Three decades and one generation later, Taman Jinjang Baru’s Kedai Kopi Soon Teik continues to serve its unique mushroom sauce and curry ‘chee cheong fun’

April 26, 2026
8:46 am

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 — Deep inside a cluster of flats in Taman Jinjang Baru lies the unassuming Kedai Kopi Soon Teik.

For over 30 years, it has served a short, simple list of offerings — curry mee, prawn mee, plain soup and dry noodles — and its unique signature: mushroom sauce and curry chee cheong fun.

This isn’t a choice between the two, but a distinct third creation, like the yuen yeung of chee cheong fun, marrying Ipoh-style mushroom sauce with KL-style curry into one saucy symphony.

The combination was the founder’s calling card. Today, Soon Teik is run by the second generation of the family, notably the son, who is younger than the business itself and took over the reins after his father died.

Heavily obscured from view along the main road, it isn’t the sort of buzzy, eye-catching shop people wander into.

Instead, it is sustained by regulars — a mix of those who live and work nearby — who seek Soon Teik out, in spite of its stale atmosphere, for its singular chee cheong fun.

Lean pork strips in the mushroom sauce make for a good contrast against the spongy pork rind of the curry. — Picture by Ethan Lau

For RM9.50, the chee cheong fun comes topped with pork rind and tofu pok, and is generously garnished with fried shallots.

It sits in a pool of exceedingly pale curry, marbled with the thicker mushroom sauce, while strips of lean pork add a more substantial bite.

It is quite unlike any plate of chee cheong fun I’ve had before. The curry is mild — very mild — with just the slightest hint of sweetness, while the mushroom sauce carries a much-needed earthy savouriness.

The result is a blend of sweet and savoury that’s satisfying without being cloying; I ended up ordering a second portion to share with my father.

Even with a young man at the helm, the setting at Soon Teik feels worn, almost forgotten.

The business is now run by the second generation of the family. — Picture by Ethan Lau

When I first walked in, the air felt stale and the space tired. But as I watched regulars come by for their fix, I realised it wasn’t neglect so much as stillness I felt. It was a calm and steady rhythm of routine.

It has served its purpose, day in and day out, feeding a stream of regulars who return not for novelty, but for something familiar and dependable.

Now in the hands of the next generation, it carries on much as it always has.

The best way to get to Kedai Kopi Soon Teik is to use your navigation app of choice and head to Thye Seng Plumbing Suppliers in Taman Jinjang Baru.

Look to park somewhere along that same street. Once there, follow the footpath directly across from Thye Seng that leads into the flats; keep going straight until you reach the first block, upon which you will come across a blue sign for Kim Tat Construction. Soon Teik will be on your left.