Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

Hainanese Roast Chicken Rice (RM5/USD1.60 per portion)

Finally something Halal from Ipoh for a change? Yes I know, I’ve not been an ardent hunter for Halal cuisine in Ipoh for more reasons than one. Firstly, there are only a mere handful of Malay restaurants (read : restaurants; a proper eatery with air-conditioning unit and proper menu) in Ipoh; and I think I might have tried the most premium of all; Laksamana Cheng Ho. And that was not good.

Wait, we went TWICE. And both visits were … blah …..let’s drop that. Hence you never read about the restaurant even after almost 3 years in existence; this Motormouth from Ipoh.

Crunchy bean sprouts blanched to the right degree/texture; lightly seasoned with pepper and dash of soy sauce, then garnished with chopped scallion and red chillies. (about RM4/USD1.30, if I’m not mistaken)

And since Ipoh’s synonymous with “Nga Choy Kai” or Ayam Tauge, also commonly named as Bean Sprouts Chicken (if you’re confused, read through this list of all the ‘Nga Choy Kai’ outlets I have bulldozed my way through ….), it’s only fair that the Muslim counterparts get to taste what this hoo-hah was all about.

Usually the halal version of chicken rice equals margarine cooked yellow (to a scary extent) rice, served with almost dehydrated roasted chicken and a sweet chili sauce, or sweet soy sauce (kicap manis). That, my friend …. is far from the original Hainan chicken rice we’re talking about.

So let’s see what Ipoh Hainan Chicken Rice; this chain (two branches now) outlet with a cleaner and presentable facade offers to the Malay community in Ipoh …..

Though named as Butter Rice in the menu; this oil rice (cooked from chicken oil, usually, the stock from the roasted chicken/poached chicken) vaguely passed off as the real deal. Only less ginger than compared to the Chinese version.

Some argue it’s always the chili sauce that makes the difference. While others stand firm on their choice of fluffy grains of aromatic rice. Me? The chicken, the rice and the chili sauce play equally important roles in determining the sheer value of a good Hainan chicken rice.

With all due respect, this Ipoh Hainan Chicken Rice (let’s call them IHCR in short) deserves to be crowned as one of the better halal chicken rice in Ipoh. Since competition ain’t tough at all, and the dearth of proper eateries serving reputable cuisine, I foresee them going far in promoting Halal Ipoh cuisine to the masses.

Kerabu Mangga – A mango salad with crispy cuttlefish, chopped cili padi and onions.

Deep Fried Beancurd in Oyster Sauce – Now this is good. Surprisingly. Very smooth and eggy beancurd fried until the exterior layer become crispy, then cooked in a sweetish oyster sauce base.

The side dishes are there for the sake of filling the vacuum spots in the tummy, I guess. The portion ain’t large, you can even down two plates if you’re really hungry.

The chicken was okay, certainly made a better impression when we had them at the original outlet on Anderson road (Jalan Raja Musa Aziz) way back in 2008. That was when they first operated, I presumed. Even the poached chicken was good back then.

See? This shot was taken with my ever reliable Nokia 5610. Now the phone’s been passed on to the previous generation. Hehe … Mum’s the new owner now.

Nescafe Shake - Though not as freezingly refreshing as I had imagined (who remembered way back in the 80′s or early 90′s, when Nescafe Shake was the BOMB?!)

The new outlet at Greentown Suria; where the new DWJ Hotel is located at. Find out more about the new boutique hotel from emily’s blog.

Anyway, this lunch was a memorable feat, not so much for the FOOD, but more for the company. Good to know that there are still simple souls with a heart and a penchant for food back in my old workplace. People change, life changes, but good friends remain the same forever.

“Don’t give up on the Good Fight …”

*Ipoh Hainan Chicken Rice has two outlets in Ipoh; strangely about 1-2 kilometres apart from each other. I don’t have the address or contact number, but one is on Anderson Road; a short distance away from the hospital roundabout, while the other is behind of Greentown Mall; at the new shops named Greentown Suria. Here’s a GOOGLE MAP for easy reference.

You can read more from Eatz.me, MsM Perak, and they even have a Facebook group HERE.