Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

Thick, luscious santan-infused fattening concoction …

Woolley Food City, with its abundance of choices in terms of food and drinks, never cease to amazes me, and appeals to locals and out-of-towners alike. The curry mee however, was of moderate standard, overpowered by the excessive coconut milk added, sipping on the broth takes some courage (apathetic attitude towards health works wonders too!).

Location : Refer old post on Woolley Food City HERE.

~~ Sun Seng Fatt Curry Mee @ Old Town ~~

Mirror yourself with the shiny layer of curry oil … =P

From my old post, we’ve Sun Seng Fatt, one of the pioneer of curry noodles, even exporting their curry stock to other countries (eg. Hong Kong). However, second time around, the taste still was not right, too oily, and the gravy not aromatic/tasty enough. Wonder what’s their selling point. Anyone?

For previous rants, complaints, and location, refer HERE.

~~ Yee Fatt Dry Curry Mee ~~

Hainan-style Dry Curry Noodles

One of the better ones in Ipoh, Yee Fatt is an old classic, serving their famed curry mee for decades. Helmed by a family of Hainanese (yet again), I somehow has fond memories eating here, for I’m a Hainanese myself, and I’ve been introduced to curry mee since I was small through binging here first. Yup folks, they may the culprit after all, developing and honing my senses for curry noodles !!

Location : Click HERE for my previous experience. Located at the MGS (Methodist Girls’ School roundabout, near Tow Boo Keong temple, is this corner shop, bearing a brand new signboard, proudly proclaiming and embracing their 50 (!!!) yrs of legacy. Coming from Jalan Kampar (Jalan Raja Permaisuri Bainun) towards Pasir Putih/town, you’ll reach a roundabout after passing by The Store, Econsave on your left, and Fairmont Hotel on your right. At the roundabout, turn 3 o’clock, and you’ll notice this shop on your immediate left, facing the roundabout itself.

~~ Nam Chau’s Curry Noodles ~~

The best there is at the moment … Utterly, sinfully delicious …

And last but not least, let me gloat about my absolute favourite curry noodles for the time being, and in fact, had topped my list for some time. Nam Chau‘s version.

The dry curry noodles is beyond compare, the gravy thick and with the right spiciness/sourness (from the lime) and consistency, there is nothing much to complain about the dish. At RM3.50 per plate, the ingredients may be a tad lacking, especially when compared to the others, but still, I find myself going back there again and again (working nearby somehow affected my judgment probably =P). Plus, the drinks here are pretty good themselves, the white coffee even trumping Nam Heong’s (of Old Town Kopitiam fame) version.

Location : Kindly click HERE for my previous orgasmic (“o”) experience.

Well, that’s all I’ve to share about curry noodles in Ipoh. In future posts, will review other outlets I’ve yet to try, eg. Ipoh Garden Curry Mee, Keng Nam’s version, etc. Do suggest any good curry noodles, to search for the BEST Curry Mee in Ipoh.

Ma Ta Liu (Police station) Curry Noodles @ Xin Quan Fang

In no particular order, allow me to start with an outlet that has been serving this delicacy for a good many years. Situated in town area, the nick Ma Ta Liu Curry Mee came from the location of the previous shop that was very near to the main police station in town. In fact, it’s still quite near now, proving the irresistible charm of operating within the vicinity of good ol’ trustworthy policemen. =P

Order some coffee to douse the fire

Sinful bowl of curry mee with variety of ingredients thrown in for good measure … YUM!

The wait can be daunting, but be patient and DO NOT keep on nagging the uncle to take your order, least you’re in the mood for a little smackdown, in terms of scolding, that is. Just park your butt and twiddle your thumb, count the patrons, sip on your coffee, or take a short nap (not recommended though) or whatever. He’ll come by and take your order if it’s your turn. We waited a good 10 minutes before he batted an eyelid and succumbed to our hungry-for-10-days look. =P

Remember to request for the extra bowl of homemade sambal/chilli concoction, with bird’s eye chilli, shallots and supposely lard.

The curry noodles (RM3.50) are good, in fact, among the top 3 in Ipoh I’ve tried. I seldom go for ‘wet’ curry, instead routinely opt for dry curry version. But the uncle mistakenly took my order, and ended up with curry mee instead. Of course the timid soul in me did not dare to protest, especially when the opposition are no mere mortals. LOL.

