Lim Ko Pi @ Ipoh Old Town – Bringing Heritage Back to the Spotlight
August 29, 2011 | 8,058 views
Charcoal-toasted Bread with Butter and Kaya (RM1.60) – A faint hint of smokiness from the grill, with a distinct fluffiness preserved in between the toasted surfaces.
And finally, after a month or two of tease, I made my way to Lim Ko Pi in old town of Ipoh. This relatively new coffee joint has been in the limelight almost immediately after business has commenced. This concept of refurbishing old buildings into a quaint coffee shop/cafe is not new in Malaysia. But in Ipoh, this has to be the pioneer. So kudos.
Unless of course, this aged mind plays trick on me again. (If there’s any other rejuvenation of heritage premises into a commercial trade without compromising on the beautiful facade, please correct me)
I spy with my little eye …. the fusion of the old and new elements. An iPhone and a ‘gold-painted’ stand fan for the artificial breeze.
You might have the impression that Lim Ko Pi is but another run-of-the-mill kopitiam in the league of the many others, eg: Old Town White Coffee, Pappa Rich, Hailam Kopitiam, etc.
I had the same doubts too. Only to realize that this was anything BUT another mirror image of the mighty Old Town. Read on and see why …..
Gorgeous right? Of all the cafes/kopitiams in Ipoh, this has to be the one that stand out the most. In terms of ambience; sheer classic in its decorative works, and the selection of foods in their repertoire.
First thing’s first. Mr Lim is NOT a local. But his wife is an ‘Ipoh mali’, thus the passion to run Lim Ko Pi and develop this brand into something even the locals would consent to. He hails from Alor Star, Kedah, and surprise, surprise.
This is their FIRST venture into food and beverage business. And to quote Mrs Lim;
“We are still in our infantile stage. Still learning the curve and trying to make do with whatever resources we have.”
A garden view? Al fresco sounds fabulous on a chilly morning, but come afternoon, this seems more like a novelty than a real dining area.
Everything’s made from scratch. The signature freshwater prawns curry noodles from Pusing (a famous brand, brought over by the originator’s daughter), the asam laksa with a twist (only on Tuesdays and Saturdays), the Hokkien Prawn Mee (Saturdays only) and nasi lemak (Fridays and Sundays only).
They only cook a limited amount of food per day. They believe that wastage of food is a huge NO-NO, from their personal experiences of seeing buffet spread being dumped at the end of every day. Thus, if you go slightly later in the day, you might be frustrated as aside from toasts, there will be nothing much in it for you.
We arrived at about 1.30pm, and only 4 servings of curry noodles were left. We took one; the Dry Curry Hor Fun (flat rice noodles) with 4 medium-sized, fresh and succulent river prawns. At only RM5.50 (!) per plate, this was more than a steal. The dry curry was a cross between the thicker, coconut milk-laden style of Nam Chau’s, and the more robust/spicier version available elsewhere. But the prawns were of top-notch quality, bearing a very fresh and juicy flavour.
How to miss white coffee in old town of Ipoh? Aside from the usual white coffee, they also have a Coffee 98 (that’s seemingly darker, and thicker than the usual), and coffee without milk (kopi-o) and kopi-c (with fresh/evaporated milk only) (White coffee – RM1.80, Cham and Milk Tea – RM1.60)
Lo and behold. Even the other items have run out. Only 4 pieces of stuffed fish paste (yong tau foo) were all that we could muster, and the crowd that came in a few minutes later were ditched in the lurch. The stuffed beancurd was good, not the mass-produced type you often grimaced upon at fish ball noodle stalls.
Sang Har Curry Noodles (RM5.50) – I picked hor fun/kuey teow for obvious reason. This IS Ipoh’s famous sar hor fun anyway.
The normal curry mee with roast pork, chicken strips etc is priced at RM3.70 per plate. Slightly lesser than Nam Chau’s RM4.00 per portion, and Sun Seng Fatt’s RM4.50 per serving.
Introductory price, I would have assumed. As a place that’s air-conditioned and furnished to impress, Lim Ko Pi can’t be selling the food at the same price for long.
Whoops. Did I just dig a hole for myself there?
And you do not get half-baked creation, but instead good quality prawns and equally piquant dry curry paste that is thick yet not overly spicy. You can opt for more firepower, from a container of curry paste available on your table.
