Restoran Waritha @ Jalan Gopeng, Ipoh
February 1, 2010 | 9,524 viewsGuess the rarity of reviews on “Halal food” in Ipoh got some people all worked up. Or worse; disappointed, fuming mad, furious, fingers-a-pointing, mouth-a-cursing and even kerosene+lighter in hand. But I digressed. Seriously, I ain’t a hater of Malay food, or any other halal version of Western, or even Chinese food for that matter. I love my satays, nasi lemak, nasi kandar, and tempoyak all the same. Really, if you’re one who knows me personally, you’d appreciate the fact that I put almost all types of edible (and to some extent …. some INedible!) food into my mouth.
Which makes things so much easier eh? Especially when my working environment constantly calls for halal meals in and out of the office.
Possibly one of the most famous Malay restaurant (or Thai-Malay?) in Ipoh – Restoran Waritha opens only for dinner
But why the dearth in blogposts about Malay food in Ipoh? For one, I am at lost on where to search for GOOD Malay food, and not the average ‘Warung Nasi Berlauk‘ (though Restoran Tasek Raban opposite of Medan Seleran Stadium Ipoh is a fine choice for lunch, with their astonishing array of Malay style dishes, ‘ikan bakar’ and fantastic condiments – even TEMPOYAK, yeah!).
Piping hot, yet without the pleasant ‘sting’ of its fiery counterpart in southern Thailand ….
If you’re wondering where to go for FINE-DINING Malay food in Ipoh, I have absolutely NO idea. Laksamana Cheng Ho (both the original corner lot behind of Yeolde English in Greentown Business centre AND the bungalow lot located a stone’s throw away from MP Steamboat and Restaurant) is a definitely NO-NO for me, for I’ve eaten at the more posh establishment (the bungalow one) twice, and came out disappointed on both occasions.
Which prompt the question; Okay, so let’s not think about the lower end of the dining scale, nor the higher end. Somewhere in the middle perhaps? How about the abundance of Thai-Malay restaurants (you know, those TOM YAM outlets everywhere?) in Ipoh? There’s a stretch of stalls at night in front of Medan Gopeng bus station, which prides on a strong following, for their late night fix – from dinner until supper only.
Then there’s the Wai Sei Kai (Food Street in Cantonese) for the Malay crowd near to Ipoh Parade shopping complex, consisting of a whole row of hawker stalls plying the closed-to-traffic road in front of the Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh building come night time. A plethora of street food to ignite the senses, for a little bit of everything – from Rice to Noodles, and satay to snacks and beverages.
But one of the more prominent outlet (at least, to a majority of my Malay colleagues) happens to be Restoran Waritha on Jalan Gopeng (or Jalan Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah), on the way to Simpang Pulai. The restaurant is brightly lit at night, and easily visible when one’s passing by the road at night.
The waitresses were dressed to the nines, in pretty floral-printed baju kebaya‘s, though the restaurant is not exactly your modern, fine-dining establishment with air-conditioning. Resembles more of a typical Malay style Warung Tom Yam (there is an al fresco/open dining area adjacent to the restaurant) but on a bigger scale.
The signatures are all displayed on the neon-lighted boards surrounding the perimeters of the restaurant, to ease the ordering process. Of course, one can already anticipate the same old, same old dishes at a Malay restaurant serving Thai-Malay cuisine. At Waritha, it’s no difference except for a few twists and surprises, ie : Burung puyoh (quail) cooked in a variety of ways.
All of the dishes we ordered that evening were not blazing hot, nor entirely mild. Some with a little kick, but none that would make you reach out and grab for that glass of water in a jiffy. Probably toned down for the local palates, or maybe they were considerate enough seeing that we were the only Chinese patrons amongst the hordes of Malay customers.
Comparatively speaking, the dishes at Restoran Waritha were far from mind-blowing nor of gourmet extraordinaires. Some hits, some misses. But a notch above the average Thai-Malay restaurants. Many tables ordered the prawn fritters (Udang Goreng Tepung), so that should have been ordered, instead of the dry, almost tasteless quails that were deep-fried then served with a turmeric-based sauce (Puyoh Masak Kunyit). The Tom Yam Campur (Mixed Seafood Tom Yum) was passable, but Khun Tai and even Restoran Tomyam Hasnah at Venice of Perak (glamourous eh?) does it better.
