Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Hong Bak. Or at least that was what I remembered from our meal way back in the first quarter of 2009! A Hokkien classic of braised pork belly (very fat, so beware … or throw caution to the wind!) served with interesting blocks of ‘kan sui gou’ aka alkaline kueh.

And can you believe that I have been itching to write about Hua Xing since April 2009? Yeah, this draft was left untouched; a solemn state of procrastination to the max.

When Motormouth loses his touch, it’s obvious. Since coming back from Ipoh; there’s this very urge to write more on food from Ipoh. There were few surprises along the way; in particular the fabulous old-timers that me and my family have been eating all these years; yet I never bothered to write a proper entry on them. But the imminent shift in the pace of life in KL compared to Ipoh rendered me almost incapacitated.

Catching up on deadlines for articles, screening through the archive for good finds OR at least something that caters to my tastebud (and I’m sure after following my blog for some time, you would have known what I like and what I don’t …), and proper time management on the whole calls for precedence; before I got swallowed by this wave of the rat race.

Clearly, this eatery is no amateur when it comes to serving the most authentic Hokkien classics; with a fused notion of Canton style cooking thrown in for good measure. (By the way, the bottom right was a glass of delightful sweet potato or pumpkin drink with barley)

It’s Friday now. And a good 9 months since this draft was first initiated. The second visit to Hua Xing happened because Sungei Way is a short distance away from where I am working now. Guess this won’t be the last trip there; judging from the overall favourable reviews from the others.

Let’s see what have I tried from both visits, and what you should NEVER missed ….. Read the rest of this entry »

Like a scene from a TVB drama huh? People of all ages sipping tea and chewing on delicate morsels of dim sum on Sunday mornings, in an air-conditioned restaurant setting. But this is Ipoh, and this is Royal China; a subsidiary of Tai Thong Group.

Best way to start a Sunday? Dim Sum breakfast with family members. Or extended family members/relatives/’yee ma ku jie’ (swear that’s not a profanity) and the joy of jostling for a vacant table; executing those dreadful empty stares to shoo away those lingering for eternity (after the umpteenth time of refilling their pot of tea), and finally going all out and pointing for steamed dumplings, fluffy Char Siew Bao, fresh Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun and century egg porridge, and shutting up the disciplined alter ego and munch on crispy fried woo kok (yam puff with minced meat fillings), sweet and wobbly egg tarts and maybe a pudding or two.

Char Siew Bao – BBQ Pork Bun

And so, there I was squeezing every single memory cell (grey matter’s the real deal?) to come up with the 3 meals a day fiasco; lasting the entire weekend and then some. After all, who’s better to put to test?

Royal China Restaurant was formerly known as Tai Thong, and previously at Heritage Hotel on Jalan Tambun. Since last year (or the year before, I lost track of time …. can’t blame someone who’s near to his geriatric doom), they have started operating at Coliseum Square, where you can also find San Francisco Steakhouse (they offer lunch sets now; for RM16.90++).

Read the rest of this entry »

Michelangelo’s Pizzeria – Giant Cinnamon Roll; soon to be a permanent fixture on their dessert menu; made freshly every other day. (RM7.50/USD2.40)

And the first Sunday of the year was spent eating, resting, catching up on life, eating, and eating again. That’s how good life currently is, before I jump back into the thick of the action tomorrow. Can’t imagine how much I have neglected the finer details in life, the simplest of gestures and the most basic functions of humanity and relationships.

As they say, you ain’t gonna treasure what you have til it’s gone. So remarkably true, it hurts.

Start your Monday with more rants from Motormouth? Right on ….. Read the rest of this entry »

Hard at work; the ladies of Foo Kwai’s curry mee stall in a buzz of activities in the mornings. Just don’t go in a severely famished state. The wait can be slightly daunting. We waited a good 30 minutes.

Ahhh…. to be back in good old IPOH for the long weekend (thank you PM?). Breakfast in Ipoh is a delightful endeavour; almost the most important meal of the day. If you’re not fond of the humongous crowd at the dim sum restaurants around Ipoh (it’s mad on a weekend’s morning, so be warned), then you can choose from the many other selection of hawker fares.

