Eat your way through Ipoh: Harry Potter cafe, vending machine salted chicken, delicious dim sum and more

What do Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, crunchy beansprouts and limestone caves have in common? They are all proudly made in Ipoh, the capital city of Perak.

The third largest city in Malaysia, it lies between the bustling cities of Kuala Lumpur and Penang, and is a one hour and 10 minutes flight from Singapore. In its heyday, Ipoh made its fortune in tin mining over the last two centuries, until the depletion of tin mines in Malaysia and the collapse of tin prices in the 1980s led to a slowdown in tin production.

These days, Ipoh is best known for being a foodie’s haven and a booming tourist spot. Its popular street food includes the famous ngah choi gai or beansprout chicken. It is eaten with slippery thin hor fun or rice, with the quintessential short and fat beansprouts fortified by the lime water from the Kinta Valley. Google “Ipoh chicken rice”, and tourists’ faves like Lou Wong and Onn Kee will never fail to pop up.

However, there’re many more eateries in Ipoh that deserve your belly space too. After visiting Ipoh multiple times over the last decade, we have tried all the tourist faves as well as local hide-outs. Here is a list we have curated with a range of options to keep everyone in your travel group happy.

FOR A HEARTY LOCAL BRUNCH: RESTORAN YANG GUANG

Sure, you can join the hordes of tourists queuing for a table at Internet-famous coffee shops like Nam Heong, where Old Town white coffee originated. But if you want good and cheap fare that the locals eat, the humble Restoran Yang Guang makes for a tasty experience.

Located in the township of Bercham, it is a 10-minute Grab ride away from three major hotels: The Haven All Suite Resort, Sunway Lost World Hotel, and The Banjaran Hot Springs Retreat. The coffee shop is opposite a bustling local market and occupies two shop lots, including an air-conditioned unit. We were quite happy to sit at the open-air tables so we could people-watch.

We also love the curry chee cheong fun topped with pig’s skin and vegetable curry, steaming hot zhu rou fen (noodles with chunky pork patties) and prawn noodles. Each dish costs about RM7. The Ipoh white coffee here, though not a brand name like Old Town Coffee, is silky and power-packed, perfect for chasing down your breakfast.

Restoran Yang Guang is located at 421A Lor 11, Kampong Bercham, 31400 Ipoh, Perak.

FOR YUMMY DIM SUM WITHOUT THE QUEUE: DYNASTY PALACE RESTAURANT

Ipoh is well known for its dim sum and most tourists flock to the big names like Foh San or Ming Court. We’ve been doing that for years and yes, they’re good but perpetually crowded. So when a few local friends highly recommended Dynasty Palace Restaurant, we were game to give it a try.

We always go with our trusty faves: Har kow, siew mai, taro croquette and prawn cheong fun. Every dish was fresh, delicious and the service was efficient. Prices go from RM6 to RM7.50 per dish – not the cheapest but reasonably priced. One of their bestsellers is their freshly baked egg tarts, with a wobbly centre set in a flaky pastry shell. Definitely order this for dessert to round up your dim sum.

Another plus: Dynasty Palace is located just behind Aeon Mall Ipoh Station 18 so after our brunch, we worked it off with a vigorous round of shopping. Good food and shopping within close proximity, means we’re happy to add this dim sum joint on our list of must-eats in Ipoh.

Dynasty Palace Restaurant is located at 16-18 Medan Stesen 18/11, Station 18, 31650 Ipoh, Perak. Tel: +60 11 5999 9102.

FOR YOUR INSTAGRAM FEED: PLATF9RM COFFEE CLUB

Although this Harry Potter-themed cafe is clearly a tourist trap, it will keep your aesthetic-loving friends (and teenage kids) very happy. Platf9rm Coffee Club hilariously touts itself as “just an Ipoh witch living at Concubine Lane” on its Instagram page. Concubine Lane, previously home to mistresses of rich tycoons, is a must-visit attraction in Ipoh, where the shophouses have been converted into shops.

Pop by for their fantasy-inspired non-alcoholic drinks, like their signature Butter Cream Soda Float and the pretty, blue Mermaid’s Wish. Drinks are priced from RM9 to RM14.90. They also have cakes like New York cheesecakes and Magnum’s Chocolate, at RM14 each. Price aren’t exactly cheap for the so-so quality and portion size, but it is a tourist spot after all.

The food isn’t the main draw here, of course. The two-storey shophouse looks like a set from the Harry Potter movies, with a fake Diagon Alley, broomsticks and luggage to pose with. You can also rent a Gryffindor House colour cloak and wand for RM10. Come ready to preen and pose at the many photogenic spots. Your Instagram account will thank you for it.

Platf9rm Coffee Club is located at 22 Lorong Panglima, Concubine Lane, 30000 Ipoh, Perak.

