Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

OLIVENZ Cafe

Another outlet that was recently opened for business, AND a pretty brisk one at that, is Olivenz Cafe, situated behind Yeolde English in Ipoh Garden East, at the shoplot formerly belonging to Question Mark Cafe. Why they’re closed after so many years? Well, the name befits the riddle. I’ve only got ????? … nothing more.

Jumbo Plated Sausage with Black Pepper Sauce and French Fries (RM11.90)

Ms V, my dining companion for the evening, was throwing compliments for this cafe, even while we were seated in the dreadful Sky Corner, all the while “swallowing” our sushi without much gusto. I mean, how joyful can it be, to be ushered from table to table, and served by un-appreciative and un-trained staff? *_*

As the meal was nothing but fillers for after dinner-cum-supper, we decided against going crazy with the orders. Hence, we picked the Jumbo Plated Sausages, as we firmly believed that sausages are still snacks, not mains. But were we wrong.

The JUMBO in the name probably dropped major hints, but we stood by our decisions. Two long, thick and delicious sausages (don’t let your mind stray now …) served with black pepper sauce on the side, with a choice of french fries, mashed potatoes, or potato wedges, and on a bed of vegetables underneath, balancing the calories with some fibres.

Desserts @ RM6.90

To appease the sweet tooth (or teeth), we went for some desserts. A few options only, mostly (if not all) incorporate ice-cream. Not to lament, as our choice (sorry, it’s the second one on the list, I forgot the name) came with 2 large scoops of ice-cream, vanilla and chocolate flavours, and garnished with chopped nuts, raisins, and drizzled liberately with raspberry sauce and chocolate sauce. The sides of crispy waffle biscuits and chocolate cakes further enhanced the delightful experience, all the while had us gleaming with joy like small kids. =)

As if in a trance, the very next evening, I brought my family to Olivenz Cafe AGAIN, to try some of the other items in the menu I’ve been eyeing. Yeah … probably should have asked for a discount card, but nvm ….

Iced Lemon Tea @ RM3.90

One thing I noticed about Olivenz is that, not only are their dishes served in BIG plates with LARGE portions, but their drinks came in awkwardly-shaped glasses and jars, and in generous servings as well. At a minimal price, nonetheless.

Japanese Fried Rice @ RM8.80

Mum ordered the fried rice, Japanese style, not knowing what’s in store. The plate of rice arrived piping hot, each grain of rice glistening with oil (or it could be the lighting), beckoning us to scoop a spoonful and relish the LDL-raising culprit. Served with chunks of boneless chicken meat, marinated in a Japanese sauce (sorry, I only had a spoonful or two, couldn’t taste the flavour much), and the fluffy grains of rice were fried to perfection. Yup, simple in presentation yet brimming with flavours, even my grandma gave her thumbs up. LOL.

German Sausages @ RM12.90

Dad picked the German Sausages, which arrived in a pair, served with mushroom sauce on the side. He picked mashed potatoes as accompaniment, and glad to say, the mashed potatoes are not the generic, canned-variety. And the brown sauce was awesome, really. The German sausage is different in terms of flavour, compared to the Jumbo Sausages I’ve had the night before. The heavier scent of herbs complemented the meat very well.

Ocean’s Catch @ RM11.90

Grandma “A” chose the Ocean’s Catch, pan-fried dory fillets with creamy sauce. To her surprise, the fillets of dory fish were piled up on a huge plate, on a bed of greens, and served with her choice of mashed potatoes. Gee, she can REALLY eat, as she managed to finish everything on her plate, except the potatoes. Guess it shows how good the fish was? I did not try, therefore I dare not pass judgment.

Fish & Chips @ RM11.90

Grandma “B” on the other hand, prefers her fish deep-fried with batter, thus ordered the fish & chips, a perennial favourite of hers and mum’s. Two blocks of dory coated with a thin batter, deep-fried, and served with a wedge of lemon, mayonaise, and her ultimate favourite, FRENCH FRIES (yeah!) on the side. Or rather, underneath. Not to mention the salad of lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. This one I personally burgled as I’m a huge fan of Fish & Chips as well. Crisp on the outside, and juicy yet fresh on the inside. What’s important is the fillets were void of annoying muddy smell commonly associated with dory fish, or freshwater species.

