Menglembu East Ocean Seafood Restaurant @ Ipoh
November 19, 2010 | 8,291 views
One of East Ocean‘s (Tung Hoi in Cantonese) most sought after dish; the Claypot Ginger Chicken (Qiong Yung Gai) warrants an order no matter you’re bringing along your Grandma, your friends or even your children. Half a chicken at RM15/USD4.80.
East Ocean Seafood Restaurants are everywhere in Ipoh, so to speak. There’s one in Chemor which I wrote about, another in Ipoh Garden South that I am not so fond of, and this one in Menglembu that some said is the best among the lot.
Aside from that, the group of Prosperous Seafood Restaurants (in Tower Regency and Heritage Hotel) are supposedly from the same group of eateries.
Usually, we would associate this category of Chinese diners with (g)astronomical prices, as in the case of Oversea Restaurants (especially the new one), but surprisingly at East Ocean, you can have lunch for less than RM20/USD6.50 per person.
A type of vegetable called ‘Qing Loong‘, stir-fried with bean sprouts, salted fish and carrots. Very tasty and healthy ensemble. (RM12/USD4)
Good thing about having lunches in restaurants like this would be the cool respite from the scorching sun. No doubt you’re paying slightly more than the usual ‘dai chow’ restaurants, but then again … it’ll all be worthy when that one hour of lunch results in recharging your inner self rather than sweating like buckets and ending up even hungrier than before. 
The Claypot Ginger Chicken is but one of East Ocean’s perpetual favourite among the diners. A tingling spicy sensation ensued from the generous addition of mashed ginger, swirled into a thick and slightly starchy gravy coating the cuts of chicken, then garnished with chopped scallions. A very homely dish that your grandparents can replicate at home, but why should you burden them to do so?!
The combination of various julienned vegetables and the ‘dragon whiskers’/'loong sou’ (rough translation, this one) was a delight to munch on. The addition of salted fish added a savoury tinge to the greens, and you’d bet even the kids would love this.
Pan-fried Homemade beancurd with minced meat toppings (RM10/USD3.30)
Though the Signature Beancurd dish (geez, seems like almost every ‘dai chow’ outlet has their own version of beancurd huh?) did not manage to impress as much, but the crisp on the outside, smooth on the inside beancurd complemented the meal perfectly. The chunky pieces of minced pork and scallions were delightfully moreish, going well with your bowl of white rice.
Homemade Char Siew (Barbecued Pork) (RM12/USD4)
A far cry from Oversea’s premium version (price-wise, of course), the Char Siew at East Ocean was surprisingly cheap. The medium-sized portion of pork belly marinated then roasted to a caramelized finish is one of their forte it seems. Not bad, just skip the extremely fatty cuts for they lacked the melt in mouth texture but instead required some form of chewing. The sweet honey sauce lent a glistening coat to the cuts of pork, yet effectively suiting the clash of sweet and savoury flavours.
At first glance, the mess of chicken in the ginger-laden gravy looked unappetizing enough, but dig in and you’ll find yourself licking the whole pot clean in record time.
Dessert of the Day – Chilled Green Bean/Mung Bean pudding with Egg Whites (RM2.50/USD0.80)
Don’t forget to order the dessert of the day! LZP mentioned that he had a very nice mango pudding before, but this time around, they offer a funky green bean pudding served chilled. I did not think much of the pudding initially, merely expecting the generic pudding in a small cup.
But when our desserts arrived in a sizeable plate, we were subtly impressed. The first bite was divine, and the cooling dessert was a very refreshing change from the usual warm sweet soup (tong sui). Definitely worth a try, but take note that they change the selection from day to day.
Nope, this platter of fresh fruits did not come complimentary with the meal. Fresh watermelon, honeydew and sweet mangoes underneath a bed of ice.
All in all, a very satisfactory lunch at the famed Menglembu “Tung Hoi” outlet. Just be aware that come lunch hour, the restaurant will be packed like sardines. Literally. We even saw a few customers standing around looming over those soon-to-be-evacuating diners.
A famous restaurant in Menglembu, particularly for wedding banquets and various functions.
MENGLEMBU EAST OCEAN RESTAURANT
No 1-7, Hala Perusahaan Menglembu 17,
31450 Menglembu, Perak.
Telephone : 605-282 9457, 282 9435, 282 9718.
Opens for lunch and dinner everyday.
GPS Coordinates : E101 2′ 56.4″ N4 34′ 6.3″
Google Map to Menglembu East Ocean Restaurant
I agree that the Menglembu outlet is better than the one in Ipoh Garden South.
