Ipoh Kopitiam, Malayasia food in Alhambra

We were running late and ended up at Ipoh Kopitiam around 3:15 PM.  ("Ipoh" is the style of cooking and "kopitiam" means cafe).  The place was very busy for their afternoon tea, which looked amazing.  I would have loved kaya toast or an egg tart, but we were there for a late lunch.  I ordered nasi lemak with chicken curry.  Nasi lemak is a rice dish with garnishes of peanuts, cucumbers and a boiled egg, typically.  The extra helping of chicken curry made it very filling!  My friend had beef rendang, another classic Malaysian dish.  It was the best beef rendang I have ever had!  Our lunch was so much food, we didn't end up needing dinner.  Excellent cooking!

Most Malayasian dishes are cooked with coconut milk so the food is rich and full of flavor.  It has a lot of spices, but isn't spicy hot.  Just delicious!  If you haven't tried Malaysian cuisine, start with beef rendang - it is beef is slow simmered in coconut milk and spices until it was very tender.   

The restaurant is in Alhambra, which is a small city in Los Angeles county.  There are several streets with lots of restaurants and stores, but most of the city is quiet and made up of single-family homes.  We easily found parking on a side street.  Alhambra is one of the best areas in Los Angeles for Southeast Asian food and you can easily restaurant hop and find many excellent places.

Ipoh Kopitiam is a must try!