One of the largest food courts in Ipoh is Aneka Selera Kam Wan in Ipoh Garden. And it opens only for dinner. We locals call it "mushroom pavilion' a direct translation from its Cantonese name.
While it’s not a very clean place, (nor does it have air-conditioning) there are at least 40 types of food within its premise. These are some of our favorites.
Food To Try At Aneka Selera Kam Wan
KL folks will call these curry noodles with cockles laksa. It is good either in soup or without soup (aka dry version).
The mixed kow chi/woh tip (Shanghai dumplings) are also of standard but the filling seems to be getting smaller.
Another commendable dish we have tried at Aneka Selera Kam Wan is the ikan bakar. Be warned that the sauce is very spicy.
If you don’t want anything spicy, there is the claypot chicken rice stall at one end of the food court. It is savory with bits of crispy rice at the bottom (which we love). This stall is quite popular so prepare to wait a bit for it.
Note: Close to the claypot chicken rice stall, is the braised pork rice stall. There’s always a long queue for this stall too. And we sincerely don’t think the food is worth it (overall taste is way too sweet). The queue is long because service is very slow.
Nyonya pandan spicy rice is too sweet for our liking, but this stall always attracts a queue.
Likewise, the BiBi’s Popiah has many fans. We think it is nice but overrated if you must wait in a long queue for it.
For dessert, we always look forward to the ais kacang here with gula melaka and santan.
Things To Note About Dining At Aneka Selera Kam Wan
As we said, the dining environment here is not the most hygienic.
If you want to come here, you need to ready your stomach (we have had food poisoning here before from eating fish). And possibly close one eye to the years of grime in this place.
The food court gets very full during dinner times as this is an affordable place for many families to eat out.
You may have to share tables with strangers or wait a long time for a table if you come around 7 to 8pm.
Another thing that bothers us about Aneka Selera Kam Wan is how prevalent the use of single-use plastic here is. It’s almost as bad as what we have seen in Johor.
Many stalls use disposable cutlery and plates. And drinks are served in disposable cups with straws too.
Conclusion
Aneka Selera Kam Wan offers a truly local (and affordable) dining experience even after so many years. If you want to see what it’s like to dine at a local food court in Ipoh, this is a noteworthy example with many good food stalls to try.
For those that prefer a cleaner dining environment (and we don’t blame you), check out our recommendations for Chinese restaurants to try in Ipoh.
Or you can join our Ipoh Food Tour to discover more local food.