And hey, we have Tong Hoi in Kampar too! Weekdays lunch special: selected dishes from a “special” menu for RM3.80 or RM6 only. Taste wise, quite up to standard.
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 12:29 am
Oh, wait. Which part of Kampar you’re referring to? Kampar has quite a few restaurants eh?
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Nexj Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 9:53 am
East Ocean kampar is located opposite to tesco kampar,it’s before kampar town if u are coming from ipoh
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day-dreamer Reply:
November 23rd, 2010 at 3:07 am
Yup it’s opposite Tesco Kampar, not at the old town (market) area.
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I remember i had 4 seasons here with stuff crabs! You can’t get it anywhere else!
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 12:29 am
One other place serves stuffed crabs in the first platter for banquets. Think should be Mun Choong.
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neko-hime Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 7:41 am
mun choong is my other fav restaurant. Pretty good food!
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Nexj Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 9:55 am
mun choong n east ocean is sifu n “tou dai”
J2Kfm Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 8:32 pm
Thanks Nexj for the clarification. This a case of tou dai trying to outdo the sifu then? More East Ocean branches now.
i think Rainbow is better! Crazy portions…
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 12:27 am
Seriously? But Rainbow did come across as being a much larger and well established restaurant. Being the previous Mun Choong and all.
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CK Lai Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 10:10 pm
serious…when ever i received wedding dinner invitation here…i definitely make a trip back to attend. Imagine by the 3rd dish you will be like….damm..how many more dishes to go…ahahahha
When will you be starting your adventure in KL?
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how come seafood restaurant but no seafood? haha..
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 12:26 am
Hmm. Nah … all ‘chu char’ restaurants name their premises as ‘Seafood’ restaurants. Not necessarily one must have seafood in a Chinese eatery, right?
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“Poon Choi”is also one of East Ocean’s signature dish, A mixture of seafod and vegetables,it’s preparation is just like steamboat but this poon choi it’s the best..
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 12:20 am
Thanks Andrew. Need booking in advance?
I used to eat the Poon Choi at Han City way way back then. Not so good, but cheap.
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Andrew Chin Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Yes,need to call and book in advance at least a day.Try the East Oceon’s outlet first. I have not eaten Poon Choi in the other 2 outlets..You won’t regrat
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Andrew Chin Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Mind not fuctioning.Should read East Ocean’s Ipoh Garden South outlet first…Sorry again
Your meal is great, we really need to find someday so that we can dine together
Nice pictures there..
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never been there before.. i think i went to the other one nearby..
if i’m not wrong – it’s rainbow restaurant or smth
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Yea East Ocean is expanding like crazy! You have to try the one in Kampar to compare, but I hear the quality in Kampar is not consistent.
Anyway I love the beancurd a lot! Crispy skin with savoury minced meat on top. Goes really well with rice!
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wat is tou dai?
is it food?
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 22nd, 2010 at 12:15 pm
‘tou dai’ – apprentice.
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wow, the claypot ginger chicken , the look already appetizing !! thanks for sharing..i definitely try this restraunt if happen to be in menglembu
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J2Kfm, firstly, big thanks for taking effort to create this blog. I like to check it out for Malaysian food, esp. in Ipoh.
Menglembu East Ocean Seafood Restaurant @ Ipoh is the best; surprised you didn’t feature the leg of lamb which should be pre-ordered. It’s big, juicy, tender and absolutely delicious!
I’ve eaten dim sum there also.
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Leg of lamb ah? Haha, thanks for that recommendation. The lunch happened impromptu, hence we did not call up to reserve whatsoever.
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[...] Menglembu East Ocean Seafood Restaurant @ Ipoh [...]
kampar east ocean is not consistent and some more expensive. even in menglembu branch i went many time, quality also depend on how many customer. hope that it can be improve.
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 4th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
Oh I see ….. I only dislike East Ocean in Ipoh Garden South. No matter how many times I went.
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I’m planned to have the gathering dinner in Menglembu branch, any good suggestion?
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 25th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
You mean dishes-wise? I would suggest that you go for their recommendations instead.
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foo Reply:
April 26th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
should i take the set menu (weddng menu) or a’lacart? Any idea on their recommend dishes?
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 27th, 2011 at 6:56 pm
Sorry foo, I have only eaten there once, hence I cannot give good recommendations. But if you take the set menu, definitely that will be cheaper than ordering separately. Unless you want to tailor the menu to your liking.