Dry Curry Mee with Homemade Char Siew (barbecued pork slices) at Foo Kwai @ Bercham

For me, a good breakfast in Ipoh is constituted from either a toast, eggs and WHITE coffee combination, OR a noodles affair with various accompanying sides eg. stuffed fish paste (yong tau foo or yong liew). And the list of GOOD places for ‘yue dan fun’ or fish ball noodles (literally) in Ipoh spans long and far. Scattered all around Ipoh, you can actually find hidden gems in exclusive residential areas unknown to the outside community, but with a strong fanbase formed from the local community and the random epicureans willing to travel far and wide for a gastronomic sensation.

And Foo Kwai in Bercham might just be one of them …. Read the rest of this entry »

2010 is drawing its curtains to a screeching halt. Well, initially not, given the fact that the week runs until the very last Friday on a 31st. Nobody expected this success story to come true; culminating in a pleasant public holiday being declared nationwide; creating quite a bit of chaos especially to those on a tight schedule before the calendar year officially concludes.

Almost the same time last year, I did a “Motormouth On A Journey” post; revisiting a dozen of the escapades throughout 2009. Travelling has become almost customary owing to the nature of my job. But this year, I have slowed down considerably. And to summarize the year in gastronomy, a “Top 10 Eats of 2009” followed soon after.

From a seemingly endless pool of food reviews this year, I have taken the liberty to pick ONE particular memorable food experience from each month to share with you readers again. Just a brief yet fitting finale to the year that was ……..

January 2010 – Michelangelo’s Pizzeria

A spanking manner to kick the year off, I visited Michelangelo’s Pizzeria when it was still in its infantile age back in January of 2010. And to imagine a year has marched on since their opening on Christmas Eve last year; the business is booming now and perpetually packed with pizza-loving crowd on a daily basis. Serving THE BEST pizzas Ipoh has to offer, I can’t wait to get my hands on a slice of The Hog!

Read on to see what tickled my tastebud throughout the months of February right up to December of 2010 ….. Read the rest of this entry »

Tower Regency Hotel @ Ipoh – Hands down one of the best hotel Ipoh has to offer. Spanking new (couldn’t be more than two years?), well-designed, and at a prime location at that.

It’s been ages since we last dined at any restaurants in hotels of Ipoh. Last I remembered we had a very cheap buffet lunch at Syuen Hotel; for less than RM15 per person (yeah, dirt cheap right?) but of course lah … you get what you pay for. Not exactly bad, for you get the usual appetizers, soups, rice and noodles, a few meats and several vegetable dishes, as well as a DIY Ais Kacang counter and some local delights of kuih-muih.

But that was WAY back then … I think sometime beginning of last year. And not sure where I stashed those pictures, or did I even take any photos. Doubtful that they’re still running the same promotion as of now; what’s with all the increase in cost of living, inflation and the imminent preparation for something BIG come next year (you know the drill … Malaysia ma ...).

Cafe@6 on the 6th floor (lame?) of Tower Regency Hotel – High Tea Buffet on Fridays and weekends only; for RM16/USD5.20 per person. Talk about being affordable?

And since we have run out of place for a last minute gathering, we settled for an impromptu (almost) high tea session at Tower Regency Hotel’s Cafe@6. Only on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. Can’t say this was the BEST high tea buffet in Ipoh, since I have not tried many others save for Casuarina and Excelsior WAY back then ……. but read on to see what they offer and whether the RM16‘s worth the effort. Read the rest of this entry »

Cauldron of rich, creamy and spicy goodness – Seafood Curry (RM30/USD10) that came with abundance of prawns, squids etc.

To tell the truth, if you ask me about food in Brickfields, guaran-damn-teed I’ll answer Indian food. Vishal and Gopala come to mind almost instantaneously, since these places were marked in this Motormouth’s to-eat list since ages ago.

Of course, there’s the famous Mr Chiam’s fritters stall and some Peter’s pork noodles within the vicinity, but the lure of eating possibly the BEST (or at least, authentic) Indian food in all of Klang Valley? Priceless.

But Jason came up with a very ingenious/enticing offer; yet somewhat awkward. To be dining at a Chinese restaurant specializing in ‘chu char’ dishes; in the heart of Brickfields. Or maybe slightly to the edge, since this restaurant is parked a stone’s throw away from the main road of Jalan Damansara.

Read the rest of this entry »