I Rediscovered Mun Thin @ Ipoh Restaurant !!!
March 8, 2011 | 18,119 views“Mun WHAT”? Okay, so there was this amazing place back in the 80’s-early 90’s in town (on Anderson road, facing the current Nam Kew restaurant) that used to serve delicious ‘dai chow’ dishes, various roasted meats, and a delectably irresistible creme caramel custard; much like how Thean Chun make theirs nowadays.
My dad used to work at the now-defunct French Hotel on Cockman Street (Jalan Dato Onn Jaafar) since I was a small kid, and the fond memories of eating wobbly and sweet egg custard at Mun Thin, or ice-cream at First Coffee House, or even the banana split at KFC (yeah, for your information, KFC used to serve ice-cream back in those days) would be forever etched in this gradually deteriorating mind.
“Bao Siew Yok” – Stir-fried Roast Pork with Leeks and Onions (RM18/USD6)
Now let’s get back into business. 🙂
Mun Thin was all but gone for more than a decade. The shop has been transformed into something else (forgot what, but should be a coffee shop with another name for some time) since then, and we have all but lost hope on reliving those sweet memories from the earlier years.
Until now. Yes, the same people that used to run Mun Thin is now at Ipoh Restaurant (how original?); right smack in town centre (on Hume Street/Jalan Masjid, also known as Coffin Street, albeit that’s an unpalatable moniker) ……
A green named “Qing Loong” or Green Dragon, stir fried with bean sprouts, carrot and red chillies, with extra punch from the crispy anchovies (RM8/USD3)
Okay, this particular area of Ipoh town has not been booming since Greentown, Ipoh Garden East and De Garden took over as THE places to be for food and drinks. You know, back in those days you could find throngs of people overwhelming the food court named Hollywood (or something) at the corner where you can also find a bak kut teh restaurant now. That place used to house a wonderful pork porridge( ‘zhu chap chuk’) stall, to which I have not found a worthy heir yet (except maybe Bercham’s Wong Fee Kee).
Sambal Belacan Kangkung with crispy lard fritters! (RM8/USD3)
But since this restaurant simply named Ipoh has come on board, the constant stream of customers during lunch and dinner hours brought life back to this already …. erm, morbid street (for a very obvious reason). Of course, you can argue that a stone’s throw away, you can find the intense colonization of foodies from all over the country; sharing some very obvious targets.
Kwai Fei Tofu (Braised homemade beancurd with fish paste and mixed vegetables) (RM12/USD4)
Mum swore by her previous two experiences. Grandma had a fantastic time downing the many porky dishes there; not once but twice as well. Of course, back then Mun Thin was also but one of the three places that I used to get acquainted with sweet and sour pork (Gu Lou Yuk); the other two being Wong Koh Kee and Sun Marpoh.Thus, it was no wonder that they still do their pork dishes so well.
Yesterday, I paid my virginal visit to Ipoh Restaurant. Mum reserved a table; and thankful that she did since the place was packed! Within 20 minutes or so, food was served.
Steamed Tilapia in a spicy bean sauce (RM26/USD8.50)
The one dish that almost every table ordered was the day’s special; Braised Pork Knuckle in a light soy sauce with a hint of herbs (Mum said it was Dong Quai). Lots of skin, fats and gelatinous matter, and Grandma was lapping up almost a quarter of the limb amidst initial lament that we over-ordered! (6 dishes for 6 pax). Very good, but less meat than the trotter, so you have to love your fatty cuts to appreciate this.
The other pork dish that we opted for was the Stir fried roasted pork with leek and onions, which was another gorgeously sinful and guilt-ridden fare. To imagine the still-crispy skin caramelized in the sweetish soy sauce reduced to a sticky texture, paired with crunchy leeks and caramelized onions. Heavenly stuff.
Braised Pork Knuckle in Soy Sauce and Herbs (RM15/USD5)
They still steam their fishes with crispy lard fritters; also making an appearance in the stir-fried kangkung (water convolvulus/morning glory) in sambal belacan. Very old school, as most newer restaurants do not incorporate this health freak’s nightmare of an ingredient in their food any longer.
We found no fault with most of the dishes; even the usually bland greens was much revered in the sense that the special of the day was the ‘qing loong‘ greens, like the one we had at Oversea Restaurant the other time … but at half the price, obviously.
Ipoh Restaurant in Ipoh town. How apt.
