Dim Sum on A Sunday @ Royal China Restaurant, Coliseum Square, Ipoh
January 5, 2011 | 9,864 viewsLike a scene from a TVB drama huh? People of all ages sipping tea and chewing on delicate morsels of dim sum on Sunday mornings, in an air-conditioned restaurant setting. But this is Ipoh, and this is Royal China; a subsidiary of Tai Thong Group.
Best way to start a Sunday? Dim Sum breakfast with family members. Or extended family members/relatives/’yee ma ku jie’ (swear that’s not a profanity) and the joy of jostling for a vacant table; executing those dreadful empty stares to shoo away those lingering for eternity (after the umpteenth time of refilling their pot of tea), and finally going all out and pointing for steamed dumplings, fluffy Char Siew Bao, fresh Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun and century egg porridge, and shutting up the disciplined alter ego and munch on crispy fried woo kok (yam puff with minced meat fillings), sweet and wobbly egg tarts and maybe a pudding or two.
Char Siew Bao – BBQ Pork Bun
And so, there I was squeezing every single memory cell (grey matter’s the real deal?) to come up with the 3 meals a day fiasco; lasting the entire weekend and then some. After all, who’s better to put to test?
Royal China Restaurant was formerly known as Tai Thong, and previously at Heritage Hotel on Jalan Tambun. Since last year (or the year before, I lost track of time …. can’t blame someone who’s near to his geriatric doom), they have started operating at Coliseum Square, where you can also find San Francisco Steakhouse (they offer lunch sets now; for RM16.90++).
Beautifully folded into a flower shape; the dumpling holds scallop and prawn within.
And so, after much deliberation, we settled for Royal China’s dim sum for breakfast. Foh San, Ming Court and Yoke Fook Moon were out of the equation since that street would be swarmed by merrymakers back for a glutton run. And Ying Fa although authentic enough; would have sold off every single bundle of their famous lotus leaf rice.
Not as aesthetically pleasing nor a treat to the palate; the Siew Mai at Royal China needs more work.
Half prepared to see a vacant restaurant, we were surprised as Royal China was almost packed to the brim. And it was about 10am+, slightly later than the usual breakfast hours in Ipoh. An eye opener indeed, especially when this place serves the most premium dim sum (read : expensive) in all of Ipoh.
Oklah … so not as exorbitant as you might think. About RM4.50-RM5.50 (USD1.50-1.80) per serving, and portions were of moderate sizes. Not too tiny like Ming Court’s, nor larger than life like some KL’s dim sum outlets that I have tried.
Always one of our pick for dim sum, the fried radish cake with bean sprouts, egg, scallions and red chillies (widely known as Lor Bak Gou) at Royal China was good. Not stellar, yet nothing to be ashamed of.
Almost immediately we were ushered to our seats, and service was prompt. Needless to say, the ambience was top notch; as though you’re dining in a classy restaurant without the noisy atmosphere usually associated with a Sunday morning’s breakfast camaraderie. The OLD Foh San had this; and it was a charming sensation none of those newer ones could ever replicate.
Ham Sui Kok. Literally translated as Salty Water Puff; the savoury deep fried puff contains bits of chopped char siew like the filling of a Char Siew Bao.
There were some hits, and some misses. For instance, we found that the Har Gau and Siew Mai (essentials when it comes to dim sum; a tradition) at Royal China lacked characters. Very generic, and the Siew Mai in particular was not packed with flavoursome paste of minced pork and prawn. The Ham Sui Kok was good though; since Mum’s a fan of these mini savoury puffs and she gave nods of approval.
We missed most of the items since there were 3 of us. The Yam Puff (Woo Kok) came a little too late, and we had to forgo the option. The Fried Radish Cake (Lor Bak Gou) was tasty enough; paired with the incomparable Ipoh’s bean sprouts made this plate a goner in minutes.
Har Gau (Prawn Dumplings) – Usually served in trio, Royal China upped the ante and served us with four. But not packing a succulent, juicy punch like Foh San’s, or even Yoke Fook Moon’s.
Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun – With either pork (char siew) or prawn fillings. NO mixing of both, hence you can’t have the best of both worlds. Anyway, nothing too fancy; steamed rice noodles filled with cubes of barbecued pork, then served in soy sauce and oil, with a dollop of sambal for the kick.
Wrapped in generous servings of kataifi, the slightly more modern touch came in the form of prawn and cheese dumplings. Not oozing melted cheese from within though, sadly.
But this Ma Tai Gou (Water Chestnut Cake, literally) wrapped in a thin layer of pastry (popiah skin) then deep-fried was a befitting end to the meal. Not starkly sweet nor unbelievably greasy, the QQ bites of the dessert made this a surefire hit with the kids.
I did not lie. This place looks resplendent with an aura of a posh Chinese diner. Yet you can have a dim sum feast here for less than RM20 per person.
So the bill came to about RM56/USD18.00 for the 3 of us. Oh and if you pay with a CIMB credit card, or CIMB Direct Access credit card, you get 10% off.
