Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

Gorgeously-glistening & crispy skin of the marinated roast duck @ Tai Sai Hee in Jelapang, Ipoh

Mention Char Siew, or Siew Yoke for lunch or dinner (or breakfast also can lah …) and you’ll see me flooding the entire street with my drool. Especially those proportionately cut pieces of lean-fat meat with a 50-50 ratio preferably, or in some instances, 60-40 also can, with the higher percentage of melt-in-mouth fat more than the tougher lean portion. Better yet, pair them with white rice, oil rice, noodles, or porridge, and you’ll have a balanced feast of porky haven.

Squint if you have to, but the ducks at Tai Sai Hee are priced from RM14/USD4.40 (half a duck) to RM28/USD8.80 (one whole duck). Except for the special XO Duck which is priced higher, and piqued our interest indefinitely.

There are several restaurants/food stalls that are famous for roast ducks, and various other roasted meats in Ipoh. One being the famous Sun Yeong Wai in Ipoh Jaya, somewhere within the vicinity of Gunung Rapat of Ipoh. Another old classic in Tasek is Kedai Makanan Hong Kong, that prides on their oil chicken (crispy chicken bathed in oil), roast ducks, and my personal favourite; the Fried Crispy Nam Yue Pork. Not forgetting the recent find at Falim’s Sri Taman Mas that has gained an admirable following nonetheless.

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In case you haven’t noticed, or it’s your first time here, Motormouth From Ipoh is NOT only about Ipoh Food. Over the years, I have travelled quite a distance, eaten a little more than mere mouthfuls, and written a surprising amount of posts about the food from the smaller and lesser-known towns in the state of Perak in Malaysia.

So what better way to put them all together in one post, than another one of those Ultimate Food List, albeit this one’s named Perak Food Guide by J2Kfm, so I can update this list as I go along with my food-hunting activities. And I really hope this makes it all easier for everyone to seek for food highlights from certain towns, eg. Tanjung Tualang’s prawns, Kampar’s glutinous rice for breakfast, Gerik’s wild boar curry, Sitiawan cendol, and so forth.

SITIAWAN – SERI MANJUNG – AYER TAWAR – LUMUT – PANGKOR

Sitiawan – Ah Pek Lee Kou Hock Seafood Restaurant @ Kampung Cina and the Revisit with Steamed Flower Crabs (NEW!!)
Sitiawan – Amu Coconut Villa Seafood Restaurant @ Kampung Cina
Sitiawan – Villa Seafood Restaurant @ Kampung Cina & Second Visit
Sitiawan – James Cendol & the Revisit
Sitiawan – Kampung Koh’s Famous “Mou Mou” Peanut Pau @ Yee Si
Sitiawan – Kampung Koh Market Loh Mee
Sitiawan – Happy Restaurant (Foo Chow Cuisine) (closed/relocated)
Sitiawan – Bei King Restaurant (Foo Chow Cuisine) & First Visit
Sitiawan – Famous Biscuits @ Cheong Cia Gong Pian & Revisit
Sitiawan – Chai Chin Bak Kut Teh & Steamed Fish Head
Sitiawan – Rojak Manjung
Sitiawan – Lido Restaurant (Foo Chow Cuisine)

Seri Manjung – Nasi Ayam Mama
Seri Manjung – MAE Coconut Jelly
Seri Manjung – Fullpann Steak House (closed, renamed to Foos Steak House)

Ayer Tawar – Ching Chin Koi Gong Pian
Ayer Tawar – Restoran San Shan

Lumut – Capri Italian Cuisine
Lumut – Restoran Tomyam Hasnah @ Venice of Perak
Lumut – Orient Star Resort
Pulau Pangkor – Chao Sheng Seafood @ Pasir Bogak

TAIPING – MATANG – KUALA SEPETANG – TANJUNG PIANDANG

Taiping – Taiping Chee Cheong Fun, Famous Popiah & Soybean Milk
Taiping – Bismillah Restoran Roti Canai
Taiping – Wan Li Restaurant (Hainanese Cuisine)
Taiping – Restoran Kakak – Chicken Noodle Soup and Braised Chicken Feet
Taiping – Peace Hotel Famous Duck Rice
Taiping – Kok Beng Hainan Chicken Rice – Voted as one of the TOP 10 Hainan Chicken Rice in Malaysia
Taiping – Nagaria Steak House
Taiping – Bismillah Cendol
Taiping – Ansari Famous Cendol
Taiping – Yut Sun Restaurant (Hainanese Cuisine) – Pork-free
Taiping – Kum Loong Dim Sum
Taiping – Mr BBQ
Taiping – Larut Matang Food Centre
Taiping – Lake Garden Food Court
Taiping – A.Rahman Nasi Kandar
Taiping – Lian Thong Restaurant

Aulong – Famous Eng Huat Heong Peng
Aulong – Aulong Biscuit & Confectionery – BEST Heo Pia (fragrant biscuits) from Taiping, sold in a house!

