Delicious Pork Burger @ Brewster’s in Greentown, Ipoh
September 28, 2010 | 16,438 views
Irresistible Pork Burger from Brewster’s @ Greentown (RM21/USD6.80)
After two lacklustre meals at the old Brewster’s in old town of Ipoh, I was not expecting much from this renewed interest in Brewster’s since they newly moved to this new premise in Greentown of Ipoh. They had a soft launch sometime in the beginning of this month.
* In case you’re wondering what was this place before Brewster’s relocated, this lot was occupied by a restaurant named Krom Luang, serving Thai cuisine albeit without fanfare or publicity.
The NEW Brewster’s incorporates a rustic ambience with a modern touch; with a designated bar area, a proper dining segment with long wooden tables and chairs, as well as a casual al fresco dining area at the porch fronting the eatery.
Wanna know more about our short lunch session at the new Brewster’s, and wondering what new dishes they offer in their revamped menu? Read on to find out.
The Set of the Day – Pork Stew with Pasta, Salad and Viet Roll, and a complimentary dessert. (RM18/USD5.80)
Walking into the premise, I could not help but be awed by the sheer effort they put in into the decoration of the restaurant. If you can even call the place that. More like a bistro-cum-lounge-cum-eatery-cum-watering hole, one cannot stereotype Brewster’s into any particular category.
And you don’t have to. Really. They have dropped the restaurant moniker attached to their brand, and instead named the establishment simply as … Brewster’s. “Ribs, Steaks, Lamb, Seafood & Parties.” Yeah … talk about partaaaayyyy, people. 
Probably our major grouch of the day; the Open Kitchen concept.
You can choose to be seated on the brighter section on your immediate right, with rows of long wooden dinner tables suitable for a family dinner or a gathering on a bigger scale.
Or, if you’re there with not more than 3 dining companions, consider being seated in the main compartment of the place. The square wooden tables fit four persons with ease, and the pseudo-recliner white chairs were comforting to the posture.
The walls were sparingly adorned with vintage posters and ornaments, all the while being painted with a chic, ash-grey/black shade. This made the place a lot more soothing to the eyes, and imparted a fake sense of being cooler and a cozier environment; suitable for a romantic dinner for two.
The toasted buns looked mighty charred (even burnt) upon arrival … a scary thought to be chewing on carbon unwillingly.
There was one lament we could not put aside though; The place was too warm for comfort. Don’t get me wrong, for they have several air-conditioning units blasting at possibly maximum capacity.
However, the open kitchen concept without proper air ventilation/suction resulted in a smoky, warm and uncomfortable environment. Yes, some of us were still smelling of grease and smoke even after an hour back in our office !!! And the warm lights were not of much help too, contributing to the overall heat in the enclosed space.
But this Pork Burger saved the day.
Let’s talk about the FOOD now, shall we?
The Lunch Set of the Day is still priced at a reasonable RM18++, though they still refuse to serve you with a cup of coffee or tea, or even a glass of warm water. (Mineral water is chargeable at RM2/USD0.65 per bottle)
That afternoon, the choice of main happened to be a Asian style of Pork Stew with Pasta, served with mixed vegetables and a Vietnamese spring roll. My dining companions had the sets, and I did not get to nitpick/scrutinize on the pasta but managed to stole a bite of the tender cubes of pork. Not bad, and this sentiment was shared by the other two on my table. The pasta with chunks of pork stewed to a soft and almost flawless finish was reminiscence of Mum’s cooking. You can even compare this to a traditional and homely version of Chinese braised pork with noodles. And I mean that in a GOOD way.
Moist Orange Cake was a tantalizing, fruity end to the feast. (Part of the Lunch Set)
But if you’re wondering what’s up with all the PORKY-licious goodness, that is because Brewster’s is but only a handful of places in Ipoh that serve pork dishes. Sad but true.
The other place that comes to mind naturally is Berlin’s Bier Houz, situated within the vicinity of Greentown Business Centre as well.
