Beacon Point @ Ipoh Garden East – 17 Years Strong
July 17, 2012 | 9,797 views
Chicken In A Basket (RM9.90/USD3.30)
17 years. If you were born in 1995 and can appreciate the perilous journey you went through childhood and adolescence, then you’d have a much better gauge of Beacon Point’s equally arduous yet admirable tenure as one of the longest-standing cafe in the town of Ipoh.
This is not the first time I am penning my thoughts on Beacon Point. You can read my previous review HERE.
After countless mishaps in the forms of new bistros, cafes, fusion wannabes and everything in between, still, the tried-and-tested establishments always work wonders to the tastebud, and satiating expectations.
FMS has since closed for renovations for a good 5 years now. Rendezvous has given way to an endless ‘onslaught’ of so-so cafes (though I have to admit that Eastern’s Brasserie was pretty good), while Miner’s Arms is no longer the ‘fine diner it used to be; when they used to serve an exemplary oxtail soup in the 80’s.
Fried Nasi Ulam (RM8.20/USD2.70)
The recent spate of bad luck striking the newer outlets (especially those in De Garden) got us wondering whether is it THAT hard to survive the F&B scene in Ipoh?
Beacon Point in Ipoh Garden East (not facing the main road of Jalan Perajurit, but almost directly behind of the very famous corner coffee shop named Taman Timur Baru) showed a slight shade of finesse; refusing to budge an inch and still adamant in dishing up classics like their famed chicken pie, nasi ulam, chicken in a basket and laksa lemak.
Oh ya, and who can forget their cakes!
Roast Beef with Red Wine Sauce (RM17.90/USD6) on certain days only
Usually accustomed to ordering their lunch sets on weekdays and weekends, they serve set dinner on Fridays and Saturdays too. By the way, they ONLY operate for dinner on those evenings, while they choose to close on Sundays.
Yup, Sundays. So don’t bother to plan for a family luncheon on a Sunday ya?
Fried Hailam Mee & Singapore Fried Bee Hoon (RM7.80/USD2.60 each)
The predictable mix of Asian and Western fares are not all that are setting them apart from ‘competition’ but the sheer laid back dining environment, with almost the exact same lineup of staff serving us since our last visit. And the visit before that!
Of course, for dinner, you can expect some fancier choices from the dinner special menu. But since we have grown to love their classics mentioned in the paragraph above, I comfortably set my mind on the few items I desired for a while.
The Chicken In A Basket comprising of deep fried, batter-coated boneless chicken chunks served in a basket with crinkle-cut fries, and the Fried Nasi Ulam that came with a smattering sides of finely-chopped torch ginger flower and raw onions. Both were good choices that you should not miss if this is your first time.
The Roast Beef is only available on certain days; Fridays and Saturdays included. You’ll be served nicely roasted slabs of beef served with the gravy of your choice; in this case Dad chose the red wine sauce with a very mild hint of liquor.
Chicken Chop in Mushroom Sauce (RM14.90/USD5)
Chicken Maryland (RM15.40/USD5.20)
Apparently, the Asian fares are not too shabby either. The fried noodles coming across as decent and unlike fusion cafes that literally killed their Asian dishes with a heavy dose of MSG. The Chicken Chop and Chicken Maryland were very basic replication of the same dishes; but worth noting was the Maryland that featured a piece of grilled chicken, a piece of ham and half a sausage that were all grilled instead of deep fried.
We skipped desserts this time around, since none of us was in the mood for cakes. However, if your sweet tooth’s calling for salvation, by all means, try their Irish coffee cheesecake which is still one of the best cake out there!
The meal for six came to RM82/USD27; a pretty reasonable sum to pay for a night out with every generation in the family. Most of all, you know that they still cook the array of food you have grown up eating and foster a link with; throughout various phases of your life.
BEACON POINT (pork-free)
41, Lintasan Perajurit 6,
Taman Perak,
31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Tel No : +605-5469 916
Business hours : Mondays to Thurs – 11am – 6pm
Fridays and Saturdays – 11am – 10.30pm
GPS :4.61455,101.126468
i have yet to try this 1 in Ipoh~
keep on slipping my mind~
(^^)
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Another old-long-time worthy to mention coffee house is “Scotch” in Ipoh Gdn South. Surprisingly it has still been standing strong after all these soooo manyyyy yearssss………….
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J2Kfm Reply:
July 24th, 2012 at 10:43 pm
Yeah! Heard that Scotch was going to close down back then. But apparently, no?
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Anonymous Reply:
July 26th, 2012 at 10:33 pm
nope, have just dopped by somewhere in end of May ~ still seeing many strong supporters (mostly family crowd) and those uncles sitting on the bar table with beers, passing time, chit-chatting with the waitress……..There are serving set lunch for RM14.90!
[Reply]
Good food of the ole days
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