Fulin Dim Sum 富臨閣点心

 Fulin Dim Sum is just a stone throw away from my residence during my stay in Ipoh. Even though it was located in a quiet and non touristy place, I will consider them as a hidden gem. There is a steamer placed in front of the restaurant and it facilitates the customers who want to do take away.

Fulin Dim Sum

The dining area was spacious and well lit. Furnishings were simple like any typical eating place in Malaysia.

Spacious Dining Area

Service was friendly and items were prepared upon ordering.

Tables and Entrance

We were glad to know that the food items were mostly served warm or hot from the steaming pot. The egg tarts had a nice butter flakiness pastries cradled with the egg fillings.  

Baked Fresh Egg Tarts 松化鸡蛋挞 - RM 2.80 per piece

The Steamed Glutinous Rice with Chicken meat was commendable. The rice was fragrant and packed with marinated Chicken Meat. Ingredients include a slice of sausage and mushroom.

Steamed Glutinous Rice with Chicken Meat 地道糯米鸡 - RM 5.50

The Chee Cheong Fun was wrapped with chopped pieces of BBQ Pork. The glutinous rice rolls were smooth and went very well with the generous amount of sweet soy sauce topped with fried shallots and roasted sesame seeds.

Steamed Chee Cheong Fun with BBQ Pork 叉烧滑肠粉 - RM 5

The yummy porridge was served in a double wall bowl. The porridge had a smooth texture with a good sticky consistency topped with fresh spring onions. Sliced pork and preserved egg definitely went in well.

Cook Porridge with Slice Pork & Preserved Egg 皮蛋瘦肉粥 - RM 4.50

It caught me by surprise that a standard Dim Sum place has such quality Steamed Prawn Dumplings. The prawns were plump, fresh and succulent topped with roes, black fungus as well as a slice of beautifully cut carrot.

Steamed Prawn Dumpling (Har Mai) 碧玉鲜虾卖 - RM 6.80

The Yam cake was fried till with a crispy texture on the outside while the inside was filled with yam and tasty BBQ pork.

Crispy Fried Yam Cake with BBQ Pork 蜂巢炸芋角 - RM 4.80

Unlike the prawn Siew Mai, the original Siew Mai comes in a serving of 4. I can confidently said that these Siew Mai were better than most of the coffeeshops Dim Sum Siew Mai we had back in Singapore. The meat was springy with the right portions of lean and fatty meat. Best of all, it was not on an oily side too.

Steamed Siu Mai 杞子干蒸卖 - RM 6.20

With the crispy deep fried beancurd roll skin on the exterior layer and juicy prawn & pork fillings, its very tasty.

Deep Fried Beancurd Roll with Prawn & Pork 腐皮鲜虾卷 - RM 6.20

Though the peppery and dried chilli taste gave the chicken feet a spicy kick, the sweet tasting steamed chicken feet had balanced out the taste well. The item was topped with shredded carrots and spring onion.

Steamed Chicken Feet in Black Pepper Sauce 三味蒸凤抓 - RM 6.60

Out of all items ordered, I'm pleased and satisfied to have these for breakfast. At least no calories were wasted over here.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Fulin Dim Sum 富臨閣奌心
Location: 13 jalan chung on siew,30250 ipoh,perak, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Ding Feng Dessert Tau Fu Fa

If you have been to Ipoh, you should have been to the hipster district in Ipoh, Concubine Lane which is in the back alley of the shophouses. Ding Feng Dessert Tau Fu Fa has been selling Teochew Beancurd in that area, however they had recently moved out of the place to a nearby location, Jalan Bijeh Timah.

Shophouse of Ding Feng Dessert Tau Fu Fa

Soon after a quick stroll through the Concubine Lane, the sky turned darker and started to pour. Ding Feng is located at the corner of the shophouse and we were lucky to get a parking lot along the row of shop houses. 

Corner of Shophouses

As it was raining heavily, we stopped by Ding Feng Dessert Tau Fu Fa to shelter us from the rain as well as trying out the Teochew style Tau Fu Fa. 

Interior Space

The beancurd was absolutely smooth and hearty with the ginger sugar syrup topping up the blandness. The ginger syrup gave a good strong taste and a tad spiciness to its taste. It aids to keep the tummy warm during this rainy day.

Tau Fu Fa 豆花 - RM 3

While the Sea Birdnest was served differently topping the Tau Fu Fa with gingko nuts and Sea Birtdnest. Although there were not much flavours from the Sea Birdnest, it brings alot of health benefits.  

Sea Birdnest Tau Fu Fa 冰糖海燕我豆花 - RM 5.30

Besides Tau Fu Fa, we also ordered their Sea Birdnest Soy Milk. The drink is abit on the sweeter side.