A look at the BIG bowl of mashed potatoes

Red Wine Lamb @ RM12.90

What did I have? Hmm, the choices are aplenty, but not irritatingly confusing with endless options like many other outlets. There are chicken chops, steaks, lamb chops and cutlets, fish, sandwiches and burgers, pastas, snacks, and salads/soups.

The Red Wine Lamb sounded fantastic, a combination that MAY work wonders, hence it was my choice. And it was a choice I did not have to live regretting it. Chunks of lamb cuts with a subtle brown sauce, served on top of some greens, and my option of potato wedges. Lots of them, a heaven-sent for carbo-lovers. But the main attraction here is the side serving of brown sauce with red wine. Yes, you can really TASTE the liquor in the gravy. May be a put-off factor to some, but a different and novel way to complement the lamb chops. Delicious.

Total damage for 5 = RM70. No taxes, no surcharges. And free flow of iced or warm water, the instant you park yourself on the seats. The service was impeccable, the staff very friendly and patient, topping up your glass of water periodically, while refraining themselves from averting your attention or conversation with over-attentive service. Sky Corner, L-E-A-R-N !!!

Location : OLIVENZ Cafe @ 65, Jln Medan Ipoh 3, Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh, 31400 Ipoh, Perak.

Sushi King-cum-MP Steamboat?

Heavy publicity surrounding the recently opened SKY Corner at Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh ignited the interests of many (judging from the crowd yesterday evening), and sparked some hopes, as it was clearly stated in the flyers and a HUGE signboard opposite of Jusco, the ZERO price promotion (a brush off Air Asia’s fame, perhaps?). What I had was a vague idea on the cuisine they serve, which was supposed to be Japanese and Chinese style steamboat, and teppanyaki (Japanese hot plate) soon to be added into the menu.

Choose to dine by the kaiten belt indoors, OR outdoors ~ al fresco style

Arriving at around 7pm on a Saturday, the place was rather crowded. As there were only two of us, we chose to sit on the outside, the weather being cooling after the heavy rain. But the staff ushering the patrons persuaded us to sit INSIDE instead, as the place is air-conditioned. OK, fine. Only to discover that each long table can accomodate up to 6 customers or more, with 3 hollow indents in the middle, obviously to fit 3 hot pots for steamboat.

One glance at the conveyor belt revealed their main attraction – The steamboat meal. Exactly how MP Steamboat (a popular branch of steamboat restaurants in Ipoh) serves them, on a kaiten belt, so you can choose your own ingredients from the comfort of your seats. But unlike MP where you can pick what you want and pay for only those, at SKY Corner, the theme is BUFFET-style steamboat, meaning eat-all-you-can. And we were startled at the price per person, a whopping RM29.80+ per pax !!!!!!!!!

You see, paying that much amount of money can net you large prawns or crabs in a seafood restaurants, or even in other steamboat outlets in Ipoh, you can stuff yourself silly for around RM20/pax only. Though at Sky Corner, you can choose from their erm, “extensive” range of sushi, and temaki, (14 types of sushi, and 10 types of rolls, more on that later) prepared fresh on the spot. Gee, how exciting.

I managed to survey the items on the conveyor belt thoroughly, and the choices was nothing to shout about. Though listed in the menu were 62 items, but the only noteworthy ones on the belt being slices of beef/fish/chicken, ‘abalone’ slices, tiny crabs, and small prawns. And the usual balls, vegetables, mushrooms, and yong tau foo.

The freshly, AND took-forever-to-prepare sushi

So we did the next best thing, and asked for ala carte dishes, in hopes of bento sets, teppanyaki, or even a simple plate of fried rice. Tough luck, we had. It seems they opened in such a rush, that the ONLY meal they serve for the time being is the buffet steamboat, and sushi/temaki at a promo price of RM3.50 per plate. Though deep in our hearts, we wanted to leave the place, but we soldiered on and ordered some sushi instead. And twiddled out thumbs. And then more twiddling ….

Until another waitress had the audacity to “usher” us (or rather, “halau” us) from our seats, stating that if we’re not having the buffet steamboat, and there were only two of us, we MUST sit outside at the smaller tables instead. This, after all the commotion and trouble they went to arrange our cutleries and plates to accomodate our sushi orders. Reasons given? Oh, the staff who took our orders was a “NEW” staff, and she did not know about this hidden rule. Yeah right, the place was opened for less than a week or two, tell me who’s the “OLD” staff then?

