Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

The mere mention of Sitiawan evokes memories of fresh seafood @ Kampung Cina, Foo Chow-style cooking at Bei King or Lido, the insanely popular James cendol in front of the Indian temple, the Chinese-style of bagels named ‘gong pia’ & even Teochew style Bak Kut Teh coupled with steamed fish head. (Read a portion of it on Sitiawan – Half A Day’s Worth of Food Hunt)

For me, revisiting Sitiawan brought to the surface sweet memories of the constant day trips (almost on a monthly schedule!) we made back then. Throughout my 3 years tenure of working around Perak, Sitiawan, Teluk Intan and Taiping opened my eyes to an entire different landscape of cuisines and local delicacies that I was kept unaware of while hibernating in Ipoh.

#1 – RESTORAN SUN HON SIONG @ AYER TAWAR

The Foo Chow clan takes pride in whipping up scrumptious sweet and sour cooking; in this case the Sweet & Sour Pork (Gu Lou Yuk) Rice at Restoran Sun Hon Siong @ Ayer Tawar surprised me with perfectly executed batter-coated pork, cucumber and even fried potatoes in a sweet and sour gravy balanced with the right flavours.

 Ayer Tawar – A small town you will pass by before you reach Sitiawan; along the Lumut highway

This is a story of our 2D/1N excursion to Sitiawan few weeks ago. In line with Visit Perak Year 2012, here’s another travel idea to help you plan that family getaway this holiday season.

Ready for the onslaught of another food and travel extravaganza? Let’s go. Read the rest of this entry »

A hefty portion of Red Wine Mee Suah for RM7.00/USD2.10; with plentiful of chicken, stalks of spring onions and slices of ginger.

Since I have not been writing much about food from outside of Ipoh, allow me to insert one short post here. Yesterday work took us to Ayer Tawar (wondering where’s Ayer Tawar? Read from Wikipedia HERE) to the west of Perak. If you’re on your way to Sitiawan, Seri Manjung, Lumut or Pangkor Island, you will be sure to pass by the town of Ayer Tawar.

Much like Sitiawan, Ayer Tawar is a predominantly Chinese town with a sizeable Foo Chow/Fuzhou population. Thus you know you can find great Foo Chow cuisine in even the simplest of coffee shops or restaurants.

Usually we have our lunch in Sitiawan, for the wide array of good food (from cheap and fresh seafood to Teochew style of Bak Kut Teh to authentic Hock Chew food) never failed to tantalize our tastebuds. But after awhile, eating at the same restaurants got a little repetitive, hence we decided to push our luck and seek for food in Ayer Tawar instead.

Ended up at Red Ruby Restaurant, an air-conditioned Chinese restaurant on the main road that is opened for lunch and dinner. How did Red Ruby fare in comparison to the more famous Bei King and Lido of Sitiawan? Read on to find out.

Read the rest of this entry »

That’s a real ship out there … wonder what’s the purpose though

Italian cuisine in LUMUT?!

Lumut is a small town to the south of Perak, on the western side. Previously overshadowed by Pangkor Island, the famous tourist destination in Perak, Lumut has been developing well, with a sleek and modern port, and a water front resembling Johor Bahru’s Danga Bay.

Memories of visiting Lumut in the past revealed a few notable gems, particularly the nasi kandar, and walking around town, savouring the sights and sounds.

Bistro style dining, with a bar and bottles of liquor on display

Once our work was done, the sight of a new restaurant/cafe at a backlane was enticing, and with my favourite Italian fare all printed on the awning, FCOE and Tall Gal were dragged (willingly, I might add) to an early lunch at CAPRI Restaurant (Ristorante-cum-Bar-cum-Pizzeria).

Lemon Juice @ RM6

Still reeling from the heavy breakfast, we opted for something lighter, to prevent from being bloated and floating off like balloons. The Lemon Juice had a very faint hint of citrus-y lemon fragrance, slightly fizzy, but not tangy enough. And marred by the lack of sweetness, the drink was far from satisfactory.

Salmon Fettucine @ RM21

There were more than 10 types of pasta on the menu, and the one that caught my attention was the Salmon Fettucine. Probably stemming from my Italiannie’s experience, fettucine with salmon in creamy tomato sauce sounded too heavenly to resist.

But major mistake was made. Or maybe I set my expectations too high. The pasta was far from al dente, slightly soggy, and the sauce was short of creamy. Cubes of salmon were thankfully present, but the non-existence of tomatoes somehow spoiled the overall experience.