Without a need to compare, the Pork Burger at Brewster’s offered such a delightful bite. Stacked higher than your average burgers (comparable to your Big Mac’s, but take note that this pork burger comes with only ONE thick patty!), this was almost twice the size of Berlin’s pork burger with cheese! (Whoops, did I just do a comparison? Oh well …)
A very flavourful patty of minced pork with the fragrance and robust taste of various herbs and spices, sandwiched between two sides of a rather huge bun toasted on the grill. The bun was slightly dry, owing to the intense heat from the grill (the top half of the bun was charred, as you can see from one of the pictures above). But the juicy pork patty was absolutely delicious.
Yes, this brought back memories of my Nambawan experience, although triple the price. And the thick cut fries lightly salted and seasoned with black pepper, as well as some tangy coleslaw completed the ensemble.
Feeling like you wanna be in the spotlight?
All in all, this experience far exceeded my expectations (and initial reservations). I will probably be back for more, since my intention to try their Chargrilled Pork Ribs was dashed when I was told that they had run out of ribs, and a few other dishes that I did not bother to take note of. They also serve a supposedly good cut of Pork Chop (with a tangy apple sauce, if I’m not mistaken), Pork Knuckle, Grilled Lamb Shoulder, various steaks, many pasta dishes, and soon to include their signature pizzas back into their repertoire.
However, it will seriously help to improve on their printed menus. I have no qualms about a bland, one piece menu listing down every single dish a restaurant offers. Michelangelo’s Pizzeria practises this concept to no fault, emphasizing instead on specials of the day listed on additional one piece menus, or written on the blackboard. However, the flimsy paper-thin menu at Brewster’s easily suffers from wear-and-tear, as well as absorbing liquids from all sources while being flipped, placed and sometimes ‘man-handled‘ by the guests. Lamination, perhaps?
BREWSTER’S (non-Halal)
121, Jalan Sultan Abdul Jalil,
Greentown, 30450 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 605-241 1105
Add Brewster’s Ipoh on Facebook
Business Hours : 4.30 pm to 12 am Tuesdays to Saturdays
11.30 am to 10.30 pm on Sundays
Closed on Mondays
GPS Coordinates : E101 5′ 43.4″ N4 35′ 53.0″
Google Map to Brewster’s @ Greentown, Ipoh
We can’t find this in Malaysia, can we?
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J2Kfm Reply:
September 28th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Huh? Sure can. Greentown is in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia ….. Hmm …
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shame on me.. im very paiseh to tell out but i actually havent try a pork burger before.. the picture of the pork burger really making me so tempted to have one too right away.. arghhh=[ how i wish this shop has a branch at KL~ so i can try this too..
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J2Kfm Reply:
September 28th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Don’t worry. There are various outlets in KL/Selangor that serve great pork burgers. Some even gourmet burgers costing double as much as this one!
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good chunky piece of pork-like it.
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Ohmygosh, I already eaten my dinner but your food is so irresistable!! Damn must go there one day!
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[...] Delicious Pork Burger @ Brewster’s in Greentown, Ipoh [...]
oorh !!! gonna try this out next time back to ipoh !!!
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wtf, they dare serve that charred bun ar??
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Ooh to their credit, the pork patty looks succulent! But I draw the line at carbon-tasting buns and smelling like I’ve been camping out at a badly ventilated kitchen after a meal.
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The pork patty definitely looked thick and succulent, but I can’t bear it if the restaurant has poor ventilation! I hate smelling of smoke and grease after a meal, almost a good enough factor to deter me going there. They should improve on this
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eric Reply:
September 29th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
agree….bad ventilation is a big big turn off….especially for the working peeps who drop in for lunch….
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If I see that bun, I ask them to prepare me a new one.
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that is one Humongous pork burger!!! Perhaps comparable to El Meson’s
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yo….thanks for this posting, otherwise i would have thought they closed down already. went to their old premise the other day and saw the shop lot is out for rent…phew~! jus curious, how would you rank their pork burger against berlin’s bier houz?
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 3rd, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Definitely better than Berlin’s! The pork burger only, for I have not tasted their pork knuckles, ribs or chops.
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I just came back from Brewster and feel very dissappointed, me and my sister order 2 serving of fish and chips, the flour was rather too thick, my sister even found ‘uncooked flour’ inside the fish. When we complaint about that, they thrown the responsibility to their supplier, and don’t even appologize for it. No action has been taken regarding this matter.