Still, as she was being apologetic, we concurred and moved as ordered, with tails between our legs. And then the wait for the sushi became relentless. Time was crawling by, and when I queried about the long wait, the waitress mentioned that there were only TWO chef manning the sushi counter, thus the wait may be longer. OK, fine. But one glance at the workers, all decked up in uniforms resembling Air Asia’s colours, and you’d be forgiven if you wanna smack a staff or two. There were around 20 staff handling the place, and only TWO handling the sushi counter? The others were practically standing around, ushering people, rushing to customers once they arrived in hopes of attracting more and more …

As for the food, forgettable. Though I admit the sushi and temaki were of better quality than Sushi King’s (then again, since when Sushi King serves GOOD sushi?) One major gripe was the soy sauce provided was not of the Japanese shoyu variety, but the local one meant for steamboat. This rendered the dipping sauce saltier than desired, and the wasabi was SHOCKINGLY TASTELESS !!! I scooped a spoonful into my mouth, and yet my eyes did not water. Huh? I like mine hot, please!

Total damage for two = RM25, drinks are free-flow, and FOC, fortunately. But the overall experience was more damaging to the souls, rather than the palate. Still that virginal visit provided us with much laughter and a lesson to be learnt – Do Not Believe The Hype Blindly. And the management of Sky Corner should buck up in terms of customer service. You are charging 5% Service Charge, after all.

Location : Sky Corner @ 46, Jalan Medan Ipoh 5, Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh, 31400 Ipoh. Tel : 05-5452623.

That’s a real ship out there … wonder what’s the purpose though

Italian cuisine in LUMUT?!

Lumut is a small town to the south of Perak, on the western side. Previously overshadowed by Pangkor Island, the famous tourist destination in Perak, Lumut has been developing well, with a sleek and modern port, and a water front resembling Johor Bahru’s Danga Bay.

Memories of visiting Lumut in the past revealed a few notable gems, particularly the nasi kandar, and walking around town, savouring the sights and sounds.

Bistro style dining, with a bar and bottles of liquor on display

Once our work was done, the sight of a new restaurant/cafe at a backlane was enticing, and with my favourite Italian fare all printed on the awning, FCOE and Tall Gal were dragged (willingly, I might add) to an early lunch at CAPRI Restaurant (Ristorante-cum-Bar-cum-Pizzeria).

Lemon Juice @ RM6

Still reeling from the heavy breakfast, we opted for something lighter, to prevent from being bloated and floating off like balloons. The Lemon Juice had a very faint hint of citrus-y lemon fragrance, slightly fizzy, but not tangy enough. And marred by the lack of sweetness, the drink was far from satisfactory.

Salmon Fettucine @ RM21

There were more than 10 types of pasta on the menu, and the one that caught my attention was the Salmon Fettucine. Probably stemming from my Italiannie’s experience, fettucine with salmon in creamy tomato sauce sounded too heavenly to resist.

But major mistake was made. Or maybe I set my expectations too high. The pasta was far from al dente, slightly soggy, and the sauce was short of creamy. Cubes of salmon were thankfully present, but the non-existence of tomatoes somehow spoiled the overall experience.

Pizza Marinara @ RM29

A whopping 16 varieties of pizzas were enlisted on the menu, and making a decision was tough. But FCOE being a non-beef eater somewhat made things easier. So, seafood’s the way to go.

Prawns, Squids, Mussels. And with some eenie-weenie bits of cheese and tomato paste. That was all to it. From the appearance alone, you can judge the sparsely added ingredients. You can even count the prawns (all 4 of them), the squids (pitiful 5-6 pieces) and mussels (less than 6), and the very thin layer of mozzarella rendered the cheesy (or rather, the lack of) experience less than stellar. The dough was tough, rather than light and chewy. Gee, I’d stick to my Pizza Hut if REAL Italian pizzas are like this one.

Tabasco sauce was not enough to save the pizza, therefore we requested for extra parmesan shavings. And guess what? Shavings’ all we got. On a small plate. With a small spoon, probably masquerading as caviar on a plate? Never realised parmesan’s THAT exclusive.

Tiramisu @ RM11

Fortunately, all’s not lost. The dessert came in the form of Tiramisu, perennial Italian dessert, bound to satiate that sweet tooth’s cravings. Soft, fluffy, with a hint of liquor, the cake was served with a dollop of fresh cream on the side. No idea what it was doing there, but the addition of the spoonfuls of cream to the tiramisu neutralized the bitterness tone. Though not among the best out there, but still bearable, after the abyssmal mains.

