Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Indian Mee Goreng (RM3.50/USD1.00) – Large portion enough for two, but you’ll have no problems finishing the whole plate, really.

And let me share this place that I have been intending to write about for so long. As I have mentioned before in my post on Mee Hailam Parit, I am not a fan of yellow noodles. I’ll go for Kuey Teow/Sar Hor Fun (flat rice noodles) first, if not then Lou Shu Fun (rat’s tail noodles, I know … it sounds morbid but actually ain’t) followed by Mee Hoon (rice vermicelli noodles). The last resort? The yellow mee; no thanks to various bad experiences with heavy alkaline taste from the lye water used to cure the noodles.

Look at how chirpy the Indian girl was …. Cathay Mee Stall @ Restoran dan Rumah Tumpangan Beauty Baru – Brisk business come lunch hours, hence be there early. Or very late.

Initially I was skeptical when Mum told me about this great Indian (or Mamak/Indian-Muslim) Mee Goreng (fried yellow noodles) & Pasembur (Indian rojak; a type of salad) stall on Jalan Yang Kalsom. That this stall beats even the famous one at Padang Ipoh in old town, and the various incarnations everywhere else. Heck, there’s even one on Jalan Yang Kalsom itself, at Restoran Sen Yee.

But after tasting a packet of their Mee Goreng brought home by Mum, I was sold ……. and this has been MY personal favourite Mee Goreng in all of Ipoh. This coming from someone who hates his Mee … Read the rest of this entry »

If you have been driving around Ipoh city lately, you must have noticed the many buntings hanging from the lamp posts along the road promoting a certain “Pondok Padang” restaurant situated at the new business centre named 1Casuarina beside Impiana Hotel on Jalan Gopeng (Jalan Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah).

Sate Ayam (10 skewers at RM9.00/USD2.70) – Notice the difference between these and the usual Satay? No side serving of peanut gravy, but instead the black “Special” sauce was drizzled over the grilled meat on skewers.

Pondok Padang is new to the Ipoh’s food and beverage scene, being the second high-profile “Hidangan Nasi Padang” restaurant after the booming Restoran Simpang Tiga over in Greentown.They claim to serve the most authentic form of “Hidangan Padang“, or “masakan Minangkabau“, originating from our neighbouring country, Indonesia.

A genuinely rustic, ‘kampung’ ambience was relived in the decor of the restaurant. Aside from utilizing the skillful hands of Indonesian chefs, Pondok Padang also imported the handmade bamboo furnitures! Talk about committed to the true essence of enjoying a Minangkabau feast.

The restaurant operates 24 hours, supposedly. But as of now, they’re only opened from 10am until 3am (yes, more than 12 straight hours!) to test the waters, so to speak. So, wondering how did Pondok Padang fare against Simpang Tiga? Read on to find out ….. Read the rest of this entry »

Mee Hailam Parit – Is this YOUR worst nightmare? Or potentially enticing you into a drooling overdrive? 🙂

With a name like Mee Hailam Parit, it does get you wondering about a few issues. Firstly, where in the world is Parit?!! (Parit means drain in Malay language) Parit is a small town within the Perak Tengah district; near to towns like Seri Iskandar, Batu Gajah, Bota, Tronoh and Pusing. To get to Parit, you can use the Lumut Highway connection Ipoh-Lumut and turn off to Parit about 20 minutes after departing from Ipoh. The second query is; what is “Mee Hailam”? … Read the rest of this entry »

Finally it’s the weekend again, eh? If you’re heaving a sigh of relief, rest assured you’re NOT alone on this. Yesterday, we went for a short excursion to Kuala Kangsar, the Royal Town of Perak situated about half an hour away from Ipoh. You can reach this town using the North-South highway, exiting at Kuala Kangsar/Gerik (Timur) toll exit, OR you can opt to use the trunk road that connects Chemor-Sungai Siput-Salak-Enggor-Kuala Kangsar. Scenic, yet a little mundane ……

The famous Laksa Pak Ngah of Kuala Kangsar; since 1955. That’s a couple of years BEFORE independence, people!

Earlier we had our lunch at Sudut Nyonya Restaurant; possibly the only Nyonya restaurant in town. Or anywhere outside of Ipoh in the state of Perak, for that matter. A satisfying meal nonetheless, we were still craving for more. I had the urge to try the popular Pak Ngah Laksa behind of Tsung Wah secondary school. Just ask anyone (especially your Malay friends) from Kuala Kangsar or beyond, and I’m sure most would agree that a visit to this royal town is never complete without a packet or two (or dozens of them, from what we saw) of Pak Ngah laksa back home …. Read the rest of this entry »

An old favourite of many in Taiping, and from places beyond …. Bismillah Restoran on Main Road (Jalan Taming Sari) should be enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Building!

Midweek Blues anyone? Or plain reeling from the late night footie matches on the telly, or down at your favourite watering hole? Here’s something to sober you up …..

A perfectly simple, MALAYSIAN breakfast at one of the coolest town (in every sense of the word) in Malaysia; Taiping.

Daging Itam (a type of dark, fiery and robust spiced Beef dish) RM2.50/USD0.70 per portion.

Bismillah Restoran in Taiping is a century’s old establishment, and has been around at this same building for close to 80 years now. Yes, count them, EIGHT DECADES of legacy.

Famous for their Roti Canai, and also serving Roti Telur, Thosai, Nasi Briyani, and the usual ‘mamak’ (Indian-Muslim) fares, this charming eatery should not be mistaken for that famous Bismillah Cendol on Jalan Barrack, although they are sharing the same name … Read the rest of this entry »

Siamese Laksa @ Family Cafe in Ipoh (RM6.80/USD2)

Ever since the ‘demise’ of Sharon’s Laksa recently, I have been receiving comments, queries and mails asking about where to go for Siamese Laksa in Ipoh. Most suggestions point to this place, named Family Cafe situated in Taman Ipoh Permai, off the main road from Jusco Kinta City leading to Tambun of Ipoh.

I have tasted Family Cafe’s Siamese Laksa once (which is only available on weekends), before Sharon’s Laksa even came into the picture. Yes, I do agree that I prefer this type of richer, less sour and spicy, yet equally as satisfying bowl of laksa, than say, its counterpart the Assam Laksa, or Curry Laksa.

So how did this bowl of Siamese Laksa at Family Cafe fare? Read on ….. Read the rest of this entry »

There was once in my post somewhere when I wrote about good Tung Poh Yuk (Braised Fatty Pork Belly with Soy Sauce)in Ipoh, and how I could not forget the nearly melt-in-mouth experience back at Bee Gaik. So imagine the gleeful look on my face when I glanced around and saw the other customers surrounding our table at Top Wok Seafood Restaurant, all blissfully wiping their gravy off the same dish with the complimentary portions of fried mantou bun.

Half fat, half lean. Only with a much, much more gelatinous layer of fat that is both smooth and has an extremely soft texture; Tung Poh Yuk (RM16/USD4.80)

Top Wok Seafood Restaurant is situated in Taman Ipoh Boulevard Timur (Boulevard East Garden?), an area densely populated by a majority of Chinese residents, en route to Tambun from Ipoh Garden East. For the specific directions, jump to the end of the post …. Read the rest of this entry »