Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Notice the 8TV’s Ho Chak’s endorsement? Gotta be good, no?

I’m a sucker for anything with durian in it. Be it Durian Cendol from Melaka, Durian pancake from Seri Petaling, Durian Ice-cream with Ais Kacang (or, the other way round, most probably) from Kek Seng, Penang Road, Tempoyak with or even the REAL DEAL, fleshy & thorny raw form. The title given, the undisputed “King of Fruits” well-deserving for a fruit that’s not only versatile for desserts and savoury snacks, but the infinite potential of harm the thorny exterior can impose to others … Muahahaha …. Makes Tear Gas sounds wimpy now, eh? =P

Durian Egg Tart @ RM1.60

Durian Bomb @ RM1.80

Durian Pancake @ RM6.50

Durian Cendol @ RM6.00

Come come …. a mirage on a scorching hot day? Refreshing, over-flowing with those short, squiggly green worms …. 😉

They sell Pasembor (Indian Rojak) and Cendol … a cool respite from the sweltering heat

Cendol with Santan (Coconut Milk) & Gula Melaka (Brown Sugar Syrup) with Red Beans/Pulut (Glutinous Rice)

Ansari’s Famous Cendol @ Jalan Chung Thye Phin, Taiping, Perak (Address updated 15/3/09 – Sorry for previous mistake)

“What do YOU think?”

Did not bother to ask what’s the uncle selling/doing with a typewriter in front of the restaurant ….

Let me post my last blog for the week by introducing some Taiping food. In fact, this is my 2nd trip here in 2 weeks. The 1st was not memorable in terms of food, but the hotel (Kama Lodge) is worth noting. This 2nd trip required me and KYT to stay overnight, and luckily managed to get a LOT of work done in a matter of 24 hours.

Preserved salted lime juice aka ‘Ham Kam Kat’ (RM1.50)

Brought here by a local, as the lady boss is a relative of one of her colleague’s. Situated on Jalan Kota, right smack in town area, this shop somehow managed to preserve the colonial look and feel, with wooden benches commonly found in Penang’s coffee shops (eg. Kek Seng).

We saw a few jars of ‘kam kat’ (lime?) in preservation at the parking lot next to the shop itself. Supposedly cooling and good for HOT weather. Half-expected them to be salty/sourish and difficult to swallow, as I’m not a fan of sour drinks. But pleasantly surprised by the palatable taste.

Satay Chicken Rice (RM3.80)

They sell a variety of rice and noodles, and prices ranging from RM3 to RM6 per plate. Reasonable, I’d say. The shop was half full, eventhough it was only 12 noon. KYT had the Satay Chicken Rice, suspiciously resembling Kam Heong style. But the chicken was good, marinated well, and the ever-fussy KYT gave his seal of approval. =P

Kerabu Chicken Rice (RM3.50)

The gals (yeah, all THREE of them … ain’t we the lucky lot? hehe) ordered the same dish, Kerabu Chicken Rice, therefore I was tempted to, accordingly. To order the same dish, mind you, no other hidden agenda. LOL.

Tastewise? Moderate. Probably I was expecting too much, but the rice was tasteless though fried with egg, and fluffy enough. The strips of fried chicken, dipped in the spicy & sour sauce also did not manage to satisfy this glutton. KYT nodded in agreement.

Location : 5, Jalan Kota, 34000 Taiping. Very easy to find, at the far end of Jalan Kota if you’re coming from the toll exit of southern Taiping (Taiping/Changkat Jering). Jalan Kota is one of the main roads, parallel to Jalan Taming Sari or Main Road of Taiping town.

Bismillah Cendol by the sidewalk

Still craving for more, as the portion served at Lian Thong was skimpy(nothing dirty on my mind, really!). Nearby Taiping Hospital, on Jalan Barrack, is this famous cendol stall, serving possibly Taiping’s most talk-about dessert at a shack, and by the pathway.

Gal : Wah … gaya lah ‘pose’ ni !! =)

There was a laksa stall by the roadside, in case you crave for something substantial, but for us, a chilled bowl of cendol would do just fine. You can sit inside the shop/shack, or by the sidewalk.

