Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Just look at the deep, mahogany red-hued, concentrated stock made up of chicken and shrimp essences, accentuated by the flavours of fried shallots, chopped fresh spring onion and slices of firm, clean bites of poached chicken and boiled shrimps.

If you are one die-hard fan of ‘kai see hor fun’ (or chicken kuey teow soup), you would have had your cravings fixed at Thean Chun in old town or its ‘friendly’ competitor Kong Heng next door, or the now closed down Macy Café in Ipoh Garden East, or braced the wait for a taste of Moon De Moon’s version in Simee. I could have missed some of the others (such as Loke Wooi Kee‘s) but that could also be due to personal preference.

But then, just when I was ravenously gorging down my curry mee at Tim Shun Loong recently, the affable man who is the owner of the coffee shop (and also a distant relative of ours) came seated and shared a few top notch picks with us; in particular, this stall in Pasir Puteh near to Peng Tau Restaurant (oh well, just one of the best ‘chu char’ restaurants in Ipoh!) that sells incredibly famous ‘kai see hor fun’ in the mornings. You would need to be there as early as possible (try before 9am on a weekend if you can withstand the grogginess after a week’s full of work), else you could be putting your attempt at risk and ending up with a gloomy scene of observing barren, chicken carcasses, empty bowls and satisfied customers walking away patting their stomachs while sniggering at your misadventure. Read the rest of this entry »

Many a times I have lamented over the lack of a good nasi lemak stall in Ipoh; this probably stemmed from an omnipresent urge to indulge in the most sinful, aromatic, fluffy nasi lemak boiled with a heavy dose of coconut milk at every opportunity presented.

Although my earliest memories of eating nasi lemak back when I was still a toddler (yes, me and my brother developed a penchant for all things spicy, fiery and tongue-numbing since our tender ages) was the nasi lemak bungkus version sold at the wet market; the Pasir Puteh wet market to be precise; gradually the evolution of modern nasi lemak sellers took the experience to hawker stalls within coffee shops, air-conditioned cafes and even gourmet (read: overpriced) version in 5-star hotels.

However, save for a few passable options (Nasi Lemak Allongs in Ipoh Garden, that nasi lemak stall in front of Maybank Ipoh Garden), most of the others in Ipoh faltered – either the rice was lumpy, lacking in flavour from the infused coconut milk (santan), or the sambal was tasteless or too spicy, or the anchovies hardened and imparted an impression of biting into rocks or twigs. Sometimes, it could be hellacious combination of all the above, plus the trader substituting the rice with plain white rice with the excuse of serving a ‘healthier choice’ (this happened to me at least a couple of times in Ipoh, mostly in the more modern kopitiam setting.

Hello? If I feel like eating steamed white rice I won’t patronize a nasi lemak stall, okay? Read the rest of this entry »

This article was originally published on the Malay Mail Online.

The glistening golden brown skin of the signature roast duck at SYW will tempt any duck-lover

Don’t be surprised if you are greeted by generally puzzled looks when you tell any Ipohan about discovering a fantastic outlet called SYW selling roast duck in the heart of the city.

But once you tell them the full name — Sun Yeong Wai — they will nod their heads in agreement. After all, it is one of the better known eating places in Ipoh… since 1976.

Almost four decades ago, the original proprietor of Sun Yeong Wai (now the torch has been passed on to the second generation) started selling his trademark roast duck from a restaurant along Jalan Yau Tet Shin.

The dining area is split into two floors; each decorated in a way to fit in the retro elements as well as modern ambience

Now the business has been handed down to his son Danny who has since expanded to three outlets in Ipoh; the first being a double shoplot in Taman Ipoh Jaya near Gunung Rapat, the second is in Bandar Baru Medan, Ipoh and the most recent addition is SYW situated on Jalan Mustapha al-Bakri, directly opposite the famous kaya puff shop named Sin Eng Heong. The first two outlets (both named Sun Yeong Wai) replicated more or less the same concept of a casual dining experience; most dishes are pre-cooked and displayed behind the glass counter, while you choose your preferred barbecued meats (duck, chicken, barbecued pork or char siew, roasted pork or siew yoke) as the highlight of the meal. Read the rest of this entry »

This article was first published in The Malay Mail Online.

The dry curry noodles with a hefty ladle of gravy cooked without coconut milk; a supposedly healthier option but tastes delicious all the same

Every once in a while, we stumble upon some hidden gems, those unassuming kopitiams just around the corner with unimaginative names but that are perpetually packed with people. In Ipoh, it is hard to keep track of the number of proliferating kopitiams, cafes, restaurants and everything in between, what more with a barrage of new commercial centres taking over several spots in the city. But the fact remains: this category of traditional, no-frills (read: no menu, no air-conditioning and no GST… well, at least not in a direct manner) outlets are still a hit with the local folks seeking a quick yet satisfying meal, usually served within minutes and costs less than RM10 per person. The variety, for one, is an alluring factor at places like these; you usually see stalls selling noodles, rice, snacks, sweets and savouries being dished out on the spot by locals (in Ipoh, hiring of foreign workers to cook hawker food is still fairly rare), so there really could be something for everyone. Read the rest of this entry »

This article was originally published in the Malay Mail Online HERE.