They have a variety of other noodles; like the usual wantan mee, roast pork mee, curry long beans and pork skin noodles, etc. Did not see any chee cheong fun on their menu, though the rushed meal might have set my sight on the environment more than the food.
Don’t take my word for it. Go and try them out. And though initial impression was adversely affected by the slight arrogance shown by a lady staff, all was forgiven when the Lim’s proved to be just as passionate about Ipoh, old town and FOOD like I am.
And we NEED more places like this in Ipoh. Why bother demolishing pre-colonial structures for boring, modern architectures? If the governing body can set their sights on BIGGER goals in the distant future (like how Singapore and to some extent our very own Penang), they must have foreseen the value in preserving heritage buildings in and around town. And let’s start NOW, rather than later.
A variety of fillings available, but the ones left were only lotus paste and red bean. If I am not mistaken. At RM0.90 each, we took away a few. Not bad, but indeed gone in two bites.
And was I glad that the place was packed and doing great so far. Parking’s a hassle though, as you have to park on the nearby streets and walk over. Since this is located on Hugh Low Street (Jalan Sultan Iskandar), right before the traffic lights that connect Jalan Sultan Yussuf (Little India of Ipoh) and Jalan Sultan Iskandar.
Pardon the ugly composition. I was about to cross the street and snap from the other side, but the heavy traffic was daunting. But you won’t miss this stark red structure that’s a dead giveaway.
Will I be back? Most definitely. They stake claims on their Penang Hokkien Mee (prawn mee, to us) that’s only on Saturdays. And the slightly different Asam Laksa, recently voted as the #7 MUST-EAT food in the world. The nasi lemak (freshly-cooked) on Fridays and Sundays sells out pretty fast too, they mentioned.
“Oh yeah, do you know that ‘Lim Ko Pi’ means Drink Coffee in Hokkien?“
LIM KO PI <<click for the FB page (non-Halal)
10, Jalan Sultan Iskandar
30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel No : 605-253 2898
Business hours : 8am – 3pm daily.
Closed on Mondays.
Google Map to Lim Ko Pi
*Coming from Jalan Sultan Iskandar (Hugh Low Street), right after passing by the bridge over Kinta river, you will reach Jalan Bijeh Timah, then Jalan Bandar Timah. Right before you reach the traffic lights that connect Jalan Sultan Yussuf to Jalan Sultan Iskandar, Lim Ko Pi would be on your LEFT. Park on Jalan Bandar Timah (where the famous stretch of white coffee outlets are), or Jalan Sultan Yussuf (Little India of Ipoh).
I especially like the 2nd and the 4th photos. Will be visiting this kopitiam one day !
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Great, then do share your experience with me and the other readers.
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i noticed its “unique” name whenever i drive on the road towards the railway station.. haha..
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 30th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
Yeah …. indeed memorable. It stuck to the mind almost immediately.
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A very sincere apology for the arrogance shown by the lady staff. Thanks for the input.
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Bushido Reply:
August 30th, 2011 at 8:17 am
A boss who cares for the customers! I will go & try.
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 30th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
Bushido you’re fast. I only got to read the comment just now.
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 30th, 2011 at 9:01 pm
Hi! Great to see direct feedback from the management. Did not mean any harm, but let’s improve from the constructive comments, alright?
Keep it up. Appreciate what you guys are doing.
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Lim Ko Pi Reply:
August 31st, 2011 at 2:41 pm
We certainly appreciate any constructive comments. Thanks for the support.
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NomadChan Reply:
October 10th, 2011 at 11:53 pm
Hai There Lim Ko Pi
Went to you place last Sunday, 09 Oct 2011, love the food and ambient. Had the curry prawn noodle & nasi lemak. Was wandering is there a standard of the food portion esp the number of prawns per bowl noodle served. My was given three medium size prawns but the write up above in this blog states four @ RM5.50.
Rgds
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Went there only this morning. Everywhere around that area was crowded today because of Hari Raya and the long holiday. We found a table way back at table B3 (the last table in the long old style shop). In fact my mom mentioned that we stayed there (upstairs) when I was a baby! Could this be the one I stayed in? Hmmmm I wonder?
