Lim Kopi @ Ipoh Old Town, Malaysia

In clashing colors of red and white, Lim Kopi is a fashionable “kopitiam” that’s hard to miss on Hugh Low Street.  The cafe has a fun name – Lim Kopi (啉咖啡), where the pronunciation of “Lim” (林) refers to the surname of the owner, at the same time the written word of “Lim” (啉) refers to the action of drinking.

I like the splendid Baba & Nyonya tiles and the use of mirrors on the wall – a feature that seems to be prominent in many old timers’ kopitiam such as Kong Heng or Yut Kee (in KL).

The kitchen is very visible to the patrons – probably one of the best ways to keep the kitchen staff on their toes.

My favorite part of the cafe is the sky well where natural light beams into the traditional space with a small garden of greens and marvelous tiles.

The “Special 5 Noodle” is one of the signature dishes (RM 9.80) – with BBQ pork, pork skin, prawn, chicken shreds and braised chicken foot, with the choice of noodles from bee hoon, yellow mee, wantan noodle, hor fun, lai fun and lou shu fun.

Indeed the noodle is quite special, adapting from the famous “gei si hor fun” of Ipoh or shredded chicken noodles which usually comes with chicken & prawn only, and gave it a twist with the additional happy medley of ingredients immersed in a lightly herbal broth.   All the ingredients were flavorsome except for the BBQ pork which was a bit dull.  

Bathed in thick piquant curry gravy, Gary’s “Triple Meat Curry Noodles” (RM 7.30) consist of BBQ pork, roast pork and shredded chicken with his favorite noodle mix of yellow noodles and bee hoon.  The pork items though need a bit of improvement – the BBQ pork was dull and the roast pork would have been great with a crisp skin.

Simple soft-boiled eggs.

The white coffee wasn’t my favorite, thought it had a sour note, but then I am probably biased because I am hooked to the white coffee from Sin Yoon Loong.

The egg custard (RM 4.00) was light in texture, almost cheesy instead of eggy, and the caramalized sugar with a subtle bitterness made me finished the dessert in no time.

The herbal jelly (RM 3.60) was not bad, but nothing too special about it.

On a side note, Lim Kopi’s first floor is sometimes used as an art gallery for exhibitions so if you like art, Lim Kopi could be the place for you to enjoy enjoy an afternoon filled with arts, and the comfort of local food.  

More Information

Lim Kopi Facebook
Address : 10 Jalan Sultan Iskandar, 30000 Ipoh, Perak
Opening Hours : 7 am – 5pm, closed on Mondays.
Tel : +605 253 2898