Where J2Kfm Lurks for Lunch in Ipoh-Chemor
March 25, 2010 | 12,096 viewsPower lunches for us literally translate to random everyday lunches; usually deciphered as leisurely sessions lasting between half an hour to an hour, or sometimes more. Shhhh!!! We wouldn’t want the higher authorities to discover this batch of incompetent workers now, would we? 😉
Wait, who am I kidding? When THEY themselves immerse in one hour plus meals, finished with a fogging session, then cleansing their souls with some spiritual searching. Hell yeah we’re good followers …..
Tung Hoi is a famous name when it comes to Chinese diners, the other branch in Ipoh Garden South being one of my favourite haunt formerly ……
Of course, when work takes us out from the office, all we can hope for is at least, a decent place for lunch after all the hard work. Okay okay … excuses I know. But good food may just be the sole requiem one needs at these desperate times.
Obviously, we CANNOT drink the blues away in the middle of the day now, can we? 🙂
Pai Kuat Wong Fan, aka Spare Ribs King Rice
I wrote about Chemor twice. Once was when we had Banana Leaf Curry Rice at Samy’s on the main road of Chemor town, while the other occasion saw us slurping fish noodles at Hoong Wan. This time around, we opted for an air-conditioned restaurant instead, for the erratic weather in Ipoh had us at His mercy. Plus, individual meals at Chemor East Ocean Restaurant are priced rather reasonably.
For about RM7-RM8 (USD2 – USD2.30) per serving, you get a variety of choices, from the usual fried rice and noodles, to pork, chicken, fish or even ostrich meat cooked in an array of manners, served with white rice.
Tung Hoi aka East Ocean is no doubt a household name when it comes to wedding dinners and such. in Ipoh. The branch over at Ipoh Garden South seemed to be performing rather poorly, for I have had two miserable meals at that restaurant last year. Thus I never revisited that branch. But this one in Chemor has a better reputation, earning praises from all quarters. Even the exceedingly hard-to-pleased KYT. 😉
The meal was satisfactory, with only the Kam Heong Chicken suffered from the liberal addition of salt. Tastewise, the dishes were all professionally handled, a significant improvement from what the Ipoh Garden South’s branch dished out back then.
So if you’re in a small group, and ordering dishes cooked separately sounds like a less than feasible option, go for their individual meals instead. The cooling environment is a surefire hit amongst the lunch crowd, plus they serve Chinese tea at a mere RM0.30 per person. Yeah, almost unheard of, huh?
From Chemor we move to Gunung Rapat, the area famous for Heong Peng, or Fragrant Biscuits. Rarely did we go all the way to Gunung Rapat for lunch, except these few times. But since we were somewhere around the area one afternoon, we pushed our luck by venturing off the main road of Jalan Ampang/Jalan Raja Musa Mahadi, and stumbled upon this quaint little cafe which has been operating for a good 5 years now; named Chop House Cafe.
Dismissing the place as just another one of those Fantasy, Friendster, or possibly the most famous of all, Crazy Ice-Cream, I did not set my expectations sky high. After all, this to me was just another tucked in the neighbourhood kind of cafe, possibly operating to cater to those not-so-picky eaters (read : teenagers?) around the vicinity.
Though I was surprised to see mostly blue-collared workers patronizing the place on a weekday afternoon, however hidden this gem of a place may be.
They offer a range of Western as well as Eastern fares, from fried rice (and the variety’s endless ...) to noodles, as well as salads, soups, chops (possibly where the name came from) and fresh fruit juices.
The fresh juices got our interest piqued, especially when you can have mango, dragon fruit, apple, etc prepared fresh on the spot, and with optional addition of milk at a mere extra 20 cents. (Fresh fruit juices @ RM2.30/USD0.65 per glass) The Mango Fruit Juice with Milk was heavenly, with thick pulps blended in, and creamy from the milk, a salute to its lassi resemblance, really.
The food was passable, with ample portions to feed a hungry soul. The Cincalok Fried Rice(RM5.50/USD1.60) was a pungent, yet not overwhelmingly so selection, combining the zing of fermented shrimp sauce with beaten omelette, chicken dices, and a fried egg, accompanied by a side dip of sambal belacan. The Butter Chicken Fried Rice was really your usual “Nai Yau Gai” fried with the rice, a harmoniously blended-in flavour, I might add. Though lacking in oomph somehow, for I prefer chunks of chicken, preferably deep-fried beforehand, instead of diced chicken cubes.
The meal came to less than RM10/USD2.80 per person. Chop House Cafe also offers a variety of set lunches, with a drink and a dessert of either fruits/ice-cream. So if you’re ever lost in Gunung Rapat/Ipoh Jaya/Ampang area, drop by Chop House Cafe for a simple lunch in an air-conditioned environment.
