Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

A cup of pick-me-up latte from The Mugshot Cafe with brown sugar and plant in a jar, set on an ageing wooden table for a completely rustic effect

In an aggressive bout of makan-rage in Penang, you probably can’t avoid the lapses in continual street food run. There will be times, especially those odd hours in-between meals that you wished you could stomach another spoonful of laksa or cendol, but all you could think of was a secluded spot away from the maddening crowd, shelter from the sweltering heat and a cup of lusciously-brewed coffee to pick you up while you’re stifling another yawn.

Our acquaintance with The Mugshot Café was slightly different.

The elusive (still is, sadly) Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay is a wholesaler of traditional Nyonya kueh; various morsels of sweet or savoury snacks meticulously made for tea breaks. But they chose to be either closed or not operational on the last two visits.

The initial plan was to drive over to Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Kueh outlet, situated at a blink-and-you-will-miss alley off Chulia Street, where you turn in from the famous char siew rice shop named Sky Hotel. Since the Nyonya kueh seller is closed on Mondays, we briskly waltzed in with pride and full of confidence that finally we will be able to have our Kueh Talam, Kueh Bingka Ubi and curry puffs.

Lo and behold, the solitary Indian man seated by the doors promptly and nonchalantly told us that they are NOT selling any that Thursday morning. You can almost see the beads of sweat forming on my forehead. From the walk on that sunny morning along Chulia Street and the utter sense of disappointment.

But when life gives you lemons…..  Read the rest of this entry »

The Roquette Cafe – And you thought coffee, cakes and politics don’t mix?

In a blink of an eye, it’s the 8th day of the Lunar New Year. Some of us; especially the Hokkiens should be really busy preparing for the BIG celebration later tonight; better known as “Bai Tin Kung” or praying to the Heavenly God. After a serial bout of indulging since reunion dinner until 3-4th day of CNY, followed by a dripping sense of guilt; you decided to eat healthier for a few days. And thus, you reach the checkpoint/milestone after a week on the 8th day and decided to let loose and chomp on some pretty mean roast pork (usually the entire swine is presented whole and offered as prayers), and various delicious foodstuff.

If you ain’t a Hokkien and not celebrating the eve of 9th day, then you’re not alone. Motormouth does not either. And here I am recollecting my thoughts after almost a full week of slouching in front of the laptop in the office. Post CNY blues is very depressing, mind you.

Continuing the cafe series, and almost done now (phew, can you heave a sigh of relief now?), let’s look at this opportunistic visit to The Roquette Cafe in old town. Why opportunistic? Read on.  Read the rest of this entry »

Breakfast Parfait (RM14.80/USD5) – Layered Greek yoghurt upon fruits and honey, topped with crunchy granola. Now this somehow lessened the CNY guilt of over-eating. Slightly.

Good Morning Ipoh!

Continuing the Ipoh Cafe Series this festive homecoming, we ended up at Something’s Brewing not once, but twice over the past 2 days. The relatively easy to access location plus ample parking spaces and short distance to home made this a no-brainer really.

Ready for the second chapter of the series? Here we go ….  Read the rest of this entry »

Ben & Lynette Maison Patisserie opened its doors barely two months ago; owned by the same people of Secret Garden

Happy Chinese New Year dear followers of Motormouth From Ipoh. The moment that I set my gaze upon the huge IPOH sign greeting travelers along the North South Expressway, my heart instantly melted. The body felt energized, the mind working into overdrive compiling a list of MUST-EATs this time around, and the sheer joy of reuniting (not that we were apart in the first place) with families and friends set the pulse racing.

The recent surge of cafes dominating the food and beverage scene has kept many foodies excited; some embarked on cafe marathon while others proudly embraced the shutterbug spirit in them and clicking away and sharing them through social media platforms.

I have to admit that Motormouth’s a bit rusty in this department. Once a month excursion back home could only rendered me with so much (or little) time for cafe runs; especially when you know this local Ipoh boy soul is still very much endeared by old school, straight up, no frills Ipoh hawker food.

Lest we need to remind you once again, the New Year belongs to the Horse. Stallions. Ponies. Unicorns. Or whatever you wish for your year to be represented by.

The list was compiled in a half-hearted manner though. This list of cafes (and by cafes I removed our delightful coffee shops from the list, obviously) consisted of almost a dozen names. Though I don’t reckon that I can achieve grand success of trying them all and writing about them this round (also contributed by the fact that some may be closed for the season), I shall try.

Here’s the first chapter on Ben & Lynette Maison Patisserie ….  Read the rest of this entry »

Every now and then comes a cafe (another cafe?) operating from a most unorthodox choice of location; almost like a close encounter of the hippie kind and yet drawing in hordes of die hard fans returning for almost the same reason. It’s either the coffee, the ambience or the company.

In the case of VCR, it could have been a (lethal) combination of all.

The cakes and coffee here speak volume of their passion in emphasising on only the good stuff. Barely half a dozen choices of cakes available, and no savouries, yet the younger crowd came in droves. And spend a good amount of time idling away.

Read the rest of this entry »

 Seems like a solid breakfast plan huh? Yap Hup Kee @ Pudu.

On most weekends, breakfast plans would have been made but shattered at the very last minute. I guess it goes without saying that I am not much of a morning person though. I still remember the intense passion in the plans whenever Saturday evening came, and somehow ended up with meticulously/elaborately drafted outings.

Then the alarm clock rang on the wee hours of Sunday morning, and there I was … routinely ended up snuggling and rolling until the sun hits the back. That’s Motormouth for you.

But Pudu being an area packed with gems (not germs, please) coupled with the high level of cravings for a good plate of Chee Cheong Fun of late, I dragged this heavy carcass out of bed early in the morning and ventured over to territory almost-unknown.

And here’s the story on how we ended up with a mini food hunt; from Yong Tau Foo and Chee Cheong Fun to Gourmet Coffee and Wantan Mee …. Read the rest of this entry »

 The spark that ignited the invasion of BIG Group in Ipoh?

Plan b; a brand under the rampantly-expanding BIG Group already has 5 branches in the Klang Valley; although some are under slightly different names, eg: Puran b @ One Utama & Journal @ Publika (which you can view here). Continuing the momentum of establishing their foothold, Plan b opened up their 6th venture in the heart of Ipoh old town; directly adjacent to what-could-be the most famous kopitiam in Ipoh; Kong Heng.

 A very laid-back yet industrialized feel; largely contributed by the clever mix of earthy tones, red brick walls, various steel and stone elements,  plus quirky (a word to best describe any of the Plan b restaurants, actually) addition of light bulbs powered by exposed wires and ceiling fans hanging from extra height. 

A few months on, yet I was not entirely enticed by the less-than-stellar feedback and some rather acerbic comments belittling the outlet.

“We don’t need another cafe serving overpriced coffee when the local old town white coffee’s already the grand daddy of them all!”

Naturally, with all new eateries; the teething period during the first few weeks or months is expected. I didn’t expect Plan b to waltz into the market unscathed, what more with elevated prices compared to the overall cafe scene in Ipoh.

Read the rest of this entry »