Sin Hup Kee Restaurant @ Ipoh
August 9, 2010 | 14,376 views
Sin Hup Kee Restaurant @ Jalan Leong Sin Nam in Ipoh – A favourite with MANY Ipohans, and even the out-of-towners. Just read worldwindows’ review to have a hang of things.
Okay, so this may be the most famous Chinese restaurant in Ipoh that I have missed doing a proper review, after all these years of blogging. Aside from renowned names such as Wong Koh Kee, Mun Choong, Sun Marpoh, Soon Fatt, Peng Tau and Hoong Tho, Sin Hup Kee is probably one of the better hidden gems in Ipoh; a hit amongst the local diners yet not as mainstream nor lapped up by the hungry wolves of the media.
That being said, Sin Hup Kee (SHK) opened a branch in Puchong back in April of 2010. I retract my statement earlier. So they HAVE gone mainstream now? 🙂
Signature Dish #1 – “Kon Jin Gai”; a dish of pan-fried chicken with a sweet and sticky gravy. Should be a hit with the young ones.(RM8.00/USD2.40)
Sin Hup Kee originated from a different lot on the same road of Jalan Leong Sin Nam, serving up delicious and homecooked style of ‘chu char‘ dishes since as far as I can remember.
As the general rule of thumb when dining in ‘chu char‘ restaurants in Ipoh, you either put your faith in the captain’s recommendations, sneak a peek at what the others have ordered, or getting prepared by reading reviews prior to the meal.
The Pan-Fried Chicken came in a reasonable portion for four, with meaty cuts being coated with a sticky, and yet slightly oily gravy made from a combination of different sauces. Soy sauce and dark soy sauce are definitely used in the gravy, but I could not put my finger on the other components. A cross between sweet and sour chicken, Guinness Chicken and Marmite Chicken. If you know what I’m getting at ….. Still, this is THE dish you must order if it’s your first time here. Suffice to say, even Grandma lapped up her pieces of chicken with relish.
Signature Dish #2 – Sam Wong Dan aka Steamed Triple Egg Yolks. A combination of chicken egg, century egg and salted egg. So smooth it slid down the throat. RM6.00/USD1.80
For a lazy eater (like yours truly) the 3 Wong Dan is almost God-sent. Wobbly eggs steamed to perfection, with generous slices of century egg (beware; this was even featured in Fear Factor once!) embedded within. The only other place that managed to get this right was Wong Koh Kee (WKK) in old town, but that’s in a whole different league altogether. And WKK only opens for lunch. So for dinner, SHK’s the place to go.
Signature Dish #3 – Assam Fish Head; piquant and tangy, though I prefer my Fish Head curry to be fuller, with a richer and robust curry flavour instead. (RM26.00/USD7.90)
Though many have raved about the Assam Fish, I did not enjoy the diluted gravy which was punctuated with a tangy zest from the tamarind juice, but lacking in the flavour department. Usually, I prefer my fish head to be cooked in curry instead, or at least curry assam; for that full-bodied, creamy quality of a santan-laden curry. But this Assam version might suit your preference if you have an aversion to rich, coconut milk-heavy gravy.
Not as Signature Dish of Sin Hup Kee’s, but no meal is complete without some greens. So we had our stir-fried sweet potato leaves (shu miu) with garlic and red chillies. (RM4.00/USD1.20)
If you had noticed, the pricing at Sin Hup Kee is really competitive. Aside from the fish head (a grouper’s, I believed), the other dishes were all below RM10 each. This, in spite of the fully air-conditioned outlet with a steady stream of customers.
Do call to reserve your table before arrival if you plan on dining during peak hours on a weekend or public holiday. You will not regret that decision. Trust me.
We arrived at about 6.30pm on a Saturday evening. About 15 minutes later, the place was packed to the brim !!!
The other dishes that came highly recommended from a few resources are “Fo Yim Pai Guat“; a dish of spare ribs, the MANY varieties of beancurd (read Ipoh Chai’s musings), and so forth. Reana suggested to give the Braised Fish Head a miss though. If you are seeking for a good Braised Fish Head or “Hoong Siew Yue Tau”, go for Wong Koh Kee’s version instead.
Sin Hup Kee also makes their own Nyonya Kuih; the Kuih Talam being a particular favourite of many. But at RM3.00/USD0.90 for 6 bite-sized pieces.
Strange enough, Sin Hup Kee bakes and makes their own kuih-muih (sweet snacks). A particular favourite of ours happened to be the pumpkin ‘fatt gou’ (prosperity cakes), but sadly discontinued for the time being as the lady boss is busy running the other branch in Puchong. The Kuih Talam is another yummy delight, with real pandan juices used and a slightly saltish layer made from coconut milk on top.
“Now that Sin Hup Kee’s out of the way, I wonder where will I target next?”
SIN HUP KEE RESTAURANT
No 17, Jalan Leong Sin Nam,
30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 605-242 3128.
Business hours : 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm.
Closed on Tuesdays.
Here’s a GOOGLE MAP to Sin Hup Kee.
Puchong Branch : SHK Restaurant
No 64, Jalan Puteri 2/4, Bandar Puteri, Puchong,
47100 Selangor, Malaysia.
Telephone : 603-8063 9498, 6013-244 9990.
i would like to recommend u try their “yeung lam bou” lamb brisket pot ~ very nice!
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 8:08 am
Oh great! Just the other day we were complaining about the scarcity of lamb or mutton being served in Chinese restaurants.
