Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

The (in)famous one-of-a-kind Buntong’s Cantonese style Wat Tan Hor from Sun Seng Fatt; notorious for the 45 minutes ++ waiting time back then!!!! (RM8.50/USD2.80 per portion with pork and shrimps)

Remember this post on good pan mee in Ipoh? Yeah, Sun Seng Fatt on Leong Sin Nam Road is not only famous for the relatively new pan mee stall; but come night time; after 9pm until late night, you’ll be treated to an unbelievably tiresome waiting period for a serving of Buntong famous Wat Tan Hor.

So much so that we have heard of people waiting for more than 2 hours (!!) for their food, and some even ordered the moment the uncle set foot upon his stall, and returned an hour or so later after shopping at Ipoh Parade.

Talk about patience, and the lengths one would go for GOOD food in Ipoh. Or are we that obsessed with our hawker fares that we don’t mind the time spent idling around and watching helplessly at how they perform their nightly routine in slow-mo (almost)?!

Creme Brulee (RM6/USD2) – Yes, a remixed version of the classic dessert; this one using caramel egg custard (like the ones from Thean Chun/Hall of Mirrors in old town), with a layer of burnt sugar on top. And of course, to justify the almost triple in pricing; a strawberry sliced into quarters for aesthetic purposes.

But if you’re thinking all is lost …. since your patience runs thin (like yours truly here), and waiting for food for any period longer than 15 minutes will render you incapable of rational thoughts and making a fuss at the scene is your norm, then you’re in luck.

More or less. Read about where this legendary stall has moved to …. and how we got our Wat Tan Hor in record time – mere minutes !!!  Read the rest of this entry »

Kah Seng Restaurant – Tauge Ayam Kuetiau in Bercham of Ipoh; Guess you can tell from the signboard their un-rivalled history in this part of Ipoh city.

A decade or two ago (sorry, lost count …. happens when you’re amnesiac and aging like no tomorrow), Kah Seng in Bercham of Ipoh used to be our favourite “Nga Choy Kai” (Bean sprouts chicken) hangout. Still remember how we used to position ourselves precariously over those steel covers over drains, dimly-lit walkways populated with plastic tables and chairs, and anticipating what could possibly be a meal featuring the best of street food in Ipoh back then ….. and bear in mind that eating out was not as frequent as now.

Though not as pricey as some of the other famous counterparts, a meal at Kah Seng can easily come to RM15 per person, or more if you’re devouring chickens like a pack of wolves. And yes, on the board there was written a choice of ‘ayam kampung’ (free range chicken) as well, in case you’re particular about your choice of fowls.

And then, after what could probably the longest hiatus since the Pasir Pinji’s Yee Jie fish ball noodles & Leong Kee’s porridge @ Jalan Pasir Puteh revisits, we decided to venture out to Bercham (actually merely 10 minutes or so from our home; but can’t neglect the terrible jam lately) for a taste of the good old days; Kah Seng Tauge Ayam Kuetiau situated next to AmBank and a stone’s throw away from Maybank facing the main road of Jalan Bercham …… Read the rest of this entry »

Shanghainese Minced Meat Dumplings aka Xiao Long Bao (RM4.70/USD1.60 for 3 pcs) – Not many places in Ipoh serve XLB, and Qi Yuan does a passable version; with a proportionately filled dumpling with moist and firm minced meat and savoury soup that’s not scalding hot.

And ladies & gentlemen …. I AM BACK !!!

To imagine the longing for good old Ipoh food; to experience the slower-paced lifestyle … where cars travel at 30km/hour and yet don’t get honked at. No double parking even in the most congested of business centres (else risk being awarded with a piece of beef jerky aka “Ngau Yoke Kon”). No rushing to anywhere and everywhere as rarely roads got flooded, and travelling in the car for more than an hour seems almost unheard of.

Unless you’re going all out to Tanjung Tualang for some freshwater prawns, or Sitiawan for good old toddy + cheap seafood combination, then that ONE hour is well worth the travelling time.

And no, one hour spent on Federal Highway to get from PJ to Cheras is NOT a conducive move, in comparison!!!

Szechuan Famous Dan Dan Meen (RM5.00/USD1.60) – Slightly spicy from the addition of chili oil, the savoury mix of minced pork and finely-chopped wood ear fungus added much dimension to their own-produced noodles. Probably not enough to be shared amongst two, I reckon you should order the various noodle dishes to accompany the many dim sum fares.

Now let’s neglect that crash diet for one week. Let’s indulge in some of the BEST street food Ipoh has to offer. And not forgetting the abundance of newer eateries sprouting up here and there; rendering this Motormouth restless (helpless?) in seeking for them.

But no fear, for today …. let’s read about a new dim sum restaurant in Greentown Business Centre (next to Yeong Wai Greentown, same row with Maria’s Cafe and Laksamana Cheng Ho) …….. Read the rest of this entry »

Caffe Latte (RM6.50/USD2) – Since Coffee Chemistry Cafe (CCC, for short) prides on their imported Graffeo coffee beans; seemingly one of the finest beans in the world, you’d be hard-pressed NOT to order a cup for yourself. Defeats all the previous exercises of kicking the caffeine habit though …. but this cup of creamy, aromatic brew without the slightest tinge of bitterness got me hooked.

