Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

A compilation of some of the new eateries in Ipoh, a special feature for those jaded palates (Read : those who had grown bored of the same old … same old … offerings).

RESTORAN AYAM PENYET – AP @ DE GARDEN MALL (HALAL)

The only time I have tried Ayam Penyet in Malaysia was my Waroeng Penyet experience at The Curve sometime ago. Ayam Penyet literally translate to ‘Flattened Chicken’, and no, before you go all smart-alec thinking ’bout that bad joke on why the chicken crossed the road (ahem), this is actually a traditional, Indonesian delight whereby the piece of chicken (a thigh, in this case) is marinated, then smashed with a wooden hammer-like apparatus, before deep-frying. Of course, one can argue about more efficient tenderizing method, for the chicken may turn out drier anyway, exposed to the rigorous process of deep-frying.

But the authenticity lies in its preparation process, more than the ingredients themselves. Marinated lightly, with some herbs and spices, the piece of chicken did remind us of the average Ayam Goreng served at most Malay ‘warung’, topped with some crispy fritters and served with a dollop of spicy sambal on the side, with blanched kangkung (water convolvulus), fried beancurd (tofu) and and piece of ‘tempe‘ (a fermented soybean cake) to round up the set.

No rice was served with this set, which is a clever business ploy, as I highly doubt you will eat the chicken on its own. A serving of rice is priced at RM1.50/USD0.40, while the Ayam Penyet set is priced at RM7.50/USD2.10.

The Gado-gado is a famous Indonesian salad, served with chunky peanut dressing, almost resembling the satay sauce. At Ayam Penyet- AP’s, the ‘gado-gado’ was also garnished with lots of crackers, particularly interesting were the few pieces of kerepek belinja, a type of crackers made from a bitter-ish plant (or tuber? someone enlighten me here). With half a boiled egg, the salad came in a rather measly portion enough for one, albeit priced reasonably at only RM3.50/USD1.

The staff mixed up our order for Daging Rendang, and instead served us with Ayam Rendang, without even an apology after we confronted them about the mistake. So much for customer service, and 5% service charge. Nonetheless, the Ayam Rendang came in a most blazing hot form, so do not push your luck if you’re not in favour of spicy food. It was tastier that the Ayam Penyet, in my personal opinion.

And do NOT look down on the Gulai Pucuk Ubi (Sweet potato leaves cooked in a rich, coconut milk-laden broth with added bird’s eye chillies), for the mild-mannered vegetable dish packed a most fiery punch! Garnished with some fried shallots, the almost creamy, pulp-ish serving of greens may remind one of Palak Paneer, a North Indian specialty of mashed spinach with cottage cheese. At a mere RM3.50/USD1, the serving was enough to be shared.

Ayam Penyet – AP is a branch from Klang Valley, with six outlets scattered around. Hop over to their website for the other locations.

Address & Contact Number
Ayam Penyet – AP (Masakan Jawa Timur dan Minang)
Lot G18, De Garden Mall,
Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah,
31400 Medan Ipoh,
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 6012-591 3071.

LEE’S BURGER AND WESTERN FOOD @ BERCHAM, IPOH

And here’s a somewhat established Western food stall, named Lee’s Burger relocated to a spot opposite from Bercham’s Golden Food Point food court. The new corner lot offers a definitely more spacious and comfortable dining capacity, with lots of parking lots around the area to boot. So it’s a win-win situation somewhat, for you can also hop over to the Chinese coffee shop behind this outlet if Lee’s Burger is too crowded (it was on this Sunday evening), or walk over to the food court mentioned for an extensive array of hawker food.

Oozing with cheese, and slices of ham hidden within, the deep-fried pork cutlet was really named as Gordon Bleu, instead of the more common Cordon Bleu. Same concept, different spelling?

Lee’s Burger originated from the food court across the road, now moving into their own premise. The shop still has NO signboard, for it’s rather new, taking over the spot occupied by a car accessory shop.

So let’s move on to the FOOD.

The menu was printed in a most eye-catching manner, on a piece of laminated cardboard, placed on every table to hasten the process of ordering. The mind-boggling number of items offered can be a blessing in disguise, or a bane to the cooks themselves.

