Motormouth From Ipoh

Lamb Bacon Bruschetta – Crisp and savoury lamb bacon with a briny tinge; with ratatouille and crumbled feta cheese on toasted sourdough bread.

13th Sept 2011 : “If I have to summarize today in three words, let them be …  Hectic. Rambunctious and Beautiful.”

14th Sept 2011 : And then the words stopped flowing. All of a sudden what was supposed to be one of my finest days in ages turned out to be a misplaced hope. Like shattered dreams, my world took a drastic downward spiral … crashing back down to earth. Or maybe 6 feet under.

I paused in the midst of that sentence, and left this draft in the lurch.

Oh sunny skies, endless greens and gentle breeze …. how I missed thee ….

The time spent away from the office was at least … mildly consoling. Like how a child’s pitiful tears might not get him an ice-cream, yet a handful of sweets would do just fine. After all, life’s not always so rosy ….

So happened I will be spending the remainder of my weekdays in a golf resort here in Klang Valley. And no, lest you think this Motormouth has gone all ‘atas’ (premium. high class. snobbish), this is for WORK.

For tonight’s story, I’ll take you back to Meru Valley Golf Resort in Jelapang, Ipoh …. and discover this new and reclusive gourmet deli named Allegra.

It felt like as though the glass display holding the plethora of savoury and sweet delights was a test of endurance. How well you can withstand temptation; the desire to choose more than you can digest.

Allegra. Had I not read this piece from Ipoh Echo, the periodic updates from of this ravenous bunny, and from the horse’s mouth for that final push, I would not have known about its existence.

Beautiful Italian tea cakes for a leisurely tete-a-tete overlooking the endless horizon of different hues of greens.

Allegra is a deli-cum-gourmet essentials one-stop joint. You’ll see the familiar racks with various imported ingredients; from baking needs to ready-to-eat snacks and even gifts, fresh fruits and bountiful supplies of cooking ingredients.

The bears have it good at Allegra, the green zucchini felt like a stranger amongst the yellowed ones, and a platter of terrific cherries.

Barely enough space for one to do somersaults (you shall not), the charming premise was cleverly designed with a rustic ambience in mind, punctuated with modern deli elements (a serving bar with an L-shaped open counter complete with glass display compartments with open sandwiches, fresh pastries, etc).

Almond croissants dusted with icing sugar for a fluffy and lighter start to the day.

Save for a very quick glimpse of the surroundings, we instinctively reached for the counter with temptations abound. Signature wraps (aptly named “Drapps”) of Turkish influence, with a variety of fillings ranging from the more common chicken with caramelized onions or assorted vegetables, to seriously out-of-the-box options like julienned jicama/yambean with unagi and spiced lamb meatballs or even the one with braised minted lamb. (Priced from RM13-15 each)

Bristot coffee’s one of my preferred choice in casual cafes; aside from Lavazza, Illy and the lesser-known Graffeo.

They do have a few tables for your perusal. Say, you wish to jumpstart your day with a cup of cappucino and a pastry of the day, while reading a good book and buoyed by the gentle breeze and magnificent surroundings of the golf course.

Lightly toasted to a crisp finish, the Turkish flatbread wrapping the savoury fillings within may look small (roughly the diameter of a larger popiah/spring roll), but quite substantial for breakfast. Lest you’re a Class A glutton like yours truly.

A throwback to the traditional Nyonya style ‘jiu hoo char’ fillings (at least, that was the first impression), the briny flavours from the unagi coupled with boiled julienned yambean paled in comparison to the spicy lamb version though.

The savoury options may be limited to a few at any one time, but they do change their selection from a day to day basis. Now they have baby pizzas with chicken, peppers and Gouda cheese, jacket potatoes with mushrooms and cheddar cheese, and even simple portobello mushrooms served in a dressing of olive oil (from the looks of it).

Maximizing the season’s freshest imported produce, this fresh cherries and banana cake (RM8.50 per slice) was born. With a slight tinge of bitterness, the sweetness level was tampered to a very tolerable level.

Of latte, macaron and egg. Allegra concentrates on desserts, good coffee and fresh produce.

What you see is what you get. Essentially.

Oh … in case you’re wondering whether this is an exclusive cafe catering only to the club members, don’t fret. I am not one, and I managed to crawl my way in.

Allegra is open to the general public, and if you somehow had this itching nuance of deja vu …. an unexplainable sense of familiarity to the set up of the place, the pastries and concept?

Well … maybe because this is the brainchild of one lady named Julie Song, from Indulgence.

ALLEGRA
@ Club House of Meru Valley Golf Resort (www)
Jelapang, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel No : 605-526 2842
Opens from 8.00am – 7.00pm.
Closed on Tuesdays.
Google Map to Meru Valley Golf Resort

*Pardon the ridiculous outburst at the start of this post. Sometimes … writing a story can be therapeutic in ways that you can never explain. Maybe food DOES settle all problems in the world. Have a wonderful long weekend wherever you are (in Malaysia).