Fai Kee Restaurant (辉记小食馆)

1). By the name Fai Kee, it sounds like any other ordinary Chinese Kopitiam. However, not many people know that Fai Kee has been a family restaurant inherited for three generations. However, the main reason that kept the customers coming back is their signatured Fish Head Rice Noodles.

2). Originally Fai Kee was selling stir-fried noodles, porridges and fish head rice noodles. However, fish head rice noodles is the only dish they are selling now, when it was taken over by the third generation of the family.

3). Traditionally Fai Kee used deep-fried the fish head and make into fish head rice noodles. The restaurant uses Groupa Fish, deep-fried into golden crispy while maintaining its texture. Finally, either a freshly made sweet, sour and salty broth or a rich milky white soup is poured into bowl to complete the fish head rice noodles. 

4). Besides the signatured fish head, Fai Kee also has a wide variety of fish meat available for customers to choose. Customers can always add-on Groupa fish meat or fish belly. In order to satisfy the taste buds of a wide range of customers, the owner has been added in the bland milk cooking, Dory fish, etc.

5). The Cantonese believed that the essence of the fish bones can only be extracted when a fish broth is boiled into milky white colour. Therefore, the milky colour has become an indicator of the fish broth. The reason behind the sequence of deep-frying the fish head first, then only cooked into the fish head rice noodles, is due to the shortening the boiling time of the fish broth and at the same time minimizing the fishy taste of the bones to make the fish broth to retain its freshness and tastiness.

6). You can have a choice of Fish Meat Rice Noodles, which gives you bite after bite of fresh meat.

7).  Or the all-time favourites, Fish Head Rice Noodles, if you're not much of a carnivore.

8). On the other hand, I don't think there is a choice, when it comes to the selection of noodles available.

9). Usually, tomatoes and pickles, even orange juices will be added into this type of milky fish head rice noodles.The sour and salty taste not only will increase your appetite, it will also reduce the blandness of the milk in the soup. However, the fish broth is still not up to my standard, in terms of milkiness, as compared to the other compatriots in KL.

11). The originator of Fai Kee Restaurant was the current owner’s grandfather, which has been running the business since 1919. Even though the grandson has just taken over the business from his father 11 years ago, he has never neglected the century old traditional, which is the heart, effort and time to sturdily boil a fish broth worthy of an heritage that lasts for generations to come.

Fai Kee Restaurant (辉记小食馆)

Address : 28, Jalan Seenivasagam, 30450 Ipoh, Perak.

Business hours : 7.00am - 4.00pm

Tel. : 012-4546111

GPS Coordinates : N 4°35.931'    E101°5.228'

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Sum Sum Yi Fatt (3328) Restaurant

There are aplenty of restaurants located in my neighbourhood. Many of them just came and gone with a wind, without having the chance to try them out. However, only handful of them managed to cling on their business for several years until this very day. Sum Sum Yi Fatt (3328) Restaurant is one of them. 

Sum Sum Yi Fatt (3328) Restaurant is located by the road side, same row with Fresh Hotel, en routing from Falim to Ipoh-Lumut Expressway. 

Occupied a two storey shop lot, 3328 houses up to 20 odd tables. Do not be midjudged by the "emptiness" of the restaurant, this is a jammed, packed place for dinner for the locals, especially during weekends and Public Holidays.

Suck up a glass of refreshing Lime Juice, while ordering our dishes for the night. Self-prepared Sugarcane is not bad either. By the time you taste the drink, the dishes are already on the table, that is the promptness of their service, on a weekday night of course.


Steamed Snakehead (清蒸油浸生鱼)

This is the 1st dish made out of Snakehead (生鱼), a type of local fresh water fish. I had to compliment the freshness of the fish where it is skinned from a living fish, and the accompanying soy sauce isn't too salty too, just nice! This dish would easily be my favourite of the night.

Stir-fried Snakehead (姜葱生鱼)

This is the second dish made of the same Snakehead, where the meat is skinned out and stir-fried with ginger and scallion. This dish comes with richer flavour, but less tenderness as compared to the former dish. The whole plate was gone, minutes after it was served, need I say more?!