We might have just found another gem in Ipoh worth sharing to travellers from out of town; tired of the same old ‘nga choy gai’ dinners. By far, this has to be one of the better Chinese ‘dai chow’/’chu char’ restaurants in Ipoh. For the whole (uncensored) list of Chinese restaurants in Ipoh; jump to this following page instead : Motormouth’s list of Chinese Restaurants in Ipoh
Ipoh Restaurant
33, Jalan Masjid (Hume Street)
30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 605-254 0037
Closed on Tuesdays. Opens for lunch and dinner.
Google Map to Ipoh Restaurant
GPS Coordinates : 4.59304,101.082291
*This is a scheduled post. Motormouth would already be tanning his butt off somewhere Down Under by the time this is published. Pardon the delay in replying the comments or feedback, but I’ll get to them as soon as I’m back.
For that I might just drive to Ipoh for dinner tonight lol..
Some time back I was in Kota Kubu Baru and ate in this small little run down restaurant that serves one of the best home cooked food I have ever tasted. It was so good and simple and recipes that i thought were ‘extinct’. It is still one of my favourite all time ‘dai chow’ but the servings and dishes are quite different from the usual ‘dai chow’
regards
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i really LOVE Steamed Tilapia in any sauce! either spicy bean or ginger .. it’s still damn effective. Sometimes I’d go so far as to say, I like it almost as much as pork knuckle. Did your spicy bean sauce have hunks of chee yau char in it? Porky fish – best!
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The pork knuckle on cost RM 15.00?
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I’m so loving this place oredi! Must remember this in my next balik-kg trip.
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Just wondering whether they still serve the “mun fan”.
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When u mentioned “on Anderson road, facing the current Nam Kew restaurant that used to serve delicious ‘dai chow’ dishes, various roasted meats”, I suddenly thought of this coffeeshop besides the Indian newspaper stand. Had a really good siu cheong fan there when I was little and now the shop is no longer there 🙁 Not sure if they have dai chow since those days (so it might be different from what you’re referring to here)
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any 1 remember the shop beside Mun Tin ..?
dai chow during night time…
nice gu rou yok and kang gong
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I’m really bad with road names in Ipoh, I normally go by landmarks. But is Mun Thin the joint that used to operate near the teochew porridge place ar? ROFL!
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Chai Yee Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 12:40 am
I feel glad that there are still some people remember about Mun Thin. I’m sure my grandma and late grandfather (if some of you still remember Tong Kee) will be so proud of that. My grandpa passed away more than 10 years ago. The shoplot is a bridal house. If you guys are craving for the custard I call tell you where to find that. 🙂 Ipoh restaurant is definitely original! You will still find workers who worked at Mun Thin in Ipoh Restaurant. Char Siu, Siu Cheong, Pai Guat Wong, Dun Tong (soup) are definitely some dishes that we ourselves like so much!
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Wow.. thanks for rediscovering Mun Thin. This is one of the old school dai chow that is hard to come by di. Was there for dinner tonite and my mom recognised the old lady from Mun Thin.
As we waited for our dishes, the smell reminds me back of the smell in Mun Thin. The smell of cooking food coming out from the kitchen was exactly the memory i have of Mun Thin.
We order the Fish Meat Slice(Tilapia was too big, so we didn’t order) with Spicy Bean Sauce (Cheong Jeng). It was great. The taste and texture of the sauce was still the same as the olden days. Just nicely grounded ingredients instead of the modern version of blended sauce other places serve these days.
And of course the signature crispy pork lards on the fish was heavenly. 😉
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DT Reply:
March 19th, 2011 at 12:05 am
I know the smell part sounded outrageous, but tat was exactly wat crossed my mind when i got a whiff of the food from the kitchen
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I remember we used to go there for their single serve meal ie rice with a side of dish. Their kung pao chicken was to die for. Also ginger and scallions with beef or other meat is still on my mind after more than a decade. So glad to find out they are back. Thanks james!
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I LOVE THIS PLACE !!!!
we usually go there on weekends for their chicken <3
KWAI FEI TOFU
;___; i miss home.
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I cannot resist to tell you how grateful I am when you have traced the folks who ran Mun Thean once upon a time. Whenever I ate in ‘Tai Chow ‘ cofeeshop, I cant help comparing with Mun Thean all the time.
The shop that used to dished out near perfect not only standard chicken rice, ‘char siew’ ‘siew yok’ rice but slightly more expensive guo lo yok & sze chap pork rib rice but also the kai lup fan & huay fan. Secretly, I hope one day I can get to taste her food again.
