2009 February | Motormouth From Ipoh

The Ugly Nasi Kandar in Old Town, & The Imported Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun

February 24, 2009 | 464 views | 32 Comments »

Imagine to circle endlessly around the perimeter of the famed (maybe over-rated) coffee shops in Old Town serving those inimitable (doubtful?) cups of white coffee …. Then by a stroke of luck, you finally manage to find a parking spot out of nowhere, either double-parking, or illegal parking (who cares, right? …. but one note of warning though, the officers in blue work EXTRA hard around this area, mainly cz IPD (Police HQ) & Majlis Perbandaran also located nearby only ma… no need to ride out to oblivion to achieve daily quota of summons!)

Direct competitors side by side. Which would YOU choose?

Then after punching your fist repeatedly in the air, you strut your stuff and walked over to Nam Heong, Sin Yoon Loong or Sun Yuan Foong (bitter rivals ….. a fight to the finish’s at hand!) only to discover that the place’s crowded to the max! Holds true on most days, especially weekend mornings and public holidays. You can either kiss your white coffee goodbye, wait for aeons for a table (even more troublesome if you decided to bring your whole busload of relatives) or …. you can set up your own tables/chairs. But of course, don’t try this and credits to yours truly lah … =P

This Indian uncle VERY eloquent in conversing in Cantonese! It’s almost funny. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

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Categories: Ipoh Food
Tags: Chee Cheong Fun, Ipoh, Ipoh Food, Nasi Ganja, Old Town, Teluk Intan
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Akamomiji – The Latest Japanese Restaurant in Ipoh?

February 22, 2009 | 344 views | 27 Comments »

Akamomiji has piqued my interest since its renovation period sometime during the Chinese New Year. Located in Medan Ipoh Bistari (yup, don’t you get that sense of deja vu ….), this latest addition to Ipoh’s line up of Japanese restaurants opened few days ago to much fanfare, almost fully booked every evening, and prior reservation seems to be the norm, lest you decide to casually waltz in and capitalize on the furore/chaos that is surrounding almost all newly-opened outlets. Josephine Cafe and David’s Diner come to mind, naturally.

Occupying 2 shoplots of space, the restaurant is brighter than its counterpart, Kizuna, and a tad more spacious. With a sushi bar that can seat about 5 guests

CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Comments: 27 Comments »
Categories: Ipoh Food
Tags: Ipoh, Ipoh Food, Japanese, Japanese Food, Sashimi, Sushi, The Star Sunday Metro
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What?! Curry Mee AGAIN?!! (Kafe Tim’s Curry Mee @ Medan Ipoh Bistari, Ipoh)

February 20, 2009 | 111 views | 18 Comments »

Here’s a short post on a lazy Friday afternoon ….. Weekend’s beckoning, timely as my whole body’s on the verge of shutting down …. *_*

The gal was obviously … surprised. Shocked. Or agitated ….

A friend recommended this place in Ipoh for the supposedly delicious curry noodles, beating Nam Chau’s and Yee Fatt’s hands down. WHAT?! For real?!!! (Note of bias here …. I’m a die-hard fan of Nam Chau’s dry curry noodles. Sinfully rich, and bursting with curry goodness ….sigh …. =P)

Dry Curry Noodles with Deepfried Beancurd (Tau Fu Pok), Char Siew, Prawns and Cuttlefish

Being the curry noodles fan that I am, needless to say, I warped myself over in a jiffy. The shop’s name is Kafe Tim (Cantonese pronunciation of Kopitiam, for those wondering), situated near to Tesco in Ipoh Garden East. In fact, it’s a few shops away from Yong He Taiwanese Snacks, and SSTC Italian Cafe, so you know you have options in case your tummy’s acting up and curry noodles seem a far-fetched idea.

Curry Noodles in all its glory …..

My preference for dry curry noodles dated back to the days when I was introduced to the DRY version, possibly at Yee Fatt in Pasir Putih. (In case you’re wondering what’s “dry” curry, it’s actually thick curry paste poured on top of noodles lightly tossed with soy sauce/dark soy sauce, resulting in a “Kon Lou” type of noodles, with a generally thicker taste of curry)

Kafe Tim’s version of dry curry failed to impress, however. The curry wasn’t rich enough for me, possibly holding back on the gravy, and the coconut milk used to cook the curry. Halfway through my plate of dry curry flat rice noodles (kuey teow), I was practically slurping on “Kon Lou Hor Fun“, instead of “Kon Kari Hor Fun.“

The soup version fared much better however, the curry exuded a very strong prawn flavour, possibly prawn shells were used in the stock. The curry’s a bit spicier than the others I’ve mentioned. The addition of cuttlefish (yau yue) is a refreshing change, offering a springy bite as opposed to the usual roast pork (siew yoke), and chicken shreds.