Stir-fried Snakehead with Bitter Gourd (生鱼炒苦瓜)

 Snakehead Soup (生鱼滾枸杞叶汤) 

Soup is one of the must-have dishes in our usual Cantonese meal. The left over meat and bones of the fish are boiled together with Wolfberry leaves into a bowl of soup. The soup is refreshing and the leaves are crunchy. No wonder the trio of dishes are their signatured dishes.

Cripsy Roasted Duck (脆皮烧鸭)

Boiling oil is splashed onto the roasted duck before serving, which makes the skin crispy and also the name of the dish. However, it is still under-achiever compared to the next shop's roasted duck, especially in terms of the dipping sauce.

Steamed Tilapia (酱蒸金凤鱼)

One of the regular dishes ordered during eating out in Chinese restaurant. The fresh water fish is steamed and topped with sweet & sour bean curd sauce.First and foremost the fish doesn't tasted muddy, that's a relief!  

Mongolian Pork Spare Ribs (蒙古排骨) 

The spare rib is one of the dishes listed on their Special Daily Menu. The ribs are chopped into bite-size and topped with Mongolian sauce, which tasted sweet, sour and milky too. Not bad either, one of the recommended dishes by the waitress.

Deep fried Squids with Salted Eggs (咸蛋鱿鱼)

Fried stuff is always one of our favourite dish during eating out. Anything goes well with salted egg. A great combination of deep fried and salted egg, however the squid would taste even better if it was cooked with a smaller ones. No doubt it is an unhealthy food, yet everyone seems to like it.

Chili Pepper Squid (椒盐炸苏东)

Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab (炸软壳蟹)

Stir-fried Kai-lan with Roasted Pork Spare Ribs (芥兰炒烧肉)

Kai-lan a.k.a.Chinese Broccoli, although I don't see any resemblance, is pretty crunchy after stir-fried; the roasted pork are slightly fatty to my liking though. Just a so-so average Joe.

Claypot Pork Belly with Salted Fish (咸鱼花腩煲)

Sliced pork belly is braised together salted fish, which the fragrance to the dish. However, it still isn't no way near the standard set by Oversea Restaurant, which is one of their signature dishes.

Salad Chicken (沙律鸡)

Stir-fried Paku vegetable (炒蕨菜)

Paku is a type of fiddlehead fern, where it is widely used in Asian culinary. Paku is slightly stir-fried and topped with lime juice and soy sauce. This dish is very appetizing and refreshing, not to mention crunchy, the only texture I preferred when eating vegetables.

Stir-fried Potato Leaves (清炒薯苗)

Sambal Prawn with Stinky Prawns (叁笆臭豆虾)

Freshly plucked stinky beans from Cameran Highlands are cooked in sambal style with prawns, but still haven't perfected as good as the Thai restaurant. 

3328 Restaurant served as one of the favourites among the locals, where you will find it full house during weekends. Of course, the restaurant offers a very reasonable pricing for Chinese Restaurant meal. However, what you pay is what you get, don't put too high expectation on it, if you're comparing with the high end restaurants.

Sum Sum Yi Fatt (3328) Restaurant

Address : 14, Jalan Mas, Taman Mas, 30100 Ipoh, Perak.

Business hours : Lunch hour until dinner hours daily.

Tel. : 012-5336121

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Oversea Restaurant （海外天大饭店）

Whenever you are looking for contemporary Cantonese cuisine in Ipoh, you hardly can leave Oversea Restaurant out of your consideration. Being one of the more prestige Chinese restaurant in Ipoh, it has a vast selection of signatured dishes and received numerous awards and recognition, which includes "Asia's Finest Restaurant". 

1). Opened since 1982, being the second restaurant of the corporation and first of Ipoh's two branches, it located just opposite of Excelsior Hotel Ipoh.

2). Fairly spacious as it occupied five shop lots and it consists of several private rooms upon reservation.

3). One of its famous dishes is their roasted meat, and their pearl in the sea is their Barbequed Pork a.k.a. Char Siew or 蜜汁靓叉烧 (RM20). Half marbled pork is caramelized into perfection, literally melt in your mouth. Couldn't find anything else better than this! 