More than just a meal for those feeling under the weather, a Teochew porridge feast can be a comforting affair especially after a series of guilt-ridden feasts (i.e. food excursions and post-travel blues anyone?).

I usually avoid eating hot, soupy food unless ­I feel under the weather. Call me impatient, weird or just plain picky, but eating porridge cooked with softened (almost to a pulp) carrots or noodles cooked in a light, anchovy-flavoured broth will never evoke spectacular memories for me. Instead, these “comfort foods” only serve to remind me of the painful ordeal of recovering from chicken pox when I was still a toddler. That could be the reason why I have stayed away from porridge or even anything remotely soupy (even curry noodles; which explains why I prefer dry curry noodles instead) most of my life.

But how times have changed. I guess one’s tastebuds change with age; and gradually I learned to be receptive towards foods that I could never be bothered to eat, let alone crave. Brinjals, bitter gourds, offal and yes… rice porridge. Although Teochew porridge stalls can never match the number of economy/mixed rice stalls all over Malaysia, if you search hard enough you will find a handful in most neighbourhoods in the Klang Valley, especially the older residential or commercial areas.

The affable proprietor of the Teochew porridge stall has a smile and greeting for every customer.

My favourite stall thus far has been this nameless one located within Sun Fatt Kee Restaurant in Seapark, Petaling Jaya. The name might sound unfamiliar to you, but most locals know this shop for the Bumbung Nasi Lemak (or more fondly referred to as the Seapark Nasi Lemak and their crispy fried chicken) that operates only in the evenings. By day, the Teochew porridge stall shares the crowd with a pan mee stall, a pork noodles soup stall and an equally noteworthy curry noodles stall as well. The elderly duo running the porridge stall put out a delectable Teochew spread that is usually consistent in terms of selection and taste, yet reasonably-priced for the masses. You will need to arrive after 9am to treat yourself to a splendid and complete feast of Teochew delights, but avoid the lunch crowd if possible to mitigate the risk of having your favourite dish run out. And trust me; the lunch crowd can be a little bit intimidating during the peak hours given the density of residences and offices around the vicinity. Read the rest of this entry »

This article was first published in the Malay Mail Online

Despite being chopped into smaller bite-sized pieces, the har cheong gai (belacan or shrimp paste chicken) at Kok Sen deserves two thumbs up; you can almost smell the infused paste from tables away.

Still in the spirit of scouting for noteworthy cze char restaurants (eateries serving different Chinese-style dishes with rice or noodles) in Singapore, a few sources led me to two well-established places along Keong Saik Road: Kok Sen and Tong Ah. Keong Saik Road, named after a renowned businessman who contributed significantly to the Chinese community in the earlier part of last century, used to be a notorious red light district before it was transformed into a modern commercial hub with popular restaurants, art galleries and retail stores. As the area lies within an urban conservation area, the façades of the two- to three-storey shoplots along Keong Saik Road are still maintained with primarily heritage elements, a sight to behold if you are here prior to sundown and taking a stroll along the relatively short street.

Both of the restaurants I mentioned earlier had strong followings of their own; Tong Ah has been around for more than 70 years (!) but has since moved from its original iconic space at the junction of Teck Lim Road and Keong Saik Road to a smaller, one shoplot space diagonally opposite of Kok Sen which occupies two lots to cater to the frenzied crowd over lunch and dinner.

While Tong Ah is renowned more for its kaya and butter toast with coffee served (optionally) with a dollop of butter than their cze char dishes, Kok Sen focuses solely on the strengths of its cze char items. I am not sure though if Tong Ah was there first or Kok Sen.

Nevertheless, we decided to hop over to Kok Sen on a Sunday evening at the prime dining time of 7pm just to push our luck despite warnings from various quarters to either be there super early (they open for dinner from 5pm onwards) or make a reservation (which may not work to secure you a seat sometimes). Read the rest of this entry »

Well, actually I used to refer to this snack as Chinese peanut candy, but I guess that sounded a little bit vague to paint a more accurate picture of this classic crunchy snack that should be common in Chinese households, or at least more prominently appearing (and disappearing) during the festive season.

To be frank, I was never a fan of this.

The ones from most confectioneries around Ipoh are usually hard, sweet (cloyingly at times) and taste pretty much generic; you cannot really differentiate one from the other. Sometimes you may even feel that all of them are sourced from the same supplier.

My fond memories of seeing these finger-length, rectangular-shaped brittles dated way back to since I was in my toddling age; where our family traditional Chinese New Year snacking fest would almost always included a jar of this – a firm favourite of my late grandma whom in reality detested hard food but never could say no to the brittles. Read the rest of this entry »