From Western cuisine such as Stewed Lamb Shank, the omnipresent chops (even PORK), spaghetti and American breakfast, to the Eastern fares such as fish head noodles, Yong Tau Foo (stuffed fish paste), curry fish head and rice served in a variety of manners. Something for EVERYONE, alright. But did they excel in pleasing the tastebud?

The Pork Gordon Bleu (RM10.50/USD3) held much juices inside the cavity of the battered pork fillet, filled with melted cheese and slices of ham. Tender, juicy and flavoursome, the winning combination deserves an order for pork-lovers. But the sides of buttered garlic toast, some coleslaw and a scoop of mashed potatoes were all too predictable, and nothing stellar.

The Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce (RM9.50/USD2.70) was cooked with canned mushroom soup/sauce -Very diluted with nary a mushroom in sight. Not the best way to appease the mushroom-lovers that’s for sure. The Grilled dory fish (RM11.50/USD3.30) came enveloped with a thin slice of egg omelette, and served with no gravy. The double dollops of mashed potatoes made up for the missing pieces of onion rings, for they ran out of them this evening.

But most disappointing was the Fish & Chips (RM10.50/USD3) which came with NO fries, nor any chips for that matter. Only mashed potatoes, and the same sides as the other items. Huh …? A far cry from the giant picture ballooned and vibrantly decorating the walls, with onion rings, fries and mashed potatoes, as well as coleslaw.

Maybe my expectations were running rather high, or I could have ordered the wrong signatures? But I do vividly remember their Chicken Sandwich, a MUST-try back when they were still operating from the opposite stall. Do look out for that.

Lee’s Burger And Western Food
Corner lot facing Bercham’s Golden Point Food Court
Telephone : 6012-508 7128 (Lee Yan), 6016-512 0641 (Lilly)
Opens from 7am – 10.30pm. Closed on Mondays.

JLN DATOH NOODLE STALL @ IPOH GARDEN SOUTH

And the third in the series …. (are you still breathing?), a simple noodle stall turned to the commercialization route. A shade of Old Town White Coffee anyone? Or maybe Hon Kee Porridge, or even Pao Xiang Bak Kut Teh in Klang Valley?

Compulsory pickled green chillies, Teh C Special (3 layered milk tea), and the homely decor.

Jalan Datoh, or Datoh road is a stretch of road connecting Pasir Puteh to Ipoh town centre. The older part of Ipoh town, mind you. There was this rather popular wantan noodle stall operating on Jalan Datoh, which according to my friend, has moved to a new location. Anyone can comment on this?

Anyway, this NEW outlet in Ipoh Garden South is situated directly next to that new branch of Nam Chau coffee shop, that famous outlet for dry curry mee, with branches in Menglembu and First Garden as well.

Their signature homemade egg noodles offers a most ‘al dente‘ experience, springy to the bite and devoid of unpleasant alkaline taste. Slices of roasted marinated pork (Char Siew) came in no artificial hues of red, but instead in the most traditional presentation – half fat/half lean and with minimal gravy. RM5.50/USD1.50 for the noodles with roast pork and prawn wantan (dumplings)

But the wantan/wonton (dumplings) can be served in soup, or fried, and with either pork or prawn fillings. And although the wantan did not manage to impress much (I’ve had better ones elsewhere), but the Sui Kow (minced pork and prawn dumplings with assorted chopped vegetables) was really, really good. Crunchy from the ‘mook yee’ (black fungus/wood ear fungus) and chopped yambeans (I think). I’ll take a side order of these anyday. Have them served in soup or deep-fried, according to your preference.

But of course, the nicer ambience, and better presentation will result in pricier items. The noodles is priced from RM4.00/USD1.10 and above, with the crispy fried dumpling noodles topping the price range at RM6/USD1.70 per portion.

The Wantan/Wonton is still reasonably priced at about RM0.50 each, with the Sui Kow priced at RM1.00 each.

Jln Datoh Noodle Stall
4, Tingkat Taman Ipoh 12,
Ipoh Garden South,
31400 Ipoh,
Perak, Malaysia.
Days off not fixed.

Here’s a GOOGLE MAP TO ALL THREE PLACES

So, any other NEW restaurants in Ipoh that you are DYING to recommend to Motormouth?