Third time’s a charm with this decades-old restaurant in Ipoh. On our previous trip, we had made two unsuccessful attempts to dine at Restoran Cathay (or Cathay Restaurant) after hearing about their old-school style of Hainanese Pork Chop and Chicken Chop (RM 13.80 each). Luck was on our side this time.
Regardless of the meat, I was told prep starts the night before. Upon order from a customer, the chosen meat is floured then smeared with a bit of beaten egg before it meets extremely hot oil. After turning a gorgeous golden brown, it goes on to a waiting plate laid with fried potatoes and token slices of tomato and cucumber. The pour-over of the tomato gravy embellished with a few peas (because it ain’t Hainanese Pork / Chicken Chop without it) is the final step.
I would say this is an eatery to visit if you miss the taste of old. In my experience, it is impossible to find a sauce that tastes like this in Singapore. At least that’s my opinion having tried this dish at numerous places and finding the sauces being all about the tomato rather than the traditional savoury-sweet, East-meets-West tomato with soya sauce blend. Between the pork and chicken chops, my preference would be for the latter as it’s tenderer and somehow, a little bit tastier.