Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Siam Laksa @ Restoran Ko Pi Tim (the name sounds like an overkill, really) in Medan Ipoh Bistari; aka the ‘Little Japan’ of Ipoh. Don’t ask why … just go and see for yourself.

Almost a week of disappearance. And no, I have not been traveling outstation, holidaying overseas or strapped to a chair and bombed to oblivion. The sheer barrage of workload and pending matters post-CNY (okay, technically speaking, it’s not even over yet. It’s Chap Goh Meh; the 15th day tomorrow!) got me hurling myself towards the monitor on a 24/7 basis.

Plus, no thanks to the crappy Internet speed lately, the frustration just kept building up to a crescendo of flames in my head.

Phew. And then there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. Or a shimmering glimmer of hope to feed the dire soul. Sunday’s always the best day to recharge and expel the accumulated toxins over the week.

Wantan Mee & Hakka Mee @ Ko Pi Tim

So here goes nothing. A story conjured up to feed the cravings. Wanted to write about the Lou Sang experience at Gao Ren Guan, New Paris and subsequently Le Meridien. Yet, the lure of reliving the pleasurable moments of digging into a slab of greasy pork chop from the hawker stall or a plate (yes, a plate) of Siam Laksa bursting with coconut milk is so much stronger.

Ais Kacang and Lin Chee Kang @ Chha Yong Restaurant, Ipoh Garden South

Ipoh’s always great for breakfast. Aside from the newer establishments like Buku Tiga Lima and Jose & Deli, the abundance of choices from the coffee shops all over town sounds like a dream come true. Especially when more often than not, you’ll get a good cup of aromatic white coffee to complement the meal with.

Ko Pi Tim Restaurant, previously Kafe Tim in Ipoh Garden East area, behind of Tesco is a corner coffee shop just like any other in your neighbourhood. Except for the fact that the place is crazily packed on weekend mornings, and there are a dozen or so stalls selling their famed stuff.

No, nothing like the stalls manned by foreign workers as in the case of most coffee shops in KL nowadays.

Pork Chop @ Tony’s Cuisine (aka the old Scotch Pub), Chha Yong Restaurant

I tried the Loke Wooi Kee’s Hor Hee here before, and almost like the real deal, the soupy noodles with fish balls, fish paste, fish cakes and plentiful of fried shallots and red chillies was a calming start to a rainy morning. That registered in my mind so well.

The other day I ordered the Siam Laksa from another stall; a slightly different version from the Sharon’s Laksa (sadly not operating anymore) that I knew of. Served in a plate, the pale presentation lacked oomph in the aesthetics department, yet the taste was much agreeable to my palate. Not spicy, loaded with coconut milk hence the creaminess and quite appetizing with a general tangy aftertaste from the pineapple.

Fried Noodles from Tony’s Cuisine; Hainanese style

Apparently the Hakka mee and Wantan mee from two different stalls were equally good. Though the Hor Hee and Siam Laksa appeared to be more of a pull factor than the rest.

On another note, throughout the week that I was in Ipoh for the festive break; we ran out of idea on where to dine one evening. Thus, the return to Chha Yong Restaurant where I wrote about Alan’s Western Food before.

This time around, we gave the competitor; Tony’s Cuisine a try. Previously from Scotch’s Pub (as I was told but did not bother to ask), the couple was not exactly the friendliest chaps on earth, really. Regardless, their version of economy chicken and pork chops are the no holds barred variety with nary more than a scoop of coleslaw and barely half a dozen sticks of crinkle-cut fries.

So the slab of pork chop was a piece of tenderized rib-eye (yuk ngan) simply marinated and then pan fried and served in its own juices. Nothing spectacular about this, yet at less than RM10 per portion, nobody’s complaining that’s for sure.

The option to cap off the Western-hawker feast with a bowl of ‘tong sui’ or Ais Kacang? Priceless.

Ko Pi Tim Restaurant  (click for the previous post including the address) and Chha Yong Restaurant (click here for Alan’s Western Food review; which was a much superior Western food stall anyway). Both coffee shops are opened from day to night although at Ko Pi Tim, they serve different items at night if I am not mistaken.