Kafe Tim @ Jalan Medan Ipoh 1E, Medan Ipoh Bistari, 31400 Ipoh.

Noticed a lot of other patrons indulging/slurping on their bowl of pork noodles, and chicken wine noodles. But my patience runs rather thin, especially on early mornings, as you know how long it takes for the bowl of pork noodles/fish head noodles/chicken wine noodles to be cooked, compared to a bowl of sinful curry mee.

HAPPY WEEKEND GUYS AND GALS ……

Comments: 18 Comments »
Categories: Ipoh Food
Tags: Curry Mee, Ipoh Food
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Sungai Petani Day 2 – LeBOSS Cafe and Restaurant

February 18, 2009 | 68 views | 16 Comments »

Continuation from Part 1 of Motormouth’s Sg Petani’s journey ….

An overview of the golf course at Cinta Sayang Golf & Country Resort, Sg Petani

Recreation-wise, what can one do? Other than stuffing your face with the meagre food, dozing off in the rather comfy rooms, or listening to hours after hours of talks?

You can play some golf ….. full course, or putting. Or get some lessons from the academy, at a price of course. I never bothered, as I can’t even swing for the life of me ….

OR, you can …..

Whoever will swim under the hot sun?!

Take a dip, soak, splash about, or drown oneself in the swimming pool, sometimes with a lifeguard, sometimes none. And which hotel’s pool does NOT supply the guests with towels? Here’s one ; Cinta Sayang it is!!! (Pathetic right? Imagine we walked all the way from our chalet, only to discover the hurtful truth …. )

OR, you can …..

Shoot some cupid arrows at lovebirds (or not), or instead launch a barrel of them arrows at your worst enemy. Or best enemy, depends on which angle you’re looking at. Fun Golf may refer to the Putting activity ….

OR, you can go horse-riding, put on your tightest leotards (hehe) and display your assets at the gym, rejuvenate your battered soul at the health club.

OR get a group of friends and ignite a massive war against each other, paintball style.

OR ….

Sorry, only a poster …. didn’t bother crossing over to The Carnivall

Hop over to The Carnivall, situated next to the resort, a water park in Sungai Petani (believe that!), for a mere RM16 per entry. Beats Lost World of Tambun in Sunway City Ipoh anyday, I’d reckon?!

Btw, all activities in the resort need CA$H. No money no talk leh ….. But no need to pay an arm and a leg, except the golfing activities, of course. You can’t use a broom or a twig to beat that golf ball, that’s for sure.

Nothing’s up your alley? No sweat. Go satisfy your cravings somewhere else …..

LeBOSS Cafe and Restaurant

Read bout this place, a HALAL cafe and restaurant from JayceOoi’s blog. Since the area near Tesco Sungai Petani houses a good number of cafes, restaurants, and nasi kandar outlets, we were having a tough time differentiating the hits and the misses.

A quaint little cafe, with wacky ornaments such as golf clubs, bicycles (!) and cactus for decoration ….

I was rather surprised to discover that all the staff are Malays. Guess this place’s HALAL then? The menu covers Asian delights such as fried noodles and rice, to Western fare. Prices lean more towards the reasonable end, with most items below RM20.

Teh Tarik Hazelnut (RM3.90) – Frothy, milky elixir ….

Spot The Difference ?

Of all the items on the menu, all 5 of my dining companions chose the Grilled Chicken Breast. Geez …. talk about ‘muhibah‘ !!!

One can choose his/her preferred side dishes (two of them), from the usual fries and wedges, to buttered corn, pasta, salad and mashed potatoes.

The portion was large enough for one, and may even be shared among light eaters. The grilled chicken can be served with your choice of gravy, from BBQ to mushroom, and teriyaki as well as some others. The mushroom sauce was a tad too salty to go with the already marinated meat. Though the chicken breast was grilled well; tender and juicy without being overly tough.

Honey Quail (RM16.90)

I had my eyes on the Grilled Tiger Prawns (RM19.90), Grilled Tenggiri with Spicy Sauce (RM14.90) and the Honey Quail (RM16.90). Ended up with the quails, as these are seldom served in restaurants, aside from the Goreng Puyoh in Mamak outlets.

The birds had a really strong gamey flavour, not even masked by the honey sauce basking the exterior. Not one for those who does not take a liking to wild fowls, definitely. In fact, they served THREE birds, and I was having trouble finishing the whole portion. (Of course, the meal being a marathon of sorts somewhat jeopardized a leisure meal!)

The side dishes were rather tasty, mine being the beef bolognese spaghetti and baby fried rice (yeah, read that right).