Total damage for 3 = RM73.70, including 5% service charge and 5% gov tax. Will we return? NOPE, definitely. Muahaha …

Location : CAPRI @ 4174, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 32200 Lumut, Perak. Tel : 05-683 3112.

Another round of Gong Pian?

Remember I raved bout Sitiawan’s Gong Pian? Seems Ayer Tawar also has its own following.

The abundance of sesame seeds on the biscuits @ RM1 each

Of course, if you’re eating these biscuits, preferably, have them HOT from the oven. When cold, the biscuits are tough, and chewy. I chose the ones with pork and onions, at only RM1 each. In comparison, I’d say a step below Sitiawan’s version.

Ching Chin Koi @ Ayer Tawar

Location : Ching Chin Koi Restaurant @ 249, Main Road, Ayer Tawar, Perak. They were selling these in the evenings, so go for them in the afternoon-evenings I guess?

Sorry, the glass counter was in the way of the friendly & handsome boss ….

Hot, freshly deep-fried curry puffs with potatoes and chicken @ RM1.30 each

Remember the name … HOCK SENG TWO @ SS2

HOMI Chicken Curry Puffs @ Restoran Hock Seng Two, a corner lot in the same row as Loong Seng Dim Sum Restaurant. Click HERE for previous post and location.

~~ NIGHT - THE SWEET~~

Honeydew Loh (RM5.50) – With balls of honeydew, and thousands of sago pearls over finely shaved ice

Rose-Flavoured Longan Drink (or something like that … =P) – Refreshing, cooling and aromatic

KTZ aka Kei Tuck Sek @ SS2 – The Ultimate Desserts and Snacks House.

In conclusion? SS2 never ceases to amaze or impress when it comes to good food. Be it day or night, dawn or dusk, there’s food at EVERY corner, bound to satisfy …..

Some steamed delights …. Siew Mai, Xiu Long Bao and Har Kao

Me being a traditional dimsum lover, orders the basic stuff whenever it’s my 1st time. And I’ve a lot of firsts. Hehe … Anyway, the baskets of dumplings came with shockingly humongous morsels of goodies, begging to be devoured. Compared to even Ipoh’s offerings, the sizes of these ‘little giants’ was impressive.

But when it come to the taste, erm, a ho-hum affair, at best. The XLB was horribly dry, and tasteless even with the vinegar and julienned ginger dipping. Prawn dumplings (Har Kau) and pork dumplings (Siew Mai) fared better, but still lacking in taste. It felt like we were chewing on flour, rather than full-flavoured, sweet, juicy meat.

Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun

Not to confuse any foreigners, or out-of-towners, the Hong Kong CCF (chee cheong fun) is NOT an imported product, but rather, a type of rolled rice noodles stuffed with shrimps and char siew (BBQ pork meat). A staple of mine, I almost always order this simple dish whenever I’m in dimsum outlet, be it in Ipoh, Penang or KL.

Sad to say, the HK CCF here was below the mark. The fillings was lesser than generous, and the rice noodles reeking of an awkward ‘chemical‘ taste. Don’t ask me how to describe it, but there IS an annoyingly unpleasant taste.

The Doctor’s Nightmares ….

Luckily, when it comes to the fried stuff, all of which would frighten a health freak more than a busload of cockroaches, or swimming with the sharks, or even sitting through a whole session of Parliament, Hong Kee serves edible options.

Particularly tempting was the prawn rolls with crispy vermicelli (or was it?) – the upper left photo in the collage above. Crispy, oily, and yummy, they deserve a try if you happen to be here. The rest were mediocre, but not to say disappointing.

I lost the receipt, but the price was rather reasonable, around RM3 per plate/basket. Well worth the money as the portion’s not dainty. Kalah Ipoh punya dimsum …. But all in all, SIZE DOES NOT really matter, ain’t it?

Location : Hong Kee Tim Sum @ Jln Pandan Indah 4/3A, Pandan Indah, Kuala Lumpur. Various branches in other parts of KL and Selangor.

~~ LOONG SENG DIMSUM @ SS2, PETALING JAYA ~~

Go find the shop with lots tables outside, in case you’re lost …

But all’s not lost, my friend. Nope. As we were staying nearby Section 17, PJ (this was in August, therefore memories’ not so vague) we decided to venture to SS2 for dimsum on the last morning of our stay.

