Famous Wan Tan Noodle Of Bidor, Perak

There isn't much to the done in the bucolic mining town of Bidor. Historically, this place was abuzz with activity from the chinese settlers who made their living out of the mining industry. Now, those mines are gone and the younger generation are leaving in droves for the opportunity of large cities.

All isn't lost here however. The mining town of Bidor has one ace up its sleeves. Wan tan noodle with herbal duck soup is a thing here and every tourist who pass the town of Bidor must give it a try.

When we arrive, Pun Chun Restaurant was filled to the gills with customers. Besides their famous wan tan, their also offer traditional bean buns, biscuits and economical rice.

We had some trouble getting a table. And the wait time was just horrifying. I actually had to wait for an hour to get my meal.

For its name, Pun Chun famous wan tan noodle failed to live up to its reputation. Notice the white strands of noodle on the top plate. Usually, a good wan tan noodle needs to mixed properly with the bean sauce that gives it a delicious dark tint. Because of the crowd of people waiting, the chef might have did his work in a hurry. The dry noodles failed my noodle texture test miserably.

In other words, Pun Chun famous wan tan noodle taste just like any other regular wan tan noodle. In fact, a regular shop in Penang could have offered the same fare with less wait time.

Cleanliness is also a poor factor here. I saw a huge assortment of cooking utensils and plates being piled on a hill of leftovers at the side of the road. An old man was hunched over the pile, washing it with his hands. It was disturbing.

The herbal duck soup on the other hand had redeeming qualities. Bountiful with their herbs and spices, the soup was golden. The aroma of herbs was just enough to entice but did not overpower the soup. It struck the perfect balance between sweet, salty and aromatic. Unlike the wan tan noodle, I would be coming back to this restaurant just for the duck soup. As you can see, there is also a generous helping of duck meat inside it.

I felt a glow of warmth after consuming the herbal broth. Curious to know some of the ingredients that made this soup great, I decided to take a picture of the leftovers. Ignore the disgusting bones at the left<<<. As a conclusion, I believe that the most famous thing about Pun Chun restaurant is probably the herbal duck soup. Time to change this article title to Famous Herbal Duck Soup of Bidor.

Feeling full from your meal? Take a walk outside and enjoy the scenery of Bidor. The clusters of ancient chinese houses will make you feel like you're walking through medieval Shanghai.

The judges have been satisfied and now we are ready to give the verdict.

Cleanliness: 3/10

Wait time: 6/10

Deliciousness: 6/10

Economical: 5/10

Location: 38-40, Jalan Besar, 35500 Bidor, Perak, Malaysia

GPS Coordinates: 4.111674 / 101.287601