Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Like a breath of fresh air, Michelangelo’s Pizzeria will soon be gracing the stagnant, almost mundane food and beverage scene in Ipoh, promising quality American-style pizzas at affordable prices. Finally injecting some pizzazz to the unbelievably limited number of choices when it comes to eateries serving pizzas in Ipoh. We have Pizza Hut … and erm, that’s it. No Shakey’s, no Domino’s, no Papa John’s nor even Canadian Pizza. But of course, not including the pricier options at Brewster’s, SSTC (They did serve a wacky spaghetti pizza, to which I have yet to write about) or even Italia Mia (Last I checked they did not serve them. Do they now?)

Yeah, that should be Michelangelo’s, spelled differently. But who cares right? In his most joyous, devil-may-care attitude, I doubt Michael himself mind had I spelled his restaurant the other way ’round!

Yet to officially open for business, Michelangelo’s Pizzeria is expected to be up and running in a week or two’s time. Hopefully by Christmas, or prior to that. To appease that craving for some good ol’ REAL quality pizzas, in Michael’s own words, you must try Michelangelo’s painstakingly stretched, tossed, or rolled pizza dough from good quality flour (no idea what the name was, sorry), topped with the freshest and best of ingredients. No frozen sausages, generic pepperoni/salami, nor minuscule layers of mozzarella.

Having a whale of a time himself stretching them flat on the working counter, tossing them with much gusto and liberally throwing on ingredients as he desired …. Now that’s unorthodox.

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Mr Murugiah manning the stall with his beloved wife, on Jalan Tun Abdul Razak in Ipoh

How was your weekend dear readers? Mine was a most-packed weekend spent in the Klang Valley, which saw me trudging along for the PC Fair  extravaganza over at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (which brought to mind the comparatively pathetic Ipoh’s version in Stadium Indera Mulia, with booths packed so closely you’ll be thanking your lucky stars you do not suffocate to death!), eating around here and there, but not before I paid my virginal visit to Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia.

That was solely work, mind you. Not some leisurely sight-seeing excursion nor involvement in any political bickering over at Putrajaya. And the unbelievably UN-user-friendly routes, maps, signboards and directions all over the place, whereby I could not even determine which precinct I was at, and which building was which. Needless to say, I spent a good half an hour in search of a particular block in Putrajaya. Shucks, big time.

Hot, and crispy curry puffs fresh from the wok (RM0.40/USD0.10 each)

Anyway, due to a serious lack of sleep, I’ll be the first to jump at the opportunity to drift into slumberland. But not before I write a brief one on this green shack of a stall, on Jalan Tun Perak in Ipoh – the road parallel to Jalan Tun Abdul Razak which houses THIS particular Tauge Ayam stall.

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Dim Sum Spread @ Ming Court Hong Kong Tim Sum, Ipoh

Talk about dim sum in Ipoh, and a few outlets come to mind. The grand-daddy of them all has to be Foh San Dim Sum, which has recently moved to a spanking new premise on Jalan Leong Sin Nam; the undisputed “Dim Sum Street” of Ipoh. But of course, along the same road, you’ll find two equally famous names, being Ming Court Hong Kong Tim Sum, and Yoke Fook Moon, all within walking distance from each other. Of course, if all these restaurants are packed like sardines, don’t give up hope. You can find a few others scattered within the vicinity, such as Chef Fatt and Chang Keong opposite of each other on Cowan Street (Jalan Raja Ekram). Wanna know the exact location of each? Here’s a GOOGLE MAP to all the dim sum restaurants mentioned above.

Pork rolled in beancurd sheets with sweet and sour sauce – One of my favourite type of dim sum ever. Since I was a small kid, really.

It’s been aeons ago since I’ve paid Ming Court Hong Kong Tim Sum (it’s spelled as that) a visit. Reason being? The relentless wait for an empty table, or in most occasions, vacant seats to be shared with some other strangers. Yeah, the ‘Thap Toi‘ (tumpang meja/sharing tables) tradition is alive and kicking at Ming Court, not unlike Foh San. The fully air-conditioned restaurant can seat quite a number of patrons, but pale in comparison to the gigantic Foh San across the street.

So comparing Ming Court head to head with Foh San’s dim sum, which restaurant fares better?

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How often do you find a whole piece of fresh & succulent prawn in one wanton?

Since the post on Buntong Wan Tan Noodle received mixed reactions; some true blue Ipohans still swear by the authentic and most traditional approach of cooking the wantan noodle, while the others felt that the quality has dwindled over the years, I’m still on the prowl, searching for the BEST Wantan Mee Ipoh has to offer. The Ipoh stadium’s version has its own share of fans, but my only gripe is the small portion being served, as well as the comparatively long waiting time. But of course, the Buntong’s version triumphs once again in this aspect, especially come peak business hours. 🙂

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Tom Yam Seafood Noodles (RM5.50 / USD1.60), Saito Fishballs (RM0.40/USD0.10 each), and a small serving of Pork Beads (RM4/USD1.20)

Fai Kee Restaurant is a household name of sorts in Ipoh, an eatery associated with excellent seafood and fish head noodles in Ipoh. And since someone has commented about me being extra long-winded lately, I’ll just elaborate ever so slightly (promise!) on each item we ordered this afternoon, okay?

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Remember this hunk of a model back then?

A summary of all the Ipoh food I have written before revealed the rather unflattering truth; I REALLY need to push on and write more on other cuisines, especially Malay food, and Indian food. The smattering of knowledge with regards to the existence (or the lack) of worthy Malay restaurants, ‘warung’, or even roadside shacks in and around Ipoh, renders my search for blog-worthy materials close to futile.

But thanks to the encouraging (notice I used the word ‘encouraging’, instead of aplenty) number of Indian colleagues and friends, I am slowly getting accustomed to the myriad of Indian cuisines in Ipoh, from the classy North Indian food, to the spicier and robust South Indian fare. Read all about the banana leaf escapades for a gastronomic journey of the most fiery kind.

The wondrous colours, taste, and aroma of Indian cuisine @ Sri Ananda Bahwan @ Old Town of Ipoh …

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Almost clockwork-like, the camera-shy (or maybe I was a little intrusive?) owner of Cheong Kee dishing out plates after plates, and bowls after bowls of what could possibly be Ipoh’s MOST famous Wan Tan Noodle ………..

Buntong is a small community to the west of Ipoh, with a sizable Indian and Chinese community that are distributed almost evenly, with vibrant Indian temples lining the main street of Buntong, and Chinese schools scattered in the vicinity. Back when I was still a novice when it came to food-hunting of any nature, (read : before this blog was born) I had only the vaguest impression of Buntong; dismissing the town as a rural village with potentially unruly citizens. For which I apologize profusely now, and ate my words and a  slice of the humble pie.

Then came the unabashedly-grateful virginal tour around Buntong, which had me downing some smooth “Kai See Hor Fun” (Shredded or Slices of Poached Chicken Meat served with Koay Teow/Flat Rice Noodles Soup) at Buntong Ayam Tauke, and a second excursion which had me eating inside some residents’ compound, relishing the bowl of beef noodles soup and stuffed fish paste (which we Ipohans proudly name them as “Liew” instead of the more common Yong Tau Foo).

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