The extra dipping sauce is what makes their noodles special. Usually only served when you order sides of roast pork/char siew/ chicken separately. But I politely requested for a bowl, and the uncle was probably humbled by my erm, humbleness (?) and provided us with a small bowl of the sauce at NO EXTRA CHARGE. Consumer’s rights in practice.

Location : Jalan Sultan Iskandar Shah (Hugh Low Street), right opposite Yin Yau Kui Hakka Noodles, and Gerbang Malam arch entrance.

Here’s some random curry noodle photos to tantalize your palate :

~~Fatt Kee @ Ipoh Padang’s Hainan Dry Curry Noodle~~

Hainan Style Dry Curry Chicken Noodles

Served with wantan noodles, and curry chicken, the version served here is noteworthy as the proprietor is a Hainanese, thus subtle influence of Hainan style cooking can be detected. Other than the curry noodle, he served wantan mee, and Hainan toasts as well.

For more information & location, refer my previous post HERE.

~~ Mon Amour’s Curry Noodles for Breakfast~~

Dry Curry Low Shu Fun

Curry Mee, in all its glory

Mon Amour is a restaurant serving cheap, and delicious ‘dai chow’ style of dishes by night, but a haunt for curry noodles come morning hours. So, what makes theirs special? Erm, spicier than the rest, but not as delicious. My dry curry version lacked the oomph, probably not enough coconut milk (santan) beind used.

For info and location, click HERE.

(to be continued, as my saliva is dripping, and it’s high time for lunch … =P)

Tough to make a decision, we gauge the number of patrons, as obviously, the more the merrier, right? (And render the shop more trustworthy in terms of quality and popularity). However, that did not work, as all 3 outlets were packed, and counting the number of heads was not a feasible choice, given the blazing hot sun outside, and jam-packed seating area.

Step two, trust our instincts and spied on the food being served. Pretty tough as well, as all yong tau foo looked the same from afar, no matter how hard you squint.

Last resort? Ini-Mini-Myni-Mo!!! A-ha! Ampang Homeland Yong Tau Foo it is! Bearing the moniker AMPANG HOMELAND somehow sounded reassuring, right? Let’s see ….

Fried Dumplings (Sui Kau)

They serve a variety of dishes, aside from the famed YTF, such as assam fish, pork with preserved vege, pandan chicken wings, and pork with vinegar. The fried dumplings were nothing special, though dipped in their homemade special chilli and sweet sauce, the taste was somewhat enhanced. The fillings was scarce, and the outer layer was not crispy enough.

Their special sauces, bottled and ready to be savoured

Mixed plate of Yong Tau Foo

And ladies and gentlemen, the **STARS** of the day. 10 pieces of their signature stuffed fishpaste, in all their glories, served with some spoonful of soup. Sad to say, nothing impressive. You can have them with rice, if you wish. The fishpaste was not what we expected, and the portion was skimpy, to say the least. The saving grace came in the form of the dipping sauces, yet again. Total : RM11.50 for the meal, including 2 drinks.

Later that same day, Tummythoz who’s from Ampang, informed me that the third shop, named Foong Foong (or something like that) IS the shop to visit for REAL, delicious YTF. But only YTF is served, no extra dishes unlike the other two counterparts, or challengers.

Location : No. 622-C, Jalan Merdeka, Kg Baru Ampang, 68000 Ampang, Selangor. Tel : 03-42924712.

Grab a bowl, fill up with your favourite Yong Tau Foo pieces, then pick your noodle.

Kar Pin Eating Shop (yup, loose translation of Kedai Makan I supposed) on Jalan Bendahara in Ipoh, has been around for some time. After undergoing renovation lately, the colonial building has transformed into a sleek, modern coffee shop with airy ambience.

Scrumptious looking pieces of fried Yong Tau Foo (50-90 cents/pc)

The shop’s specialty, has always been their “Liu Fan”, or fishball noodles. They do have an extensive range of Yong Tau Foo (stuffed fish paste) for choosing, but being my usual self, opted for all the fried versions as I prefer my fix being crunchy, savoury and oily (LOL) chunks of artery-cloggers. Sadistic?

Dry Curry Low Shu Fun with minced pork

I chose dry version of low shu fun (short rice noodles) with some curry paste. Loved how they serve them garnished with minced pork and chopped spring onions on top. However, we found the Yong Tau Foo too cold for my liking. Probably not fresh from the wok, unlike Dai Shu Kiok, or Pasir Pinji‘s versions. Disappointed.

