Busy days for popular restaurants around the city

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AS restaurants reopened for business after the Chinese New Year holidays, many were filled to the brim with patrons.

Both locals and people from outstation were seen lining up outside some of the more popular restaurants in Ipoh, waiting for seats or tables to be available.

At the Ming Court Restaurant on Jalan Leong Sin Nam, eager customers started waiting in line even before it opened for business at 6am.

A restaurant assistant, who declined to be named, said it was always full house during this time of the year.

“Many of the patrons are Ipoh folks who work outstation. They take the opportunity to savour their favourite food.

Long queue: Patrons waiting for seats outside the the Ming Court dim sum restaurant in Jalan Leong Sin Nam during the Chinese New Year period.

“We ran out of egg tarts even before 10am,” she told The Star.

Among the patrons were chicken rice seller Lim Fang Yin, 45, and her husband Goh Tow Seng, 53, who considered themselves lucky to have found a table.

“Just as we arrived at 9am, a family finished their breakfast and left.

“We knew it was going to be crowded but the delicious food is worth the hassle,” said the couple, who had travelled all the way from Kuantan.

Asked if they missed out on a lot of business by resting during Chinese New Year, Lim said there was a time for everything.

“We can always work but Chinese New Year is only once a year. Now is the time to relax and catch up with family and friends,” said Lim.

Patient visitors: Marcus (right) and Calvin waiting for seats at the Ming Court dim sum restaurant.

The couple shared their table with church worker Marcus Chan, his fianceé Tay Sim Yee and housemate Chai Kuen Keong.

Chan almost gave up waiting for seats until a waitress suggested to him to share tables with others.

“I certainly did not expect such a crowd, where people stand and wait at the table even as we eat,” said the 29-year-old, who had waited for a table for 30 minutes.

Chai, a real estate agent, said he was glad they were not turned away and forced to go elsewhere.

“Traffic is still rather heavy in the city area with a lot of cars from outstation.

“I thought there would be less people by now and that people would have already started to return to the cities to start work,” he added.

At the Thean Chun Coffee Shop in Ipoh Old Town, kai si hor fun (chicken rice noodles) seller Neow Ah Chye said business was extremely good in the two days he had reopened following the Chinese New Year break.

“On normal days I need about 15 whole chickens daily but now, I need an extra 10, which I order fresh from the Ipoh wet market,” said Neow, 69, who produces about 30 bowls of noodles with one chicken.

Neow said he had also temporarily stopped accepting orders for take away.

“There’s simply no time. Even now, customers have to wait an average 30 minutes before being served,” he said.

For mee goreng seller Mohd Ali Abu Baytha, 49, business had picked up by about 30% during the weekend.

“I had customers from as far as Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Singapore.

“Most of them were returning customers,” said Mohd Ali, who plies his trade in front of two coffee shops along Jalan Bijih Timah.