Cendol Pulut with Red Beans (RM1.40)

Possibly one-off chance to try them, we chose the one with everything, pulut (glutinous rice) and red beans. Cooling, sweet, refreshing, it was all we could ask for after torched by the merciless sun. However, the pulut was a disappointment, we detected charred ends, and they came in lumpy, tough-to-chew texture. On a positive note, the serving was generous, with BIG red beans thrown in for good measure. Just skip the pulut when you order.

Part 2 – to be posted as soon as I returned from KL …. Bon Voyage?

Cendol Pulut (RM1.50)

Located at a side lane off Jalan Stesen, this stall’s signboard caught our eyes (my fury eyes), as I’ve never tasted Cendol Pulut in my life, but astonishingly, KYT had!! How wrong was I to think he would avoid anything with santan. =P

Pathetic & empty looking arrangement huh?

The stall sells Nasi Lemak and Burgers as well. We ordered a bowl each of their signature dessert, Cendol Pulut, and they came in 2 BIG bowls, enough to be shared among 3 or 4. Not expecting much from such an empty stall, surprisingly the cendol tasted quite good, not too sweet, and not too much santan (coconut milk). And the inclusion of pulut (glutinous rice) into the mixture added texture, taste, and of course, pretty much filling. Hmm, but at only RM1.50/bowl, you do NOT get red beans, and the gula melaka is not as fragrant/tasty as the one used by Penang’s or Melaka’s cendol. But who’s complaining? 😉

We searched high and low, but could not find the name of the shop

We picked up another kaki makan in Tapah, Miss Skoon, who works somewhere at the outskirts, on the way to Bidor. She drove us to a place she fondly refers to as “Riverfront”, right beside a mosque, by the riverside. (The water is murky, be thankful the stall is located a distance away from the bank)

Nasi Daging Merah (RM4.00)

They served economy rice,with plentiful of dishes, including ulam (raw vegetables) and grilled fish, as well as various masakan kampung. We chose to eat freshly cooked dishes, as from the menu on the wall, there were at least 10 types of Nasi Goreng and the likes, available for order.

Nasi Goreng USA (RM5.00)

KYT’s Nasi Daging Merah (beef in sweet and spicy sauce) came in quite a portion (rice and dish alike), but he commented the lack of taste, and the chewiness of the chunks of beef kind of spoiled the dish for him. My Nasi Goreng USA came with a fried egg on top, small prawns, LOTS of onions (yummy), and Daging Merah as well. On the contrary, I found the beef to be well marinated and cooked, and though some pieces were slightly chewy due to the veins, overall the portion was HUGE, and the rice was fried til fragrant and delicious. Or probably I LOVE caramelized onions no matter what they’re served with. 😉

Nasi Goreng Paprik (RM5.50)

Skoon had some scares as the waiter/waitress kept serving the aforementioned beef dishes and claimed those were Nasi Paprik, when what Skoon ordered was in fact a CHICKEN dish. Luckily hers arrived just the way she wanted, Fried Rice with Ayam Paprik (Chicken, Prawns and Vegetables in spicy/sour sauce). Tried a piece, and the dish was tasty.

The price was pretty reasonable for the portion served, but be prepared for some wait in case you decide to order from the kitchen. The place was designed ‘half al fresco’, therefore brave the heat if you’re seated on the outer ends.

Location : Coming from the North-South Highway, towards Tapah town, you will pass by a bridge (Jambatan Batang Padang if I’m not mistaken), after turning left at the traffic lights at Shell petrol station. This shop/stall is located on the left, immediately after the bridge, beside the mosque.

Location : Cendol Pulut @ a side lane beside Hotel Utara on Jalan Stesen. To get to Jalan Stesen, drive further down the road after the bridge, and you will reach a traffic lights with a shop named Restoran Kai Fan on your right. Turn right into Jalan Stesen, and once you see Klinik Sentosa on your left, and Hotel Utara on your right, turn right into the small lane beside the hotel. The stall is situated at the lane itself.