Location : Kar Pin Eating Shop @ Jalan Bendahara, right at the crossroad traffic lights connecting Jalan Bendahara and Jalan Leong Boon Swee. A nasi kandar restaurant (Majeedia, I think) is situated a few doors away, right at a corner.

Raw Fish Porridge (RM5)

The densed “shopping area”, selling various fashionable bags/shoes/clothes are intermittently parked among some pretty good find for interesting food & beverages. If you’re visiting at night, the place is a hive of activities, customers (mostly tourists/foreigners) bargaining at peak volume, and locals hanging around for some food and relaxation.

Hon Kee Porridge Stall @ Jalan Hang Lekir (Nvm the shoes temptation)

But strolling around on a fine morning does not promise boredom either, eventhough most stalls are closed. Hon Kee Porridge Stall is one of the rare finds, though adequately covered in the media, from TV shows, to newspapers and blogs. Their signature porridge include the one with raw fish slices in sesame oil, garnished with julienned ginger, spring onions and coriander.

No, you DO not eat the fish ala sashimi style, but rather dip them or ‘swish‘ them for a while in the hot porridge, and cook them freshly on the spot. Delicious, and this coming from someone who refrains from ordering porridge on most days. =)

Koon Kee Wantan Mee Stall @ Jalan Hang Lekir

Right next to the porridge stall is this wantan mee shop/shack (Koon Kee) that has been in business since forever. This stall has been in the limelight for an enviable amount of times, and most KL-ites would know this place for good wantan mee.

Char Siew Wantan Mee (RM4 for small)

A bit on the pricey end, the serving is quite generous for a small portion. The Char Siew (Barbecued Pork Slices) were passable, definitely not on par with some of the best, but the noodles are good. Very fine, and springy. However the wantan (pork+shrimp dumplings) are forgettable. So much for a WANTAN mee. Hehe ….

Scoop your own pickled green chillies for added kick … not spicy.

Still hungering for more, I jaywalked around and came to this curry puff stall, with sizeable number of patrons, and a few assistants kneading the dough and frying them on the spot! And the sheer number of puffs being freshly made persuaded me to walk over, and embrace the hype.

Old Lim Curry Puff – A contender for Old Chang Kee?!

They sell curry puffs with or without eggs. RM1.30 and RM1.10 respectively, I think. The stall was interviewed by Ho Chak, a local programme on 8TV promoting good food across Malaysia. (Both the porridge and wantan noodles stalls were on the show once, btw).

Hot, spicy, curry puff with potatoes and egg (RM1.30)

Tastewise? Not bad, as I had them while they’re still HOT. Crisp on the outer layer, and savoury fillings. Great with tea, though you can’t really find a spot for teh tarik around the area. On normal days, right beside this stall is the famous lady selling deep-fried sweet potato balls, also a perennial favourite of mine, and the stall was ‘licked’ by the media as well. However, as luck would have it, the lady went for holidays on that very day. Hmm …. *_*

The simple, yet divine stall serving Air Mata Kucing (Longan Drink)

To down them all, hop over to this very famous stall selling a beverage named Air Mata Kucing, or Winter Melon with Longans (RM1.20). Perfect for a hot day, refreshing and sweet. Sooth that battered throat anyday! This simple stall has evolved into a small entrepreneur of some sort, opening a branch in Midvalley. Though the price is scaled accordingly. =)

Regurgitating aliens?

And last but not least, I ended my breakfast crawl with some durian puffs from Kafe Happy Meal, on Jalan Tun HS Lee. Refer my old post HERE for directions and such. But sadly, an unfortunate event happened, that prevented me from raving a second time about these babies. No, not that the price has increased to RM2.80 for 4, as I still find them reasonable.

But rather, by the time I took a bite, a good 5 hours after purchasing and left to bask in the sun, the puffs rebelled and decided to transformed into inedible materials. In short, they were spoiled. >o<

Do take note, if you’re not placing them in fridge, consume within 2 hours or so. The fresh durian cream is indeed, FRESH, and no preservatives added.