The Devils vs The Angels ??? (The Fried Goodies vs The Saintly Steamed Ones)

Based on direction from a friend, we were told to look out for tables lining up the street and corridor, among the mazes after mazes of restaurants and cafes in SS2. Of course, go in the morning, as at night, SS2 Murni still RULES the place, with endless rows of tables on the street.

Steamed La La (Clams) with Pork/Fish Meat

The crowd was reassuring, as wherever the crowd goes, the food’s gotta be good, no? Starting off with some usual Har Kau and Siew Mai, I chose some slightly different stuff as well. But breakfast at around 11am somehow limited my options greatly. Price to pay, for a late awakening?

The Pork/Fish/La La combination worked wonders, as the meat was fresh, devoid of unpleasant fishy taste, and packed with flavours. Steamed with simple broth, and with julienned carrots and chives added for taste, these babies looked AND tasted lovely.

Ol’ Yellow Goodness ….

The egg tarts in KL are slightly different from Ipoh dimsum outlet’s version, as the pastry is not of the flaky/crumbly type. But more to John King’s cookies-type of pastry. Offers a nice bite nevertheless, and the egg custard encircled within was fragrant, creamy, and light.

The Downs ….

Chinese Pancake (Woh Peng) and the Yong Tau Foo with Thai chilli sauce did not score too well in our books, the former a tad oilier than desirable, while the latter was already cold when the plate was placed on our table. Everyone abhors cold tofu, right?

Perennial favourite, immortalized in a song … “Char Shiao Pau”

Greasier than John Travolta’s hair in Grease … Dare to try me? =)

That “icing” on the “cake” made all the difference …

The rest of the dimsum fare were all satisfactory, the HK Chee Cheong Fun was a delight to discover, such smooth rolls of rice noodles outside of Ipoh, with shrimps and char siew bursting from within, and topped it all with the incomparable sambal.

A dimsum experience comparable to Ipoh’s. Did it touch my heart? YES, you can bet your bottom dollar Loong Seng did!

Location : Loong Seng Restaurant @ 50, Jln SS2/66, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

But Hong Kee on the other hand …. well, probably deserves another chance. The fried glutinous rice supposed to be good, right?

Min Sin Yie Vegetarian Restaurant

Still remember this place? Click HERE for my previous visit with FCOE and TallGal. On the 1st and 15th of every month in the Chinese lunar calendar, grandma will go vege (though half day only), and as time goes by, the options become more and more limited. She being a picky eater doesn’t help either. So, after a few visits to Min Sin Yie at Taman Ipoh Permai, my family was hooked. The food is good, the service satisfactory, and the location’s very near to our house.

Clockwise from top left : Salted “fish” with “Minced Pork”, Butter Milky Mushrooms, Curry Vegetables, and Watan Tofu.

They have set menu, on top of the ala carte dishes. The sets cater to any amount of people dining along, and we picked the one for 4-6 pax. At only RM48/set, rice and chinese tea is included, and there are 4 dishes and one soup.

What we like about their food is they are not oily, nor salty, yet closely resemble the taste of the REAL deal (read : meat !!!). Most notable in my books would be the Butter Milky (Nai Yau) Mushrooms, deep-fried to crispiness heaven, and drizzled with a rich, creamy butter gravy,with curry leaves and some chillies. Highly recommended.

4 Heavenly Kings (RM8)

But of course, if there are more of you, and you do not wish to order the sets for 7-10 pax, you can opt for the RM48 set, PLUS any ala carte dish you desire. For instance, the aptly dubbed “Four Heavenly Kings“, with brinjals, stinkbeans (petai), long beans, and French beans, topped with some vegetarian minced pork, and garnished with strips of red chillies. Slightly spicy, the dish goes really well with white rice.

Crispy beancurd skin

If you’re eating individually, and in a rush, you can pick any dishes you like from their wide array of dishes available at the counter, economy rice style. The vegetarian roasted geese and deep-fried beancurd skin come highly recommended.

For address and contact, refer to old post HERE.

” There are times in life when we weep in sorrow, Wailing our hearts out till it’s all hollowed,

But persevere my dear friend, do not stay mellow, For after the storm, the calm will follow ….. “

Annyong haseyo? (Good morning) Ottoshimnika? (How are you?)

