Kwai Fah Gou-BoxThorn-Kwai Fa Cakes.

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Tai Woo Hong Kong Dim Sum @ Ipoh Garden South

June 4, 2010 | 10,733 views

Tai Woo Hong Kong Dim Sum @ Ipoh Garden South – A dim sum restaurant with a twist.

Tai Woo Hong Kong Dim Sum has been operating since 2008 in Ipoh, but has gone under the radar for much of the duration. Previously they opened for a short 3 months stint in Sunway of Tambun, then proceeded to relocate to the current premise, right smack in the middle of Ipoh Garden South.

Xiao Long Bao aka Shanghai Soup Dumplings(RM4.50/USD1.40)

I previously wrote about the Xiao Long Bao’s from Dragon-i and Din Tai Fung, and a reader recommended this place for XLB (xiao long bao) in Ipoh. Truth be told, not many place serve XLB for dim sum, or Shanghai cuisine here in good old Ipoh. Hence my interest was piqued, and we found ourselves there for breakfast on a Sunday morning ….

The prices hover around RM4/USD1.20 per serving for the general dim sum (Har Gau/Fresh Prawn Dumplings and Boxthorn Siew Mai for RM3.50/USD1 each, Fishballs for two at RM2.80/USD0.85)

A quick glance around the restaurant revealed that the seating area is rather cramped. At its full capacity, the dim sum restaurant can probably seat only about 80 patrons, or maybe less. We found a vacant table without much hassle, and proceeded to be served with our choice of Chinese tea, and a laminated one-piece menu for our perusal.

Not one to be outdone with when it comes to choices, Tai Wooserves Siew Mai with Boxthorn (also known as wolfberry or ‘gei ji’), and also a version with Caviar Sharkfin (!!)

The menu covers about 60 items, including desserts. Noteworthy specials include Fresh Mango Rolls (RM3.80), various noodles and rice dishes from RM4.90 onwards, Thousand Layer Custard Cakes (RM3.00), Cheese Spring Rolls (RM3.80), Mango Prawn Rolls (RM4.00), Portuguese Chicken and many more.

Custard Buns (Nai Yau Bao) (3 for RM3.80/USD1.20) – A good choice, and thankfully not artificially-sweet nor sickening/cloying

Since there were only three of us, we did not go crazy with the orders. It’s easier than the usual dim sum restaurant system of seeing for yourself what they have on the trays they carry around. At Tai Woo, you just pick and point to the dim sum that strikes your fancy, and everything arrives piping hot on your table soon after.

Clockwise from top left : The thick skin encasing the fillings of the XLB marred the experience, the tuna yam fritters(RM4.00/USD1.20), the Mango Citrus Smoothies (Yong Zhi Kam Lou!!!) and Mango Prawn Rolls

The Xiao Long Bao did not manage to impress, sadly. The skin being too thick, and the warm savoury soup with minced pork fillings tasted rather bland in itself. But the other selections were okay, some that stood out include their signature Creamy Custard Buns, with oozing liquids from within. The rich egg-y taste was offset by the fluffy, and still warm ‘pao’.

I enjoyed the sweets more than the savouries at Tai Woo, really. A dessert which brought back memories of Hong Kong‘s “Yong Zhi Kam Lou” (Smooth & Creamy Mango dessert with pomelo), the version served at Tai Woo may pale in comparison to the ones in Hong Kong, but certainly something you can’t find that easily in the ‘tong sui’ (sweet soups) stalls in Ipoh.

The Kwai Fah Gou (RM3.80/USD1.20) is a jelly-like dessert that is not as famous nowadays, but warrant an order just for a moment of rendezvous amongst the older generations … ME included, of course.

All in all, the dim sum at Tai Woo might not be in the same league as Ming Court, Foh San, or Yoke Fook Moon, but still this simple one-lot outlet with air-conditioning should prove worthy of a visit or two. They’re opened for breakfast and lunch, and they even offer lunch sets at reasonable prices (around RM11-RM12 each, inclusive of a rice or noodle, drinks and desserts).

TAI WOO HONG KONG DIM SUM SDN BHD
22, Tingkat Taman Ipoh 11,
Ipoh Garden South,
31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 6017-256 1115 (Louise Khoo), 6012-237 8297 (Frankie Kwok)
Here’s a GOOGLE MAP to Tai Woo Hong Kong Dim Sum
Business hours : 7am – 3pm daily.

Directions : This restaurant is located on the same row as Bee Gaik Nyonya Restaurant, and facing the New Weng Fatt Kafethat serves a myriad of hawker food.