Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

Not the traditional Hakka Mee @ Hong Hin in Ipoh’s old town; without the unmistakably lardy taste and minced meat gravy.

I figure that since I started the ball rolling on Hakka food, might as well continue the flow with this almost unheard of (if you’re not a local), yet tremendously famous Hakka mee stall in old town of Ipoh.

How popular is this? Let’s put it this way; come for a late breakfast (about 11am) and you risk having to eat whatever leftovers they still have. We were there on a Saturday morning, and the Hakka mee ran out at 8.45am!!

WHO WAKES UP AT 8AM ON A SATURDAY?!!!!!

But of course, you can still choose to have the yellow mee, rice vermicelli noodles (bee hoon) etc. But doesn’t that just defeat the purpose of going 100% Hakka?

Read the full review, then see if this place holds any special place in your heart; being there for a good many years now …. Read the rest of this entry »

The signature “Ikan Bakar” (Grilled Fish) section where you can pick your fish from a choice of tilapia, kembung (mackerel) or keli (catfish)

It’s that time of the year again, when smokers don’t smoke, sinners don’t sin, and angels reign supreme. Yup, soon to be the holy month of Ramadan and much akin to how you should never cross Santa prior to Christmas, the fasting season begins. Bear in mind that when Muslims fast, not only do they need to stay away from eating/drinking for >12 hours a day, but their thoughts must be pure, sincere and without the slightest hint of malice in their intentions.

However, most urbanites look forward to the time for breaking fast nowadays ….

Where traditionally, people cook at home in anticipation of ‘buka sahur’ sessions (breaking fast), time, technology and rapid development has evolved the city dwellers especially the working class professionals into different characters all together.

It’s not uncommon to see immense crowd at Ramadan bazaars (Pasar Ramadan) in the evenings buying truckloads (more or less) of food for dinner. And tradition takes a giant backflip when major hotels in the city cash in on the festive season by offering array of mouthwatering temptations in their respective buffet spread.

Time for a family portrait? The mother and son duo of Mak Deli & Irwan dishing up a storm at Melting Pot Cafe @ Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur this coming month of Ramadan.

Whilst most establishments settle for the safer routes of traditional Malay cuisine (lemang, ketupat, satay, rendang, etc) combined with a touch of international influences (sashimi, sushi, Western pies, lasagne etc), the management of Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur took matters into their own hands and diverted the attention back to good old Padang delights from Pariaman; a coastal city to the west of Sumatera.

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Traditional Hakka Yong Tau Foo from Chong Chew Coffee Shop @ Kanthan Baru, Chemor – 600 pieces per day ain’t a walk in the park, that’s for sure. Sometimes up to 2000 (!) pieces.

Why is it that good eateries are usually not found in the most strategic of places? For instance, you have Ipoh’s best chee cheong fun served in the compound of someone’s house, secluded from public view and without a signboard to boot.

Then this resilient uncle peddles his way to a back alley (of all places) and sets up his stall to sell popiah only on weekends. Or how about having delicious fresh-from-the-wok yong tau foo while being seated under the shades of BIG trees?

Had a whale of a time sweating it out while watching in pure astonishment how the “heong peng” specialists bake their most esteemed biscuits from Gunung Rapat; in a huge clay oven? Or fancy a touch of magic from the hands of this kacang puteh maker for a good two decades now?

It all depends on how adamant you are in seeking for these gems in the most secluded of corners around Ipoh. For one, I would not have imagined going to extremes back then before I developed this penchant for writing. But oh my … how things have changed since.

The 3rd generation deep in the heart of the action. Pays to have the children interested to continue the legacy.

I was brought to attention of this coffee shop in Kanthan Baru; a new village (not literally, but as in ‘kampung baru’ that was established in 1992) in Chemor about 20km away from Ipoh. First they appeared on Taste With Jason (Axian) show on AEC, when he was doing a very informative coverage on yong tau foo (Stuffed fish paste) in Malaysia.

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Plain Porridge with “Kung Pow” (Dried Chillies) Eel

It was with much irony, that I posted a question on the All About Ipoh page about where to go for good porridge in Ipoh, and later on that same evening, I discovered this new eatery named Porridge Hut Restaurant in Greentown.

Seemingly, they started distributing flyers since a week or so before. Appearing spanking new; with a décor not unlike the common kopitiam, the restaurant was crowded on several occasions.

Guess the dearth of good porridge (congee might be the other familiar word that you’re searching for) places in Ipoh, especially come nighttime started to take its toll on the many porridge lovers in town. Or are we so enticed by NEW outlets sprouting every now and then, that we’re drawn in to their allure like fireflies to the flame; however temporary the sensation may be?

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If you have not read Day One’s story, go for that first. To understand the flow of the journey, so you won’t be gasping for air.

#1 – The Famous Nam Peng Sandwich - Beautiful, golden omelette, ham and slices of lean roasted pork layered between two slices of fluffy steamed white bread. Breakfast in Macau can’t get any better than this.

Second day in Macau was an even more eventful day, since we had the whole day to ourselves, and it was a Monday to boot! Yeah. That means lesser crowd, better traffic (don’t go out during peak hours, or you’d be squashed like sardines in buses) and shorter queue!

A glimpse of what to expect? The iconic Pork Chop Bun. Bird’s nest egg tarts. Red Bean Ice with Milk. Nostalgic moments from eating at cafes retaining their charm from the olden days. Coconut ice-cream made fresh on the spot. Shanghainese cuisine but we missed their Xiao Long Bao. Lord Stow’s Portuguese egg tarts and traditional desserts that will leave you in awe.

More than 30 photos right ahead, so once again ….. don’t blink. Read the rest of this entry »

Click HERE for the full series of this Hong Kong & Macau Trip.

#1 – Framing a good shot of Ruins of St. Paul’s @ Senado Square (Largo do Senado), Macau

It took me long enough to continue this series. Picking up from the last post on Kam Fung @ Wan Chai, we shall jump to Macau where we spent the last two days of our trip at. Don’t worry, will come back to more Hong Kong food and sights in the near (or distant) future. A summary  of the trip to come in the next few days if possible, so that you can refer to all the places we ate and visited under one post.

VERY photo-intensive post ahead …. go for your toilet break or grab a cup of coffee. Ready?

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A feast of traditional Hakka Yong Tau Foo (Stuffed Fish Paste), and a few extra sides @ Wah Kiow, Lorong Peel in Maluri, Kuala Lumpur.

The hunt for good yong tau foo continues. Was severely demoralized from the first Ampang Yong Tau Foo experience back then (not the famous Foong Foong, but heard from colleagues that Foong Foong’s not that exceptional nowadays), but faith restored in the eventual Puchong YTF excursion.

Since then, I have not come across another YTF stall worthy of recommendation. Paramount Garden’s Kheong Kee is but another one of those so-so outlet we frequent, but more so for the porridge and the sake of convenience than die-die must try yong tau foo.

Serenity in the realm of chaos. You can imagine their hardship on a daily basis; stuffing, boiling and frying those pieces of fish+pork+salted fish paste made from securely-guarded traditional Hakka recipes.

And next in line was this Yong Tau Foo stall at Lorong Peel in Maluri, Kuala Lumpur. Been itching to go all the way from Ipoh for a chance at this, ever since watching this on Taste With Jason food show on Astro. But to no avail.

You know lah … procrastination, and the fact that the short weekend getaways last time were barely enough for all the food on my list. Then I relocated to PJ and …. ta-dah!!!

A review finally, on this stall best described as traditional, humble and damn famous.

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