Beyond Veggie by Secret Recipe - Ipoh

Secret Recipe is a brand that many of us are very familiar.  I remember back in my non-vegan days, I took particular pleasure in gorging on their many varieties of cakes.  Although most people know Secret Recipe, what you might not know is that in Malaysia they are known for something entirely different.  In addition to selling cakes, Secret Recipe also have a franchise of 13 vegetarian restaurants, all of which go by the name 'Beyond Veggie'.  From what I was told, the husband and wife owner of Secret Recipe are both Buddhist vegetarians, and therefore opened these restaurants to promote vegetarianism.  Today, I will featuring their Ipoh branch.  Their other locations can be found at KSL City Mall (JB), AEON Mall (Kulaijaya), Sunway Pyramid, 1 Utama, The Curve Shopping Mall, Oasis Square (Ara Damansara), Sunway Giza, Taipan USJ 10, Mid Valley Megamal, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Publika and Tropicana City Mall.



Beyond Veggie by Secret Recipe
Location: No.18, Tingkat Taman Ipoh 6, Taman Ipoh Selatan, Perak Darul Ridzuan
Contact: 05-546 8298
Opening Hours: Daily 10.00am-10.00pm


One thing which may alarm you when gazing upon the menu is the pricing.  The prices are pretty much Singapore standard, which was an instant turn off for me.  This Original Fruit Tea is an example of the inflated prices that can expect.  Having said my piece about the pricing, I must admit this drink was pretty delicious.  It was a perfect blend of sweet and sour fruity flavours, with a smooth texture.  This 'tea' consists of three simple ingredients - Pineapple, apple and lemon.  Yes the taste is really good, but considering that this tea consists of only three ingredeints (non-organic) it did leave me confused as to why it had such a high price tag.

Price: RM16.90.     6/10
We started our meal off with a snack item called Veggie Roll.  There were a total of six well crafted pieces of vegetables wrap, and two additional dipping sauces.  The wraps are fresh and crunchy, I particularly enjoyed the shredded purple cabbage and carrots.  The two dipping sauces were quite mild overall, the grey coloured mushroom based sauce being my favourite.  No complaints on the quality of these wraps, but I wish the price could be a little more affordable.

Price: RM9.90.     7/10
After ordering the Assam Laksa, I was quite stunned when a gigantic bowl arrived to our table.  The portion size for this laksa is really too big - Even for me.  I can't help but think portion sizes like this will lead to a lot of food wastage.  Overall this was far from the best assam laksa I've had.  The gravy was too watery and lacked the depth in flavour that an excellent laksa should have.  I would recommend eating the assam laksa at Luk Yea Yan (Penang) - Much better quality, and one third the price.

Price: RM15.90.     6/10


Conclusion - The obvious downside to this restaurant is the price.  I simply didn't find the service, ambiance or food quality worthy of the prices that are listed.  Malaysia is a country where you can go around and enjoyed excellent food for little money - So it begs the question, why would I go to Beyond Veggie and pay these prices?  If you are visiting though, the original tea and veggie roll were pretty decent.

Overall Rating
Food - 6/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 6/10
Value - 3/10