Yishen Vegetarian Food Restaurant @ Ipoh
July 17, 2010 | 10,992 views
Almost categorized into “Beer Food”, the crispy ‘salted fish’ (RM10/USD3) at Yishen got us hooked, after a squeeze of lime onto the morsels cleverly disguised as “ham yue”, yet made from overlapping layers of beancurd sheet only. This IS a vegetarian restaurant, after all.
Before you go and lay the smackdown on poor Motormouth here for being biased towards the carnivorous fares, and completely ignoring the pleas, desires and lust gluttony of a vegetarian’s, be aware that occasionally, I DO go for vegetarian food. Once in a blue moon might befits the phrase I’m searching for, but I have no qualms about going vegetarian for a full day, or even a whole week.
IF … I’m not expected to adhere to the stringent rules of being a pure vegan (no meat, no dairy products, and even no onion/garlic for some! See the different categories of vegetarianism here)
Curry “Mutton” for a spicy change from the mundane greens and beancurd?
Yishen Vegetarian Restaurant started in Kampar, and then Ipoh since back in the late 80’s. The outlet in Ipoh was opened in the late 90’s, or early part of the millennium, if I’m not mistaken.
They even branched out to two slightly upmarket branches named Yishensu – A Vegetarian Connoisseur in One Utama shopping centre and another in Bandar Bukit Tinggi in Klang.
Since an occasion called for a vegetarian feast earlier this month, I was at lost on where to choose. Of course, Ipoh has quite a few vegetarian restaurants spaced out everywhere in town and the outskirts. From the famous Sin Meng Kee and Chuk Lum to the newer Shi Fang Zai, Fu Tien and Min Sin Yie. But one restaurant stands above the rest, in terms of legacy, standing history and being more commercialized than the rest; Yishen (Yat Sum in Cantonese) in Medan Ipoh Baru …
Claypot Three Cups “Chicken” @ RM15/USD4.50 – Rather small portion for the price paid, but who said going vegetarian is a cheap venture?!
Kung Pow “Snails’ Meat” – RM12/USD3.60 – This was GOOD. Crunchy mock snail’s meat cooked in a tasty ‘Kung Pow’ (sweet/savoury/spicy) sauce.
Emperor Bean Curd (indeed, when five blocks go for RM10/USD3) – Velvety smooth beancurd topped with a ball of mock crab ball (or fish?!) then braised in a moreish sauce.
Good thing about going vege at Yishen is that; they provide you with a choice of conventional white rice, or unpolished/brown rice (healthier by miles)
Oh … in the spirit of the many seafood fiesta before this post, I can’t possibly leave out the deliciously surreal Butter “Prawns” (Nai Yau Har)
Having a meal at Yishen is by far, NOT the cheapest option. Especially when compared to the other vegetarian restaurants in Ipoh. A meal for five can easily come to RM70/USD21 or more, for five small-medium sized dishes.
But the food is good, the restaurant is clean, and fully air-conditioned. If you’re seeking for cheaper alternatives, consider their individual servings of rice/noodles, from about RM4/USD1.20 onwards. Or opt for the ‘chap fan‘ (economy rice/mixed rice) available at the counter daily (except Sundays; when only noodles and vegetarian ‘nasi lemak’ are served).
If you’re out of options, don’t worry. Come back to Yishen to please the elderly. After all, a special celebration calls for a proper diner instead of a plate of economy vegetarian rice at Sin Meng Kee ….. (nothing against Sin Meng Kee though, so don’t flame me!)
YISHEN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT
19-21, Jalan Medan Ipoh 6,
Medan Ipoh Baru,
31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 605-546 6013
Business hours : 9.30am – 3.00pm, 5.30pm – 10.00pm.
Here’s a GOOGLE MAP to Yishen Vegetarian Restaurant
# For the other outlets’ addresses and contact numbers, jump to their site here.
Wanna know where else to have a vegetarian meal on the 1st and/or 15th of the month in the Lunar calendar? Dying to share your best kept secrets? Drop me a mail at the contact form here.
Wah! I am the first.Those dishes look almost like the real thing but I am a meat lover and seafood is the best.Your recent post on the giant fresh water prawns got me dreaming of it constantly.I believe that town was already famous back in the late 1970’s for seafood. I may have to do a detour to that restaurant b4 going to Ipoh next February 2011.I am counting the days,only 6 and half months to go b4 CNY.Cheers from the “LAND DOWNUNDER”
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J2Kfm Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 8:24 am
Hi Steve! Nice to hear from you again.
Please do, for I have never heard of complaints from visitors to Tualang aside from the slightly pricey prawns. But quality does come at a price right?
I never visited Tualang until I started with this current job. Sad to say huh/
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I find vegetarian dish isn’t cheap, but they are usually very tasty as well ^^
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I normally stay away from “meat” in vegetarian restaurants, coz they are mostly made from flour. Haha. But I love the variations made from beancurd sheets. Yumz!
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J2Kfm Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 8:23 am
Haha, be it flour or beancurd sheets, if their cooking skill is good, I don’t doubt that I’ll return again and again, esp on 1st and 15th of the month.
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There is another good vegeterian restraunt at Sunway , near Sunway hotel. It is located in the row of shoplots opposite the open face car park of Sunway hotel. That is the best I have ever tried in Klang Valley. Btw, do you cook since you are foodie ?
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J2Kfm Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 8:22 am
Oh Sunway in KL. Haha, for once, I thought you were introducing one in Sunway City of Ipoh.
Nope, never really scouted that area for food.
Mike, sorry to say that I do not cook.
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hey hey hey! why never call us in KL!? chis!! btw, me cumi love chinese vegetarian though it is oily and mostly deep fried. It’s really addictive so we limit ourselves to like once a month or something 😛 nice shots!
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J2Kfm Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Wei …. sorry, it was a rushed excursion. We went for a conference at Pavilion on Saturday, hence I stole some time and paid Su a visit at Delectable Treat.
Then yesterday came back liao by lunch hour. Can’t afford to travel too much lah, the 3 days spent in Changkat Lada were really taxing.
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Try the chicken chop.. If the standards still remain as before it will be good… but lately I heard that the standard of food there have drop a bit..
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J2Kfm Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Indeed, I felt like they’re limiting the portion, and compromising on the quality.
Personally, I like Min Sin Yie and Fu Tien more than Yishen. But Fu Tien is terribly hard to find a seat come peak hour (given the fact that they’re only one shoplot), and Min Sin Yie getting boring after awhile, we tend to visit Yishen more often than not.
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try SIN LIN air-cond vegetarian restaurant, also nice~~
near Hot Jack cafe (New Pasir Puteh)…
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J2Kfm Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 8:13 am
Thanks @hMick. It’;s on the main road of Jalan Pasir Puteh, Hot Jack side or the opposite?
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@hMiCK Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 5:41 pm
Hot Jack side…
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J2Kfm Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Thank you.
Yishen’s claypot chicken rice is very tasty. I went with my mom on Saturday but it was not available, the excuse, a classic one: the claypots were all broken. How lame?! We were disappointed but we had a similarly good claypot chicken rice at Min Sin Yie Vegetarian restaurant, which is up the main road towards Taman Syabas. So to the Yishen people, you’d better buy more claypot to be broken, haha!
I’m sure the Yishen lady boss is not aware of this nonsense, the son knows though, he was there, and it is sad that he thought it was funny.
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Broken claypot?! Haha … that’s new.
I never knew there was a claypot vegetarian chicken rice.
Yup, I like Min Sin Yie for their mushroom dishes are creative and really good.
Try the Butter fried mushrooms, or the steamed mixed mushrooms.
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