A Halal, All-Day Dim Sum Restaurant in Ipoh (Greentown Dim Sum Cafe)
November 25, 2011 | 4,444 views| 23 Comments » |
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BBQ Chicken Pau (RM3.60/USD1.20 for two freshly-steamed buns) – Char Siew Bao without the CHAR SIEW?! Atrocious?!!! Ridiculous??!!!!!! Not really.
Friday. I’d better limit my words for this post, else I’ll be getting all the rotten tomatoes splattered over this ogre-like mug. And a stretch of 3-days long, extended weekend for everyone!
Instead of the usual un-Halal, pork-infested reviews on this blog, let me embrace the milder, pork-free side of myself. And if you’re a Muslim reader, or have a bunch of Muslim foodie friends dying to try some Chinese dim sum, then this post is definitely for you.
Wait, even if you are one PORK-adoring fanatic, who can’t stay away from the char siew, gu lou yuk, crispy siew yoke, vinegar pig’s trotters, German pork knuckle …… you might still find this recommendation worthy of a try. I was skeptical, but the first visit proved my doubts were unfounded. Read on, and discover why ….
Notice that JAKIM’s Halal certification proudly displayed on the wall for all to see? NOT a walk in the park to get that. Seven whole months, before they were finally issued with one.
Firstly, this is not a mere pork-free, dim sum restaurant usually parked in any random hotel. Or a high class one with 5-star ratings and charges up to RM10 for a basket of mediocre dim sum.
Nor does this resemble any classic Ipoh dim sum outlets; with ladies circling the space within with trolleys filled to the brim with fresh dim sum from the kitchen, and shouts of “Har Gau! Siew Mai!” in unison.
Greentown Dim Sum Cafe opened its doors almost a year ago in Greentown Business Centre, next to Berlin’s Bier Houz. The couple who run this place is a joyful Chinese duo without prior experience in operating an F&B business. But the chef behind the scene is definitely a skillful one with an eye for meticulous details and presentation of his food.
Now … can we scream 1Malaysia already?
Sorry if the fonts look too small. But generally, the dim sum selection here was mighty impressive for an outlet this size. Priced at around RM3 – RM5 (about USD1.30) per portion.
Prawn Dumplings (the perennial favourite of mine; Har Gau) (RM4.90/USD1.50) and at the back was a basket of Blue Flower Dumplings (RM3.90/USD1.30).
Dried Prawn Dumplings (RM3.90/USD1.30) – Ham Sui Kok without the conventional bits of char siew. Did not enjoy these, but Mum was happy that these were almost like the real deal.
Lor Mai Gai (Chicken Glutinous Rice) (RM4.20/USD1.40) was merely passable, but the glutinous rice was steamed to a good balance of being moist yet without being mushy.
Fried Radish Cake (Lor Bak Gou) (RM4.20/USD1.40) that was indeed … SPICY enough to torch some tongues. But pretty good, actually. We tasted the ‘wok hei’ (burnt, smoky aroma from the high heat used in frying the ensemble) in this one.
Now … take a wild guess of what this is. It was something from the menu, yet looked nothing like what we imagined.
Greentown Dim Sum Cafe – Opens from day until night. So you can have all day dim sum, and many other dishes (including single portion rice and noodles for lunch) without worrying whether they have a break in between or not.
Now, with that also breached 500 words already. =_=
I know, very-the-articulate eh? Anyway, this cafe holds immense potential, only if they maintain the standards, the excellent service, and preferably …. reducing the long wait for the food.
Everything’s steamed and fried freshly before served, hence you can imagine the wait if the crowd is thick. When we were there, the shop was about 50% occupied, and we had to brace a 20-minutes wait for the first item to arrive. Then a couple of minutes in between each serving. A compromise for FRESHNESS, maybe?
Oh, Happy HOLIDAYS by the way. And drive safe, eat reasonably, drink with caution, etc. I’ll come up with a travel post this weekend. Promised. 
GREENTOWN DIM SUM CAFE (Halal)
No 10, Persiaran Greentown 4,
Greentown Avenue, 30450 Ipoh,
Perak, Malaysia.
Tel No : +605-255 2010, +6012-569 8876
Opens from 8am until 9pm daily. Closed on Tuesdays.
Next door to Berlin’s Bier Houz, and a few shops away from the new Chatime outlet.
*Looking for MORE dim sum choices? Read All About Ipoh’s Dim Sum – Top 10
**Or this is your first time in Ipoh? Then look no further than the Ultimate Ipoh Food List
Chicken Pau is great as long as the sauce is good and the meat is tender. hehe
PS: ooops, sorry James, I made i typo in my post.
it is actually 4.5 hours >.< we spent on those angry birds cupcakes
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 25th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
4.5?!!! Tak angry pun dah angry ….. Haha ….
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ai wei Reply:
November 26th, 2011 at 12:30 am
lol, 4.5hrs still okay ah
give some patience. you will satisfy with your end products and you will find the “patience” is worth paying lorrr
hehe
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 26th, 2011 at 9:08 am
I’d take that 4.5 hours and eat, drink, then sleep in between.
Boleh la cuba, nak kena bagitau my fren ~chinese muslim~ mesti dia rindukan masakan cina sebab bila cerita tentang restoran cina muslim di manjung,she very excited!
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 26th, 2011 at 9:10 am
Oh … ada juga satu restoran yang hidangkan masakan Cina di Greentown; tetapi berorientasikan makanan laut. Kat banglo sederet dgn Ipoh Parade, dulu Laksamana Cheng Ho.