Clean, spacious, and unpretentious – promising a satisfying Korean dining experience

Korean restaurants in Klang Valley are a dime a dozen, literally. The other day I was in Hartamas, and the dozens of Japanese and Korean restaurants within the vicinity were mind-boggling. But here in Ipoh, searching for a reputable Korean restaurant was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Recently (about 5 months ago) Onix Jun Korean Restaurant (aka Dae Jang Gum, how “imaginative”) opened for business in Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh, the business centre behind Kinta City/Jusco shopping centre.

Banchan (side dishes commonly served in a Korean meal)

Of course, this is NOT the only Korean restaurant in Ipoh, the other equally popular one is Yea Won Restaurant (click HERE for previous visit with Jason & Citygal), located in Medan Ipoh Bistari, also within the same perimeter of the area behind Jusco/Tesco in Ipoh.

Thus, comparison is inevitable. But me, KCA and KYT, who had been to both, unanimously agreed that Onix Jun serves higher quality Korean offerings compared to Yea Won.

Even the kimchi taste better, and very appetizing, preparing the palate for the impending Korean gastronomic fare.

Pa Jeon (RM12) and Kimchi Jeon (RM12) – Korean pancakes

The Kimchi Jeon was not spicy although the appearance may be deceiving. Jeon refers to Korean pancake dishes, and at Onix Jun, 3 types are served – Pa Jeon (egg & green onions), Kimchi Jeon (kimchi, duh … ) and Pumpkin Jeon (need I say more?). Dip them in soy sauce, the thin pancakes make great snack if you do not want a heavy meal. The Kimchi version scored better in my opinion. The Pa Jeon was too plain, unlike my aunt’s homemade version, bursting with flavours from the prawns, and gochujang sauce as accompaniment.

Fried Rice Cakes (RM20)

Another favourite of mine when dining Korean-style is the Fried Rice Cakes. The rice cakes at Yea Won was abyssmal, tasteless and sticky gravy, lacking in flavours. But the rice cakes here fared much better in our books, the chewy rice cakes served with carrots, scallions, and cabbages, topped with sesame seeds. The sauce provided much of the flavour, slightly sweet, sour yet savoury. Kinda resembles Chee Cheong Fun’s sweet gravy.

Spicy BBQ Pork (RM19)

Half lean-half fat cuts of pork, marinated in slightly spicy sauce (typical red pepper sauce ~ Korean speciality), and barbecued. Wrapped them in Romaine lettuce, and gobble them whole. Good stuff. If only the portion is larger. Hmmm ….

Kimchi Stew (RM18) with rice

Piping hot, or rather, BUBBLING hot on arrival, the kimchi stew was piquant, sour, and appetizing. Ingredients thrown in include chicken cubes, soft beancurd, cabbage, scallions, etc. A healthier option compared to the barbecued meats, thus, perfect for the anorexics/bulimics.

Dolsot Bibimbap (RM15)

One of Korea’s most famous rice dish, is the Bibimbap. Visually appealing, the warm rice is topped with various vegetables such as mushrooms, bean sprouts, radish, minced pork and an egg yolk, served in a claypot. How to eat them? Mix them well with the red pepper sauce (not spicy, no worries), then satiate the RICE POT in you. However, I do find their Bibimbap slightly dry, probably the reason why a bowl of soup was served together.

Bulgogi Rice (RM20)

Bulgogi, aka Korean Barbecued Beef, is one of the safest choice to order in Korean outlets. Marinated simply with soy sauce, sugar and various ingredients, then barbecued or pan-grilled, the sliced beef cuts is tasty enough to eat on its own, more so when complemented by a bowl of fluffy white rice. The sweet broth reminds me of sukiyaki beef, frothy with lots of sesame seeds, scallions and carrots, for a balanced meal in a pot.

Onix Jun aka Dae Jang Gum is manned by a Korean family, now residing in Ipoh. They speak impeccable English, and even Mandarin, so no worries. Of course, the second time I visited, they hired some locals as well. Previously, they were running their business at another premise, in the same area of Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh, but lesser known to Ipoh foodies.

Location : 31, Jln Medan Ipoh 4, Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh, 31400 Ipoh. Tel : 012-5377530, or 05-5477530.

Business hours : 11.30am-3.00 pm for lunch, and 5.30pm-11.00pm everyday, except Sunday when they open from 11.30am – 11.00pm straight. Closes on 1st and 2nd Tuesdays of the month.

With that, I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to KCA for the treat, on behalf of KYT and TallGal. Altogether now, Kamsahamnida !!! ^_^