BM Yam Rice Kopitiam Deserves Its Accolades

BM Yam Rice Kopitiam, a family-run yam rice (or pui) restaurant is probably the best known eatery in Bukit Mertajam. It is tucked away down a narrow street in one corner of the town where parking is very difficult. However, it has not deterred customers from coming in droves for the signature yam rice with pork soup.

Since its humble beginning forty years ago, this restaurant has been very popular with both locals and visitors from other states. It has also made Bukit Mertajam synonymous with yam rice.

The seating area in the restaurant is clean and spacious while maintaining the traditional kopitiam atmosphere.

The pork soup that everyone comes for. The pork slices, offal, meat balls and salted vegetable (kiam chye) make it savoury with a little sourish aftertaste.

The flavourful yam rice with pieces of yam and dried shrimps that is so tasty it can be eaten by itself.

Stewed bean curd (tau kua) and hardboiled eggs are nice compatible side dishes to yam rice.

Stewed pig trotters which are moist, tender and succulent after the slow cooking in sweetened black vinegar and ginger.

A complete set, two bowls of yam rice with the pork soup, pig trotters, beancurd and egg at a very reasonable price of less than RM25 .

One of the three sisters preparing the signature pork soup over a large enamel basin of boiling broth.

A big pot of pig trotters cooked in sweetened black vinegar and ginger or 'tu kar chor' in Hokkien.

Deservingly, it was accorded with the Michelin Select recognition in 2023 and 2024. In the latest 2025 edition, it was upgraded to the Bib Gourmand category making it the only yam rice restaurant in Malaysia to have earned this prestigious recognition.