Even now I have been away from Ipoh for more than 40 years, Mun Thean has always been serving ‘Par Excellence’ food for the Ipoh residents.
I will make a long journey back to Ipoh just for a visit to Ipoh restaurant. TQ.
Linus
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J2Kfm Reply:
May 18th, 2011 at 11:37 pm
Hi Linus. I was surprised too. I sure hope the cook’s the same person, but Mum said yeah ….
Though I wished they serve my fav egg caramel custard.
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Oh man.. I am so with you about Mun Thien, First Coffee House & KFC. I practically grow up on MT’s char siew farn and go lou yoke. Love it. Thanks for the post. Will definitely reminiscence the memory.
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J2Kfm Reply:
July 25th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
Yeah! I can imagine that since I grew up eating those stuff too. My dad used to work around the area, hence we always go for the same old items within the vicinity.
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KFC served banana split ice cream?? I think you get it wrong. I remember it was this restaurant named Mc Dota fried chicken that served banana split. Right??
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 15th, 2012 at 10:01 pm
Hi Klu …. there was no Mc Dota in Ipoh, or ever was. Back then, in the late 80’s – early 90’s, KFC used to serve banana split ice cream, as well as a jelly ice-cream.
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[…] manager with the hotel throughout a large chunk of my childhood. And so, the neverending stories of Mun Thin’s caramel egg custards, First Coffee House lunch sets, KFC’s banana splits and French Hotel’s Peacock Cafe […]
[…] to work as a manager with a hotel via a vast cube of my childhood. And so, a neverending stories of Mun Thin’s caramel egg custards, First Coffee House lunch sets, KFC’s banana splits and French Hotel’s Peacock Cafe ensued […]
[…] to work as a manager with a hotel via a vast cube of my childhood. And so, a neverending stories of Mun Thin’s caramel egg custards, First Coffee House lunch sets, KFC’s banana splits and French Hotel’s Peacock Cafe ensued […]
I feel glad that there are still some people remember about Mun Thin. I’m sure my grandma and late grandfather (if some of you still remember Tong Kee) will be so proud of that. My grandpa passed away more than 10 years ago. The shoplot is a bridal house. If you guys are craving for the custard I call tell you where to find that. 🙂 Ipoh restaurant is definitely original! You will still find workers who worked at Mun Thin in Ipoh Restaurant. After my grandpa retired. At the other end of Mun Thin, the other dai chow is Hup Kee. The owner used to work for my grandpa
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I’m another one of those grateful reader of your wonderful blog. What sets yours apart is the background and history behind each write up. We pass by that area n times without realising its the new old mun thin. Just had blast from the past dinner there last night. My parents were ohhing and ahhing recognising the old workers/owners there. Too bad they don’t serve my fav lamb clay pot anymore. Nostalgia. I actually went to that new pasir pinji wan tau long place today after you rediscovered it in town. Again we see the new shop all the time without realising it’s the long lost original wan tau long. Of course there’s a sad ending to this not to be reunion. That shop closed again. (Heard was due to exorbitant down town rental) sigh.. Have to make do with the not quite right textured ai Yi ping imitation I guess. If you do find their new place please do do publish it. Love their wan kam sek combo.
Again can’t thank you enough for your wonderful blog. Most of your reviews are spot on. I guess we have pretty similar tastes.
Not sure if you have had the chance to check out a new Kai si hor fun + curry mee in kg simee called moon de moon. It’s pretty good. My uncle who’s sort of a tough food critic has given them thumbs up. It’s pretty packed most mornings.of course nothing near the crazy crowds at thean Chun in old town over long weekends. Little best kept secret I guess . Thought I should reciprocate for giving us so many good eating options. Cheers.
Jon
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Your Mun Thin Restaurant on Anderson Rd was my favorite back in 1966 when I was in Form 1 at St. Michael’s. At that time I was a boarding student at Cockman Street.I came to the USA for College in 1971 and have been in America since. I live in Atlanta, Georgia now. Mun Thin’s food is tops anywhere in the world
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Is this the same Mun Thin I used to patronize in the 70s when I was working there!Situated behind Cockman street.Famous for their‘Kai lup fan’(chicken bits rice).I often had lunch here with my colleagues.Is Ipoh restaurant the other name for Mun Thin and run by the children?I would very much like to drop by here one day when I visit Ipoh
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