Malay Food in Perak – 4 Must-Try Places

A while back, when I invited a Malay friend to join me on my culinary tour of Perak, he replied that he wasn’t that keen because, as he put it (in the most polite way possible), he didn’t think that Perak had good Malay food.

This completely threw me for a loop because my first introduction to Perak food was many years ago when the then-baby Noah and I stayed several nights at Sukasuka Lake Retreat in Lenggong, and we were treated to unforgettable Malay kampung food by Kak Asiah. I will contend to this day that our Sukasuka stay marked the beginning of “Kampung Boy” Noah’s love affair with spicy dishes.

Nonetheless, this Malay friend’s remark—I’m keeping his identity a secret to keep the pitchfork crowd at bay—gave me food for thought (no pun intended) and I came to realise that in subsequent trips to Perak, our focus has been primarily on Ipoh.

Ipoh is so famous for Chinese-Malaysian food that other Malaysian cuisines tend to get sidelined whenever the topic of food comes up.

That was until our most recent visit in January 2026, for our Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC) project with Tourism Perak. This time, we had the opportunity to eat a decent amount of Malay food, through the combined efforts of the following:

• Tourism Perak (via Perak Tourist Guide Association president Roselyn Lim)

• MOMC’s MasterChef Malaysia judge Chef Jo

• Ben Yap of IpohTreats.com

Thanks to this project, we uncovered the following four places that exclusively serve Malay food, which I have no doubt would get the seal of approval even among the most hardcore Malay food critics.

Here they are, in no particular order:

1) Rendang Tok Mak Nik (Royale Rendang)

You haven’t tasted rendang until you taste Rendang Tok, a uniquely-Perak version of the dish that’s cooked until very dry and rich. And you haven’t tasted Rendang Tok until you try Rendang Tok Mak Nik, also known as Royale Rendang – which is based on a recipe that’s over 100 years old. Founded by Mak Nik in 1959, the business is now run by her son, Sharifuddin Mohamed.

The reason for the Royale Rendang branding is because they count Perak’s royal household among their clientele, and they even have a special dining room for royalty who visit.

Rendang Tok Mak Nik can be served with ketupat palas (glutinous rice parcels wrapped in palm leaves) or different varieties of lemang (glutinous rice rolls cooked in bamboo).

The rendang is also available in vacuum-packed form, with a shelf life of up to 2 years at room temperature, so if you’re visiting from out of town, it’s best to grab some to stock up (though unfortunately you won’t be able to bring them back with you to Australia due to our strict customs rules).

Galeri Rendang Tok Mak Nik
15, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
Phone: 012-343 5039

2) Mama Sheerah Nasi Minyak

Mama Sheerah (translated – “Sheerah’s mom”) operates out of the Wisma TNB (Tenaga Nasional Berhad ie. Malaysia’s national electricity utility company) building, primarily feeding civil servants but open to the public.

It runs on weekdays, from morning through to high tea. Mama Sheerah is not a “restaurant” setup, but a working canteen.

The star offering is Nasi Minyak, which is on the menu here every Friday (call to confirm). Traditionally a wedding banquet spread, it consists of rice cooked with ghee, aromatics, spices and evaporated milk, served with accompaniments such as Ayam Masak Merah (sweet and spicy chicken), Jelatah (picked vegetables), Pajeri Nenas (pineapple curry), and Daging Masak Hitam (beef in a dark sauce).

Mama Sheerah (Call to confirm re: Nasi Minyak availability)
Basement of Wisma TNB,
30100 Ipoh, Perak
Phone: 60 13-448 7080

3) Ayam Gepuk Ganteng

I was invited to this eatery courtesy of Chef Johari Edrus, our Masters of Malaysian Cuisine senior chef, and I was embarassed that I only understood one out of the three words in the restaurant name – ie. “Ayam”.

That was until I found out that “Gepuk” and “Ganteng” are in fact Javanese words, at which point I didn’t feel like such a Malay language failure. Ayam Gepuk (ie. smashed chicken) is, as the name suggests, a dish that originated in Java, but it’s become very popular in recent years in Malaysia. It is typically served with a cashew-based sambal, but at Ayam Gepuk Ganteng, it comes with three different types of sambal, each with  its own flavour and heat profile.

“Ganteng” means “handsome” in Javanese, which seems a bit random until you meet the owner and founder, Azril, who has a sense of humour to match his outsized food entrepreneurship talent and ambition (his tagline – eat our Ayam Gepuk and you’ll become handsome!).

Azril started his business as a one-man hawker stall in 2019, right before Covid-19 hit, while he was still a teenager. In spite of this, the business grew in popularity and it now has two outlets and a staff of about 30. The menu is drawn from his Javanese heritage from his grandmother’s side, but adapted for Malaysian taste preferences.

A few years ago, Ayam Gepuk Ganteng went viral when Azril posted a video of their entire team bowing  on camera to apologise to their customers when they had to raise their prices due to the rising cost of raw materials. Their humble and heartfelt message touched thousands online and their business grew even more from it.

Apart from fried smashed chicken, the menu also includes fish, catfish, beef, noodles, fried rice, and desserts like sago-based sweets.

Ayam Gepuk Ganteng
70, Jln Meru Bestari A8, Bandar Meru Raya, 31200 Ipoh, Perak
Phone: +60 18-243 4403

4) Restoran Terapung Lorat Fish Farm Lenggong

About an hour out of Ipoh is Lenggong, which is famous for its UNESCO listing as a World Heritage Site for its prehistoric archeological excavations. Less well-known is the fact that there are fish farms on the man-made lake, Tasik Raban, in Lenggong.

Our MOMC team spent half a day at one of these fish farms, which has a restaurant attached to it called Restoran Terapung Lorat. It is a reservations-only restaurant, and your best bet is to contact Roselyn Lim, the Perak Tourist Guide Association president, for her help to organise a visit with your group.

We were picked up in boats and taken to the fish farm in the middle of the lake, with an adjoining floating platform where the food would be served. We were invited to catch the fish for our lunch, after which they were cooked onsite by the restaurant along with other dishes including pekasam (salted fish), and stir-fried local ferns. All the dishes are cooked Malay kampung-style and enjoyed under cover.

We didn’t have time to check out Lenggong Valley’s archeological attractions but spending a relaxing afternoon eating kampung food would be a perfect way to round up a trip to this prehistoric region.

Restoran Terapung Lorat
*Pre-Bookings Only (contact Roselyn Lim, Perak Tourist Guide Association)
Tasik Raban, 33030 Lenggong, Perak
Phone: +60 11-1902 4283

Note: These places were chosen not just for the food, but because our dining experiences are often shaped by the atmosphere as much as the quality of the offerings.

The hosts at each of these four eateries are among the warmest and most welcoming you are likely to encounter, which I’m sure will add to your enjoyment as it did ours.

Next time you are in Perak and craving Malay food, check out these spots and let me know what you think.

Finally, more about these eateries along with Perak food stories and recipes can be found in our Truly Malaysian by MOMC digital magazine.

You can download the Perak issue by clicking on the links below (we published this issue with two different covers; long story) –