Good thing was that, we were in no hurry to finish our food and had all the time in the world to chat and catch up on life. Okay, slightly over dramatic there, since I have only left Ipoh for … a month? 🙂
But you get the drill. Instead of having vultures surrounding your family in a circle while you’re still enjoying (what’s left of it) your cup of Chinese tea, at Royal China you don’t sweat it out nor shout over to your dining partners seated across the table.
Just that, you have to pay extra, though parking’s a cinch. For RM2 per entry, you can park inside the multi-level carpark in the building. Miles better than paying those addicts on the loose all over town?
ROYAL CHINA RESTAURANT
Grd Floor, Coliseum Square,
No 8, Jalan Raja Dr Nazrin Shah,
30250 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
605-241 3088.
Business Hours : Mon-Sat (11.30am – 2.30pm, 6.00pm – 10.30pm), Sun (7am – 2.30pm, 6.00pm – 10.30pm) Public Holidays (9.00am – 2.30pm, 6.00pm – 10.30pm)
GPS Coordinates : 4.590684,101.093014
Google Map to Royal China Restaurant in Ipoh
(*Next to Impiana Hotel, and very near to the round about)

gosh i miss your reviews on ipoh food!! Hahahaha….
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 6th, 2011 at 8:14 pm
Haha …. don’t be. You can always read back the many older ones. 🙂
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Har gao? My fave.
Scallop? My fave too.
Scallop and prawn? OMG I gotta try that! 😀
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 6th, 2011 at 8:14 pm
Sounds like heavenly right? Haha … but not really excellent in execution. The fillings fell apart once the skin was torn.
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Oh how I miss Ipoh right now…
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 6th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Ju, you know what? ME too. Haha … strange eh? The list gets longer everyday …. until CNY….
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i went there on Monday last time, they were offering a RM1.00 for a dish of fried chicken (after a RM30 receipt)… truly worth it!
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 6th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Oh, actually I heard about this promotion. RM1 on a Monday, RM2 for another dish on a Tuesday, and so forth until RM7 on a Sunday.
Good promotional tactic, but somehow not many know about this.
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Hi there, I have always been in Ipoh, but I never know about this place. Thanks for sharing. I am really glad to have foung you.
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Yeah, it’s hard to find the perfect place for dim sum that balances yummy food and comfortable ambience and reasonable price! 🙂
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 6th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
You can try Yoke Fook Moon Dim Sum, since they open at night too. So you can be assured of lesser traffic along the road, and dining in an air-conditioned setting.
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Looks good…. gotta try it.
Had not been there since they shifted from Heritage, and had not give them a thought when I craved for Dim Sum. This place looks so hassle free and I guess the price is just about the same with Foh San… they are getting expensive nowadays… and the pressure their floor staff give you to have you to purchase whatever they have in their cart….
Good work,MM…. a perfect reminder……
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 6th, 2011 at 8:10 pm
Thanks. Foh San’s about RM3.00-RM5.00 I guess, on average. Been some time since my last visit. The place is too crowded on any day. And some more you have to walk over and carry your own plates of dim sum at Foh San, just like how those famous ones in Hong Kong.
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OMG, I don’t even know where Coliseum Square is!! Is there such a place ah? 😛
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TIFFANY LIM Reply:
January 12th, 2011 at 11:41 am
No.8, Ground Floor, Coliseum Square, Jalan Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, 30250 Ipoh. Perak. Is same road with the Casuarina Hotel. If have any query, please do not hesitate to contact us at 05-2413088. Thank you for support. 🙂
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Nice and elegant place for dim sum! Didn’t know Ipoh has this! I would go for relaxed dim sum in comfortable environment anytime! No vultures looking and waiting at my table, thank you!
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 6th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Yeahloh …sometimes the idea of dining in peace is worth so much more. To imagine finally Sunday; a day to relax and then we see people rushing us off our seats.
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The ma tai gou looks interesting but does it taste oily since it’s fried food?
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 6th, 2011 at 8:07 pm
Nope. Maybe they soak up the oil before serving, but the crispy rolls were good.
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Wow, its been a looooong time since i last ate ma tai kou, looks delicious! 🙂
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Dim sum!!!…
i must try ;)…so when should we all go together??
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 7th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
Huh …. you don’t fong fei kei then we go makan! Hehe, wait for me to come back. You faster go eat everything lah…
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Owh is this the one next to Casuarina Hotel?? Wow, some dimsum now would be damn good…. and I suppose we now have more options besides the *sudah jatuh standard* Foh San.
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 8th, 2011 at 12:01 am
Yeahloh …. this one is next to Casuarina Hotel (now Impiana). Ming Court not bad ma …
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Have not been to Coliseum Square yet! 🙁
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the environmental very traditional, and that is tempting! *staring at Har Gau*
Good Post!!
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Gee, always get to have lunchie dim sum treats @ RC..*winks*
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 8th, 2011 at 12:06 am
Hmm…. and you’ve been saying this an awful lot of times, yet never drag Motormouth along ……
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melody Reply:
January 8th, 2011 at 11:43 am
weiii.. i did.. but you never buzz me wot..
so buzz me during CNY lo..*smile*
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hey, i saw the example on how to apply the word “kataifi” *wink* lol~
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