Entree Kibbles: Ipoh Dim Sum Galore - Restoran Foh San [富山茶楼]

If i have had my way, i would choose to have dim sum in all the three mornings i was in Ipoh. They were inexpensive, the variety was wide and dim sum was all about having breakfast in a relaxing manner!

So, for the second day running, i opted for dim sum but this time round, it was to patronise the competitor situated directly opposite Ming Court; Restoran Foh San.

In the blogosphere and online realm, there were many reviews of the two aforementioned dim sum joints and you often could find comparisons between the two. Recent reviews appeared to weigh better for Ming Court and here's where i come in to give my two-cent worth.

Note: for the three of us, we didn't manage to squeeze in as much as we want to and given the expansive dim sum menu, there is a chance that this review would not be as comprehensive. On the good side, at least you have a better idea on what to order and what not if you happen to visit the Ipoh in the near future.

Let me start with a general statement - the quality of dim sum was of a higher standard when compared to Ming Court and despite the higher pricing model, Foh San was much more generous with the "liao" (fillings), making the eating experience way more satisfying.

Even the worst of the lot could hardly be tagged as inedible in my dictionary; the fried prawn rolls above were just lacking in some unique excitement! Siew mai could have performed better with a softer texture.

Mom complained the char siew pau was too savoury although i personally found it to be tastefully made. It was only later that i discovered she only took the filling! Wah lau eh, no wonder lah! Eating it with the steamed dough would have balance out the savouriness.

Lor Mai Kai in a porcelain bowl.

Not too bad even though my pick would be the lor mai kai from Ming Court, which won with its signature wine soaked chicken that was superbly delicious!

Chee Cheong Fun.

The excellent thing about this was that it came with prawns; i was half expecting all chee cheong fun in Ipoh to be serve "filling free" after the waiter in Ming Court stared at me incredulously for asking if the chee cheong fun comes in prawns or char siew. I have to admit though that the sauce was uniquely superior in Ming Court.

Contained in such a delicate bowl, the heart was bumping on what goodness i could possible find inside this double skin steamed milk!

Embarrassingly, i treated it merely as a version of beancurd that was richer and milkier; a combination that strangely didn't appeal to me. For me, beancurd (tau huay) is always preferred over this Cantonese style dessert, which i could never get why people like it.

What i did like was the mango pudding! The consistency was amazingly compacted, resulting in a perception that you were getting more out of this pudding than other similar offerings by competitors. Shiokness to the max indeed!

My tiny stomach was already at the verge of surrendering at this moment yet i could not control my mouth when the auntie pushed the cart to my table and whimpered "okay, give me one".

I didn't regret as it was fantastic! Couldn't really describe the actual taste but it was a perfect combo of brinjal, fish paste, spring onions, onions drizzled with what seemed to be a mysterious sauce.

The lack of space didn't deter me from ordering a hot plate of steamed Chinese chestnut cake! On one hand, the crunch of fresh Chinese chestnuts was invigorating for an early morning; on the other hand, the texture could have been more solid. I would also prefer to have it cold.

There were many more i would wish to try! However, i had to leave it for my next trip to Ipoh. You should see my dad's black face when i suggested having dim sum again the next day. Guess he has had enough dim sum!

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