Foh San (富山) Restaurant is the most popular Dim Sum maker in Ipoh, the food heaven of Malaysia. Dim Sum (Cantonese pronunciation) is a Chinese cuisine originated in Guangdong China and then popularized in Hong Kong. Now you can find this delicacy in almost every city in the world that have Chinese population. And one of the top 5 foods to try in Ipoh is also Dim Sum.

Foh San Restaurant was first started as a small coffee shop selling Dim Sum in old town of Ipoh and now evolved as one of the best Dim Sum maker in Malaysia. It is now located in New Town of Ipoh at No. 51, Jalan Leong sin Nam, 30300 Ipoh, Perak. It is extremely crowded on Sunday and public holidays. I had to wake up as early as 5AM in order to be able to get a table!

At 6AM in the morning when the sky is still dark, patrons gather outside its entrance gate waiting for its opening every day.

At around 6:15Am when the restaurant opens, we were among the first to get in. Dining areas are split into 2 levels. The upper level is still not open yet. I went up to take a look.

At 6:30Am, the upper floor is still empty. After 7:30AM, this area was fully occupied.

A very nice decor on the staircase wall. Four huge picture frames with Chinese poems written on paper.

Let me explain what Dim Sum is first. Dim Sum is a generic term describing those Chinese foods that are either steamed or fried and served in small little steamer baskets or plates. Some of the popular Dim Sum dishes include Shrimp Dumpling, Shaomai, meat filled buns, rice noodle rolls, chicken feet, meatballs, steamed glutinous rice, Chinese radish cake, egg tart, fried dumpling and more. They are normally eaten together with a pot of Chinese tea as breakfasts.

Ground floor of Foh San Restaurant was starting to fill up with patrons at as early as 6:25AM!

Before starting to have any Dim Sum, a pot of Chinese tea must be ordered first, as part of the old Chinese cuisine culture. Full varieties of Dim Sum’s in little steamer baskets that stacked high on a trolley are then pulled out from the kitchen by waitresses. Being strolled tables after tables, patrons can pick whichever Dim Sum they like and waitress will put them on their table.

Salad Shrimp fritters is always one of my favourite Dim Sum.

Fried Chinese radish cake with bean sprouts and spring onion. This is something unique here in Foh San. Uhmm.. delicious!!

Different trolleys carry different varieties of Dim Sum’s. Sometimes you couldn’t help but would have picked too much to finish! By that time, your table would have stacked with steamer baskets!

Foh San Restaurant is especially famous for its Roasted-pork-stuffed steamed bun. You couldn’t leave without having one at least.

Not only shrimp dumplings and fried radish cake, patrons can also choose something lighter such as pork and century egg porridge.

Rice noodle rolls is also one of the favourite Dim Sum variety. They are either filled with shrimp or pork and served in plate with 3 rolls.

Price per dish or plate is from RM1.60 (USD0.50) to RM6.00 (USD2.00) which is cheap in international standard. The quality of its foods is top-notch.

While we were still enjoying the delicacies, looking out to windows behind me, the sky was starting to brighten up.

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We left Foh San Restaurant at 7:30AM.  If you compare this photo with the 1st photo on top, with an hour difference, the restaurant was already fully occupied, either Ground or 1st floor. Anyone visiting Malaysia must plan for a trip to Ipoh to try its Dim Sum and also other local special foods in Ipoh. The only comment from me is there are many other Dim Sum restaurants around Foh San on the same street or nearby streets. Competitions are tough and all of them have their own fans.

What’s my verdict?

• Environment: Good   √ √ √ √
• Foods Quality: Excellent √ √ √ √ √
• Photo Opportunity: Good √ √ √ √
• Accessability: Average √ √ √
  
• Affordability: Good √ √ √ √

• Overall Travel Score : 80%

• Verdict: One of the best Dim Sum maker in Malaysia, especially Ipoh. No visit to Ipoh would be complete without trying it here. Location is easy to find in new town as the area has many Dim Sum restaurants and Foh San Restaurant is also very unique with nice architecture design. However, able to find the restaurant doesn’t guarantee parking and tables availability. Crowds are tremendous and you may need to go there as early as 7AM to avoid disappointment! – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel photo blog