Ipoh has been one of my favourite pitstops to make when I’m on the way to Penang, as there’s quite a bit to eat and see in this bustling town. My regular spots include Pasir Pinji’s yong tau fu, Ipoh white coffee at Sun Yin Loong and claypot glass noodles at Rasa Lain.
We recently tried Sun Marpoh for dinner — a recommendation by my good friend who does similar pitstop sessions when he’s on the way to his hometown in Penang. The restaurant was rather packed on a Friday night, a promising sign that the food is good.
Full house
Portions aren’t very big here, so rif and I got to order more dishes to try. Between the two of us, we shared a deep fried pork knuckle, house special tofu, brinjal with minced pork and a claypot pork belly with salted fish. But then again, I’m a really big eater so this portion is good for 3-4 pax. ;)
Deep fried pork knuckle
The pork knuckle came with a brown based gravy and fried mantau buns for dipping. While I would have preferred a more interesting gravy, it did go well with the pork knuckle as some parts of the meat were dry.
Kwai Fei Tofu
I didn’t think the Kwai Fei tofu was anything to shout about though my friend insists it’s good stuff. It could just be me who felt that way, as every other table that night had the same tofu dish too. It did taste very homely though, so I reckon that might be the selling point.
Brinjal with minced pork
I liked the brinjal with minced pork better as there was a good balance between pork and brinjal. The brinjal pieces were cooked just right so they were tender, not mushy.
Claypot pork belly with salted fish
Claypot pork belly with salted fish translates to “ham yue fah lam poh”, I think. Don’t quote me for the Cantonese version because my Chinese is pathetic. This went well with rice but I feel it lacks “wok hei” and aroma.
Dinner came up to about RM70 for the above which I feel is pretty reasonable considering the amount we ordered. That said, I wasn’t bowled over by the food.
Sun Marpoh Restaurant
No. 67-69, Jalan Dato Lau Pak Khuan,
Taman Ipoh, 31400 Ipoh, Perak.
Tel: 05-5455127
Business Hours: 11.30am till 3pm, 5.30pm till 10pm
(off days uncertain)