FOR OLD SCHOOL HAINANESE-STYLE WESTERN FOOD: DURBAR AT FMS

Talk about a slice of history. The beautifully restored Durbar at FMS is the reincarnation of The FMS (an acronym for the Federated Malay States), the oldest bar and restaurant in Malaya. Founded in 1906 by a Hainanese immigrant, it was a popular restaurant and watering hole for the European mining and plantation community. It moved to its present location in 1923, opposite the Padang after the gentlemen would troop in for a tipple after their cricket and football matches.

Over the years, their menu of Hainanese western food and local delights attracted generations of Ipohians. The two-storey shophouse was then sold to a new owner who left it in disrepair for 11 years… until Seow Wee Liam, 44, a jetsetting architect and Ipoh boy who grew up eating at the restaurant, decided to rent and revamp it to give it a new lease of life. In 2019, the renamed Durbar at FMS opened its doors.  

The revitalised menu includes a hearty classic oxtail soup (RM18), a decadently cheesy baked stuffed crab with chips and coleslaw (RM28), and their bestselling Hainanese chicken chop (RM23). The deep-fried chicken thigh with garden peas and chips drenched with tangy-spiced onion gravy, is a steal for the portion size and quality. We ended our meal on a sweet note with the signature crepe suzette (RM30), served at our table by their spiffily suited manager who flambeed it dramatically with orange liqueur.

As you dine, feast your eyes on the beautiful furniture and painstakingly curated decor, which includes rare old news articles from the local newspaper, framed photos of locals and the royal family, and a giant portrait of Queen Elizabeth. If you have had enough of the usual Ipoh local food, Durbar at FMS makes a lovely change to experience old-school hospitality and competently executed Hainanese Western fare.

Durbar at FMS is located at 2 Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 30000 Ipoh. Tel: +60 17 797 7115.

FOR AN INTERNATIONAL MEAL WITH A VIEW: CUISINES AT THE HAVEN ALL SUITE RESORT

Ranked No 1 out of 519 restaurants in Ipoh by Tripadvisor users, Cuisines is an exclusive bar and restaurant at The Haven, an award-winning resort. Set amidst limestone hills and a natural lake, it is a popular hotel for families and friend groups, as they have one- to three-bedroom suites, all with gorgeous views. Facilities include a sea horse-shaped pool with a transparent “nose” that juts out over the lake, tennis courts, gym, spa, outdoor yoga and meditation space, archery and a pets corner.  

One of their biggest draws is their Cuisines restaurant, which has an international menu of western and Asian dishes. Their pan-grilled New Zealand lamb rack with green beans and cherry tomato salad comes with black pepper or mushroom sauce on the side and is perfectly cooked. Tender, juicy, and without a whiff of gamey taste at all, it seems pricey at RM80 but with the strong Singapore dollar against the Malaysian ringgit, makes this a decent deal compared to what you’ll pay in Singapore.

If you are craving the famous Ipoh chicken rice but don’t feel like going into town for it, Cuisines serves up a fancy version. For RM34, you get a large-ish portion of steamed chicken, the iconic crunchy beansprouts, rice and double-boiled chicken soup.

Work off your meal with a stroll around the 600m track surrounding the lake, where there are many beautiful spots to snap selfies at. It is particularly charming in the evening when the 14-storey tall RockHaven is cloaked in a golden glow. Look out for the resort’s most famous resident: A giant dinosaur sculpture, which is a nod to the ancient land that The Haven is built on. Interesting fact – RockHaven is certified by geologists to be 280 million years old, when dinos once roamed the earth!

Cuisines at The Haven All Suite Resort is located at Jalan Haven 31150, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Tel: +605 540 0000.

FOR YOUR SALTED CHICKEN MIDNIGHT CRAVING: AUN KHENG LIM’S AYAM GARAM

Regulars to Ipoh will definitely recognise the famous red packaging of Aun Kheng Lim’s Ayam Garam (salted chicken). Arguably the most popular salted chicken brand in Ipoh, they occupy a prominent corner shop in Ipoh Old Town, where a never-ending line of customers pops by to pick up the fragrant chicken baked with dang gui (RM33 each). It’s addictively good and the tender, herbal-tinged meat is best eaten torn apart with your bare hands. (Trust us on this.)  

We have been patronising them for over a decade and often buy multiple packs to last us a few days. This is because they are only open from 9am to 5.30pm (or while stocks last) and are closed on Monday. So, what’s a salted chicken fan to do?

However, on our most recent trip, we were chuffed to know that they have a new vending machine dispensing their yummy (but frozen) chicken! Yes, you can now have salted chicken in the middle of the night if the craving hits.

Salted Chicken out of a vending machine? This, right here, is the epitome of Ipoh being a foodie haven.

Aun Kheng Lim’s Ayam Garam is located at 24 Jalan Theatre, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.