Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

 Nasi Ayam Pasar Bulat from Restoran Fuziah is an established brand since 1980; when they were still operating at the old “Pasar Bulat” (Yau Tet Shin Market) along Cowan Street.

It’s the fifth day of Raya, and most of us are already back to work. Some with a limp, others with a whimper and probably somewhere out there are a handful of extraordinary souls eagerly lapping up the delayed tasks and pumped up with adrenaline rush upon seeing the heaps of unfinished assignments.

Me? I extended my long break (Raya ma … kita kan “1Malaysia”? So let me wallow in my sorrow okay?) to another day. And it gradually dawned on me … that I have not written much about Halal restaurants in the past few months.

I do believe that Ipoh has limited choices of renowed/delicious Malay cuisine (correct me please if my assumption is wrong here!), but there are still quite a number of famed establishments deserving of the spotlight.

Restoran Fuziah Nasi Ayam or better known as Nasi Ayam Pasar Bulat for example, escaped my radar for a good period of time. Not anymore. Here’s today’s fix of chicken rice story to get you through the Monday blues … 

 The signature green and yellow palette splashed across the signboard, walls and even the tables and plates.

A stalwart brand since 1980, Restoran Fuziah Nasi Ayam moved to the current location after the Yau Tet Shin market (fondly referred to as Pasar Bulat or Octagon-shaped Market in Chinese; “Pat Kok Ting”) has been demolished sometime in the beginning of the new millenium.

Situated on Jalan Mustapha al-Bakri (also known as Clare Street), the shop is cleverly hidden from main view of the streets, yet you can’t possibly miss the neon yellow signboard if you drove by towards Tong Sui Kai (Desserts Street) area. Directly opposite of this restaurant is the other famous Hainan chicken rice outlet named Restoran Hainam, while the row of shops behind Restoran Fuziah houses the crazily famous Buntong beef noodles and further down the same road (Theatre Street) is the hidden gem of a Teo Chew restaurant named Sin Hup Heng.

 The secret to their popularity lies in the crispy skin, roasted chicken lightly drizzled with a slightly sweetish soy sauce concoction

They only serve ONE item throughout the premise; their famed chicken rice. Don’t expect fanciful varieties of chicken, soups, vegetables, side dishes, etc like Ipoh Hainan Chicken Rice (clearly their strongest competitor in Ipoh).

You can pick your preferred part of the chicken; in my case I had the chicken breast to tamper the flaming guilt from within no thanks to the past 3 days of excessive indulgence. However, to really savour the crispiness of the skin, go for the drumstick, thigh or the chicken wing. You won’t regret the decision.

Then go for a run later around the block.

 Fragrant chicken oil cooked rice with a faint hint of margarine (I presume)

As far as Malay chicken rice goes, the chicken rice here deserves a try. However, the rice suffered from a tad too much of moisture; resulting in slight clumps instead of fluffiness. The condiments offered; a very diluted chili sauce (sweetish instead of spicy) and the soy sauce with very finely-blended cili padi (bird’s eye chillies) did not manage to elevate the chicken nor the rice to gastronomic stardom,

However, the chicken itself; rested on a bed of lettuce and garnished with sprigs of scallions is reason enough to warrant a visit whenever the craving comes for a Halal chicken rice.

At RM 5.00 (USD1.70) per portion of chicken rice, I capped the lunch off with a glass of frothy iced Nescafe (RM 2.00/USD0.70) that reminded me of Nescafe shake.

 Restoran Fuziah from the front; with the signature green and yellow shades.

Comparing this to Ipoh Hainan Chicken Rice or even Mee Rebus Ramli, my vote still goes to Mee Rebus Ramli’s version of Malay chicken rice. Ipoh Hainan’s version of poached chicken is incomparable to some extent, since most Halal chicken rice stalls don’t serve steamed/poached varieties. Fuziah’s crispy skin roasted chicken (or are they deep fried/basked in oil?) is also one of a kind. So, you have your options there …

 Restoran Hainam is a Chinese/Hainanese version of chicken rice opposite of Fuziah.

 And I just could not help but snap a photo of the dental association’s HQ. So classic.

RESTORAN FUZIAH NASI AYAM PASAR BULAT (HALAL)
78, Jalan Mustapha al-Bakri
30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Tel No : +6012-550 4556
Business Hours : 11.30am – 10.30pm daily.
*They have also expanded to a second branch at Greentown Square; behind of Restoran Nasi Padang Simpang Tiga
Google Map to Restoran Fuziah Nasi Ayam
GPS : 4.594614,101.086076

“Any other recommendations for HALAL FOOD in Ipoh to be shared with other readers?”