Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

A “vegetarian” sushi roll?! Golden Dragon @ Fu Tien Restaurant in Medan Ipoh Bistari.

Enough Already with the Mindless Bingeing!!! Stuffing oneself with countless greasy cheeseburgers, handful of fries, lemang + rendang + serunding daging (geez … saying that makes my mouth waters), Char Koay Teow and meaty feast of dim sum had me reconsider my eating habits (albeit for a very brief stint). Stopped me dead on tracks, and I developed a sudden crave for a wholesome vegetarian meal.

I should be whipped for the dearth of posts on vegetarian cuisine in Ipoh. Aside from the famous Yishen (Yat Sum) and Min Sin Yie which I wrote way back in ’08, I have never wrote another piece on vegetarian food in Ipoh. I bow my head in shame …….

So here’s a post on Fu Tien; one of the BEST place in Ipoh for modernized vegetarian fares. We are talking about maki-sushi rolls, topped with slices of fresh and nectar-ish sweet mangoes, crunchy juicy cucumbers, fritters for that added crunch and even cheese (wait, dairy products are considered vegetarian?) !!! Read on to find out why this place is perpetually packed during lunch hours ……

Two types of Special Rolls @ RM7.00/USD2.20 each – “Fancy” on the left, and “Golden Dragon” on the right

Fu Tien has been around for at least half a decade. I am sure most Ipohans would have dined here before, especially on the 1st and 15th of the month in the Lunar calendar. A few shops away from Michelangelo’s Pizzeria in Medan Ipoh Bistari, this air-conditioned premise has become one of the most popular vegetarian restaurant in Ipoh; thanks to the clever strategy in marketing healthy vegetarian cuisine with a twist to the younger generations.

Fancy – The special sushi rolls with kampyo, cucumber and carrot topped with cheese and sauce.

Instead of the traditional beancurd sheets (foo chuk) this and that, greens cooked in the usual manner, and the occasional fried vegetarian noodles, Fu Tien decided to be different.

The nicely laminated menu (a recent revamp with MORE funky selections, but with a slight increase in price) covers many sushi rolls (about RM4.50/USD1.40 each portion) and 12 types of SPECIAL sushi rolls (RM7.00/USD2.20 each), various salads and soups, as well as the many dishes to go with your rice. After all, I can’t expect to get my grandmas to love sushi rolls all of a sudden! 🙂

Seaweed Salad (RM5.50/USD1.70) – Crunchy wakame with liberal sprinkling of sesame seeds, and shredded cabbage underneath.

Don’t fret. If you are not a fan of Japanese food (a term used loosely here … but you get the drift), you can go for the individual meals. Fried noodles (yee mee, kuey teow, bee hoon), fried rice, and even an interesting Indian style ‘mee goreng’ are yours for choosing; at about RM4.50 per serving.

If you’re lost on what to choose from the menu, ask for their recommendations. After all, the maki rolls are not exactly filled with your salmon, tuna or cucumber, but includes ingredients like apple, sweet potato, ‘meat floss’, fried ‘tuna’, red cabbage and even asparagus.

Go for their signature Golden Dragon; a moniker befitting the golden ripe mangoes topping the roll of rice with crunchy flakes, carrot and kampyo (a type of gourd). More savoury than sweet, albeit the sweet slices of mangoes atop, the roll would be a suitable appetizer, or a side dish. Fancy, on the other hand, is a new creation of theirs, incorporating a creamy topping of cheddar cheese with a sweet sauce drizzled on top.

Hainan Chicken Rice (RM5.00/USD1.60) – Surprisingly flavourful, the rice was infused with lots of ginger aroma, served with slices of ‘chicken’ and ‘char siew’.

If you want to avoid carbo-overload, go for some salads instead. One peek around our table and we saw many customers digging into their Fu Tien salad (RM6.00/USD1.90), a mix of every vegetables finely shredded and tossed with a tangy dressing. We chose the Seaweed Salad though, for we have always been ardent fans of chuka wakame, a Japanese style of salad featuring crunchy strands of seaweed tossed with sesame seeds and a vinegar-soy sauce dressing.

Fried Yee Mee (RM5.00/USD1.60) (known as Gui Lin Yee Mee in Chinese, in the menu)

Indian-style Mee Goreng (RM4.60/USD1.50) – Very palatable, and had this very moreish flavour to it, not from MSG but maybe from the tomatoes, vegetarian fish cakes, and mix of greens combined.

Sau Meen – Deep-fried Noodles (RM5.00/USD1.60) – One of their more popular noodle dish.

Instead of ordering dishes to go with white rice (I forgot to check whether they serve unpolished grains, like Yishen), we went for individual rice and noodle dishes. The Hainan Chicken Rice (using mock meat of course) came with slices of beancurd sheets transformed (with enough seasoning, colouring, and of course …. imagination) into chicken and barbecued pork or ‘char siew’ to you and me. The rice was really good though, without even the need for greasy drippings from a real poached/roasted chicken, but the addition of lots of ginger provided much of the punch. No idea on whether they used garlic in this one, for strict vegetarians do NOT take garlic/onions.

Noodles-wise, go for their Sau Meen (Birthday Noodles, aka deep-fried Yee Mee with braised gravy) or Indian style Mee Goreng (listed as Fried Noodles or something in the menu). Can’t go wrong with the crispy noodles eaten as they are, or dunk into the starchy, flavoursome braised gravy with greens, mushrooms, ‘fish cakes’, baby corn and carrots. The Mee Goreng took me by surprise, as the yellow noodles was fried with much skills, and proportionately-balanced taste of savoury, sweet, piquant and redolent with ‘wok hei’. Slightly too small of a serving to be shared, you’ll have no problem wiping the plate clean.

Vegetarian Tempura (RM5.00/USD1.60) – Some sinful indulgences to counter the healthier offerings?

And the platter of “tempura” (battered vegetables) arrived last, with a dipping sauce (without the grated radish though) provided. Nothing ground-breaking, but if you’re looking for some crispy snacks to go along with your meal, then this must be it.

Fu Tien Vegetarian Restaurant @ Medan Ipoh Bistari – Who says going green is boring?!

FU TIEN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT
No 34, Jalan Medan 1B,
Medan Ipoh Bistari,
31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 605-549 9098
Business Hours : 11.30am – 2.45pm, 6.00pm – 9.45pm.
Closed on Mondays.
GPS Coordinates : E101 7′ 2.8″ N4 37′ 4.0″
GOOGLE MAP TO FU TIEN RESTAURANT