Dim sum is a must-eat whenever I’m in Ipoh, and we recently checked out Yum Cha House Dim Sum based on what we found on Google. Like most popular dim sum spots in Ipoh, it’s best to arrive early if you want a table quickly.
8am crowd at Yum Cha House Dim Sum
We got there before 8am on a Monday (public holiday) and already, the Yum Cha House Dim Sum was crowded. Fortunately, there wasn’t a queue yet, so we were given a table almost immediately. Shortly after we were seated, there was a waiting line outside but despite the chaos, I thought service was friendly and efficient.
Dim sum staples
Yum Cha House Dim Sum offers a decent variety of steamed and fried dim sum – the staff will come around your table with trays of dim sum for you to pick. Things (and people) move quickly here, like any other popular dim sum house in Ipoh. So we quickly pointed out what we wanted such as siew mai, har gow, steamed fish ball and char siew pau to start.
Deep-fried yam puff
Char siew pau
Deep fried yam puff (RM6.80 for 3) is a must-have for me when it comes to fried dim sum and Yum Cha House Dim Sum does it the way I like – thick and sweet with plenty of pork bits. Jien however, didn’t enjoy it as much because he prefers his filling to be more savoury. The same filling was used for the char siew pau (RM7 for 2) and oven-baked bun, which the girls and I enjoyed.
Oven-baked char siew bun
Siew never
Har you
Yum Cha House Dim Sum’s siew mai (RM7.60 for 3) and har gow (RM9 for 3) are quite good. I find these better than Chooi Yue, which the locals seem to support. The signature dumpling (RM8 for 3) is crisp at the bottom and generously filled with minced pork.
Signature dumpling
Steamed fish balls
Deep-fried prawn roll
Deep fried prawn roll was fresh from the fryer upon serving so it was light and crispy. I also liked that the filling had a good bite from the prawn paste. Despite it being deep fried, the prawn roll wasn’t greasy.
Crispy water chestnut cake
I’ve never seen water chestnut cake outside of Hong Kong and was surprised to see it here (RM6.30 for 3), albeit a “modernized” version – wrapped with a layer of wanton skin and deep-fried instead of the usual steamed water chestnut cake. This I felt didn’t do justice to the cake as the overall mouthfeel was heavy.
Pork congee
Chee cheong fun is usually my go-to option when having dim sum but I decided to go with the pork congee (RM5) instead, as it was a rainy morning. Not fantastic, but good enough given the chilly weather. That said, I reckon chee cheong fun would be a better bet here.
Portuguese egg tarts
They also serve Portuguese egg tarts on top of other sweet dim sum items such as salted egg yolk pau, “malaigoh” and regular egg tart. We only tried the Portuguese egg tart and it was not too bad – flaky tart base and smooth egg custard at the centre.
Overall, we enjoyed Yum Cha House Dim Sum. While the dim sum isn’t as good as Ming Court, the ambiance is relatively comfortable and food overall is decent. My only gripe is the size of the dim sum – they are larger than Ming Court so it’s difficult to try more items.
The crowd outside Yum Cha House Dim Sum as we were leaving. This was just past 8.30am!
Our bill came up to RM180 for all the above, including two takeaway boxes of Portuguese egg tarts (if I’m not mistaken, it’s RM2.40 per piece). Prices are a tad higher for Ipoh standard, but I guess given the size of each dim sum, it’s somewhat fair. They are really strong on Google reviews but I also suspect it’s because they offer a “discount” when customer leaves a five star review for them.
*I did not leave a Google review nor was I given a discount or free meal for this review.
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Ambiance: 6.5/10
Price: 6.5/10
Food: 7/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: Friendly service and generous portions. Best to go before 8am, or else, wait in line for a table.
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Yum Cha House Dim Sum Huali Lou Dim Sum
79A, Jalan CM Yusuff,
30250 Ipoh.
Tel: 012-996 6136
Business hours: 6.30am till 2.30pm
(closed Tuesday)
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