Foh Sum Ipoh Dim Sum

Today, I can't agree more that Foh Sum Ipoh Dim Sum probably serves the best dim sum in Malaysia. A Ipoh friend told me that, Foh Sum initially was good in the 90s, then the quality & service start to deteriorated, then improved again. I guess some of the famous restaurant will have to go through this cycle. As of my visit to Foh Sum today, their dim sum was good and fresh, and the speed of service is excellent (dimsum is no fun when orders are served with lots of delays)

Now let me explain why IMHO that Foh Sum probably serves the best dimsum in Malaysia (and I ain't bragging because I have eaten dimsum in HK), with my 3 step tests. My first check (probably the most important test) is always the steam items, and my favorite test is the dimsum and hargau (shrimp dumpling) test, check the skin and size, inferior dimsum have very thick skin and low quality fillings, i.e. small and not fresh shrimps, which makes the dining experience ala eating powder dough.

Next observation, is how firm is the skin, inferior dimsum usually have soggy skin that is over steamed, and the steam items from both of these tests, have firm skin that does not break easily and it's not too thick that overwhelm the contents. In my dimsum dining experience, if any dimsum restaurant fails the steam item test, you can very much eat the pau and don't bother to return.

Test 2, having pass the steam item test, the next test is the fried items test which is fairly easy to spot. Always check how much oil residue, and remember, you are there to eat the food, not the oil residue. Just put the items on a piece of tissue paper and the result is self explanatory. Should the fried stuff have very little residue, it is good stuff, which means that, the kitchen hand, have the items fried at an optimum temperature and duration, which many chefs will agree that, optimum temperature and duration brings the best out of any fried items, needless to say Foh Sum passes with flying colors.

For the final test, check the "unique offering" items, ask the waiter what is their specialty and let her do her selling. This test will allow the chefs to demonstrate their creative skills. While this test is subjective, but it is also self explanatory, if the items are really unique, not only it taste good, you won't find it elsewhere and it will keep you puzzled on how on earth it was done. For this test, you are not short of choice, and provided there is enough space in your stomach, and you have no fear for glut, DIG IN!

Overall, my personal ratings is that, Foh Sum is within the class of high quality dimsum restaurant, IMHO, at par (or above) with many premium dimsum restaurants in Klang Valley or the last dimsum restaurant I had in HK.

*ps. ironically Foh Sum Dim Sum is famous for the charsiew pau and loh mai kai, which usually is reserved as the last item when test 1, 2 and 3 fails to fill up your stomach.