Matang – Seafood Porridge @ Light House Restaurant

Changkat Jering – Nur Zetty Mee Udang

Tanjung Piandang – Hung Hing Restaurant
Tanjung Piandang – Cheap Prawns from House No 247-A

GERIK – LENGGONG – PENGKALAN HULU

Gerik – Chau Y Restaurant (Curry Wild Boar) & First Visit
Gerik – Roti Canai @ Restoran Thaibah & Roadside Banana Fritters
Gerik – Breakfast @ Food Court

Lenggong – Saito Fishballs @ Khen Pang Restaurant
Lenggong – Famous Loh Dee Wan Ton Mee

Pengkalan Hulu – Roti Canai & Nasi Lemak @ Warong Simpang 3
Pengkalan Hulu – Curry Noodles @ Restoran MaTai
Pengkalan Hulu – Gong An Hainanese Food
Pengkalan Hulu – Huang Chau Chinese Restaurant
Pengkalan Hulu – Masakan Ala Thai Jalan Iskandar
Pengkalan Hulu – Restoran CKS

GOPENG – KAMPAR – TAPAH – BIDOR – SUNGKAI – SLIM RIVER – TANJUNG MALIM

Kampar – Kampar Food Court (Medan Selera Kampar) & the Char Kuey Teow uncle on a Stool
Kampar – Medan Selera Kampar & the Pork Porridge
Kampar – Wing Lok Yuen’s Heng Kee Claypot Chicken Rice
Kampar – Kam Ling Restaurant (Curry Chicken Bread)
Kampar – Vegas Kitchen @ Taman Bandar Baru

Lawan Kuda – Chee Cheong Fun
Lawan Kuda – Exotic Meats @ JJ Fatt Restaurant

Tapah – Roti Telur @ Anjung Ria
Tapah – Roti Telur @ Restoran Haji
Tapah – Cendol Pulut & Malay Food @ Riverfront

Bidor – Pun Chun Famous Duck Noodles
Bidor – Tien Tien Lai Restaurant

Sungkai – Choy Kee Famous Pork Knuckle

Slim River – Fook Seng Restaurant (Claypot Fish & Bullfrogs)

Tanjung Malim – Yik Mun Famous Pau & First Visit
Tanjung Malim – Son Wun Nam Restaurant
Tanjung Malim – Fu Man Restaurant  - Highly recommended for the salted pork belly dish!

TANJUNG TUALANG – BATU GAJAH – PUSING

Tanjung Tualang – Lung Seng Seafood Restaurant
Tanjung Tualang – Luen Fong Seafood Restaurant
Tanjung Tualang – Yew Kei Seafood Restaurant

Pusing – Wantan Mee @ Kedai Kopi Yong Fong
Pusing – Pushcart Nyonya Kuih & Again
Pusing – Ming Feong Restaurant and the Revisit (Sweet and Sour Pork)

KUALA KANGSAR – SUNGAI SIPUT – SAUK

Kuala Kangsar – Yut Loy Hainanese Food
Kuala Kangsar – Sudut Nyonya Restaurant
Kuala Kangsar – Laksa Pak Ngah - The famous Malay Laksa!

Sauk – Freshwater Fish @ Restoran Baru Lau Kai Ikan Sungai

Sungai Siput – Lam San Restaurant

TELUK INTAN – HUTAN MELINTANG

TELUK INTAN DAY TRIP – Liew Kee Famous Chee Cheong Fun, Rojak Ah Chai, Gerai Soya Bean Maharani, Lana Tea House & Ta Sin Guan Tin Biscuits

Teluk Intan – Steak Factory @ Rapid Mall Seri Intan (closed)
Teluk Intan – Chee Cheong Fun @ Keng Heng Coffee Shop
Teluk Intan – Lana Tea House

Hutan Melintang – Men Lok Seafood – A must-visit seafood restaurant by the Riverside

## Do take note that this list is far from complete, and I’m no longer working in Perak. I welcome all feedback, and appreciate recommendations from the locals especially, or readers with opinions they wanna share with everyone here. If you’re shy, just send me an e-mail at [email protected], or drop me a comment in this post. You can also follow my tweets HERE, or subscribe to my RSS feeds. ##

*Updated Dec 2010 – This stall has moved to a NEW location. Kindly refer to the END of the post for the new address and details.

Nam Kew Coffee Shop at the junction of Jalan Raja Musa Aziz (Anderson Road) and Jalan Leong Sin Nam (the second half of the famed Dim Sum Street of Ipoh) has stood the test of time, being a staple amongst the lovers of fried noodles & seafood since as long as I can remember.

Brings a whole new meaning to the term; “Open Kitchen Concept” huh?

This coffee shop may look just like any other kopitiam when you pass by during daytime, but come later hours of the day, you will bear witness to the growing crowd for their fixes of fried noodles, ‘chu char’ dishes, and seafood cooked in a myriad of ways.

