Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

Nasi Lemak with Sambal Sotong (RM3.50/USD1.20) – From Wak Nasi Lemak, stall no 51 @ Medan Selera Stadium Ipoh

Medan Selera Stadium; that row of stalls beside Stadium Ipoh houses an impressive range of hawker fares; from the fan favourites of wanton mee stalls (one in the morning, and one at night) to freshly steamed rice rolls; aptly named Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun, and a bean sprouts chicken stall that proves to have a stellar following (Michelle Yeoh’s preference, supposedly) as well as the banana leaf rice stall(s) in the afternoon.

Fuad Roti Canai (Stall no 54) has been on my list of to-eat since I was still THE Motormouth in Ipoh. Now I am this immigrant in the lost city of skyscrapers and bumper-to-bumper vehicles.

But what I have missed in the previous reviews are the last row (from the roundabout, towards the public swimming pool’s direction) of gems featuring various Malay food stalls. Most glaring omission? Fuad Roti Canai (Stall No 54) and Wak Nasi Lemak (Stall No 51).

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It pains me to put today’s post into words. To recount the sheer determination, passion and tenacity that drove and still drives this 74 years-old uncle for more than half a century. To witness with a heavy heart how his hands shook while daintily spreading the mélange of julienned ingredients and sauces on the precariously laid out, freshly steamed popiah* skin on the RM200 slab of wooden board.

(*Popiah is a popular Chinese snack of fresh spring rolls with julienned vegetables and fritters, sometimes with strands of egg omelette and/or crabmeat/dried shrimps, then lightly brushed with chili sauce and sweet sauce)

No words can actually describe this utter admiration that develops into pure respect for what he does best for 54 years (since 1957; coincidentally that was the year we were declared independent from external colonization), and still counting. The laborious hours he spent standing under the scorching hot sun, merely shaded by the canopy that covers barely more than his bike that he has been relying upon for more than a decade now.

Yes, dear Ipoh folks, and the interested readers from wherever you are. Let me share this story on what could possibly be the most legendary popiah seller in all of Ipoh … Read the rest of this entry »

For all the posts on this Hong Kong/Macau food fest, click HERE.

Extremely thin strands of egg noodles with a prominent aroma of lye water (alkaline water, or ‘kan sui’) made up bowls after bowls of noodle in soup with either dumplings, beef brisket, pig’s parts, etc.

At the time of posting this, you must be scratching your head wondering what the heck has gotten into Motormouth lately. DAILY posts?!! Almost unheard of, since … erm, aeons ago when I was back in Ipoh and leisure time exceeded working hours by a far margin. After all, stuck in traffic jams after office hours was almost unheard of back then …..

Before this passion to put my thoughts into words fizzles out, I’d better keep this momentum going. After all, this trip was more food hunt and shopping than sight-seeing, as opposed to the last trip back in 2008. So there will be more posts on FOOD (hurray?) than anything else.

Still in a daze, I started this week by waking up in Hong Kong, then journeyed to Macau for 2 nights, before coming back to Malaysia for a subsequent night, and finally travelled down south to Singapore last night. I am back in PJ now, but this weekend will be spent in Ipoh (double hurray?!!).

Since it’s Friday (that darn Rebecca Black’s tune kept playing in my head, for some incomprehensible reason!), let’s keep today’s post short, shall we?

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For the other equally mouth-watering food and travel posts from this Hong Kong escapade, jump HERE. Feeling slightly nostalgic? Then go all the way back to 2008 for even more ramblings from Motormouth. Be warned, leave your common sense behind. Seriously.

If there’s ONE Hong Kong street food that’s not only repulsive and pungent; bordering on being categorized as garbage food, yet alluring enough to aficionados and symbolizes the charisma of Mong Kok so well, it has to be the Stinky Beancurd; fondly referred to as “Chow Tau Foo”

Mong Kok in Kowloon has been portrayed as THE most notorious area in all of Hong Kong. At least, in the movies. When gangfights juxtaposed against the neon lights of hovering signboards publicizing the melange of massage parlours, mahjong dens and spitting images of tattooed men tucking into their hot pot (fondly known as steamboat in this part of the world).

On the contrary, this bustling part of Hong Kong is a foodie’s wettest wildest dreams come true. Generally crowded from day until night, you can find a cafe, restaurant or even a snack vendor/peddler at every nook and corner.

Read on for more tantalizing shots. I kid you not.

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Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum Specialists; loudly hailed as the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant. And probably the smallest too.

Let’s get the ball rolling. Highly doubtful that I can finish all the food posts in the very near future, but I shall try my best. And what better way to kick off the gastronomic endeavour than a heavenly (late) lunch of Hong Kong dim sum?

This feisty lady manned the counter; giving away queue numbers while intermittently serving the customers within. Don’t get all jelly-legs, people. She’s a charmer, surprisingly.

And this ‘restaurant’ (if you can even call the premise that) was awarded with an unprecedented ONE Michelin star, a startling choice since fine dining establishments have always had preferential treatment  over humble eateries. Granted, this might also be due to the fact that Chef Mak Pui Gor at Tim Ho Wan (literally translated to “Add Good Luck”) came from a 3-starred Lung King Heen himself.

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#1 – Deanie Ip (Yip Tak Han in Cantonese) is a Cantopop singer and Chinese actress in Hong Kong.

#2 – Strangers share tables, chairs, and nothing short of food in hole in a wall establishments all over Hong Kong.

#3 – Business booms early in the morning, when the whole city still sleeps in.

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*The original article appeared in the May edition of I.M. – a one of a kind, reader-powered lifestyle magazine. Go grab a copy from your favourite bookstore; for RM3.50 each.

It’s disheartening to see the youngsters nowadays, rushing for nothing but empty calories in the form of fast food, frozen pre-packed foodstuff, greasy unrecognizable morsels and eating in the malls for the sake of convenience more than anything. And yes, even when the price is a few folds more expensive compared to the real deal out there.

You can barely hear about stories on how people travel far and wide, going on food hunts to the rural outskirts of the city, or appreciating a good old feast cooked from the freshest of ingredients from the wet market, or noodles fried with charcoal fire in a most labour-intensive manner, or even biscuits/breads baked NOT in electronic/microwave ovens, but utilizing the most traditional of means.

Talk about Kalumpang, a small town in Hulu Selangor and chances are the young ones will be scratching their heads in a puzzled manner. I don’t blame them, for I myself was one who has never heard of this place that reminded me of Sungkai; an equally small town in Perak where I used to visit when I was small. Only until the time when I passed by Tanjung Malim en route to Kuala Lumpur, that we decided to venture off the beaten track, and into the wild, so to speak. A road less traversed equals a gem worth discovering, usually …… Read the rest of this entry »