Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

That Ying Fa (“Sakura”) dim sum post got a few true blue Ipohans overwhelmed with nostalgia, and naturally; the other equally timeless eateries arose. A place that I still hold close to my heart  after all these years, was the famed Kok Kee Dim Sum Restaurant; currently occupied by a furniture shop along Hugh Low Street. Back in the 80′s, that was THE place to go for dim sum at night.

Dim Sum @ Sun Kok Kee Restaurant – The same old tasty choices from Kok Kee’s

While most people carry a lingering fondness from their childhood days eating dim sum for breakfast at Foh San or even Ming Court, my craving for dim sum developed after the repeated dinners at Kok Kee instead. Still remember how grandma and parents would go for the Char Siew Bao (BBQ Pork Bun), Har Gau (Prawn dumplings), Siew Mai (Pork dumplings) and fish balls, while me and brother would be waving frantically for the trolley carting the fried goodies to come over. Wobbly egg tarts, crispy yam puffs (‘woo kok’) and prawn rolls with salad sauce. Yummy stuff.

Thanks to a few comments from the readers, my eyes sparkled at the mere mention of Sun Kok Kee. Wait, you mean Kok Kee STILL exists?!

Still as generous as ever; the Har Gau and Siew Mai from Sun Kok Kee are comparably bigger than the counterparts from the other dim sum restaurants.

Yes. Seems that one of the dim sum chef from Kok Kee (or maybe a sibling?) came out on his own and started Sun Kok Kee. And ignorant me had steered clear of this fact, and that Sun Kok Kee has graced the dim sum scene in Ipoh for much, much longer than I was aware of!

Stuffed fish paste (Yong Tau Foo) with their signature bean sauce. Definitely meant for sharing, go easy on these as the fish + meat paste packed a rather filling potential.

Come one fine Sunday morning, we ventured out of our ‘cocoon’ and all the way to Bercham (not that it’s extremely far …. but yet, the thought of eating dim sum outside of town sounded weird initially) for a first hand experience at what the hoo-ha was about.

*Sun Kok Kee has been lauded by some as one of the better dim sum restaurants in Ipoh. Even if that’s slightly exaggerated to you and me, I can’t deny that the dim sum here is really, really cheap.

Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun – With a choice of shrimp or char siew as fillings.

The restaurant was packed, almost to a full capacity. 90% occupied at least, no thanks to the morning market nearby. Service was prompt, and the staff had this air of friendliness among them. Mostly youngsters running the place maybe for pocket money, or maybe they’re from the same family?

The selection of dim sum remained conservative, with the occasional creative juices put into the various dumplings. But you won’t find fancy dim sum with cheese, mayo, wasabi or roes here, that’s for sure.

Not to indicate that this is a bad thing. But should be seen in a positive light, at least Sun Kok Kee emphasizes on quality, and they do not skimp on the portions either. Not the most delicate of morsels, the dim sum arrived still warm from the steamers, and almost every piece required two bites. At least.

MUST-TRY – The stir-fried radish cake (Lor Bak Gou) with bean sprouts, egg omelette and chopped scallions.

The Woo Kok (Yam Puff) and egg tarts are good choices. The Woh Peng (crispy Chinese lotus paste pancake) and Sweet & Sour Rolls were not as impressive.

I won’t go all out and proclaim Sun Kok Kee as THE best dim sum restaurant in Ipoh. Or you should go all out and miss out on the dim sum frenzy along The Dim Sum Street of Ipoh (Jalan Leong Sin Nam) for a taste of Sun Kok Kee’s, given the rather secluded and inaccessible location.

But for those already sick and tired of the waiting for a table, congested traffic, attitude and inflated prices at any of the famous dim sum restaurants in town, why not give Sun Kok Kee a try?

Juicy barbecued pork within, the Char Siew Bao from Sun Kok Kee makes great breakfast, even after being left overnight and reheated the very next morning.

But for those like me, whom had grown up in Ipoh remembering those moments of bliss when your parents brought you over to Kok Kee for dim sum at night, don’t you want to relive that slight moment of sheer joy?

And we took away a few pieces of Ji Bao Gai (Paper-wrapped chicken) for a light lunch.

Much like the argument on which outlet serves the best ‘Nga Choy Kai’ (Bean Sprouts Chicken) in Ipoh, the perennial question on choosing the best place for dim sum can be argued upon to an infinite extent. To each his own, I’d say.

I love Ming Court for their tasty dim sum and various dessert soups, but hate the dainty portions and limited seats. Foh San‘s the legendary ‘tai kor’ (big brother) of Ipoh’s dim sum scene, yet after moving to its current premise, the service left a bad taste in my mouth. But their Heong Far biscuits (only during the Mid Autumn festival) are extremely addictive. Just ask wmw. Yoke Fook Moon‘s dim sum came piping hot as you can see them being steamed in front of you, literally. And they’re opened at night too! But the price is on a higher level compared to the others.

Ying Fa, Sun Kim Aik (on Lahat Road), Kao Lee, Chang Keong and Chef Fatt are trying on their best terms, to compete with the BIG 3 mentioned above. In some ways, they succeeded. In the case of Ying Fa (the oldest of the lot, no doubt) that has managed to charm me with their old school offerings including their delicious lotus leaf rice and sweet and sour rolls.

A spacious three lots for the dim sum lovers in Bercham and around the vicinity.

The meal came to RM45/USD14.50 for the four of us, inclusive of a few take-away items.

SUN KOK KEE DIM SUM RESTAURANT
7-11, Persiaran Bercham Baru Timor 1,
Taman Bercham Baru,
31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 6016-534 4579
Business hours : 6.30am – 12.00pm.
Closed on Mondays.
GPS Coordinates : E101 7′ 49.0″ N4 38′ 18.5″
Google Map to Sun Kok Kee
*This restaurant is very near to the Bercham Chinese primary school and Bercham morning market.