We were there at 10 something and it was a bit of a chaos there due to the unexpected crowd (that’s what Mrs Lim said) and things were gradually being sold off. Looks like they could call it a day before lunch time! But then everywhere was crowded. The “white coffee street” was jammed with people from out of Ipoh! I have to park near Maybank, I think you know where that is.
As for the food, I don’t mind going there again.
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 30th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
I tell you … the whole of Ipoh was jammed. Old town and the Lou Wong area especially.
Maybe the sudden influx of outsiders (me included ….sigh ..) caused this. Good for economy and the traders,
but poor us have to struggle with the massive hassle of grabbing a seat etc.
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Hi, Tham, we would appreciate if your mum could share with us the story about this building. It is even better if she can allow us to reproduce some of the old photos if she has. Hope to see you again, thanks!!!!!!
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Tham Reply:
August 31st, 2011 at 7:35 am
I’m not even sure if this unit was the one I’d stayed in before, I’ve got to ask. I don’t think she has any old photos of this place. They like to take photos in either Sam Po Tung or the race course at that time. If I come across anything I will let you know.
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Lim Ko Pi Reply:
August 31st, 2011 at 4:40 pm
Hi Tham, thanks.
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Tham Reply:
August 31st, 2011 at 6:27 pm
I’ve confirmed with my aunty, we were staying on top (the back portion after the air-well) of No 10 Hugh Low Street at the time I was born (1952).
At the time the ground floor (Lim Ko Pi now) was occupied by Ban Lee Hin ???(a shop selling spare parts) and the owner was a Hin-Hua and being a friend of my Grandfather, rented out the back portion to him for Dollars 20 then.
My grand-parents, my aunty, an uncle, my parents and I were staying there.
The other day when I was at your place I was sitting right next to the staircase at the back that I used to go up almost 60 years ago.
I’ll definitely drop in with my mother and aunty to your place soon to recollect some old memories.
Now drinking coffee at your place will definitely be different for me from now on.
wahh i loved all the old school tablewares used!
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Wow the decor here is really nice.
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Absolutely need to be preserving our old buildings, it’s wonderful to see them so well kept in Ipoh too (from your pics!) I just died when I saw the Sang Har Curry Mee pic – fabuloso!
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See u soon, Tham. Bay Sie, our eldest daughter will be back on 3rd Sept., she will be definitely very happy to meet u, your mum and aunts.
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 31st, 2011 at 10:23 pm
Oh this has bridged some major gaps there!
Now this would be a good story to be run.
Tham, please inform me the next time if you’re going. I would love to put the stories into words.
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[...] Lim Ko Pi @ Ipoh Old Town – Bringing Heritage Back to the Spotlight [...]
Went to Lim Ko Pi this morning and had a wonderful chat with the nice couple. Mr Lim had some great ideas (he told me they were his daughter’s ideas actually) with the old town units around that area.
Now we can see a revival of Ipoh’s past glory and I think MM you should keep track and let us know what happen next on your FB.
Thank you Mr & Mrs Lim for giving us back the Ipoh that we so loved.
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J2Kfm Reply:
September 3rd, 2011 at 10:02 pm
Hi Tham ….. would be good if we get first hand news from those residing and working in Ipoh now.
I go back once in a month, though I’ll make sure that every single trip’s worthy of a few good stories.
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Ipoh is my lovely hometown, let us work together. Thanks to everyone who comes to Lim Ko and makes this little town alive again.
Special thanks to J2Kfm and Mr. Tham. Keep in touch!
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J2Kfm Reply:
September 3rd, 2011 at 10:01 pm
Sure! Will be sure to drop by the next round. Hope that I can at least sample a few more items more than what we had the other day.
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WoW. Very nice place! You guys must really give it a try.
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Nice … review is out eventually. I’ve been mentioning it over at FB for several times, hoping you got the hint. I do like eating there & till now I have yet able to taste thier Hokkien Mee, or the Nasi lemak or the laksa. I always stick with Curry Mee as its the only available food by late noon , aside from the economy rice during the day. Nevertheless, me fans of curry mee.
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J2Kfm Reply:
September 9th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Me too hulk. Wait, that was YOU mentioning it on the FB page?!! Haha .. never knew. Nice to hear from you after so long.
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hulk Reply:
September 12th, 2011 at 10:14 am
I do read this blog very often. But with convenience of a smartphone now, will leave comments over FB. Guess, my ID is revealed.
