We were shopping in Ipoh Parade when I saw this familiar signboard of Lam Fong Yuen, a very popular and famous old-school Cha Chan Teng in Hong Kong. As I have not been to Hong Kong for at least 4 years, I was very keen to try their food to see if it is the same as the one in Hong Kong
The Lam Fong Yuen in Hong Kong was founded in 1952 but the signboard at this outlet states 1986 so I am not so sure if they are somewhat related. At first glance, other than the name, they are visibly very different as the Hong Kong shop is a traditional Cha Chaan Teng whereas this outlet looks more like a modern cafe
The decor in the restaurant tries to replicate some Hong Kong-styled atmosphere with neon signboards which is a typical sight in the streets of Hong Kong and using the primary colours of red and green which are also used in the original Hong Kong shop
I tried asking the staff if the 2 shops were related but did not get a confirmation and there were no articles online stating any relationship so I decided to just take it as a standalone Hong Kong Cha Chaan Teng. The menu was colourful and served a variety of Hong Kong favourites like thick toast, Hong Kong Milk tea, cheese-baked rice, luncheon meat instant noodles, wanton noodles and more. You can also find some local delights here like fish soup or salted egg chicken rice
As it was in between meal times, we only ordered a few key items for taste testing. First up was milk tea since my expectations were high. As they used the name of Lam Fong Yuen who is known for the best milk tea in Hong Kong, they should make sure the milk tea was good even if they are not related to the original shop. Luckily the milk tea was decent with a thick and smooth milky consistency and the nice fragrant flavours of red tea. It was quite close to the original milk tea I tried in Hong Kong. The ice chocolate is a disappointment as it was quite diluted with only a chocolate taste but with no milky smoothness to the chocolate drink at all
The other item we ordered was the thick French toast with condensed milk and milo powder topping. At first glance, the toast was gorgeous and it is really quite difficult to mess up a toast which is a combination of milo and condensed milk. As expected, the toast did not disappoint; the lava centre flowed through when you cut into the toast mixing with the milo powder making it a decadent chocolatey treat. The French toast also provided a nice eggy flavour to the bread which all combined nicely with the condensed milk and milo topping
The last item we ordered was the pork chop bun which looks presentable but was quite lacking in substance. The bread was well-toasted after being buttered which gives the bun a nice buttery flavour. The pork chop was almost paper thin and you cannot taste much of it since the fresh lettuce and fried egg overpowered the pork chop. This was not authentic as the original pork chop buns in Hong Kong have huge juicy pork chops so this was a huge disappointment
Overall, the toast and the milk tea were nice but the other 2 items were disappointing, I did not try their hot dishes which could be nice as I did see other people ordering them. The environment is also comfortable and nice for chilling out. If you are just looking for a cafe with some Hong Kong delights but not expecting the food to taste just like the ones in Hong Kong, this cafe is right for you
Address: Ipoh Parade, F22, 1st Floor, 105, Jalan Sultan Abdul Jalil, Greentown, 30450 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10 am to 10 pm
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