Kalau tak silap, memang halal pun.
Assam House kat Medan Gopeng dan satu lagi di seberang jalan daripada Greentown Dim Sum Cafe pun hidangkan masakan Cina/Nyonya/Thai yang halal.
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Special thanks untuk penulis,sebab dari ur web saya dapat info tentang restoran @ kedai makan yang halal untuk dicuba…
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
November 26th, 2011 at 9:10 am
Sama-sama myn. Memang lumrah hidup untuk makan DAN kongsi pengalaman dgn semua pembaca.
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Terima Kasih banyak-banyak sebab dapat tempat utk bawa kawan-kawan Muslim
pergi makan Dimsum yang begitu enak.
Harap dapat info baru lagi tentang kedai makan yang Halal………haha!
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
November 26th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
LOL. Are you mocking my BM justfoody?
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minor correction: thats a JAIP Halal cert, issued by State Islamic Department, not JAKIM. But it is indeed a good assurance for our Muslim diners. =)
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
November 26th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Thanks sEnGz for pointing that out.
JAKIM (the main Halal hub of Malaysia) only issues Halal cert for products marketed on a national or international level. For food premises in the respective states (without crossing borders), the application goes through the state channel (JAIPk in this case). So essentially, this is still a JAKIM cert with a JAKIM mark but issued through the Perak division of Jbt Agama Islam.
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Do they have take away?
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 27th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
I guess they do. You’re planning to buy for the other staff in OPD?
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[...] Ipoh Halal Dim Sum @ Greentown Dim Sum Cafe | Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel Blo… says: November 25, 2011 at 7:22 pm [...]
Went for a bite there 2 days back, taking a muslim friend for a treat during his visit to Ipoh.
Sad to say we both concurred, at best, food was average or even sub par.
Think he will stick to the halal dim sum joints in KL which might be pricier but offer a better product.
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yup, they got the ‘halal’ cert but still the owner n cook is not a muslim…
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 29th, 2012 at 8:53 pm
For an outlet to be certified with HALAL certification, the owner MUST be a Muslim?
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[...] 2.00am on Fridays and Saturdays. Opens daily. *Corner of the row with Berlin’s Bier Houz, Greentown Dim Sum Cafe and [...]
Hai semua muslim.. makanan halal bermaksud bahan2 yang digunakan mestilah dari sumber yang halal dan dimasak oleh orang lslam..di negara lslam seseorang muslim itu adalah wajib makan di restoran orang lslam dan haram makan di restoran yang bukan lslam…manakala di negara bukan lslam seseorang muslim itu harus makan di restoran bukan lslam yang menghidangkan menu yang halal……
[Reply]
fadzioriq Reply:
February 16th, 2012 at 2:16 am
“di negara lslam seseorang muslim itu adalah wajib makan di restoran orang lslam dan haram makan di restoran yang bukan lslam” berkenaan ini, mana dalil ye?
Halal mengikut http://www.halaljakim.gov.my/.
Takrif Halal mengikut Perintah Perihal Dagangan (Penggunaan Perbahasaan “Halal”) 1975 adalah seperti berikut:
Apabila digunakan berhubung dengan makanan dalam apa-apa juga bentuk dalam perjalanan perdagangan atau perniagaan sebagai suatu perihal dagangan atau sebagai sebahagian daripada suatu perihal dagangan yang dipakai bagi makanan itu, perbahasaan-perbahasaan ‘Halal’, ‘Ditanggung Halal’ atau ‘Makanan Islam’ atau apa-apa perbahasaan lain yang menunjukkan atau mungkin difahamkan sebagai menunjukkan bahawa orang-orang Islam adalah dibenarkan oleh agama mereka memakan makanan itu maka perbahasaan itu hendaklah mempunyai erti yang berikut, iaitu makanan yang berhubung dengan perbahasaan atau perbahasaan-perbahasaan itu digunakan:
a) bukanlah terdiri daripada atau mengandungi apa-apa bahagian atau benda dari binatang yang orang Islam dilarang oleh Hukum Syarak memakannya atau yang tidak disembelih mengikut Hukum Syarak;
b) tidaklah mengandungi apa-apa benda yang dihukum sebagai najis mengikut Hukum Syarak;
c) tidak disedia, diproses atau dikilang dengan menggunakan apa-apa alat yang tidak bebas dari benda-benda najis mengikut Hukum Syarak; dan
d) tidaklah dalam masa menyedia, memproses atau menyimpannya itu bersentuhan atau berdekatan dengan apa-apa makanan yang tidak memenuhi kehendak-kehendak perenggan (a), (b) atau (c) atau apa-apa benda yang dihukum sebagai najis mengikut Hukum Syarak.
pada pendapat saya, ianya tidaklah sampai kepada wajib, namun hanyalah kepada sunat untuk mencari produk muslim. Sekiranya saudara mempunyai dalil yang lebih kukuh saya akan akur.
p/s: sorry J2KFM, not to create any chaos here, but I just can’t stand when people talk nonsense without any authority. It will just brings the bad image and wrong information being spread out. Anyway, I’ve tried this, quite good for me. Not sure whether it’s was good enough or not~
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wahh!! boleh la cuba try makanan kat sini..
aku dah la teringin sgt nk mkn dim sum, tp x penah rasa..
rupanya kat perak ni ade byk je chinese restaurant yg halal..
ok3! tanx j2kfm for sharing this information with us..
the foods shown seems to look really yummy, i wonder how it tastes like..
especially the prawn dumplings!
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it looks so grose. but it might taste good
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