Sea Birdnest Soy Milk 海燕窝豆浆 - RM 4.50

Right Back into the shop, there is a corner with a rice container, bicycle placed on a wooden decking with auspicious "Ang Cai". Was it some kind of Feng Shui Corner? 

Some Decorations

We did not get to try other food / snacks from their menu as we were rather full after lunch. As an overall, I will say that their Tau Fu Fa is still worth a try.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Ding Feng Dessert Tau Fu Fa
Location:  11, Jalan Bijeh Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Chatterbox

While Mandarin Orchard is being converted to the new Hilton Singapore Orchard Hotel, it went through a period of revamping. The refreshed restaurant opened its door on 14 March 2022.

I was quite disappointed that I could not reserve a table during then while Chatterbox was usually packed. I decided to be on the waiting list and secured a reservation for ourselves.

We headed via the escalator up to Chatterbox on the 5th Floor.

Chatterbox

While my reservation calls for 12pm, there was already a long queue outside the restaurant 45 minutes before it. We were told to join the queue despite having a reservation.

Reception Counter

The new look of Chatterbox was indeed different and this space looks like a private lounge, making a nice spot for some drinks sessions or some casual meet-ups.

Bar 

Take some pic here?

Here's the Walkway linking to the reception area

Soon later, we were ushered into the restaurant. The ambience was relaxing and perfected by their seamless service.

Seating

The space was inviting and since it was a mid-day visit, we enjoyed getting natural sun rays shining into the area and  feeling warm from the natural lighting. 

Seat

The revamped restaurant is cosy and definitely suitable for all occasions, be it a family meal, cooperate meeting or even friends gathering. 

Dining Area

Menu for beverage and food were given to us.

Menu

We had some sparkling mineral water to start with while deciding on the dishes for our feast.

Sparkling Water - $7 (Still or Sparkling)

The iconic Singapore rojak is totally refreshing in its cool temperature. This medley of fruits and vegetables is tossed with sweet prawn paste and topped with ground peanuts and deep fruit prawn fritters. 

Chatterbox Rojak - $15

Besides their legendary Mandarin Chicken Rice that had left me a great impression, their Lobster Laksa was the other dish that thrill me. This crowd-please is served with whole Boston lobster claw, quail eggs, fish cake, thick vermicelli noodles, beancurd in fresh coconut milk, and flavourful coconut broth of spices.

Lobster Laksa - $34

Here's the individual serving of the legendary Mandarin Chicken Rice that was proudly served since 1971. Initially, we wanted to order half or whole chicken to share among ourselves but it was not available due to the recent shortage of chicken. 

For this plump, juicy and flavourful meat, their chickens are specially reared. While the recipe is their trade secret, the symphony of flavours was fantastic and this special dish has been them on the map for over 50 years.

Mandarin Chicken Rice - $25

The chicken was cooked in aromatic stock and steamed to its tenderness. The chicken was served boneless with the fragrant jasmine rice and a nourishing soup brewed with the pure essence of the chicken. This individual Chicken Rice Set cannot be completed without their homemade signature chilli sauce, ginger puree as well as dark soya sauce.

Boneless Mandarin Chicken

Otah Otah was wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over the open charcoal flame. This traditional spicy fish cake is a mixture of mackerel, crab meat and some traditional Malay spices like lemongrass, shallots and coconut milk. Otah lovers might want to give it a try.

Mackerel & Crab Otah Otah - $15

Here's another popular dish in Chatterbox. The silky Hor Fun had a distinctive Wok Hei flavour and goes very well with the generous amount of beef slices. These slices carried a charred flavour and blended in well with the delectable black bean gravy.

Beef Hor Fun - $25

Its presentation amazed me. With the Seafood Hokkien Mee decked with the nostalgic and traditional opal leaf, this plate of Seafood Hokkien Mee had already won half. This dish is a seafood lover must-have as it was made up of flavourful, umami-rich homemade seafood broth coupled with prawns, squid, eggs, pork belly, chive, and bean sprouts and scallops. 

Seafood Hokkien Mee - $25

The crispy fried chicken wings were thoroughly coated with a layer of golden luscious, salted egg yolk sauce accompanied by some aromatic curry leaves and chilli.

Crispy Salted Egg Chicken Wings - $12 (4 Pieces)

The place is quite comfortable spot in town and if you have an overseas guest and want them to enjoy the iconic Singapore dishes, it will be worthwhile coming with them here.

