Bee Gaik Dining Place - Nyonya/Chinese Cuisine here in Ipoh

Lazy Sunday .... Spent half a day at Lost World of Tambun in Sunway City, and came back utterly disappointed. Compared to Sunway Lagoon, or Genting Theme Park, this so-called 'attraction' in Ipoh is a crying shame. Paying RM25 for merely TWO dry rides, and some random slides and pool, just wont cut it. And you still have to rent the float for two, at an additional RM12, and the locker at RM10. Parking's at RM1. If you're seeing numbers, I'm seeing stars ..... *_*

Bee Gaik Dining Place - Serving authentic nyonya and chinese food in Ipoh

Backtrack a week or two ago, we went for a family dinner at Bee Gaik, over in Ipoh Garden South. It's been some time since we've visited, most recent memory involved family outing with grandpa, who's been watching over us from above for a good 15 years now.

Two floors of dining, in a comfortable air-conditioned seating area, albeit lacking in terms of tables and space

Since then, Bee Gaik has reinvented itself into a household name of sorts, providing catering services on top of dining pleasure. But if you're coming here on a weekend or a public holiday, be sure to book a table, else risk wailing away .... I mean, waiting away. And the scarce number of tables somewhat forced most patrons to be seated upstairs. If you're with an elderly, you know how much a hassle that'll be ....

Kapitan Chicken (RM13)

We relented and trusted the waitress' recommendations. Mostly signature dishes from their rather extensive menu, covering mostly Nyonya-style cooking, and some Chinese dishes. The Kapitan chicken resembled dry curry chicken, with chunks of chicken thighs and wings cooked in the slightly spicy, fragrant, piquant and delicious gravy. Do not be deterred by the fiery orange colour of the curry, the chicken can be stomached even by toddlers.

Bean Sprouts with Salted Fish (RM6)

Crunchy, fat bean sprouts ... Ipoh's style, stir-fried lightly with some crispy salted fish. A simple dish for those who have a love-hate relationship with greens, yet guilty enough to not avoid their fibre intake. Sprinkled with some chopped spring onions, the 'taugeh' served their intention well; polished off in mere minutes.

Curry Asam Fish Head (RM24)

One of their top-seller, the curry asam fish head managed to deliver, with chunks of fish head and meat cooked in the sumptuous gravy, not too spicy, yet fiery and tangy enough to tantalize that tastebud. With generous servings of brinjals, ladies' fingers, onions, tau-pok (beancurd) and tomatoes, nobody can put down this dish as completely NOT healthy. Drench/pour those lip-smacking gravy onto your plate of fluffy white rice, and savour away ....

Tung Po Yuk (Braised FAT! Pork Belly with Sauce) (RM12)

If you're thinking, how can a Nyonya restaurant serves good Chinese dishes, you're wrong. Their Tung Po Yuk is marvellous. Two thumbs up to the unassuming, simple yet brimming with flavour dish. The pork was not as scaringly FAT as I may prefer, with lean meat dominating the portion, but the melt-in-mouth texture of the upper layer of pork skin was very addictive. And even the leaner part was tender enough to require lesser-chewing.

Soak them up with the 'mantou' served with the dish

And the soft 'mantou' (white buns) are meant to be dipped/dunked/soaked with the delicious gravy, not wasting every single drop of the glistening, brownish-gold juices. I'm salivating now, still remembering the combination of flavour that worked so well.

But I've always been a PORKY-type of guy, loving everything porky, hence existed the slight bias. Sue me.

There are so many dishes that I wanted to point and order erratically, but I managed to hold my horses. There's always another visit down the line .... right?

Location : BEE GAIK DINING PLACE @ 10-10A, Tingkat Taman Ipoh 11, Ipoh Garden South, 31400 Ipoh. Tel No : 05-546 8601. Closed on Tuesdays. Operating hours : 11.30am-3.00pm, 6.00pm-10.00pm.