One of the most popular meals one can have in Ipoh is Dim Sum. It’s so well-loved that not only it is eaten at breakfast and lunch, some restaurants do serve it at night as well. Growing up in Ipoh, a dim sum supper was something of a big treat for me, because we were poor and could not afford this very often. Ipoh folks eat dim sum at the crack of dawn – it’s not unusual to see the popular dim sum restaurants being full and crowded by 7am! As a kid, I was always excited, despite being bleary-eyed, when I had to get up very early to get to the dim sum shop in town.
So, dim sum culture is a thriving “yum cha” thing in Ipoh. I recently discovered Yuk Sou Hin in the Weil Hotel Ipoh and what a nice find this is! Helmed by a Hong Kong chef, Chef Allan Tse, the pork-free dim sum served here does not disappoint. There’s no boisterous crowd here within the elegant walls and service is efficient and pleasant.
Chic and comfortable interior
We picked our items from the a la carte dim sum menu and every dish is cooked fresh and served piping hot. Despite not using pork, the Hongkong-style dim sum turned out beautifully in taste and presentation. There’s no compromise on flavours and textures.
Crabmeat Dumplings (RM12/3pieces)
Codfish Dumplings (RM12/3 pieces)
Chicken Xiao Loong Bau (RM10/4 pieces)
We started off with baskets of steamed dim sum: Crabmeat Dumplings, Chicken Xiao Loong Bau and Codfish Dumplings. Instead of the traditionally steamed Siew Mai, Chef Allan’s version was baked and topped with BBQ sauce. It’s certainly something different but the skewered dumplings turned out to be uniquely delicious! We love the Baked Snowskin Buns with BBQ Chicken too – warm, crusty and crumbly skin with tasty chicken chunks inside.
Baked Siu Mai (RM11/4 skewers)
Baked Snowskin Buns with BBQ Chicken (RM12/3 pieces)
Deep-fried Chives & Prawns Dumplings did not look very appealing initially but they were so good and once we bit into them, there was no stopping! We like the Stir-fried Radish Cake, tossed with eggs and crunchy beansprouts and big whiffs of “wok hei”!
Deep-fried Chives & Prawns Dumplings (RM10/3 pieces)
Stir-fried Radish Cake (RM10)
Prices of Dim Sum we had that morning ranged from RM7-RM12 per portion.
Besides Dim Sum, we just had to try Yuk Sou Hin’s ever-popular house special, their Signature Roast Duck specially smoked over fragrant lychee wood. We totally understand why this duck is so sought-after… crispy skin and tasty tender meat bound with a delicate smoky aroma, we couldn’t get enough of it.
Signature Roast Duck (RM45 half duck)
Still feeling puckish, we heeded the restaurant manager’s recommendation of their signature noodles, Fried Mian Xian. The silky noodles tossed with chicken slivers, eggs and fat crunchy Ipoh beansprouts left a comforting nudge in our stomachs. Ahh…but for a satisfying round-up to our brunch, Yuk Sou Hin’s famed Avocado Puree and Glutinous Sesame Balls did the job well.
Fried Mian Xian (RM37)
Glutinous Sesame Balls (RM12)
Avocado Puree (RM12/bowl)
Yuk Sou Hin’s cosy and stylish ambience makes it the perfect spot for a leisurely yum-cha session, away from the madding crowds that quite often describes other popular dim sum places in Ipoh. Service is attentive and pleasant and the best thing is that the food is cooked upon order and served piping hot from the kitchen. For more privacy, there are 8 private rooms in the restaurant.
YUK SOU HIN
Weil Hotel Ipoh
292 Jalan Sultan Idris Shah
30000 Ipoh
Website: http://www.weilhotel.com
Open daily – breakfast & lunch:
Monday-Saturday 10.30am-2.30pm
Sunday & Public Holiday 8.00am-2.30pm
Dinner: 6.00pm – 10.30pm