The Oldest Restaurant & Bar in Malaya with Hainanese and Western food - Durbar at FMS @ Ipoh, Perak - Crisp of Life

It is stipulated that Durbar at FMS in Ipoh town is the oldest restaurant & bar established in Malaya in the early 1900s by the Hainanese immigrants. FMS stands for Federated Malay States.

The stories say that Durbar at FMS used to be a popular spot for plantation workers and miners. However as time goes by, the restaurant business dwindled and shuttered. However, an architect brought back the restaurant, allowing the younger generations nowadays to pay homage to the architectural and cultural grandeur of restaurant, while enjoying mixture of Hainanese and Western flair from its extensive menu. Judging from the menu, we can see the price is slightly above average in Ipoh town but the experience dining in Durbar by FMS certainly worth it.

Hainanese and Western food - Durbar at FMS @ Ipoh, Perak

Chicken Maryland

The bible thick like menu left us in conundrum what to order for lunch with our limited capacity stomach. As we were flipping through the menu continuously, the senior service crew came to our rescue by making a few recommendations.

We were recommended to try Chicken Maryland, an off-menu item that his portion could cater for 2 person. The dish is flawless in execution - nicely deep fried chicken breast of generous portion, served along with sausage, ham piece, wedges, French fries and salad. Nevertheless, I would not say it was mind-boggling as well. It weighed as a simple yet nice comfort food that I would glad to enjoy.

Cream of Chicken (RM 9)

Soup is one of the great dish that we always looking forward during a dining session, hence we had Cream of Chicken (RM 9) for trial. The homemade traditional creamy chicken soup was served along with a piece of garlic bread, offering a light buttery taste and a decent aroma of chicken stock. Presence of stronger buttery scent would have propelled the soup to another greater height.

Crepe Suzette (RM 24)

Not many restaurant nowadays serve Crêpes Suzette, a classic French dessert that had fresh and warm crepe flambeed with alcohol (rum). Although the Crêpes Suzette here is priced premiumly at RM 24 per plate, we thought it is worth the experience and taste.

First, the service crew will bring the warm crepe next to your table, then carefully flambeed it with rum next to you so you can witness the whole flaming process. The butter orange sauce introduce the crepe a mixture of tanginess and sweet taste, along with a slight burnt taste possibly derived from the rum. Its unique sauce make the crepe delectable.