Perak.
Tel: 05-419 8336
Business hours: 11.30am – 3.30pm, 5pm – 9.30pm
(closed Wednesday)
Top In Asia
