Motormouth From Ipoh

Fried Salted Egg Yolk Crabs – Have fun licking those shells clean

Ever so often I get this question from random readers or even friends;

“So, where do I go for delicious seafood in Ipoh?”

At times, I got stunned. Unaware of really outstanding choices around my hometown, I randomly point them to ‘chu char’ restaurants including the diners like Mun Choong, East Ocean or even Unique (yeah … shocking I know). Ipoh, unlike towns like Sitiawan or even Kuala Sepetang isn’t as well known for fresh seafood.

But as time goes by (and the ‘makan’ sessions got more intense), the discoveries of more viable options like Wah Chai, Lucky Seafood, Rasa Lain and Crab House lent more weight to the recommendations.

How about Sun Wen Cau near to Falim in Desa Rishah then? 

Pan Fried Prawns with Soy Sauce

No doubt this is way off the tourists’ radar; a corner lot of a row of shop in Desa Rishah Indah near to Falim and almost touching the soils of Ipoh – Lumut highway. Coming from Menglembu/Falim towards Lumut highway, you will pass by a row of relatively new shops on your RIGHT; with Kentucky Fried Chicken and Tao Yuan Vegetarian Restaurant. Turn right into Jalan Raja Perempuan Mazwin and you will see Sun Wen Cau immediately on your LEFT.

I have heard of many good things about Sun Wen Cau. Mostly from people singing praises for their claypot crabs with tang noon and various other crab dishes, frog porridge and freshwater prawns noodles.

Essentially; the freshest catches cooked in the most appetising manner imaginable. Or so they claimed.

Steamed Tilapia in Spicy Bean Sauce

Well, probably expectations set a little bit too high, the dining experience came off as merely passable. Nothing that transcended beyond the die-die-must-try level, yet not a single dish that was better off in the trash bag.

Since Sun Wen Cau is renowned for their crab dishes, naturally we settled for a sample of the dish. Came off as highly recommended was Salted Egg Yolk Crabs; we were served 2 crabs that were of small to medium size cooked in a savoury and rich creamy golden sauce that will have one licking the claws, shells and all dry. The flesh was not as desirably sweet as fresh crabs should be though, rendering the experience rather bland and forgettable save for the nicely executed sauce.

The prawns pan fried lightly in a soy sauce base were fresh, succulent and retaining the crunch of really fresh crustaceans. This was a notch better than the crabs in my opinion, bringing to mind memories of Mun Choong’s famous ‘korn chin har’.

And the trio of seafood ended with a serving of steamed tilapia in a slightly spicy and garlicky bean paste sauce. The fish was devoid of unpleasant taste and aroma so typical of freshwater fish, though the sauce was nowhere near Peng Tau in Pasir Puteh. Yeah, there were a few bits of lard fritters thrown in for good measure; old school style, but the sauce still lacked oomph.

To balance off the calories, we had the stir fried lotus roots, celery, carrot and snap peas with macadamia nuts

 A very neighbourhood feel of a ‘chu char’ restaurant with al fresco seats, an air-conditioned section and a general dining area cooled by ceiling fans.

Well, in terms of fresh seafood, can’t deny that Sun Wen Cau’s supplies were as fresh as they came. Just that, some of their rendition of common dishes lacked imagination and well, perfection. Maybe I was comparing this to some of the better ‘chu char’ in Ipoh. And you should know your preference by now, I hope.

*The meal came to slightly above RM100 for 4 of us.

If not, then by all means, go through THIS LIST and have a blast sampling dishes after dishes of wonders.

SUN WEN CAU RESTAURANT
97 A, Persiaran Raja Perempuan Mazwin Selatan,
Desa Rishah Indah, 30100,
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Tel No :+60 5-282 9281