IPOH has a variety of Malaysian dishes, and you don't see too many Malaysian-focused restaurants in the bay area. A lot of options are meat/seafood-heavy, but they offer vegetable dishes as well. Just double check the ingredients, especially because they may include shrimp paste (belacan). My favorites are the roti canai with curry dipping sauce, salt & pepper crispy tofu, string beans belachan, and char koay teow. Everything is flavorful, maybe borderline salty, but still so delicious. I've dined in and done takeout plenty of times. With dining in, the service is nice and quick. The restaurant is quite spacious and good for large groups. With takeout, the staff properly packages and labels everything. IPOH Garden is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Millbrae.
Our char kway teow has good amount of shrimps and squid. Not oily and yet flavorful. The laksa is tasty with all the nice trimmings. We enjoyed these authentic style of cooking that are not widely available in the Bay Area. The owner was cheerful and very flexible as we request non-spicy for these noodles. He and the two female servers keep refilling our water, inquiring us without being intrusive. There was no rush at the end of the meal and further extended the courtesy suggest us to take our time to chat and eat more.
Ipoh Garden offers flavorful Malaysian dishes and a cozy dining experience. We ordered the seafood wat tan hor, roti canai, dry curry chicken, lychee juice, and a Malaysian iced tea. The wat tan hor was the highlight of the meal--rich, flavorful, and packed with tender shrimp, squid, and veggies in a savory egg gravy. The roti canai was another standout, with a buttery, flaky texture that paired perfectly with the curry sauce. It was so good, we ended up ordering another mid-meal. The dry curry chicken was tender and well-cooked, though the curry flavor was milder than expected. As for drinks, the Malaysian iced tea was delicious, similar to Thai tea with condensed milk. However, the lychee juice was disappointing--it tasted more like water with a faint hint of lychee. Service was good, but it seemed like there was only one waitress handling all the patrons. Overall, we'd come back for the roti, noodles, and to try more from their menu!
Ipoh had quickly become my family's go to restaurant for a quick pre- or post- SFO meal. It's a casual Malaysian restaurant located 10 min drive from SFO and walkable to the Millbrae BART station. One of the few Malaysian restaurants in the area, I find that Ipoh offers great bang for buck, and the usual classics like paratha, nasi lemak, and laksa really hit the spot. Perfect place to stop by on the way to the airport for a quick, quality meal.
I've been to this restaurant multiple times throughout the years and they have never disappointed! I have family in Ipoh and have been to Malaysia a few times and the food they serve here is extremely comparable in terms of taste, which speaks to the authenticity of the restaurant. The few Malaysian restaurants that are in the Bay don't even compare. Two items that we'll never shy away from are the Roti Canai and the Char Koay Teow. The roti is a perfect appetizer with it's crunchy and flaky texture paired exceptionally well with their irresistible curry. The Char Koay Teow is a staple in Malaysian cuisine found in pretty much all the hawker stations/food courts and I must say, it was an authentic experience that transported me straight to the bustling streets of Malaysia. The dish was perfectly cooked, with the flat rice noodles having just the right amount of chewiness. The smoky flavor from the high-heat stir-fry was spot on, giving it that signature "wok hei" that is so essential to authentic char koay teow. Overall, I think more people should come and try the true representation of Malaysian cuisine in the area. From the friendly and attentive service, to the authentic and delicious food that takes me back to Malaysia.
Excellent excellent. They do lots of takeout business so plenty of room in the restaurant on a weekday night. The service is so friendly and helpful! Waters were always full and food arrived hot. Roti - crispy flaky roti with nice and spicy curry sauce, must order. Char kway teow - classic done well. It's smoky and the noodles are plump and chewy. They include squid and shrimp that are tender and cooked well Big 3 Belachan - mostly beans, then eggplant and not too much okra, which for me was the perfect mix. Not too strong shrimp paste flavor, I honestly could've used more! Dry curry chicken - chicken is super tender and it's perfectly flavored/seasoned. Comes with some string beans and potato pieces. This is a nice portion too! Can't wait to come back to try more dishes.
I absolutely love IPOH! Every dish I've tried here is packed with flavor and cooked to perfection, with just the right touch of wok heat that elevates everything. I've visited many times, and not once have I been disappointed. Their eggplant balachan is an all-time favorite of mine--bursting with umami, perfectly tender, and balanced with just the right amount of spice. And don't even get me started on the seafood wat dan hor--it's creamy, silky, and loaded with seafood goodness. The service is great. The staff is consistently friendly and attentive, and the food comes out impressively fast--always piping hot and fresh from the kitchen. I also appreciate the interior. It's decorated with vibrant paintings and takes me straight to Malaysia. It's a lovely nod to the culture and adds a warm, nostalgic feel to the dining experience. IPOH is truly a gem--I can't recommend it enough! Whether you're a first-timer or a returning customer like me, you're bound to leave happy and full.
Great hainanese chicken, must try if you happen to drop by. The complimentary rice is cooked with chicken stock, making the texture slightly chewy. The Malay eggplant is also a sleeper pick, with fragrant aromas and a mildly crispy exterior. Navigation wise, it was very easy to miss the turn into the street, since the structure isn't well lit from the outside. Plenty of street parking with an additional parking lot across the street. The service is quick and efficient. The clientele is mostly Malay/Chinese, so you know the dishes will satisfy ethnic palates.
Monday night dinner service was surprisingly popping! With just one waitress taking orders, bringing out dishes, collecting payments, helping with takeout orders - wow, she was the house MVP! Everything was delicious and I would order them again: roti with curry sauce, chicken stay with peanut sauce, nasi lemak, char kway teow, and the ipoh white coffee! Portion sizes (other than the roti) were good for its prices. Support local by paying in cash!
The restaurant is conveniently located in downtown Millbrae. They have a long menu including appetizers, seafood, veggies, noodles and more. We got Char Kway Teow, Hainanese Chicken with Rice, and Salt and Pepper Tofu. The Char Kway Teow is a very popular stir fried rice noodle dish in Malaysia. The noodles were wide and nicely seasoned with soy sauce and topped with shrimp, eggs, and onions etc. The Hainanese chicken was super tender and juicy. It came with two dipping sauces - a garlic sauce and a chili sauce. The chicken rice was lightly salted and had a hint of chicken stock. The salt and pepper tofu was crispy outside and soft inside. This dish was a little too salty for me, so I think it would be better to pair it with white rice rather than noodles or chicken rice. As someone who lived in Singapore for many years, I think the food here was pretty authentic! I'd recommend to anyone who likes southeast Asian food. (The pictures were taken after we started eating for a while :) )