IPOH, Sept 3 — Malaysians love their food.

So much so they do not mind going the extra mile just to savour a portion of mouth-watering delicacies.

They have no qualms queuing up, sometimes for hours, just to get food that is rated highly by the people.  

All this, however, came to an abrupt end with the dawning of the Covid-19 pandemic when authorities banned travel to stem the spread of the virus.

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This effectively stopped Malaysians from travelling in search of good food especially in other states.

But thanks to courier companies, some of our favourite foods are still available for ordering via online platforms.

Take for instance, Bercham’s Restoran Loke Yuen that is famous for their pau and dim sum.

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Ng Chun Phang said they decided to turn to sending their products after receiving requests from outstation customers who could not travel to Ipoh to have their food.

The 31-year-old, who makes pau and dim sum at the restaurant, said he together with his girlfriend Leong Mun Leng and older brother Ng Chan Nam, decided to start selling the delicacies via online platforms in May.

Chun Phang said to ensure freshness, their products are made on order and sent out two days later.

“Depending on the quantity ordered, we use either insulant bags or styrofoam boxes to send via cold chain transporters,” he said, adding that due to schedules with the transporters, they could only send their products every Monday to Thursday.

Besides the restaurant’s famous pau like char siew pau, nam yu pau and choy pau, Chung Phang said they also have dim sum like har gow, siew mai and lor mai kai or fried products such as sar kok liew.

“All in all, we have at least 30 varieties to choose from,” said Leong.

Leong, 27, said each packet of their products contained five pieces.

“Our product is best consumed within one month after receiving it,” she said, adding that to date, the furthest they had sent their product to is Singapore.

Besides pau, the trio also offer festive food on their list.

Chan Nam said during the Dragon Boat Festival or Duan Wu Jie in June, they offered dumplings on their page.

They also sold gong zai peng (mooncake biscuits) made by housewives wanting to supplement their family income.

Those interested to purchase their product can search for them at Pau or Bao Ipoh on Lazada or Ipoh Bercham New Paradise on Shopee. 

Making it easier for working mothers to prepare healthy and delicious food

Sin Hup Kee Restaurant has been delivering vacuum-packed food since 2019.

Corvan Khor said her husband, who is the restaurant’s second-generation operator, decided to turn to selling vacuum-packed food as he wanted a family to be able to eat home-cooked food without mothers having to go through a lot of hassle.

Khor said prior to the enforcement of the movement control order (MCO), their restaurant, which has been in operation since 1979, received visits from customers all over the world.

“They miss the traditional taste and we decided to expand to vacuum packs to fill the gap.”

Besides fresh food, they also have sauces that customers can buy and add in the meat of their choice.

“This is also to help working mothers prepare a hearty meal for their family without having to worry about washing up later,” she added.

Khor said while the restaurant’s signature food such as the fried chicken is available for delivery, other food not sold at the restaurant, such as black vinegar pork trotter, is also sold online.

“Once our food is cooked, it will be blast frozen to ensure no infestation of bacteria. It is then vacuum-packed to ensure its freshness and to prolong its shelf life,” she said, adding that their food is best consumed within nine months by steaming or pan-frying.

If you are concerned that the taste of vacuum-packed food would be different from what is offered at the restaurant, Khor said based on their regular customers’ feedback, the taste and its texture remain the same.

“They are amazed that the taste is close to what was prepared at our restaurant.”

Besides the Shopee platform, Sin Hup Kee’s food consisting of over 10 meat dishes and four different sauces can also be ordered via their website www.sinhupkee.com.

Currently, delivery of their food is only available three times a week to the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

Khor said their products are delivered by cold chain transporters.

Enforcement of the movement control order (MCO) forced eateries to improvise

One of Ipoh’s best-loved food is Nasi Kandar Ayam Merah or more popularly known as Nasi Ganja.

Before the implementation of MCO to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the stall, which operates at Kedai Kopi Yong Suan, would see huge crowds, especially during weekends or holidays.

But when MCO was announced in March 2020, they decided to change their business model to delivery.

Mohamed Nihmaphullah Syed Mustffa, manager of Nasi Kandar Ayam Merah — also known as Nasi Ganja — said their food is only available in Perak. — Picture by Farhan Najib
Mohamed Nihmaphullah Syed Mustffa, manager of Nasi Kandar Ayam Merah — also known as Nasi Ganja — said their food is only available in Perak. — Picture by Farhan Najib

Its manager Mohamed Nihmaphullah Syed Mustffa said they had been collaborating with Grab Malaysia to deliver their food for more than a year

“The delivery service covers most of Perak,” he said, adding that as much as they wanted to, they could not deliver their food outside of the state.

“This is because our food must be eaten fresh or the most within the day,” he said, adding that their cooks would start preparing the food at 4am daily.

Customers wanting a taste of Nasi Ganja can start ordering at 10am with the last order at 3.30pm.

For further details, contact them at 05-254 4316.