4). One of the must order dish is their signatured beancurd or 招牌豆腐 (RM17.50). Deep fried beancurd topped with its gravy. Crunchy on the outside and melts on the inside. Come good with rice too! 

5). Every meal must have its veggie, right? How about stir-fried fresh lily bulbs with assorted vegetables and macadamia nuts,  杏仁片百合素果 (RM18). You'll find all sorts of China's veggie and my favourite nut from Hawaii?!, oops it's Macadamia Nuts (夏威夷果). The best word to describe the dish? CRUNCHY!

6). This is the dish I've been waiting for, is their signatured Braised sliced pork belly with salted fish in claypot 咸鱼花腩煲 (RM18). Not so generous portion of pork belly is braised with salted fish and dried chillies, this is the most complementing dish to any bowl of rice! I'll take two bowls in fact, whenever this dish appear on my dining table.

7). Seafood has always on any Chinese restaurant, Oversea isn't exempted as well. With a wide range of seafood to scratch your head on, we decided to take the Steamed Bamboo fish in soy sauce, a.k.a. Ikan Hantu, 林哥鱼 or 顺壳鱼 (RM117). Being a fresh water fish, it doesn't consist of the trademark muddy odour and a hell lots of bones, on the other hand its meat is the freshest and smoothest you can get, although not the tastiest fish you can find. Bravo nonetheless!

8). Every meal need its mouth washer to end its night. We decided to try out their Chinese Pancake, a.k.a. 锅饼 (RM8). Well, it turned out not as highly as we expected. The crust is crunchy and hot (Thank God), however its filling is overfilled and tasted like Year Cake (年糕), maybe we held our heads too high..

The total bill comes around RM250, a little bit pricey for a casual dinner, don't you think so? As I was informed, for customers paying with Public Bank credit card, you can enjoy 20% discount of your total bill. With a vast selection of dishes on their menu, I can't find any reason not to return to try out their remaining signatured dishes. Head out to their any of their seven branches spreaded out in Klang Valley and Ipoh as well.

Oversea Restaurant （海外天大饭店）

Address : 57-65, Jalan Seenivasagam, 30450 Ipoh, Perak.

Tel. : 05-2538005, 05-2531970

Fax : 05-2533219
Business hours : 12pm - 2.30pm, 6pm - 11pm

Dinner at New She Lai Ton Restaurant ( 新喜来登)

Recently had a reunion dinner at the New She Lai Ton Restaurant with bunch of ex-colleagues. It has become an annual event celebrating the "end of work" a.k.a. "Sou Gong" as the Chinese New year is approaching.

1). The entrance of New She Lai Ton Restaurant, beautifully decorated with Chinese New Year atmosphere.

2). The interior of New She Lai Ton Restaurant, supposedly can fit-in 100 tables of guests.

 3). A bottle of Le Coq Rouge 2005 really make our night!

    4). Our dinner start with a "Lou Sang", a traditional Chinese New Year dish..

    5). ..which we mixed it in standing position with chopsticks and ended up this way before we consume it.

    6). A 4-dished platter for starter. Surprisingly the bottom left crunchy rolls are filled with Otak-otak.

7). A big bowl of Shark-fin soup with crab meat is shared among ourselves.

    8). A dish not to be missed is a whole portion of suckling piglet. My favourite dish of the night!

    9). Steamed pomfret fishes, a must-have for traditional Chinese New Year dishes.

    10). Sweet & sour prawns cooked with bread flakes.

    11). Australian abalone cooked with fish maw and mushrooms. It tasted good, bout we expected a larger portion of abalone for everyone of us :(

    12).Glutinous rice with Chinese sausages and seasoned duck meat. One of my favourite dish!

    13). Last but not least, a dinner is incomplete without its dessert.

This gathering is very meaningful to me, in which we are busy with our daily routines and seldom have time to see face to face, not to mention gathering nor meet-ups. While the food is nothing extra-ordinary and lasted a night, but the memories last in our minds! I really enjoyed the night, friendship forever!


New She Lai Ton Restaurant (新喜来登)
No. 274, Jln Sultan Iskandar Shah,
30000 Ipoh,
Perak, Malaysia.
Tel: 05-255 0737
(Situated beside the Moonlight Crown roundabout)