I was first led to this cafe through their Facebook page. Started up sometime in the mid of January this year, CCC has been steadily attracting the coffee-appreciating aficionados in and around Kota Damansara. To imagine a place so obscure (they’re parked on top of Movida, and without ANY signboard upfront that particular evening), sharing a premise with Cubic platform (an HTC dealer) yet you can find people stumbling upon this quaint space occupied by a bar, sparsely-placed tables and chairs, and a semi al fresco seating arrangement at the balcony overlooking the crowd beneath.

Read on and find out just how a good cup of freshly brewed Graffeo coffee (by an experienced barista, no less) is priced at barely half of what the others are selling ….. Read the rest of this entry »

The very basic/standard/generic/traditional Yee Sang – But we were not complaining though. After all, this Chinese version of a prosperity-laden salad is supposed to be tossed for the notion of it, rather than for its gastronomic value. Unless of course, you’re taking into consideration the many varieties of modern Yee Sang with abalone and such.

After two gastronomic feasts at Shanghai @ JW Marriott and Zing @ Grand Millennium, it’s probably time to set the mood back into place; and toss some Yee Sang the traditional way. This Chinese restaurant situated in Paramount Garden holds probably decades of legacy, judging from the outlook and the fact that the moment we entered and were seated at our reserved table; a warm, deja vu sensation washed over me. A kick back to the old school type of eateries; laid back, no fuss, no frills Chinese diner which was possibly once THE place to organize a banquet dinner, but has since relented to the fad (or maybe not?) of lavish celebrations at 5 star hotels instead.

Comparing Gold Dragon City to Mun Choong, Oversea or even Tuck Kee (yeah, a post to come after our Reunion dinner next week!) would be more fitting, and definitely in the same league since those Ipoh restaurants mentioned above are nothing but serial old players STILL attracting a constant stream of customers.

Initially, this lunch with colleagues was planned for dinner; but given the time constraints and logistic matters, we rescheduled to lunch hour instead. Saves time actually, since our office is located merely minutes away from this restaurant at Paramount Garden; opposite of Giant hypermarket. Read the rest of this entry »

Pretty alluring for some fresh strawberries and blueberries pastries huh? At Levain, you can effortlessly go overboard with your breads and pastries if you’re not careful. Temptations abound at every corner!

And so, after weeks of procrastination, delays, unexpected excursions and of course …. the occasional need to recharge Motormouth’s batteries (and somewhat detox?), I finally made it (yay!) to Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie (let’s shorten that to Levain for the remainder of this post, okay?).

Been months, since I first read the review from Rebecca on this charming premise with a colonial touch; contemporary decor with a fine British element to it. We felt as though we have stepped into the comfort of someone’s secluded/luxurious bungalow; almost akin to the warm sensation one gets when having scones and tea at The Smokehouse @ Cameron Highlands.

Two floors of meticulously-designed facade and interior, reflecting the quaint charm of a high tea session on a Sunday evening. When coupled with an inner desire to binge on fresh, stone oven-baked breads, a visit to Levain will be sure to please ….

In case you’re wondering, wah …. this must have caused an arm, a leg and maybe half of the a$$, then you’re wrong. Read on for an idea of what’s brewing (or rather, baking) inside this increasingly famous patisserie-cum-restaurant …… Read the rest of this entry »

The spread of delicious Korean dishes at Daorae; they should have ushered us to a bigger table earlier. They probably did not foresee the impending madness that ensued; food enough for 4-5 pax maybe?

Coincidentally, my first Daorae Korean BBQ experience was another ‘threesome’ at work. No, we did not participate in hot, sweaty and explicit physical exchanges (or union of bodies?). But one not-so-fat monkey and that cheeky gym rat carted this Motormouth off on an excursion to everywhere but the intended destination. Haha …. to imagine we were supposed to go for tea at FRIM in Kepong, only to change to Sumi-Ka for yakitori (ahem, and since they open from 6pm onwards, it does not make sense to camp and wait for half a day more?), and finally a brilliant contingency plan to shift to Mr Mak’s Fish Head Noodles at USJ.

But lo and behold, Kopitiam Que Up chose to be closed on a Saturday afternoon. How (in)convenient. And that after witnessing some reckless driver flying off the divider and crashing into the middle of the roundabout at Subang Jaya; causing the traffic to come to a standstill on most roads leading to and away from that spot.

And if you’ve been driving in Malaysia for long (Klang Valley especially), you can’t help but realize that our generic pastime/custom/tradition is to slow down whenever a mishap on the road happen, and either jot down the plate number, look and see whether you know the poor creatures, OR plain kay-poh-chee and look-look-see-see for the fun of it. Furthermore, punctuality has never been one of our forte to begin with.

Chew on some tongues and grilled raw garlic for that extra punch.

And so, after suffering the almost an hour’s ordeal of warping all around Subang Jaya without successfully feeding these 3 hollowed stomachs, we settled for Korean food at Daorae in Taipan USJ. Already in half-famine states, we rushed up the elevator (which was smelling like some sweat socks …. I did not coin this, the Monkey did!) and thanks-be-to-the-gastronomic-lord-from-above for Daorae’s operating in full swing that afternoon! Read the rest of this entry »