Location : The porridge, wantan mee, curry puffs and air mata kucing stalls are all located in the same area, a short walk from each other. Jalan Hang Lekir is a road parallel to Jalan Petaling, and also infested with various stalls. Pretty easy to locate. Coming from the huge entrance arch of Petaling Street, walk into Jalan Petaling until you reach a crossroad. Turn left, and you’ll find the Air Mata Kucing stall on your left, and the porridge/wantan noodles stalls on your right. The curry puffs stall is further down on your left.

Juicy (don’t judge a book, or in this case, a chick by its appearance!) & marinated, deep-fried goodness. No dippings required …

Amazing daging masak merah (beef in sweet and spicy sauce)

Worth mentioning here include the yummy fried chicken, and the marinated beef in sweet/sour/spicy gravy, aka a darker version of Daging Masak Merah. Me and KYT had seconds, and many others as well. Oh, and the kerabu mango kicked major a$$ too, creating a balanced flavour of spiciness, and just right sourness. Salivate, baby … =)

Deep-fried squids – sadly, not so crispy. Forgettable …

~~ Tea Break Special ~~

For something completely out of the book, the management served DURIANS (!!!) and accompaniments of pulut (glutinous rice), roti jala, and kuah durian (a type of sweet soup made from concoction of durian flesh and coconut milk).

The moment I got to snap a pic of the insides, the fleshy bits have been stolen … =(

The sides of pulut, roti jala and kuah durian at the background …

Some hits and misses with regards to the king of fruits. Kampung Gajah nearby is famous for its durians after all. But all of us were pleasantly surprised when we walked into the dining hall for tea break, but instead served durians and such. Clever marketing ploy?

In a matter of minutes, our group (yup, we were divided into groups, not unlike kindergarten kids … hehe), the famished ones, completely devoured the fruits and left a trail of terror (refer pic above) Muahaha …. ^@^

So there, was the journey worthwhile? We learnt the right way to walk the walk, and talk the talk, as well as equipped ourselves with various motivational skills. To top it all off, our team spirit was blazing HOT !!! And we get to know a lot of other colleagues from all over Perak. To me, the workshop was a success, and I certainly won’t mind attending more of these! =)

For TallGal’s opinions, laments, and brickbatz, hop over to HERE.

A mosque in the middle of nowhere, literally.

The journey was not long, surprisingly, only a mere one hour+, and the roads are not those off the beaten track type. The scenery spoke volume of the tranquility of the rural areas, from Bota Kanan to Changkat Melintang and Kampung Gajah. Passing by Kompleks Sejarah Pasir Salak, a short distance away is this FELCRA settlement. If you’re scratching your heads wondering where in the world are these spots, they’re small towns in Perak, that had not bowed to civilization. Hehe …

Finally ….

One terrifying ordeal was when KYT parked his car,both of us discovered an abundance of, or rather, an army of HUGE red fire ants swarming the parking lot, and some even fell on our necks! =O Needless to say, it somewhat ‘enhanced’ the experience ….

Imagine in the middle of the night, standing at this very corridor … eerie?

Patriotism at its peak? Nah … I bet most did not notice the poles

Dorm-like environment dampened our spirits even further … =(

Oh, at least TV was provided, though reception was poor, and no cable channels …

Comfortable beds with clean sheets …

Fortunately, the room was bearable, even to the point where we dozed off to slumberland in mere minutes everytime, cooled by the air-conditioning system. Blankets and pillows provided adequately, at no extra charge. Our only gripe? Look below ….

Yup, the classic squatting delight, tailor-made to practise your kung-fu stance

No hot shower, sadly. And waking up at dawn to prepare for classes did not deter us from chilling ourselves to the bones. Somehow, the water here is not icy cold, unlike usual ‘kampung‘ area’s water supply, eg. Sungkai etc. Oh, and the bathroom was infested with red ants, symbiotic relation established, we do our business, they mind their own. =P

~~~ The Breakfast ~~~

Toasts with half-boiled eggs, and fried beehoon kampung-style.

Nasi Goreng Kampung and Toasts

I did not hold much anticipation for the food, just keeping my fingers crossed for something worth swallowing. However, we were pleasantly overjoyed when not only were the meals delicious, the kampung-style dishes opened my eyes in categorizing Malay cuisine into the “same old, same old” category.

Breakfast was a simple affair, but the fried rice and beehoon were delicious in their own rights, slightly spicy, but still good nevertheless. Even KYT who normally avoids Malay food like the plague threw positive comments. =)

(to be continued … )