There are a number of stir-fried dishes on the menu, but Char Yin Yong (炒鸳鸯, RM8.00) is what this stall is renowned for. “Ying Yong” refers to the mixture of two types of noodle, namely rice vermicelli (米粉) and flat noodle (粿条). The latter is particularly dark because it is cooked with thick soy sauce.
Char Yin Yong is served in starchy gravy. The dish is similar to Cantonese-style Wat Tan Ho (滑蛋河) but without eggs. Other ingredients used in Char Yin Yong are pork, pork liver, fish cake and bok choy (白菜). Overall the taste is acceptable, although I wish that there is more “fiery aroma” (镬气) during cooking.
The next dish is Char Oo Mee (炒黑面, RM8.00), which is similar to Hokkien Char (福建炒) in Klang Valley. Many ingredients are similar between both dishes, such as dark sauce and pork lard (猪油渣). One notable difference is that Char Oo Mee uses regular yellow noodle, which I do not find so compatible with dark sauce.
Fried Chicken Wings (炸鸡翼, RM2.00 each) are very well-marinated. I enjoy every bit of this dish.
As for Fried Mackerel (炸甘望鱼, RM2.00 each), the heads are sufficiently crispy that they can be eaten. The fish is scrumptious but slightly on the oily side.
Overall, the food at Loh Kee Yin Yong King is reasonably affordable even by Alor Setar standards. Although the taste is not particularly fantastic per se, I think it’s still a decent place to have dinner.
Address: 1002-A, Jalan Tunku Halim, 05100 Alor Setar, Kedah
Contact: 012-473-2294
Business hours: 7:30pm-12:00am, closed on Mondays
