IPOH, Jan 5 — Last month, I wrote a piece on Cantonese cuisine in Shunde, where I highlighted a roadside seafood restaurant that embodied the Shunde approach to cooking: a serious focus on preserving the natural flavour (原味) of the produce — in this case, seafood — with minimal seasoning or elaborate techniques.
There, the classic Cantonese dish of steamed fish is prepared with salt and little else.
The experience was revelatory, especially for someone who has spent nearly his entire life expecting soy sauce as a given with steamed fish.
As it turns out, you don’t have to go so far to experience this.
When I got back, I was told to check out Restoran Ikan Air Tawar Chai Chee in Taman Shatin, Ipoh — and as luck would have it, I was heading to Ipoh the following week.
Located just off the main road of Jalan Pasir Puteh, Chai Chee looks — and smells — like any other dai chow spot that last got a facelift decades ago.
There’s a mustiness to the air, a lingering scent that seems to carry decades of seafood caught and cooked — a detail that might put some off, but not me.
We arrived at half-past five, in time for our reservation, though there wasn’t a soul in sight.
Don’t be fooled — every single one of the tables was filled by 6pm, so make sure to call ahead and book.
As their name suggests, Chai Chee specialises in freshwater fish, but they source all kinds of seafood from mantis prawns to crabs and sea fish.
There is a vague menu, but you’re better off asking the staff for recommendations based on the day’s catch.
Just like that restaurant under the railway in Shunde, Chai Chee also prepares a version of steamed fish with salt alone, to highlight the flavour of their fresh catch.
We were recommended a 1.4kg piece of 紅鰽鱼 (hong zhou yu), otherwise known as John’s snapper or golden snapper, for RM140.
If I thought the version in Shunde looked plain, this looked grey and almost sad — but beauty isn’t only skin deep.
A sea fish, the snapper’s flesh was mild yet firm and carried an unexpected depth of sweetness.
The aroma wasn’t foul, but the bare, stripped-back preparation seemed to amplify the fish’s natural brininess.
This is a dish for true fans of fish — the kind who relish the unadulterated essence of the sea.
Interestingly, the other dish recommended to us was white-boiled shrimp (RM80 for 1kg), a dish we also tried in Shunde.
This offered a convenient comparison to the smaller, sweeter specimens we had there.
These were bigger and meatier, but not as sweet, with crushed ginger pieces working hard to mellow any strong odours.
The most strongly-seasoned dish was, surprisingly, Chinese cabbage stir-fried with dried shrimp (RM18).
It’s not often that the vegetable dish steals the show, but this was a rare exception. The cabbage was coated in a thick, savoury sauce brimming with the deep saltiness of dried seafood.
Though the focus here is on the day’s catch, a few dishes remain constants on the menu.
Homemade fishballs are one such standout, but we missed out on them, as they must be reserved by noon of the same day.
Made fresh to order, they’re a reason alone to plan a return visit — one I’m already looking forward to.
Restoran Ikan Air Tawar Chai Chee
8, 10 Lebuh Shatin 6, Taman Shatin, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
Open daily, 2.30-8.30pm. Closed on Wednesdays.
Tel: 016-563 0817
*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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*** Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
