Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

This article was first published on Malay Mail Online. Read it HERE.

Slurp down the claypot crab served with glass noodles and a peppery soup @ Rasa Lain Restaurant in Bercham, Ipoh

I don’t know about you, but I have had my fair share of unpleasant dining experiences. Hawkers who are grumpy, arrogant and at times ruthless; they operate without a care in the world in terms of customer service. Worse is when the food quality is sub-par. You get the drill.

But when the food served is delicious or at least noteworthy, then at least the unpleasant factor is neutralised to some extent. I can put up with popular stalls like the infamous grumpy Canning Garden uncle who used to sell popiah in a back alley with never a smile on his face; the chee cheong fun man — also in Canning Garden (how ironic?) — who appears to be more temperamental than your regular kopitiam folks, and who can forget the silent treatment bestowed upon anyone who rushes the curry mee seller at Xin Quan Fang near the police station in town?

This continuous acceptance of these antics is beyond comprehension sometimes. All in the name of good food, naturally.  Read the rest of this entry »

 Pandan Nasi Lemak Rendang Ayam (RM8.50/USD2.80), Hong Kong style Fried Tung Fun (Glass Vermicelli Noodles) (RM5.50/USD1.80), Blueberry Cheese Cake (RM5.80/USD2) and a cup of Teh Tarik (RM2.50/USD0.80) 

Confessions time. Raise your hand if you have been struck by that guilty feeling upon reading heart-wrenching stories posted online (usually shared on Facebook); and started to wonder why you haven’t thought of indulging more in charitable deeds rather than in that decadent slice of tiramisu costing upwards of RM20 per serving. Guilty.

Or that moment of realization after grabbing that huge chunk of bonus/commission/incentives after a hard year’s worth of blood, sweat and tears, you decided to splurge on a fine dining feast at a triple digit fee per pax; an amount princely enough to feed a poorer family for a month? Guilty.

It’s not wrong to indulge in life’s finer moments. Everyone deserves a pat on the back sometimes; be it in the form of a traveling package, an expensive gift or a meal fit for a king. But let’s not ignore the pleas of the under-privileged.

Read on for a not-so-typical Motormouth food review.  Read the rest of this entry »

Salted Egg Lotus Root (RM8/USD2.70) – Coated with a batter that’s rich with salted egg yolk, and curry leaves for that distinct, aromatic touch; the plate of humble lotus root (ling ngau) was transformed into something decadent worth ordering again and again ….

Remember Steamhouse in Bercham? That restaurant specializing in healthy, steam cuisine has already expanded to a second branch in Ipoh. How wrong was I to grow a certain skepticism on the prospects of a restaurant preaching about nutritious food in Ipoh!

I mean, traditionally, GOOD food and HEALTHY cuisine do NOT go along fine in the same sentence. Right?

And then, Zhi Yin Yang Yan (ZYYY) came along late last year. Or maybe middle of last year for all I care, but I failed to see the future of another restaurant hailing the coming of an era of healthy eating and endless range of double-boiled soups.

Boy … was I WRONG. Read on, and see why. Read the rest of this entry »

…. That could still be shying away  from the radar of curious food hunters; especially the rampaging kind (read : hungry tourists lining up for ‘tau fu fah’ and dim sum every weekend). And truth be told, deep inside, I really wish for hawker stalls that line the battered/littered streets, back alleys and neighbourhood to remain as such; instead of falling prey to peer pressure of development, mass marketing and hence dilution of authenticity of the street food itself … and ultimately stripping off the burning passion that once carved the aged scars and wrinkles on the faces of the traders our grandparents once knew.

And in Bercham, this couple still brace the blazing hot sun, windy skies and torrential rain to serve up the same “popiah” for years (Popiah = fresh spring rolls loaded with boiled yambean, chopped French bean lightly boiled with egg omelette, bean sprouts, crispy fritters and lightly brushed with optional chili and sweet sauce on top)

And for today, let’s revisit one of the stories lesser told in blogs, guide books and TV shows. The hawker food stalls on Bercham’s Food Street. Read the rest of this entry »

Fat. Crunchy. Juicy. Sweet. Pride of Ipoh; and what a humble sprout!

I tell you, there really is a HUGE difference between life in Ipoh, and life in KL. A jarring one, smacking one in the face almost immediately upon arrival in this metropolitan crawling with landlubbers perpetually stuck in the rat race, hours spent getting acquainted with your favourite DJ’s every morning and every evening, and the missed opportunity of actually seeing the sun sets on your drive home because you’re trapped within four walls, or the vicinity of that lifeless cubicle from sun up til sun down.

Phew. The pace of life has quickened, literally. Hence, the occasional homecoming moments will be relished to their fullest potential; to imagine savouring the good old tastes from humble food stalls and within familiar neighbourhood.

Tired of the same old Lou Wong vs Onn Kee debacle? You don’t even have to drive all the way to town, park at dark alleys and still got charged by those ruffians nicked ‘jaga kereta’ boys, then to endure minutes of standing around waiting for a table.

Two ‘nga choy gai’ outlets exist in Bercham (aside from Kah Seng that faces the main road, yet coming off short during the last visit) that share almost the same name; 818 and 118. Read the rest of this entry »

Blissful – To be breathing in the crisp morning air of beautiful Ipoh once again. Although yeah, Ipoh’s far from the days of being a painting of one exceptionally serene old town now, yet the old saying’s true;

“There’s no place like home”

This dim sum restaurant in Bercham of Ipoh, located directly in front of the new Giant hypermarket is new. Well, relatively, since this has been operating for at least 3 months …  yet this was the first time we managed to hop over for a taste of their supposedly superior dim sum.

More details …. after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Succulent. Caramelized. Crispy edges. Roasted sides. Melt in mouth. Do I get my points across now?

“Miss your Ipoh food reviews!”

Read that tweet earlier this morning, and that was like a jolt to the senses. Much like how it was raining dogs and cats in the middle of last night, complete with eruption of thunders and flashes of lightning. Not a very productive slumber, and I don’t foresee this rainy spell in KL to end soon …..

Back to the case at hand. I do think that I have been straying off the beaten path; progressively as time goes by since moving to PJ four months ago. Felt like ages, huh? But I understand that I have been distancing myself from this blog, the readers (especially from Ipoh/Perak) and time allocated for surfing, reading blogs and social networking have become more of a luxury now, compared to the previous times when these were merely pastimes.

If you could lay your hands on a whole slab of caramelized barbecued pork belly (Char Siew), would you have done so?

I admit my fault. I seek penance. And ladies and gentlemen (the true blue Ipohans, Ipohites, or whatever you choose to call yourself …), here’s where I think sells the BEST CHAR SIEW in IPOH …

Read the rest of this entry »