The meal for two came to about RM30/USD8.50 or so. A little pricey, but judging from the amount of dishes ordered, the price paid was justified, somehow.
I am in desperate need of recommendations for GOOD MALAY FOOD IN IPOH. Help, anyone? 🙂
Address & Contact Number :
Restoran Waritha
Lot 40395-A, Jalan Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah (formerly Jalan Gopeng)
31350 Ipoh,
Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 016-516 9442
Opens daily from 5pm until 2am.
Closed for business once every 2 months.

Waitresses dressed to the nines? How come no pictures of them? 😛
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:43 am
Erm, me was too shy …. 😉
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U can try out the very popular Kelatanese food serve @ a stall @ Stadium , opposite the Bomba..the almost corner lot , serve mainly for lunch. Nite occupied by Chinese stall. B prepared to Q as the stall is certainly fame for rather good malay food & CHEAP!! Try out all the curry dishes or at best mix it up & there’s certainly not serve on plate. It is serve over the special paper & u need to hold cone shape wrapped pack to the table ..try the fish curry. per dish serve cost only RM2.00,,with rice & chopped chicken. Try out other meat.
I recommended it to my Malay friends & they were all amazed with my 1st discovery. They simply luv the food along with my chinese friends….again prepare for long Q.
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:40 am
Thanks Hulk, so long never hear from you though. 🙂
Still running around in Ipoh-Sitiawan?
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HuLK Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
Yup…back hometown during weekends occasionally.
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I seldom eat Malay food even here in KL, sorry can’t help you! : )
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i also rarely eat malay food..
but the food you post up quite good! =D
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i eat malay food quite frequently in ipoh. i miss it badly. i wanna go home!
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:31 am
Then where you have them normally leh? Drop some hints ma, or better yet … drag me along?
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the tom yam is so malay style with so many stuff inside :p
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I love the look of the telur dadar! I know the Malay-Thai brand of tomyam is a force to be reckoned with but somehow, it’s never really done it for me. Too little burn!
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:30 am
Yeah, true. Sometimes, even Chinese outlets cook spicier curries and tom yam!
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i had difficulties finding nice malay food while i was in ipoh as well…but in KL…well you can just get enough of it…there are lots of places to consider…but none of it in putrajaya…huhuhu…have to venture out a lil bit from putrajaya…
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Hi akmal, I am lost as well in KL, when it comes to Malay food. But Kampung Baru, Jalan TAR, and its vicinity should be good places to start the hunt, right?
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akmal Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:43 am
when you are in town (KL la) just let me know, maybe i can join you in your food hunting…halal food la of course…Kg Baru and Jalan TAR are among the places…and there’s more that you can consider…
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:18 am
Thanks akmal. How can I reach you? I tasted a rather good Nasi Padang + Mee Rojak at Capitol Cafe, or something like that.
akmal Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 11:55 am
aiyak…james…you dont have my number anymore kah?
sekolah menengah sama, universiti pon sama and now still working under the same organisation (malaysian govt).hahaha…
i’ll pvt msg my fon number via fesbuk to you…
there is a good nasi padang place near bukit bintang…
J2Kfm Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 8:12 am
Hey, I dunno you’re THAT akmal ma! Ok ok …. I’ll msg you when I get to KL. I still have yet to get your number though.
Restoran Waritha @ Jalan Gopeng, Ipoh – Thai/Malay Cuisine | Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog…
Thai Malay cuisine in Ipoh, very near to Simpang Pulai toll exit….
Ipoh is more of a food haven for the chinese mayb? considering the population. Myself couldnt find any good mamak ard for tht matter..
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:27 am
Nope, but of course there are a few good Nasi Briyani outlets, and some delicious Nasi ‘Ganja’ in town.
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u can try Maxwell Restaurant.located in jalan maxwell(known as jalan tun abd razak),near the mahkamah syariah 🙂
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 15th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Thanks anie. What is good there?
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