There’s this restaurant facing Giant in Sunway City, forgot the name already; but they also serve a mean “Yeung Lam Pou”
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I would love to try the san wong dan. 😀
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OMG! You ordered one of my favorite dishes of all, the 3 Wong Dan.. Together with the Assam Fish Head.. I’m so hungry already even it’s already midnight now… haha =D
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 8:09 am
Haha, wrong time to be reading a food blog huh?
3 Wong Dan is a safe choice, as always.
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Now this is a place I absolutely want to try, the first photo of the chicken – not only a hit with the kids, but the bigger kids as well I am sure – The food looks wonderful and extremely inviting and comforting. Once back in Ipoh I will be taking my wife and her father there for certain to eat. I know I will go crazy over the Assam fish head and the chicken as well as the shu miu. We’ll for certain take some of the Nyonya Kuih home with us for a treat.
Do remember we still want to join you out one day to one of your favorite haunts to eat, we always considered ourselves pretty good foodies, but you know, to follow someone with your taste buds would be a treat for us.
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Bigger kids like you guys huh? 🙂
Sure thing Michael. And I’m sure you are seriously enjoying yourself back home.
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kueh talam looks good.
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My dad loves the Assam Stingray there and he would always order it whenever he goes there. I personally like the Salted Fish with Courgettes/Aubergines because has a rather “buttery” taste. Great post ^_^
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
Salted Fish with Aubergines?! Stir fried or Deep fried version? Sounds enticing. Grandma’s a fan of salted fish with anything anyway.
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wenxuan Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 12:32 am
oh yes, the ham yu ai gua is actually a recommendation by the lady boss years ago. eventually became our go-to dish when we’re there.
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 9:00 am
Thanks wenxuan. The combination sounds deadly, as we are all fans of both ingredients. Salted fish with pork, chicken, fish, taugeh, etc etc …… almost always worked for us.
My family seldom order egg dishes when eating out coz they think it’s not worthy ;P
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
But this one was only for RM6! And the egg custard was soooo smooth, you won’t even need to exhaust your jaw muscles!
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At last!! You review this place.. The sam wong dan is heaven… Now I am drooling all the way in Pg. Thanks a lot..
Next time try the claypot tofu, this is very old style type with ingredients like pig stomach etc, which you can rarely get in claypot tofu nowadays.., The assam prawn is also not bad..
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Heaving a sigh of relief eh? Hehe .. yeah, it took me a considerably long period before I come to this.
Claypot Tofu? Oh okay. We thought since we ordered an egg dish, we would skip the tofu.
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Wah! The “Gon Zin Gai”…..from the pix can tell its super yummy-licious 😀
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Yes, love this place.. either we go 12pm… or latest 12.30 for lunch and evenings, best time is 6pm.. dont be later than that.. 🙂
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The kon jin gai looks delicious! And I love kuih talam! They have a branch in Puchong you say? I’ll definitely go try it out!
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The Perak Good food Guide book recommends their Kai Lap Fan…. not sure why, but maybe bcos not much places serve that anymore?
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Joyce Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 11:08 pm
It”s an ancient style of Kai lap fan! Can’t find it else where!
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I always love a silky smooth sam wong dan …. a plate of plain rice with it is sufficient to have a sinful meal.
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This is my kind of place. I know that this sounds like McDonald saying but, I am not kidding you. I love this kind of food. I have had to look up how to make the soy sauce stir fried chicken. It is the recipe that I use to get at my favorite place to eat. I had forgotten about it until you reminded me of it. Thanks.
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my fav restaurant in Ipoh~
oooh, those dishes also quite nice!
U can also try the “egg plant long beans”!
tat 1 oso super nice!
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I remember those days when I was a kid, the restaurant was located in another shop which is nearby the current shop. Let me comment on the food there. Those days, my father used to order 3 dishes.
1) 3 wong dan
2) Malai fung kwong
3) Gulou yuk or Kingdou guat
Those were my GOOD memories.
Apart from that, please try their “KAI LAP FAN”. Sorry, this version is very much different from the Malacca one. I used to bring my friend (who is in his 50’s now) to try out the “KAI LAP FAN”. The comment he gave was “This is the original KAI LAP FAN he used to have as lunch more than 20 years ago”. I even asked the boss to teach me how to make KAI LAP FAN before. Of course, after all these years, the quality has dropped due to rising cost. The ingredients have lessen.
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tee lay hui Reply:
December 28th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
what is kai lap fan?
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LiLian Reply:
December 28th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Kai lap fan is Chicken Diced Rice with gravy.
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 28th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
Thanks LiLian. That’s fast.
[…] Sin Hup Kee Restaurant @ Ipoh […]
I went thr recently and tried the chicken specialty dish, 3 wong dan and the egg plant + long bean dish. The last one was extremely delicious, with crispy shrimps and garlic and best part was it was not oily. thumbs up for Sin Hup Kee!
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J2Kfm Reply:
March 20th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
Good to hear that. They have a branch in KL but have yet to try that here.
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Wow, awesome blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your web site is excellent, let alone the content!
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Im in Sin Hup Kee now cause the boss is my uncle.
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This restaurant totally worse, :-
They simply charge de price – sometime RM 5.00 , RM 5.50 , RM 6.00 even more worse today 26.3.15 RM 10.00 for only 1 plate of bitter gourd chicken rice
We call them and ask y so expensive , they answer rudely and say if not sarisfied come any collect back de money without say sorry
Sometimes we order drumstick ( add on price ) , they charge us drumstick price but pack differently ( not drumstick)
When we ask , they say , u know how to diffrenciate drumstick or not ?
OMG .. 1st time in my life face this type of madam…
Pls take note , we won’t go again. pls beware wen making payment coz they simply charge .
BEWARE WITH THIS CON SHOP
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