It is very heartening for me see young Ipohites coming home to roost and for a Foodie like me, right down my alley – opening restaurants – bringing with them their expertise gleaned from running restaurants in other parts of the world. Kent Lim is one of these enterprising young people, coming back to Ipoh from Ireland where he had a restaurant and opening CI YI Claypot Restaurant in Bercham.
And what a perfect time too to be running a restaurant in Ipoh, what with all the international media beating a path to our doors, raving about our great food, our wonderful touristic potential and in general making Ipoh the “In” place to visit.
With CIYI restaurant, you’ll have a meal with a difference, a selection of different types of claypot dishes, each in a size serving at least two people. Like the Lamb pot, deliciously aromatic and tender lamb ribs braised with bean curd skin RM38.80; the pork ribs with ginger slices RM29.90; the Pork Rib Soup which Ken promises no MSG that was totally divine at RM29.90 and the Patin fish Claypot at RM36.80. I would have ordered more like the Sea Cucumber claypot at RM88 and the abalone claypot at RM118; but being only six at the table we had to slow down as the best was yet to come.
For the braised dishes, after all the goodies were emptied, the soup which came in thermos flasks, was then poured in, the fires started under the claypots and the steamboat fun begins. With 55 options of side dishes to choose from, you can spend a very long evening indeed (as we did) going back and forth to select yet another side dish to cook in the delicious broth. Prices range from RM1.80 to RM6.80. And did I mention the 12 types of noodles including some very delicious Yee Meen which eaten with the broth and vegetables brought us all to culinary heaven. They also have the Teochew meatballs which is fish paste stuffed with minced meat inside.
You can also take breaks in between all this eating to admire and perhaps even to purchase the art adorning the walls of the restaurant as well as the gallery upstairs.
No. 66A, Jalan Bercham Taman Ria, Taman Seri Dermawan, 31400 Ipoh. Tel.: 05 541 7973 Operation hours: 11.30am-2.30am, 5pm-11pm. Open 24/7.