It’s all about the LARD, baby !!! Fried Tai Lok Meen (Thick, yellow noodles) @ Nam Kew

Initially planned for a dinner of Wat Tan Hor (Fried hor fun/kuey teow/flat rice noodles in an egg-based gravy) and Fried Beehoon at Sun Seng Fatt; recommended by a reader, but as luck would have it, the shop was closed on a Sunday evening.

So we ventured/braced the hellfire/brimstones and torrential downpour (nah …. just a stone’s throw away lah … What? Cannot be overly dramatic ah?!) and brought our ravaging appetites over to Nam Kew Coffee Shop for our wat tan hor fix.

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IF you have to vote for ONE particular Malaysian breakfast of choice, to be eaten everyday of the week, and to represent the concept of 1Malaysia-ness, which would it be?

A sinful, creamy and spicy bowl of curry noodles (in this case, it was “kuey teow”, but unlike Ipoh’s “sar hor fun”, the noodles resembled Thai’s version of rice noodles), cockles, chicken, bean sprouts and potatoes.

A fluffy, thick, yet crispy at the sides with slight charring piece de resistance of Roti Canai. Served with the ingenious combination of sambal sardin, dhal curry, and curry gravy.

OR a dainty portion (so you can wallop more than one pack?) of meticulously wrapped Nasi Lemak in banana leaf, with a dollop of anchovies with sambal, a not-so-conventional piece of salted fish, and half a boiled egg.

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DIN TAI FUNG RESTAURANT @ THE GARDENS

Skilfully folded, artfully crafted into an exquisite morsel of soupy delight – 18 delicate folds on the skin that can sustain the tension of a pair of chopsticks, before being rested on the porcelain spoon.

Din Tai Fung, Dragon-i and Canton-i are three household names when it comes to Chinese restaurants in Malaysia. A newer generation of chain restaurants with prominent branding, the younger crowd may not even recognize the Tai Thongs, Esquire Kitchens, and Hee Lai Tons from the days of yore.

Not to mention Sek Yuen, Hong Ngek or Yut Kee. Puzzled? You should be. Unless you’re from the Jurassic age like me.

Clockwise from top left : A cold appetizer of various finely-julienned ingredients, Perforated hole on the XLB (Xiao Long Bao) so one can sip on the warm, delicious broth from within, The dessert named “Or Nee” or steamed yam paste, and Fish Dumplings in trios; part of the RM19.80 Value Set.

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The Porky Face-off Separated Miles Apart – Nambawan @ Taman Sri Manja, Old Klang Road VS BellyGood @ Sunway Mentari, PJ

First day of work this week (cool huh?) and I had already stuffed myself crazy with the astonishing array of Yong Tau Foo (Yong Liew) over at Gunung Rapat’s Kedai Kopi Kwong Hong. Seriously, if you’ve never tried their thousand and one creations, you do not know what you’re missing! And the range of beverages there, from the ultra thick Umbra juice to a bowl of sinfully refreshing Cincau (grass jelly), I swear you’d be delighted from a brunch/lunch here. We went twice in two weeks, and we’re not even working around the vicinity.

By the way, we are working in Ipoh’s ultimate treasure trove of food; Ipoh’s Old Town. So excursions to eateries elsewhere in Ipoh is a very rare phenomenon, in case you’re wondering.

The 100% Home Made Pork Burger @ RM6.90/USD2. Top that, anyone?

But enough about my lunch. Burp. Let’s talk some other highly prized delights, not as universal (in Malaysia at least) and definitely something which can’t be found that easily here in Ipoh, shall we? I’m talking about PORKY GOODNESS. Yup, last week I was rambling on Klang’s Famous Bak Kut Teh and this week we divert westward (cuisine-wise) to seek for grilled pork belly and pork burgers.

Nambawan Restaurant & Cafe was brought to light after repeated doses of poisons (read : blog entries) from the food Gods over in the Klang Valley. Bellygood, on the other hand, is also known as the “Pork Lover’s Paradise” (as in their tagline), situated at Sunway Mentari, opposite of Sunway Pyramid. The charming little bistro was previously known as Wendy’s Bistro, for those who have not been visiting for quite some time.

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Saba Steak Potato Salad Set

I have visited Waraku Japanese Restaurant in Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh (the area near to Jusco Kinta City and Tesco if you’re scratching your head there) many times before. Yet I have not written about this place, run by a Japanese lady who’s pleasant and affable. Waraku has been gracing the Japanese cuisine scene in Ipoh for at least 3 or so years, occupying the lot previously named Jyu Restaurant.

Waraku takes great pride in their extensive array of Kushiyaki, or grilled meats and vegetables on sticks.

Previously it was either the photos turned out pretty bad (from a friend’s camera, and some from my old, trustworthy Nokia 5610) due to the dim lighting inside of the restaurant, or I was neglecting the backlogs and completely forgot about Waraku.

Until we visited Waraku again and again, for the reasonable RM15 Set Lunch Promotion. I am not sure whether this promotion is still going on, but the last we went, about two months or so ago, the sets were still priced as such.

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