Yup..I did again visit the Lim Kopi on last Saturday again trying out the Hokien Mee & the Sambal Ikan Bilis Pau. I really like the Sambal Ikan Bilis Pau, as its uniquely spicy.
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J2Kfm Reply:
September 12th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
Haha… that’s alright. Your ID’s safe with me.
We tried a few different types of pau too, mostly sweet as the others were already sold off.
Hi Hulk,
We serve Nasi Lemak on Friday and Sunday, hokkien prawn noodle on Saturday. Limited serving because do not like to waste food. Come again earlier and hopefully you manage to try our food.
Thanks guys for the support.
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Hi..
I went there this afternoon. The food is nice but the service is a bit slow. I had finish my nasi lemak and also the bread, and my drink is not serve yet. No doubt the food is Worth to try!
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 4th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
I see.. maybe crowded now? The place is picking up steam, I myself don’t dare to visit over the weekend. Hehe …
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Lim Ko Pi Reply:
October 10th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Hi Cayden,
We know that Sunday is always a busy day.This is by no mean toexcuse an excuse for ourselves. It was an uneventful day, a very closed-family member passed away that morning. There were some last minute replacements were assigned to help out and the place was left on auto pilot. Please accept our sincere apology. We do hope to see you back in Lim Ko Pi again.
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one of the lady staff around 50years old is very rude toward the customer. please ask her to behave herself.
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Thanks for the feed back. We are still handling the problem and will try to solve it as soon as possible, we will definitely have a word with her. Thanks and take care.
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Thanks for visiting Lim Ko Pi and brings up the good question of our prawn noodle. The chef in the noodle stall explains that it is the size of the prawn which decides the number of prawn they serve, there will be three medium size prawn and four small size prawn. Hopefullly, we will see you again and please introduce yourself, we would like to meet you!
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NomadChan Reply:
October 16th, 2011 at 1:06 am
TQ for the response, sincerely in my opinion with reference to the picture of the bowl of prawn noddle above, is served with 4 medium size prawns whereas my was given 3 the same size. I hope is not an advertisement gimmick. Would appreciate portion as advertised is served as it is. Anyway I like the food. Will visit again and have something else but minus the prawn noodle.
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
NomadChan; in any case, I visited the shop only once, and that’s the review up there you read. And it was not an advertorial or a gimmick,
since that was the last plate of curry noodles served to me, and I was a paying customer. So I doubt the portion was not of the norms, at that time.
However, I have not visited Lim Ko Pi since, thus I cannot speak on their behalf; whether the 3 or 4 prawns was a marketing ploy to lure in customers or really based on the size of the prawns.
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Wah, good job done again, just noticed tht there is another Lim Kopi in old town, like the revival of those ‘wai gau’ style of kopi cha po…..
Definately would like to try it once return to Ipoh.
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Thanks for your info of this “Lim Ko Pi” shop. I lived in Ipoh for 5 years, being born in Penang.
I learnt to speak some Cantonese dialect and got hooked to Ipoh food. But I still do not know of this “Lim Ko Pi” shop. Where actually is it situated? How long ago was this stall set up? I left Ipoh in 1987. Please give me some feed back so that I can find the stall when I go back to visit Ipoh. Thank you.
Benny
14th March 2012
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J2Kfm Reply:
March 18th, 2012 at 5:31 pm
Hi there Benny
Sorry for the late reply.
Lim Ko Pi started last year only. And this is on Hugh Low Street, on the way to the railway station after passing by the Kinta River in old town.
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[...] China House in Penang. Old China on Petaling Street. Nancy’s Kitchen in Melaka. Or even Lim Ko Pi in old town; within minutes [...]
Had a really disappointing lunch @ this place today…ordered the 5 curry plate but was short changed of the chicken legs and pork skin…if i had not asked , they wouldn’t have told me that they ran of of stocks for both chicken legs and pork skin…anyway to cut the story short..nothing spectacular about their food and service… even had a fly dropping into my drinks !!!!!! what a day!!!
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Lim Ko Pi Reply:
February 26th, 2013 at 1:32 am
Hi Jeffrey,
We apologise for the less-than-perfect experience. Thank you for your feedback. Hope we could make it up to you next time!
Peggy Lim
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