Pizza Marinara @ RM29

A whopping 16 varieties of pizzas were enlisted on the menu, and making a decision was tough. But FCOE being a non-beef eater somewhat made things easier. So, seafood’s the way to go.

Prawns, Squids, Mussels. And with some eenie-weenie bits of cheese and tomato paste. That was all to it. From the appearance alone, you can judge the sparsely added ingredients. You can even count the prawns (all 4 of them), the squids (pitiful 5-6 pieces) and mussels (less than 6), and the very thin layer of mozzarella rendered the cheesy (or rather, the lack of) experience less than stellar. The dough was tough, rather than light and chewy. Gee, I’d stick to my Pizza Hut if REAL Italian pizzas are like this one.

Tabasco sauce was not enough to save the pizza, therefore we requested for extra parmesan shavings. And guess what? Shavings’ all we got. On a small plate. With a small spoon, probably masquerading as caviar on a plate? Never realised parmesan’s THAT exclusive.

Tiramisu @ RM11

Fortunately, all’s not lost. The dessert came in the form of Tiramisu, perennial Italian dessert, bound to satiate that sweet tooth’s cravings. Soft, fluffy, with a hint of liquor, the cake was served with a dollop of fresh cream on the side. No idea what it was doing there, but the addition of the spoonfuls of cream to the tiramisu neutralized the bitterness tone. Though not among the best out there, but still bearable, after the abyssmal mains.

Total damage for 3 = RM73.70, including 5% service charge and 5% gov tax. Will we return? NOPE, definitely. Muahaha …

Location : CAPRI @ 4174, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 32200 Lumut, Perak. Tel : 05-683 3112.

Another round of Gong Pian?

Remember I raved bout Sitiawan’s Gong Pian? Seems Ayer Tawar also has its own following.

The abundance of sesame seeds on the biscuits @ RM1 each

Of course, if you’re eating these biscuits, preferably, have them HOT from the oven. When cold, the biscuits are tough, and chewy. I chose the ones with pork and onions, at only RM1 each. In comparison, I’d say a step below Sitiawan’s version.

Ching Chin Koi @ Ayer Tawar

Location : Ching Chin Koi Restaurant @ 249, Main Road, Ayer Tawar, Perak. They were selling these in the evenings, so go for them in the afternoon-evenings I guess?

Passing by Bandar Seri Iskandar on the Lumut Highway

Roasted Chicken Rice (RM2.40)

Arriving slightly earlier than the 2nd team, (yeah, we had to go in TWO cars), we were at lost on how to kill time. What else? EAT la!

Barbequed Pork (Char Siew) Rice (RM 2.40)

It was way before lunch hour, but we knew our work would drag on for hours, therefore risking hypoglycemic attack if we decided not to eat. Another problem was, we have absolutely no idea what Ayer Tawar is famous for. Cincai la … Restoran San Shan, on the main road, is a coffee shop selling chicken rice. Hmm, a quick meal would do. KYT and FCOE ordered the same roasted chicken rice, while I had my craving for char siew fixed. However, the rice served is plain white rice, and overcooked until sticky and lumpy. No comments on the chicken, but my char siew was a disappointment (though from the photo they may look tempting). Tough, chewy, and completely devoid of any fat, the only saving grace is the gravy. But for RM2.40 per plate, these may be the cheapest variety around.

Consequently, as we had our lunch too early, once we were back in Ipoh around 4pm, it was time to indulge in some glorious food (or drink, in this case). This shop selling tau fu fah (soybean custard/jelly) had been around for some time, at Jalan Horley. Previously they sell an interesting variety of tau fu fah, such as mango, strawberry, pandan etc. But nowadays, they only sell the normal and pandan version.

Nevertheless, we had a bowl each of the pandan-flavoured tau fu fah (RM1.20). Very smooth and fragrant, we enjoyed our tea time delights unanimously. Take away in a big plastic container cost RM1.60, and definitely meant to be shared. You can choose between white sugar syrup, or the brown variety. They also sell soya bean drinks.

Location : Restoran San Shan @ Jalan Besar, Ayer Tawar, opposite RHB bank. Coming from Ipoh, the shop is located on the left side.

Location : Kedai Soya Bean Delights @ 20, Jalan Horley, 30300 Ipoh. It is on the same row as Public Seafood Restaurant (aka Mun Choong), behind The Store in town area.