Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

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 »

Other than the BIG TWO (Lou Wong & Onn Kee), there are still many places in Ipoh for “Nga Choy Kai” (Bean Sprouts Chicken). One example being Leong Kee on Jalan Pasir Puteh.

The resurgence of interest in old timers (the previous post on Yee Jie confirmed this) around Ipoh got us back to our ‘roots’. Typical hawker fares that you would not never thought you’d be seeing the reviews on the Net, but yet ….. possess such a tight grip on your heart.

Places like Leong Kee, a shabby coffee shop on Jalan Pasir Puteh that has been around for decades; probably older than most of the Gen-Y reading this post.

Leong Kee is famous for their porridge; especially the mixed pig’s offal porridge (Chu Chap Zhuk) and curry mee.

My most immediate reaction when discussing about Leong Kee was the introduction to Sotong Kangkung; a rarely found cuttlefish salad combining blanched water convolvulus (kangkung) and cuttlefish drenched in a nutty, peanut gravy. A close cousin to the other famous Malaysian salad; Rojak, no less.

But lo and behold, the stall selling the salad is not around anymore, but you can still sample Leong Kee’s famous pork porridge boiled over charcoal fire, rich curry mee with tampered spiciness, and their supposedly popular Ais Kacang …… Read the rest of this entry »

Yoon Kee @ Stall No 23 – This is also Ipoh’s most beloved superstar; Dato’ Michelle Yeoh’s favourite!

Perseverance pays off handsomely. That’s exactly what the elderly have always tried to instill in the raw, naive mind of a young one’s.

Medan Selera Stadium (a popular hawker food centre) in Ipoh is a stretch of food stalls that operate almost round the clock, numbering around 60 stalls if I’m not mistaken. But don’t get the wrong idea. The stalls open intermittently; some during daytime while the others open from evening until late night. Not sure if there is any stall that stays open until wee hours of the morning, but I don’t cast my doubt on this issue.

Come weekends, public holidays, or when there’s a football match at the stadium, you’ll bear witness to throngs of people swarming the stalls, hoping for some midnight snacks and a cup of “teh tarik”.

Yoon Kee’s Chicken Rice – Smooth, poached chicken (without the gory, bloody bits, thankfully!) with ‘oily’ rice and the compulsory pounded garlic/ginger with chili sauce.

Time and again, the purposed outings to Medan Selera Stadium Ipoh ended up in disappointment. Either the stalls were not opened on that particular day, or we ended up losing sight of what to eat and ended up somewhere else for dinner.

Things got a little easier during lunch hour, for we’re still fans of Sri Asoka Corner’s (Stall No 19) banana leaf curry rice (BLR), and Thillai Stall (Stall No 25) which is located a few cubicles away from Sri Asoka’s,  and also rather famous for their BLR. Plus, Thillai also serves deep-fried crispy bitter gourd !!!

So why was I so adamant on trying Yoon Kee’s Bean Sprouts Chicken, a 21 years old ‘lau zhi hau’ (old and trusted brand)? …… Read the rest of this entry »