Sides of Baby Fried Rice and Beef Bolognese Spaghetti

And that was possibly the one and only proper meal we had in Sungai Petani throughout the 3 days. Yeah …. kinda sad right? But since all meals were provided, and with such tight schedule, one can’t be blamed for resisting temptation and dine at Sayang Restaurant (Cinta Sayang’s house restaurant) instead, right?!! =)

Location : LeBOSS Cafe and Restaurant @ 201, Jalan Legenda 7, Legenda Heights, 08000 Sungai Petani, Kedah. Got MAP !!! Legenda Heights is a business centre of sorts, situated next to Tesco Sungai Petani, and Village Mall. Exit from Sungai Petani Utara toll to get here.

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Categories: Sungai Petani
Tags: Sungai Petani, Travel, Western Food
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An Excursion to Sungai Petani, Kedah (Part 1)

February 17, 2009 | 46 views | 22 Comments »

Pardon the hiatus. Last few days were spent in Cinta Sayang Golf and Country Resort, Sungai Petani, Kedah. Yup, THE rice bowl of Malaysia. Far from a holiday, it was another one of those courses. Rather intensive, with talks spanning hours, from early morning until night time. But on the whole, the experience was more play than work, at least to me.

Gee …. don’t you just miss those rural shots? Business’ picking up fast, and there’ll definitely be more outings to nowheres ….

Cinta Sayang Golf Resort has almost EVERYTHING. From health club to gym, archery sessions to putting and full golf course.

Rather ashamed to admit that this is my FIRST ever visit to Kedah. Of course, we passed by when we went to Perlis, and some years ago to Songkhla/Haadyai. But that’s another story altogether. For a brief rundown on Sungai Petani town of Kedah, here’s Wikipedia’s link.

Notice the funny signboard? Saddle up and ride your horsies … at 30km/h tops !!

Cinta Sayang Golf & Country Resort (website HERE) is a 4-Star golf resort which has been around for a good 20 years! With an 18-hole full golf course, and even a golf academy, the place spells H-E-A-V-E-N for golf aficionados from all over the world, as evident from the number of Japanese and Korean tourists staying at the resort.

Home Sweet Home … our chalet

Our accomodation was slightly different from the average hotels. Each chalet consists of 5 fully air-conditioned rooms, rather spacious, with double beds, cable TV, safe (which did NOT work, sadly), bath tub, hot shower, and tea making facilities.

One minor gripe though, travelling between our rooms and the lobby/restaurant/conference halls was a chore, as the whole area’s rather spaced out. So, either you drive your own, wait for their free shuttle erm, buggy? every 30 mins, or walk your way (not feasible under the hot sun!)

No complaints bout the room …. sans the company of those dastardly mosquitoes!

If you’re one who freaks out at the sight or sound of mosquitoes roaming your room, be prepared to …. erm, freak out. As some rooms may not have been occupied for some time, they became breeding grounds for those sworn enemies of humanity. But help’s at hand, just call housekeeping and SOS for assistance. They’ll come spraying in no time ….

Uncle John’s Kopitiam @ Village Mall, Sungai Petani

Enough bout the place for today’s post, as I’m still reeling from the journey. Witnessed not one, but TWO bushfire of sorts along the highway. The weather’s burning hot ….

Bearing in mind the schedule’s rather tight, I did not search or ask around for good food in Sg Petani. Hmm, wrong move. Though our food was provided (6 meals per day, count em!), the quality left much to be desired. So off we went with our foodie-radars all up for some decent grub in town. Tough luck.

Ended up at Village Mall near Tesco Sungai Petani, housing some outlets such as Chicken Rice Shop, Laksa Shack, Nash Donuts (local?), Secret Recipe, Starbucks, and Uncle John Kopitiam. We unanimously chose the latter, as it was teatime and we were still keeping our fingers crossed for the potentially lip-smacking dinner ahead (yeah,RIGHT). The food’s nothing spectacular, and the beverages were a notch below Old Town’s even.

Erm, nasi campur anyone?

Dinner was at Sayang Restaurant at the lobby of Cinta Sayang Golf & Country Resort. Four dishes, and one Acar. With cold/warm water. And fruits. Non-befitting a FOUR-star resort, no? Needless to say, we were still famished come supper hours. But of course, supper was also provided in the form of Malay-style Fried Kuey Teow. How not to be FAT leh? ….

Breakfast – Nasi Lemak, Fried Kuey Teow, KIMCHI (yup, heard that right!)

Dim Sum – The taste was as artificial as the looks ….

Breakfast offers more choices, but we sticked to cereals and toasts mostly. The Nasi Lemak was not half bad though, and rather decent for hotel’s standards. But don’t get me starting on the Dim Sum. Or whatever they’re supposed to mimic.

Signing off now …..