XiaoYuHao Ipoh Octagon: China's Savoury Fish Soup Lands in Taman Jubilee
XiaoYuHao (小鱼号), a Chinese chain with more than 800 outlets worldwide, has opened its second Malaysian branch inside Wisma Octagon on Jalan Raja Ekram in Taman Jubilee, Ipoh. The Ipoh Octagon outlet has been trading for about eight months at the time of writing and is quietly building a local following for its signature sour-and-spicy savoury fish soup, a dish that is everyday comfort food in northern China but is still rare in Perak. The first Malaysian branch is in the Klang Valley, so Ipoh is the brand's first move outside the capital region.
The menu: fish, chicken, beef — all boneless
Despite the brand name, the menu is not fish-only. The three protein options are fish, chicken and beef, and all the meat is boneless or carefully deboned — the Cantonese phrase used on the menu is 啖啖肉, "every bite pure meat." The signature is the Traditional Pickled Cabbage with Boneless Black Fish, a sour-spicy broth that is the dish northerners drink when the weather turns cold. Beyond that, soup bases include tomato (mild, sweet, popular with children and the elderly), lemon, and Sichuan mala. An Iron Pot Series cooks the meats together with vegetables in a single hearty dish.
The menu is short — about 30 items — but the design lets you mix proteins, soup bases and side dishes into a different meal each visit. Spice levels are adjustable or can be dropped entirely, which makes the outlet a viable option for spice-averse diners and for families. The newest menu addition is a Green Sichuan Pepper Stir-Fried Chicken that staff describe frankly as "spicy, fragrant, numbing and absolutely fiery" and recommend only to those who can handle serious heat.
What a meal here looks like in practice
A practical visit looks like this: order one soup-base pot per person (a "one pax" portion is generously sized and shareable), pair it with a protein, add an Iron Pot dish or a stir-fry for the table, and order plain rice to soak up the broth. Rice refills are unlimited, which is a meaningful detail because the soups and gravies are designed to be eaten with rice. A group of three can comfortably cover the signature pickled cabbage fish, a Mala Grilled Fish, a stir-fried beef with celery, an Iron Pot Chicken, a crispy chicken side, and a tofu dish, with rice, for a moderate per-head price.
Service is faster than the menu suggests. A full table of food came out in under 10 minutes on a documented visit, which is not fast food — the kitchen is freshly cooking — but reflects a deliberate operating system behind the glass-panel kitchen. Ingredients are weighed before cooking, which keeps the flavour profile consistent across visits. Complimentary drinking water is available at a dispenser. Beverages are oriented to balance spicy meals: house-special Cha Pi, iced black tea, and JDB herbal tea for cooling after mala.
The room, the neighbourhood and a Halal note
The room is comfortable, well-ventilated and clean, with a glass-panel kitchen that lets you watch the line at work. It is the kind of place that works equally well for a post-shopping meal, a casual family dinner, or a solo bowl of soup on a rainy afternoon. The ground-floor unit is on the Wisma Octagon side near the arch — L1-06 — which makes it easy to find.
One note for Muslim diners: XiaoYuHao Ipoh Octagon is in the process of applying for Halal certification, but it is not yet certified at the time of writing. The kitchen cooks with non-halal proteins, so check current status directly with the outlet before visiting if that is a factor for your group. Hours run 11.00 am to 10.00 pm daily, which covers both lunch and dinner comfortably. The hotline is +6018-312-5125.
Practical Details
- Address: L1-06, Wisma Octagon, Jalan Raja Ekram, Taman Jubilee, 30450 Ipoh, Perak
- Hours: 11.00 am to 10.00 pm daily
- Hotline: +6018-312-5125
- Signature dish: Traditional Pickled Cabbage with Boneless Black Fish (sour-spicy soup)
- Proteins: Fish, chicken, beef — all boneless
- Soup bases: Traditional pickled cabbage, tomato, lemon, Sichuan mala
- Rice: Unlimited refills with order
- Halal status: Halal certification in progress (not yet certified at time of writing)
- Facebook: XIAOYU小鱼号Octagon
- Google Maps: Wisma Octagon, Jalan Raja Ekram
