Dim sum is a favourite breakfast staple for many Ipoh folks and when we talk about dim sum in Ipoh, 3 main restaurants distinctively comes to mind---Foh San Dim Sum Restaurant (I wanted to try this just to find out what the hype is about), Yoke Fook Moon Restaurant (though I have eaten here before but it was quite long ago) and Ming Court Hong Kong Tim Sum (wanted to try as I have heard a lot about this place).
Apart from these 3 household names, there are numerous other dim sum restaurants located not far away from Jalan Leong Sin Nam (commonly known as Dim Sum street) and also within close proximity to Regalodge Hotel (where I stayed whilst in Ipoh).
So, with dim sum in mind for breakfast one morning on the 3rd day of Chinese New Year (CNY), we headed to Foh San. The sheer maddening crowd was something to behold, not only do you have to hover around like 'vultures' and jostle for a table, I saw a ridiculously long line of people queuing up for dim sum. We decided to try Yoke Fook Moon and encountered the same 'crazy crowd' scenario and the final alternative, Ming Court, was still closed for CNY.
Disappointed, we just walked around and drifted into Chang Keong Dim Sum Restaurant @ Ipoh and managed to secure a table after a short wait. However, getting the attention of the restaurant staff to serve you is near impossible and I noticed people actually lining up to get their dim sum....it's self-service or no service, you pick!! Luckily, the restaurant was quite small so the queue was rather short.
I joined the queue and picked out our dim sum.
The steamed "Siew Mai" (Pork Dumpling) colour is a bit different from the norm (yellowish skin) but, taste wise, it tasted just the same.
Another type of Pork Dumpling that tasted very similar to "siew mai".
The steamed "Har Gow" (Prawn Dumpling) was quite good with plump prawns inside while the "har gow" skin was thin enough.
The pan-fried "Lor Bak Gou" (Radish or Carrot Cake) was just ok (probably because it was a bit cold).
But the stir-fried "Lor Bak Gou" (Fried Carrot Cake), with eggs and Ipoh's plump bean sprouts, on the other hand, was very good. It tasted far better than the plain pan-fried version. Only thing missing was the chives!
The "Lor Mai Kai" (steamed Glutinous Rice with Chicken) looked as though it was not soft enough (judging by the separate grains) but, to our surprise, was quite soft and pretty decent tasting (although I would prefer my rice a bit more mushier).
The "Char Siew Pau" or steamed buns with "char siew" (barbequed pork) filling was alright (though I personally prefer the blackish char siew filling instead of the reddish type).
The Fried "Har Guin" (Fried Prawn Roll) was excellent and the best dim sum item here that we savoured. It came freshly fried and piping hot! There was a generous amount of pork and prawn filling and the bean curd skin was fried till very crispy.
Wished I had ordered more of the fried dim sum variety but didn't want to queue up all over again!
Prices of their dim sum range from RM3 - RM6 and our bill came to RM40.40 (inclusive of drinks) for 3 persons....very reasonably priced and affordable dim sum.
My Personal Opinion
If you want a nice, quiet and 'not rushed' breakfast, then dim sum is not what you want to eat, especially during CNY, because it's a mad crowd, a mad jostle for tables and a mad scramble for food!
Although I was not successful at eating dim sum at any of the 3 main dim sum restaurants in Ipoh this time round, I was happily surprised at chancing upon Chang Keong and their dim sum did not disappoint. Who knows, you might stumble upon a 'small find' which can turn out to be a 'hidden gem'!
Having said that, I presume all the 'smaller' dim sum places around the 'famed' dim sum street should be quite decent because otherwise, with all the competition from the big players, they wouldn't have survived if theirs were not any good. After all, if your dim sum is not on par, you won't be located on the famed dim sum street, right? And all the dim sum places, from the bigger ones to the smaller shops, were filled to the brim with people....I guess Ipoh people just love their dim sum!!
Likes: Without doubt, the fried "har guin" and stir-fried "lor bak gou".
Dislikes: Had to 'serve ourselves'.....hopefully, it's not always like that (except during CNY)!
Apart from these 3 household names, there are numerous other dim sum restaurants located not far away from Jalan Leong Sin Nam (commonly known as Dim Sum street) and also within close proximity to Regalodge Hotel (where I stayed whilst in Ipoh).
So, with dim sum in mind for breakfast one morning on the 3rd day of Chinese New Year (CNY), we headed to Foh San. The sheer maddening crowd was something to behold, not only do you have to hover around like 'vultures' and jostle for a table, I saw a ridiculously long line of people queuing up for dim sum. We decided to try Yoke Fook Moon and encountered the same 'crazy crowd' scenario and the final alternative, Ming Court, was still closed for CNY.
I joined the queue and picked out our dim sum.
Wished I had ordered more of the fried dim sum variety but didn't want to queue up all over again!
Prices of their dim sum range from RM3 - RM6 and our bill came to RM40.40 (inclusive of drinks) for 3 persons....very reasonably priced and affordable dim sum.
My Personal Opinion
If you want a nice, quiet and 'not rushed' breakfast, then dim sum is not what you want to eat, especially during CNY, because it's a mad crowd, a mad jostle for tables and a mad scramble for food!
Although I was not successful at eating dim sum at any of the 3 main dim sum restaurants in Ipoh this time round, I was happily surprised at chancing upon Chang Keong and their dim sum did not disappoint. Who knows, you might stumble upon a 'small find' which can turn out to be a 'hidden gem'!
Having said that, I presume all the 'smaller' dim sum places around the 'famed' dim sum street should be quite decent because otherwise, with all the competition from the big players, they wouldn't have survived if theirs were not any good. After all, if your dim sum is not on par, you won't be located on the famed dim sum street, right? And all the dim sum places, from the bigger ones to the smaller shops, were filled to the brim with people....I guess Ipoh people just love their dim sum!!
Likes: Without doubt, the fried "har guin" and stir-fried "lor bak gou".
Dislikes: Had to 'serve ourselves'.....hopefully, it's not always like that (except during CNY)!
Chang Keong Dim Sum Restaurant
34 Jalan Raja Ekram (Cowan Street)
30450 Ipoh
Perak
Tel: 016-541 5877
Tel: 016-541 5877
very informative, shall try it. thanks.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome...and thanks for dropping by my blog :)
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