Bee Gaik Dining Place – Nyonya/Chinese Cuisine here in Ipoh
December 21, 2008 | 7,784 viewsLazy Sunday …. Spent half a day at Lost World of Tambun in Sunway City, and came back utterly disappointed. Compared to Sunway Lagoon, or Genting Theme Park, this so-called ‘attraction’ in Ipoh is a crying shame. Paying RM25 for merely TWO dry rides, and some random slides and pool, just wont cut it. And you still have to rent the float for two, at an additional RM12, and the locker at RM10. Parking’s at RM1. If you’re seeing numbers, I’m seeing stars ….. *_*
Bee Gaik Dining Place – Serving authentic nyonya and chinese food in IpohBacktrack a week or two ago, we went for a family dinner at Bee Gaik, over in Ipoh Garden South. It’s been some time since we’ve visited, most recent memory involved family outing with grandpa, who’s been watching over us from above for a good 15 years now.
Two floors of dining, in a comfortable air-conditioned seating area, albeit lacking in terms of tables and spaceSince then, Bee Gaik has reinvented itself into a household name of sorts, providing catering services on top of dining pleasure. But if you’re coming here on a weekend or a public holiday, be sure to book a table, else risk wailing away …. I mean, waiting away. And the scarce number of tables somewhat forced most patrons to be seated upstairs. If you’re with an elderly, you know how much a hassle that’ll be ….
Kapitan Chicken (RM13)We relented and trusted the waitress’ recommendations. Mostly signature dishes from their rather extensive menu, covering mostly Nyonya-style cooking, and some Chinese dishes. The Kapitan chicken resembled dry curry chicken, with chunks of chicken thighs and wings cooked in the slightly spicy, fragrant, piquant and delicious gravy. Do not be deterred by the fiery orange colour of the curry, the chicken can be stomached even by toddlers.
Bean Sprouts with Salted Fish (RM6)Crunchy, fat bean sprouts … Ipoh’s style, stir-fried lightly with some crispy salted fish. A simple dish for those who have a love-hate relationship with greens, yet guilty enough to not avoid their fibre intake. Sprinkled with some chopped spring onions, the ‘taugeh’ served their intention well; polished off in mere minutes.
Curry Asam Fish Head (RM24)
One of their top-seller, the curry asam fish head managed to deliver, with chunks of fish head and meat cooked in the sumptuous gravy, not too spicy, yet fiery and tangy enough to tantalize that tastebud. With generous servings of brinjals, ladies’ fingers, onions, tau-pok (beancurd) and tomatoes, nobody can put down this dish as completely NOT healthy. Drench/pour those lip-smacking gravy onto your plate of fluffy white rice, and savour away ….
Tung Po Yuk (Braised FAT! Pork Belly with Sauce) (RM12)
If you’re thinking, how can a Nyonya restaurant serves good Chinese dishes, you’re wrong. Their Tung Po Yuk is marvellous. Two thumbs up to the unassuming, simple yet brimming with flavour dish. The pork was not as scaringly FAT as I may prefer, with lean meat dominating the portion, but the melt-in-mouth texture of the upper layer of pork skin was very addictive. And even the leaner part was tender enough to require lesser-chewing.
Soak them up with the ‘mantou’ served with the dishAnd the soft ‘mantou‘ (white buns) are meant to be dipped/dunked/soaked with the delicious gravy, not wasting every single drop of the glistening, brownish-gold juices. I’m salivating now, still remembering the combination of flavour that worked so well.
But I’ve always been a PORKY-type of guy, loving everything porky, hence existed the slight bias. Sue me.
There are so many dishes that I wanted to point and order erratically, but I managed to hold my horses. There’s always another visit down the line …. right?
Location : BEE GAIK DINING PLACE @ 10-10A, Tingkat Taman Ipoh 11, Ipoh Garden South, 31400 Ipoh. Tel No : 05-546 8601. Closed on Tuesdays. Operating hours : 11.30am-3.00pm, 6.00pm-10.00pm.
ohh.. that pork dish looks marvelous!
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They even make their own ‘mantou’ (white buns) from what I see in the photo…that’s a good sign.
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I’ve often wondered what kind of crowd the Lost World of Tambun attracts – now I know! A disappointed one! Haha! The meal on the other hand is far from disappointing – mantou doused in fatty pork gravy…. heaven!
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Yummy… the mantaou is so perfect to be dip into the gravy… *slurp*
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wah, the lost world deal sounds pricey! ooh, i am salivating away at the curry asam fish head…. 🙂
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arent nyonyas essentially chinese? aiyo, that pork looks sooooo gooooddddd!!!….drooling in a most unslightly manner.
lost world …. hmm, the kids had a great time there, and actually, as a parent, these smaller theme parks are more manageable…but yeah, so happens i didnt have to pay, so maybe didnt feel the slaughter…i didnt know those floats had to be rented, and i saw one lying idly about, and helped myself. hahaha, 2 hours later some frantic looking girl comes and tells me its hers….
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thenomadGourmand : yeah, glistening, creamy layer of fat. looked almost surreal.
ck lam : yup, they’re very soft and perfect to soak up any gravy.
550ml jar of faith : the number of ppl there was INCREDIBLE! testament to Sunway’s popularity, albeit the mediocre outing.
Selba : wonder what you call them in Indo. 🙂
jasmine : yeah, drool-worthy stuff. got Assam pork somemore, havent got my hands on them yet.
FBB : you stole a poor gal’s float?!!! geez.
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with that asam gravy I can eat 2 bowls of rice, so appetizing!!!
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had been eatinf at this place recently with my family, a great place to be for a family dinner nyonya style! 🙂 oh did you see the chinese caligraphy on the wall, caligraphed by my cousin.
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mimid3vils : yeah, the gravy drenching the rice is indeed, a pretty sight.
BBO : your cousin?! wah … got shares in the company ah? hehe …
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Yes, I love this kind of white soft man tou to go with Tung Po Yuk ! not the fried type loh.
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cariso : yeah, soaks the gravy perfectly lah …
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Just back from Bee Gaiks and i’m sad to say it was terrible. The place was dirty with uncleaned tables and also bad service. I understand that it’s a Sunday, but i do see enough staff to cater for the whole crowd. Just plain lazy, The Tong Poh Pork was tough and not the usual tenderness that you want in this dish. The fat is also not enough (for me that is). The worst was the Assam Curry Fish Slice, there wasn’t a bit of sourness in the curry and it was also slightly burnt. All in all, i think you (Motormouth) should visit the place again and rate it once again as i personally do value your views on food and i think Bee Gaiks has dropped in their standard. Just my 2 cents
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:36 am
Thanks for your opinion John.
Uncleaned tables and poor service? Wow … we have always been well-served back then.
It’s been some time since I last visited, I think last was back in early 2009, but the experience was not worthy of a mention, as the dishes were not outstanding.
The Tung Poh Yuk from Bee Gaik has always been my measuring stick, for it was better than most in Ipoh! Did not see this coming, really.
I will probably not stepping in any sooner, especially after reading your feedback. Will be sure to do another review of the place if time permits.
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[…] Bee Gaik Nyonya Cuisine – Great catering services […]
the otak otak and kerabu are the best !!!
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Fabulous pork.. can just feel it melting in my mouth la.. i miss IPOH!
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