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You r too kind to accept that almost charcoal looking bun =.=”
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 3rd, 2010 at 6:19 pm
I was hesitant, but one bite into the bun revealed that the charred bun was not so bad, only a little dry.
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there’s no burger, like a pork burger.. and THAT’S what i call are REAL burger. OK, so I have not eaten it.. but it looks compact and juicy. I LIKEY!
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 3rd, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Hahaha … a real burger not made from BEEF meh?!! Though I wouldn’t say NO to a pork burger!
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PORK burgers! ;p
Well, I got enough in KL to chow down..and more places to review.. but if im in ipoh i would try this!
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 10th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Yeah, you the Burger Queen of Klang Valley! I bet when you’re with Bangsar Babe, both of you can wallop a whole stall’s worth of burgers!
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We went there on the 20th and the service was lousy and they even overcharged us for the salmon which we didn’t order. The owner was also very rude and scolded us back when one of us gave a feedback that the Olio pasta was tasteless. The Pork Rib , was also not as good as before. Since they have moved, the taste of the food which was once really good, has changed and too commercialize. We wouldn’t recommend this place at all, and wouldn’t want to go back at all. Parking is also a major issue.
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 1st, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Thanks cadbury for sharing the experience. Previously back in the old premise, we did experience some hostility in terms of service, but nothing compared to your poor dining experience.
The pork burger was good, safe to say the best in Ipoh (not saying much, since not many places in Ipoh serve it), but I have not gone to the extent of trying the ribs since they ran out of those on that afternoon.
Hope to see them improving really soon.
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i think the owner of Brewster is an ego person. i remembered reading a blog from Genuisses having negative comment on Brewster’s food and Brewster management / owner scolded him by replying his blog. i mean like u, james,he is just saying his opinion but being scolded for not knowing how to appreciate Brewster’s food. that’s not a good attitude for management.
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any other nice food at thr?
plan to eat on my boy’s birthday..
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Anyone planning to dine here better prepare themselves for the pricing which is consider one of the upmarket place in Ipoh. Some nice signature dishes but the some other dishes are somewhat overpriced. Once had a salad and dessert there and it costed RM40/- not inclusive of the RM2/glass of warm water. Whew…. luckily i did not even started on appetisers and main course…
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J2Kfm Reply:
November 18th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Yeah, somewhat pricier than most restaurants. I find that the place is a little too smoky with that open kitchen concept. Even a little warm in the afternoon.
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Way overpriced…
But good quality..
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[...] Qi Yuan @ Greentown Business Centre – Also known as Restoran China Chuan Kwong; for some reason. But can’t miss this as situated opposite this is Brewster’s. [...]
Food good….just too oily smell inside….parking major problem…, their steaks and lamb steaks are good.
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J2Kfm Reply:
June 5th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
Yeah! The smell of grease lingered until we reached office. Bad ventilation, surprisingly.
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[...] once, and the larger premise painted stark red along the same road just a short distance away from Brewster’s and almost directly facing MP Steamboat. All the visits came out pretty lacklustre, leaving me [...]
[...] once, and the larger premise painted stark red along the same road just a short distance away from Brewster’s and almost directly facing MP Steamboat. All the visits came out pretty lacklustre, leaving me [...]
Been Brewster last week for lunch. the pork ribs still as good as before, yummy yummy! now they provide drink for set lunch, a main course with a drink (ice lemon tea) cost RM18.00++. But very disappointed with the Brewster Coffee with Ice creams which cost RM10.00++, we complaint that no coffee taste at all, the replied from the waitress was we can give you another glass but we can add sugar to make it sweeter only, we can’t do much as the coffee is from CAN one..HUH!!!!!!
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J2Kfm Reply:
July 7th, 2011 at 9:25 am
Huh … coffee from can and charging RM10? That’s the Affogato right? Amazing how a lacklustre response like that from a reputable restaurant.
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I went to Brewster last week for dinner with my wife…the steaks are good, sallad also not bad…but the drinks are a little dissapointed, they serve normal taste drinks at a very high price…
Parking is another major disaster….
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Yeah …. the compound is too small for more than 10 cars. And I wonder how if one is to throw a party there …
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[...] was not the first time I am writing about Brewster’s, in case you’re having deja vu. Almost two years ago, before I left Ipoh, I had a mighty [...]