Rating: 3.25 / 5 

Chatterbox
Location: Hilton Singapore Orchard, 333 Orchard Rd, #05-03, Singapore 238867
Website

Ipoh Tuck Kee Restaurant 德记炒粉专门店

One of the local's gem in Ipoh and also a tourist Must visit! The never-ending queue is a good benchmark for Ipoh Tuck Kee's standard of food. 

Ipoh Tuck Kee Restaurant 德记炒粉专门店

Ipoh Tuck Kee is mainly famous for its fried noodles and not forgetting the tasty appetizers too.

Menu

The popular appetizers like braised chicken feet, baby octopus in soy sauce and new items on the menu like fried chicken wings and fried spring rolls.

Menu

To facilitate the order and the busy hours, Ipoh Tuck Kee had provided a ordering template for customers to fill up.

Ordering Slip

Ipoh Tuck Kee is already in the Third Generation Business where it was all started by their grandfather. With  more than fifty years of experience, they are reputable in Ipoh not only to the locals but also the foreigners.

Ipoh Tuck Kee Introduction

We were contemplating between the outdoor seating or the internal and we ended up with the internal seats as the sky was getting dark with signs of shower. Interior was like any typical coffeeshop in Malaysia with the old school ceiling board, with the traditional ceiling fans.  

Internal Dining Area

No doubt the place is full house, the turn over rate was quite fast with the efficiency of Tuck Kee's team.

Tuck Kee

Peeping into the busy kitchen, I noticed the constant plates after plates of fried noodles coming out from the kitchen. While just at the counter outside the kitchen, the staff was busying doing appetizers order like blanched beansprouts and baby octopus in soy sauce.

A peep into the kitchen

One of the default drinks from the coffeeshops in Malaysia will be the Herbal Tea. 

Herbal Tea 凉茶 - RM 2

The wings were doled out hot from the kitchen, scalding hot. These wings were well marinated and absolutely tasty in its crispy skin.

Fried Chicken Wings 南乳炸鸡翅 - RM 3.30 / Pcs

The Fried Spring Roll has a minimum order of 2. The thin crispy beancurd skin layer was deep fried to brown in color. 

Fried Spring Roll 炸春卷 - RM 2.50 / Pcs

The fillings of the spring rolls resemble of what we had back home from Ngoh Hiang, minced meat, carrot and fungus.

Fillings of Spring Roll

This is the dish that cannot be missed if you are visiting Ipoh Tuck Kee Restaurant. The Yu Kong Hor was highly raved for. With a base of Hor Fun, this dish was finished off by having a raw egg topping the entire dish.  

Yu Kong Hor 月光河 - RM 8.50

The Hor Fun had a good distinctive Wok-Hei to the bland Hor Fun. It was stir fried with dark soya sauce with smoky aroma. The use of pork lard had also elevated its taste and other ingredients like pork slices, prawns and vegetables. 

Hor Fun in a bowl

A similar style to what we have from the Yu Kong Hor but with the texture of the Low Shu Fen. The aromatic pork lard and the similar ingredients were used too. Both plates of noodles tasted as good.

Fried Low Shu Fen 炒老鼠粉 - RM 7.50

Although the portion is small, the quantity is quite a long considering a plate.  

Close Shot Of Low Shu Fen

Though long queue, the turnover was fast and I have no complaints about their service for they are friendly and food was quick to be served.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Ipoh Tuck Kee Restaurant 德记炒粉专门店
Location: 61 Jalan Yau Tet Shin, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh Perak, Malaysia

Funny Mountain Soya Beancurd

While in the tourist spot of Ipoh, you may not want to miss out on this Soya Beancurd place for they are the most common Asian dessert and drink. 

Funny Mountain Soya Beancurd

The stall was manned by a group of uncles who efficiently cleared the queue with their excellent teamwork. 

 

Here's the Stall

While walking in the street under the scorching sun, this ice-cool soya beancurd drinks come in handy to chill us.

Soya Bean Drink - RM 3 (Small)

Here come our bowls of Soya Beancurd. The silky and wobbly bean curd was served in the disposable bowl. The beancurd came with some sugar syrup.

Tau Fu Fah 豆腐花 - RM 3 (Per Bowl)

While there are no tables and chairs for dine-in, most of their patrons settle the food on the spot by standing at the side of the shop.

Smooth & Silky

The favourite way of drinking by having the best of both world, cooling Chin Chow plus tasty soya bean drink.

Grass Jelly & Soya Bean Drink - RM 3 (Per Bottle)

The drive-through service caught my eyes. How convenient it is for drivers to pass by the place and grab their order without stepping out of the car.

Drive Through Service

The price is on a steeper side considering it costs almost a dollar SGD but its still worth a try if you are in the area.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Funny Mountain Soya Beancurd
Location: 50, Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia