Ipoh Food and Attractions

Explore Ipoh: Enjoy good food at any time

Good food, good atmosphere, good price and more good food! You’ll discover good food from every nook and cranny in Ipoh. Since this capital of Perak has a high percentage of Chinese residents, visitors would find abundance of Chinese food available – hawker stalls or even high-end restaurants serving scrumptious and mouth-watery delicacies.

Ipoh Synonymous with food

Ipoh is remembered for good food because one would have noticed the number of day trippers flocking to the city during weekend just to get a taste of delectable delights to tempt their palate.

Ipoh Bean Sprouts Chicken

The famous Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken is to die for and be there early or else you’ll have to wait to get a table. Ask any locals and most probably they’ll tell you that eating bean sprout chicken for dinner is something you should not miss. For those who have no idea what exactly is bean sprout chicken, here it goes – chicken meat dipped in gravy (usually served with soy sauce and sesame oil) and a plate of crunchy bean sprout.

To maintain the original taste of chicken and ensure that the meat is tender, the meat is cooked in a simple method but would be dipped in cold water thereafter. A bowl of Ipoh Hor Fun (flat noodle) usually goes with bean sprout chicken. The flat noodle in Ipoh tastes different from other states. There are several famous restaurants offering bean sprout chicken such as Lou Wong and Onn Kee along Jalan Raja Muda Aziz. But locals prefer Cowan Street Restaurant along Jalan Raja Ekram as it serves the best bean sprout chicken.

Other popular foods around Ipoh

If you intend to spend a few days in Ipoh just to satisfy your taste bud with an extensive array of good food, remember to wake up early in the morning to dine at Foh San Restaurant for the best dim sum in town. Formerly located along Jalan Dato Tahwil Azar, the restaurant relocated to a new location at Jalan Leong Sin Nam to accommodate the growing number of customers.

Among some of the must try dishes are Char Siew Pau (soft steamed bun with delicious roasted pork filling), Loh Mai Kai (glutinous rice cooked to perfection with chicken, mushroom and Chinese sausage filling), fried dumpling, Siew Mai, Har Gau and turnip cake. Hakka Mee with more than 50 years history located along Jalan Sultan Iskandar Shah is yet another local dish you should not miss. The springy noodle served with minced-pork topping and soya sauce is served together with Yeung Tau Foo and fish ball.

And located on the very same street is yet another dish you would die for – Curry Mee. Xin Quan Fang Restaurant or more commonly known as Ma Ta Liu Curry Mee (due to its location nearby the police station) serves the noodle with sides of chicken, pork or char siew that comes together with special dipping sauce. Another of Ipoh’s famous curry noodle is available at Yee Fatt located along Jalan Kampar (opposite Methodist Girls’ School). Besides the tasty dry curry noodle served with secret blend of spices, the restaurant has included new dishes on the menu such as Chee Cheong Fun and Glutinous Rice to offer more options to customers.

White Coffee in Ipoh

Your trip to Ipoh is not complete without heading over to the Old Town for a cup of freshly brewed White Coffee. Well, if you like those ‘3 in 1’ White Coffee packaging available in supermarket, this is even better. This freshly brewed white coffee is roasted with margarine with other added ingredients such as grounded wheat and oat.

If you are craving for a healthier and aromatic white coffee, head over to Sin Yoon Loong, Nam Heong or Sun Yuan Foong (located along Jalan Bandar Timah). Again, be there early to get a table. Hoong Tho Restaurant located few shops away from Nam Heong is famous among locals for quality and great food such as noodle dishes, fried wantan and even pastries (egg tart and traditional biscuits). The crispy fried wantan is served with self-made sweet, sour and spicy sauce. Another must order dish is Sang Har Mee (fried egg noodle with prawns). Served with at least six big freshwater prawns, the braised fried noodle comes together with thick gravy.

A wide variety of other cuisine too

If you are done with Chinese food, here are some recommendations for delicious Western cuisines. First stop, head over to Michelangelo’s Pizzeria for some good pizza. The Baby Back Ribs Pizza with melted mozzarella, caramelized onions and smoked grilled back ribs topping is the one dish you have to try.

And finally, head over to the award-winning Indulgence Restaurant serving wide variety of European cuisines. If you are craving for something sweet, go for Belissa as the fluffy pancake is topped with milk chocolate and honeycomb. Other highly recommended cuisines are Boxed in and Cherry Soufflé. If this is your first trip to Ipoh to try all good food, here’s a little tip for you – wake up early and get to the restaurant first thing in the morning, or else poof! The food is gone.

Unique and bizarre limestone caves in Ipoh

Reputed as the country’s limestone wonders, Ipoh has some of the most impressive caves formed by shimmering stalactites and stalagmites since million years ago. Exploring one of the caves in Ipoh is simply an unforgettable experience that you’ll remember in years to come.

The enchanting Gua Tempurung

For instance, you’ll be enchanted upon entering the country’s largest natural limestone underground cavity – Gua Tempurung. You’ll be amazed as you see the five humongous domes with own unique stalactites and stalagmites and marbles. You can easily spend up to four hours in this cave as it stretches over two kilometres deep. This wondrous cave has a tunnel with endless rock formations.

Mount Lanno for seasoned cavers Experienced cavers should buckle up and head over to the longest cave located within Mount Lanno – Puncak Cave. The second largest cave chamber in Peninsular, this phenomenal cave with a length of over 1.5 kilometres is popular among avid cave explorers because of the superb speleological wonders and the amazing formations of stalactites and stalagmites such as ‘growing stalactites’ and ‘straws formations’.

Sam Poh Tong Temple among the oldest

Sam Poh Tong Temple discovered in 1912 is a popular natural limestone cave temple located about five kilometres south of Ipoh. The cave is especially crowded during Chinese New Year because devoted Buddhists would be there to give offerings. Unlike any other caves in Ipoh, the unique formations of stalactites and stalagmites here intertwined with statues of Buddha in Sam Poh Tong.

Discovered by a monk from China in 1890, the cave remained as his home for meditation for years before other nuns and monks decided to keep the cave temple running. Sam Poh Tong is not only a cave temple because there are other attractions such as a Japanese pond full of Japanese carps and tortoises (symbolizes longevity). And to get to the top for breathtaking views of Ipoh, visitors must first climb 246 steps that lead to the open cave.

Cave of Great Happiness

Kek Lok Tong Temple or more commonly known as the Cave of Great Happiness is located somewhere not far away from the famous Sam Poh Tong. Even though it is not as well known as Sam Poh Tong, the temple is still worth visiting. Set in a big cave right behind Gunung Rapat, the construction of this lovely temple completed around 1970s. And similar to Sam Poh Tong, this temple has some wonderful works of art with various statues of Buddha and glistening stalactites and stalagmites. You’ll definitely enjoy the fresh cool air with picturesque views of lotus pond.

The spectacular Tong Temple

Perak Tong Temple is yet another spectacular limestone cavern housing more than 40 beautiful statues of Buddha. Built in 1926, the main attraction in this huge cave is none other than the 12.8 metres Buddha statue. The cave here is not only catered to experienced cave explorers because the passage that leads you to the interior is safe for family with kids to walk. As you stroll into the interior, take some time to see the mystical mural paintings on the walls. Well, if you have the time, you should climb 385 steps to reach the top where you get to enjoy a magnificent view of countryside.

Gua Tambun for a scenic sunset

You can expect a scenic sunset view of Ipoh City as you climb among high hill peaks of Gua Tambun. The cave was made popular following the discovery of a 5,000-year -old Neolithic rock paintings. Believed to be etched by early dwellers that came to Peninsular, you won’t be disappointed with the drawings on the walls. If you look closely at the drawings, you’ll notice pictures of wild boar, tapir and men. Some other drawings are indistinguishable so maybe, you should use your imagination to interpret the paintings.

Limestones at Gunung Lang Recreational Park

And finally, your journey to the limestone wonders in Ipoh ends right here at Gunung Lang Recreational Park. You’ll feel relaxed sitting by the beautiful lake enjoying superb views of limestone hills. A saunter around the two kilometres long walk will de-stress your mind. Other than the amazing views of limestone hills and lakes, the cascading waterfall and abundance of blooming flowers is also charming.

Science museum in Ipoh

Ipoh has been known to have a long history of traditions and culture. It has a prominent royal tradition and is known for its great food offerings.

Marvel at the Scientific exhibition

Forget about the exhibition of the rare antique pieces and traditional costumes in the museum. Instead, head over to geological museum located along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah in Ipoh. The museum displays a wide range of minerals and ores samples that were once found in the state. Geologists who would like to find out more about tin mining industry in the state of Perak, this is the best place to start digging deeper into the history and the importance of such minerals to Perak.

History of the Science Museum

First opened its door in 1957, the museum is relatively famous among local folks for exhibiting some of the best cassiterite specimens in the world.

Besides that, you can also expect a full range collection of stones and rock specimens as well as fossils gathered and collected in the last few decades. On top of that, you will see samples collected from local grounds such as:

  1. Sulphur
  2. monazite
  3. alluvium
  4. gold
  5. corundum
  6. calcite
  7. coal
  8. galena
  9. iron
  10. tungsten
  11. hematite
  12. copper
  13. wolframite.

All you have to do is to get behind the wheel and start driving along North-South Expressway and exit at Ipoh Selatan Toll. The impressive museum is on your left as you drive along to the town.

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