Addresses & Contact Numbers :
Chemor East Ocean Restaurant
No 1-5, Jalan Silang Dua,
31200 Chemor, Perak.
Tel No : 605-201 1562, 605-201 1652, 605-201 1552
Opens for lunch and dinner.
Chop House Cafe
101, Jalan Wira Jaya,
Taman Ipoh Jaya 1,
31350 Ipoh, Perak.
Tel No : 6017-588 8853
Opens from 11.00am – 3.00pm, and 6.00pm – 10.00pm.
Closed on Mondays.
Lunches @ Chemor East Ocean & Chop House in Gunung Rapat, Ipoh | Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog…
Both air-conditioned places, and reasonably-priced lunches. Chemor East Ocean is a famous Chinese diner, with a branch in Ipoh Garden South. While Chop House has been on the scene for 5 years, serving Western-Eastern cuisines….
Cincalok fried rice? Cincalok (a fave of this Malaccan boy) + fried rice (fave of this “rice bin”) = very happy guy! 😀
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 9:39 am
You’re a fan of Cincalok?! That’s almost unheard of lah …. I know MANY who detest the sheer whiff of fresh cincalok from the bottles …. 🙂
[Reply]
Really? The Ipoh Garden South is not doing well? But I have only gone to that branch before and thought it was good! Now I don’t need to go all the way there with the branch in Kampar though… 🙂
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 9:40 am
There is a branch in Kampar also? Oh thanks for informing.
The branch in Ipoh Garden South disappointed us few times before, hence we never revisit.
[Reply]
bushido Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 10:13 am
FYI
The original East Ocean is in Menglembu. The owner couple were formerly Chief chef & Head captain respectively in Pasir Puteh Mun Choong.
They split up with their business partner who went on to open East Ocean Ipoh Garden & Penang.
The original East Ocean now runs branches in Chemor & Kampar.
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
March 27th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Thanks for the information bushido. I never knew East Ocean has such rich history. Or legacy. Or whatever. So which one’s YOUR favourite then?
bushido Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 9:15 am
Menglembu wins hands down, that’s where da boss & boss lady are most of the time.
BTW have you tried the ” Cross the bridge” Yunnan rice noodles in Taman Mas ?
leisurely sessions lasting between half an hour to an hour, or sometimes more..?! sounds like MY kinda lunch! I am so jealous la.. gunung rapat, chemor.. etc.. you got soooooo many great places to eat near you, heaven knows why u like KL so much 😛 hehe
[Reply]
not many places offer cincalok fried rice here in KL (not that I know of)… maybe I am not adventurous enough!
The serving for those rices are rather expensive… I think that we still can get cheaper price in PJ area
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Yeah, but this is a cafe, rather than a coffee shop or such. So I think it’s still reasonable.
But of course, if comparing to East Ocean, then it’s different, for this is a diner, much like Mun Choong, Kok Thai, Tai Thong and the likes.
[Reply]
The food seems quite pricey; compared to the city , but I guess this is is the price for restaurants like these =)
Go ahead and enjoy your lunch hours…hahaha, as long as productivity is high, I don’t think it’s such a crime to have an hour +; I don’t think you exceed two hours for lunch, right? =D
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
March 27th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Haha, true also lah. Long lunch hours = Higher productivity.
I can buy that.
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those are real good quick lunch dishes.
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I don’t like my pai guat wong drench with too much of sauce 🙁
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may like 2 try out d cincaluk fried rice when i’m back in Ipoh. Juz like “chow tau fu” aka stinky beancurd,
2 me, it smells like garbage or like filthy longkang water but………when u taste one, u say 2 urself not bad hor! One more pls…….hahahaa… Well, i guess it is worth a try lol!
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I would like 2 add tat Mun Choong, Pasir Putih branch is alwiz quite consistent in quality.
Lunch is quite reasonable such as Home made fried tofu wif minced seafood(my fav) n claypot pork belly wif salted fish. Alwiz order small portion even for 3 pax thus price range around RM10-RM15.
Saliva dripping oredi………..one more rice pls…….ha ahahaha……
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
March 27th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Hi pang, yeah. Mun Choong has always been consistent in their food, even during wedding dinners, or festivities. We seldom go all out during lunch lah, mostly sticking to the usual hawker fares, or sometimes cafe/bistros only.
I like cencalok, durian, petai, stinky tofu and all things pungent, EXCEPT ….. budu. Ewwww!!!
[Reply]
The Kam Heong Chicken surely look nice. 😀
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[…] Chop House Cafe @ Gunung Rapat […]
[…] Ocean Seafood Restaurants are everywhere in Ipoh, so to speak. There’s one in Chemor which I wrote about, another in Ipoh Garden South that I am not so fond of, and this one in […]
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Lunches @ Chemor East Ocean & Chop House in Gunung Rapat, Ipoh | Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel
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Lunches @ Chemor East Ocean & Chop House in Gunung Rapat, Ipoh | Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel