Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog

Since I haven’t been writing much about outstation travels around Perak, allow me to get back into the groove, and share a simple post about this restaurant (or rather, coffee shop?) that serves Taiping’s version of chicken noodle soup for breakfast. The name of the shop? Restoran Kakak.

One glance and you’d be forgiven for thinking this is another bowl of “Kai See Hor Fun” from Ipoh, or even a toned down version of Penang’s Koay Teow Th’ng.

The name of the shop is actually “Jia Jia” (literally translated to Every Family), but when converted to Malay (or English), it becomes Kakak.

A little misleading, for a traditional Chinese coffee shop to be named as such?

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Since I started the ball rolling with the post on Chang’s Hakka Mee with Beef in Ipoh’s old town, might as well continue the Ipoh’s Old Town series with more hidden gems. Probably not the first-line options when it comes to food hunting in old town for tourists, but still ….. these are decent outlets that deserve a mention, or if you’re ever lost on what else to eat aside from toasts and white coffee.

From only RM2.50/USD0.70 per bowl, you’ll be getting a hefty amount of noodles in soup, brimming with an array of extra ingredients ….. from fishballs to fish cakes, and fish wantan to bean sprouts.

Last I wrote about Ipoh Hor Hee was the time I devoured a bowl at See See Heng Or Ee Fun (yeah, that’s how it’s spelled on their signboard) at Restoran Embassy in town, opposite of the former Bersatu Complex, now a college.

And NO, Hor Hee is not some funky dish resembling the guffaws of a horse’s, but instead is best explained as Ipoh’s version of Penang’s Koay Teow Th’ng, albeit with no chicken, and all fish-y ingredients. I meant, stuff like balls, cakes and dumplings; all made from fish paste.

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A Love Story – Of Nuptials & Food, Glorious Food @ Hee Lai Ton Restaurant, Ipoh

1. The dashing couple erm … dashing through the aisle. You know lah … how ‘punctual’ Chinese wedding dinners can be.

2. And then the Four Seasons/Four Happiness/Four-whatever was served, predictably. After the relentless wait. (But seriously, it was not that daunting)

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Ipoh’s old town is hands down, one of the most famous place for food in all of Ipoh, or in Malaysia for that matter. I’m not kidding you. Come public holidays or the weekends, you’ll see hordes of hungry souls swarming the area for breakfast-brunch. And yeah, not to mention the tea breaks after lunch, and some outlets even catering to the evening diners.

Mr Chang in his element, preserving his dad’s heritage of Hakka noodles with minced pork, served with tender slices of beef in a most hearty broth

Given the rather strategic location of my office, right smack in the midst of old town itself (and no, I am not telling where … I don’t wanna be stalked on a daily basis. Hehehe … AS IF lah …), we have our breakfast every single working day in one of the many exceptional choices here.

On one side of Jalan Bandar Timah (or Leech Street, as the road was known as such back in those days) is my personal favourite coffee shop serving delicious dry curry noodles, egg toast and white coffee – Nam Chau. Further down the road you have the classic Kong Heng which still serves the BEST popiah in town (yes, bar none … not even the mobile stalls at a backlane of Canning Garden  nor the one previously at the field in Canning Garden which was shrouded in a most infamous ghost story-mystery). Adjacent to Kong Heng you’ll find Thean Chun, where you must try the Ipoh famous Kai See Hor Fun (Smooth flat rice noodles/koay teow in soup, with shredded chicken meat), caramel egg custard, and the herbal tea with egg.

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Two years ago, I was fascinated by the wonders of food blogs on the Net. Seeking for a good restaurant (or avoiding a bad one) was at the tip of one’s finger. Or rather … at the click of a mouse. I still remember vividly, how I was deeply engrossed by the articulate writings of masak-masak’s, the wondrous food shots from WMW and Lyrical Lemongrass, as well as the down-to-earth reviews from Precious Pea and the now inactive Mei Yen, whom had since found her destiny in life.

Two years ago, I wondered aloud, how on earth did these people manage to maintain such discipline (and maybe, physical well-being, with that much eating and all!) … NOT only providing great information and insights on food hunts in every corner of Klang Valley, but also honest, unbiased opinions unlike those food shows on TV, or paid reviews published in the papers.

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