Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Dry Bak Chor Mee  @ Tai Wah Pork Noodle (High Street), Hong Lim Food Centre, Chinatown, Singapore – Highly regarded as one of the Bak Chor Mee on the island; this stall serves a great deal of customers everyday.

When I first visited Hong Lim Food Centre few weeks back (not keeping track of time here, but should be a week or two ago), I was well prepared to try either the famous Outram Park Fried Kuey Teow or Tai Wah Pork Noodles.

To which I failed both my missions. The former was closed on a Sunday morning, while the latter had a queue that extended to beyond the staircase; and then round the corner. Singaporeans do love to queue eh? 🙂

In short, a bowl of pork noodles might have wasted half an hour of my life standing around idling away. Or drooling away, depending on how hungry I was back then.

And so, I relented and made peace with my inner self; settling down with a bowl of soy sauce chicken wing wanton noodles at Ji Ji Wanton Noodles Specialist instead. (Read the rather favourable review HERE)

Vowing to return someday (after all, Hong Lim Food Centre or HLFC is merely 10 minutes walk away from where I stay), the revisit came earlier than expected, and this time around, I managed to try both the renowned stalls. Read on to find out the outcome of the visit. Read the rest of this entry »

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice @ Maxwell Food Centre, Chinatown, Singapore – Voted as one of the best chicken rice on the island, with endorsements by local media and food critics, and even positive remarks from celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain

Back to work and having mid week blues? No fear. Let Motormouth cures that for you with another food story. In fact, this will nicely round up the Singapore Street Food post from two days back.

Singapore’s a country that’s rich with influences from all over the world; most notably due to the cross-cultural exchanges between the region and intensive modernization effort to transform the small island into a financial powerhouse respected worldwide.

The same applies to the local cuisine in Singapore; while there are numerous parties (mostly political clowns) staking claims over petty ownership of street foods (read this for a LOL moment, seriously), the winner in this fiasco I guess would be the spectators, ie: foodies like us. It’s relatively easy to draw conclusions based on our personal experiences with chicken rice, satay, laksa, nasi lemak and so forth; hearty street foods that we have grown accustomed with since we were kids.

For today, let’s look at Hainanese chicken rice; a rice and chicken dish that holds a special place in my heart; owing to the fact that my late grandfather used to run a chicken rice stall in Ipoh way before I was born.

And yes, I am a Hainanese too. Read the rest of this entry »

The junction of Amoy Street – Boon Tat Street on a serene Sunday morning in Singapore. Time for brunch?

Fifth day here in Singapore and I am easily walking an average of 15,000 steps a day. I track my steps daily with a pedometer; as a (lazy) participant of the Global Corporate Challenge; since almost two months back. Needless to say, when you involve Motormouth in any of your exercise regime or competitive sports, it’s as good as a lost cause.

But the walking culture here picks up fast. Or maybe I should put is as almost compulsory.

Naturally, after settling down in the heart of the central business district (within walking distance to Chinatown), it’s time to hunt for food.

What better way to kick off a lazy Sunday (recuperating from the transition that happened last Friday) than brunch at an almost obscure colonial-style bungalow a level above Ann Siang Hill Park off Amoy Street? Yes, this is the fourth branch of the famed PS. Cafe.

Runny yolk flowing from the poached egg atop the potato rosti studded with chopped ham, served with chorizo sausage and salad (SGD 26 / MYR 67)

Read the rest of this entry »

Springy strands of noodles coated with the gooey minced pork sauce; a signature of Soong Kee that has stood the test of time. A good seven decades of legacy relates to exceptional fan base and coming here feels like traveling through the tunnel of time.

I still remember the first time I fell in love with KL style of beef noodles. It was at Shin Kee in Chinatown, a stone’s throw away from the Petaling Street entrance. Whereas in Ipoh you don’t usually find beef noodles in the thick of all the rage (in fact, seldom do you see beef served in most Chinese hawker stalls; aside from a selected few like Yik Sun Hakka Mee and Buntong beef noodles), there are quite a number of good ones in town; especially centred around the Chinatown and Golden Triangle.

Shin Kee Beef Noodles Specialist was the first, followed by Lai Foong directly opposite the street. Then Ngau Kee around Tengkat Tong Shin came next, and finally we tried Soong Kee Beef Noodles at the junction of Jalan Tun HS Lee and Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin.

For today, after a good half decade or more, we were back on a revisit to Soong Kee for dinner.  Read the rest of this entry »

Piping hot and fresh dim sum being carted by the ladies of Yook Woo Hin. Still the same modus operandi over the years, and still exuding that nostalgic charm of old ‘yum cha’ (literally translated to ‘drink tea’ or breakfast) establishments.

The revelation came when I read this piece of news. That a stretch of old shops in Petaling Street and Jalan Sultan will be demolished very soon to pave the way for development. Again.

And much as I was empathizing with the residents and traders along the affected stretch, a significant yet disturbing thought resounded in the back of my mind;

“What if someday the government decides to develop Ipoh into a mass tourism hub, with MRT’s running through the beautiful landscapes and the heritage structures of old town?”

Read the full story ramblings ahead …. Read the rest of this entry »

Ah Weng Koh Hainan Tea @ Bukit Bintang Market

Toasts with Kaya and Butter, and Hainan Milk Tea

Bear with the sun, the crowd, and the shouting staff … and you’ll be duly rewarded …

Fancy some REAL charcoal-toasted bread?

Finger-licking GOOD toasts. Albeit the wait.

Thick, and strong Kluang coffee – HOT ….

or COLD.

Yam Rice + Bouillon Soup (RM6)

Location : One Nite (19) Restaurant @ Jln Pandan Indah 1/22, Pandan Indah, Kuala Lumpur.
Same row with Steven’s Corner, an exceptionally popular Mamak outlet.

Some freshly-brewed latte with biscotti

Beef rasher, scrambled eggs and toasts

If you’re in no rush, sit back, read a mag or two, and sip on your cup of coffee, while watching the world goes by ….

So, where’s YOUR favourite haunt for breakfast? =)