For that authentic traditional kopitiam experience in Taiping, Lian Thong Restaurant is an easy choice to make. Whether you’re looking for breakfast or lunch.
Not only is the building a heritage treasure, but the restaurant is also run by elderly staff too.
Read more about why we like this place.
Table Of Contents:
About Lian Thong Restaurant
Lian Thong Restaurant has been in operation for several decades – it is more than 70 years old. The current owner is the son who’s continuing the business from his father.
The founder, BoonSeng Teoh hails from the Fujian Province, China. And he ran a small food stall in an elementary school when he was only 14.
After which, he partnered with a kopitiam (Hwa Thong) to gain further experience before opening his own kopitiam, Lian Thong.
Today, the restaurant is still in its original location along Jalan Kota in Taiping. And the building looks much like it did in the past.
The family continues to only hire seniors for all their staff. And home-style cooking is still very much present on their menu. This is the place to go if you want to try Hainanese food that is halal too.
Their signature drink is salted lime juice (or just lime juice) – you can see all their preparation jars around the kopitiam.
Other signature food includes their eggs on toast, kerabu chicken rice, bomb mee and fried stuffed taofu pok.
Menu:
Lian Thong Restaurant restaurant is open only on weekdays from 8:30am to 2pm.
Parking At Lian Thong Restaurant
This is a corner lot and there is plenty of street parking all around the building. You may have to go around a few times if you want to park closer to the restaurant.
But other than this, it should not be too difficult to find parking.
Ambiance At Lian Thong Restaurant
The building that houses Lian Thong Restaurant has attractive blue window shutters. Inside are equally charming blue tiles.
There are typical kopitiam tables and plastic chairs as well as booth seats. The ceiling fans look just as old as the rest of the building. But they are still able to provide ventilation despite their lazy spins.
Both the front and the side of the building have doors and windows open for further ventilation too.
For a place as old as it is, we think the cleanliness is satisfactory. The fact that the restaurant is dimly lit might make it look grubbier than it is.
Service At Lian Thong Restaurant
Because the staff consist of only seniors, serving times can be slow as they make their way to and from the kitchen.
You might find that that the tables are not cleaned immediately after customers leave too. This is more apparent during the mornings when there are many customers in for breakfast.
Furthermore, some of the staff can be rude. Our server was a kindly elderly lady who seemed very happy to be working there. She was patient while we ordered too.
Food At Lian Thong Restaurant
We tried some of their signature food and while the coffee was true to traditional kopitiam taste, it’s not the way we personally prefer it.
Both the kerabu chicken rice and bomb mee are simple but tasty with adequate portions.
The fried stuffed taofu pok is nice too, but not mind-blowing.
Note: There is no pork in any of the dishes
What we did find exceptionally nice was the lime juice! It really soothes the throat, and it is a great thirst quencher on a hot day!
Pricing At Lian Thong Restaurant
Compared to what we are used to in Ipoh, the prices at Lian Thong Restaurant were surprisingly cheap. You can still get coffee for under RM2 here! Which is now unheard of in Ipoh.
Rice dishes are under RM8 too. A plate of plain fried rice is only RM4.50 too.
To be fair, you can’t expect a lot of meat or a generous serving of vegetables in your dishes. Furthermore, the portion of rice and noodles is much more than the sides.
Conclusion
We can see why Lian Thong Restaurant is still going strong for this long. The humble eatery offers a quaint dining experience and a wide menu of comfort food at affordable prices.
If you want to try something else, see these other options for must-try Taiping food.
Don’t forget to check out Taiping’s share of cozy cafes to spend a rainy afternoon!
