Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog

Fresh Oyster baked in Cheese - RM13.80/USD4.20

Now let me share my current favourite Japanese restaurant in Ipoh with you readers. Previously I was an ardent fan of Akamomiji‘s, until the last few visits that revealed some rather poorly executed cooked dishes, and mediocre service. Waraku became our favourite then, with their cheap RM15 lunch sets available on weekdays, with close to 20 choices. And they STILL grill some of the best kushi yaki in town (grilled meats and vegetables on skewers, like our satay without accompanying dipping sauce), bar none.

Of course there’s the Kizuna which I have neglected since the first review, A Lai I that cooks up a variety of mean teppan yaki dishes, and Sushi East that well, best left unsaid.

Still remains a mystery as to why I have not written about Kampai yet, possibly the first and definitely longest running Japanese restaurant in Ipoh. Kampai serves what could be the most value-for-money set lunch (around RM15 each) with sizeable portions, and lots of varieties.

Resembling an “Izakaya” (a type of Japanese drinking establishment) more than a full-fledged restaurant, Tengood serves a myriad of light snacks, finger foods aside from salads, sushi and sashimi, and they serve PORK as well.

And so there we were on a fine evening, seeking for a bite (or slurp?) of supposedly fresh and plump oysters. (*Pardon the incompetence, I failed to inquire about on which days they got their freshest supplies of seafood, but give them a ring and the lady will be glad to inform you). I visited Tengood a few times before this, for lunch usually since the place is located right smack in the midst of a bustling Greentown Business Centre which is close to my previous working place.

Wanna know why this particular Japanese restaurant impressed me so much that evening? Read on to find out ….. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Who Needs Fork & Knife? Basted with a finger-licking droolworthy BBQ sauce, the Pork Ribs Special @ Berlin’s Bier Houz just begged to be devoured using hands and all.

A new watering hole opened in Greentown Business Centre recently, named Berlin’s Bier Houz (www). Specializing in imported German beers, and a mish-mash of German-European cuisine, I came to know about this place recently from a colleague, and decided to venture over for lunch.

This place reminded me of Bavarian Bier Haus @ The Curve, with almost the same setting, cuisine, and imported German beers.

The front facade of the restaurant/bistro, located at the new premises in Greentown Business Centre. Berlin’s Bier Houz faces the row of shops housing Movenpeak and Assam House.

The menu covers mostly liquors in all manners, served in half-a-pint sizes, full pints, in bottles, and even cocktails/mocktails. Indeed, a haven for those who appreciate the finer forms of German beers, with names such as Erdinger, Stella Artois, Blackthorn, Tetley’s and Connor’s. Pardon me for being ignorant, for I’m not an avid drinker myself.

So let’s see what type of cuisines Berlin’s Bier Houz has to offer …. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Friday lunches are the BEST I tell you. I am not going to gloat or anything, but how does a two and a half hour lunch period sounds to you? Music to your ears? Or got your blood boiling yet?

Not to say this is an ideal situation. More like a catch-22 variant, when it’s not always possible to spend our lunch hours wailing away in the restaurant. To be seated for more than two hours during a simple meal sounds rather absurd, especially when it’s fast food we’re having. Not to mention the dagger stares from other patrons in those perpetually-packed eateries. (Foh San comes to mind again, naturally).

Freshly made cream soup, and a choice of iced lemon tea/Coke for the lunch sets @ Folie-Folie Cafe & Grill

After missing a slew of Friday lunches (since before Chinese New Year, I believe), today was the first time we had to struggle and brainstorm for another place for lunch. Ended up at Folie-Folie Cafe & Grill in town, opposite of UOB Bank near Greentown. If you’re one party animal (or maybe not), then you’d probably have heard of Summer Paradise, which opened its doors sometime back in last year. Do correct me if I’m wrong.

Anyway, Folie-Folie Cafe & Grill started operations about half a year ago, situated directly adjacent to the funky bungalow, serving a mix of Eastern and Western fares, from Lamb Chops, Grilled Chicken Chops and Fish & Chips to Katsudon, Japanese Curry, Fried Rice and pastas.

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You know there are days when you just do NOT feel like doing anything at all? When you’re too stressed out, lethargic, and absolutely abhor the sight/sounds of pests circling around you, the blank screen of the computer staring at your face, and writer’s block on a most discouraging strike?

Yeah, I’m having one of those days. And this has been dragging on for far too long. So pardon the lack of posts, and almost all of them being lack-lustre and devoid of life, wit, or sarcasm. The festive season came and gone (at the halfway mark now, but yet to really, really relish in the joy and camaraderie …) without much fanfare, for misfortunes rained down on the family, pelting us incessantly. Life is tough.

A Halal Nyonya-Chinese Restaurant in Greentown Business Centre, which has been operating for a good 5 years or so now …

So what better way to overcome the blues than to indulge oneself in some delicious, cheap yet satisfying (AND Halal to boot!) Nyonya cuisine, right in the heart of the city. In Greentown Business Centre, seated somewhat strategically amongst a row of restaurants, Astro service centre, bakery (Gold Vision), etc, is this restaurant simply named C U Village, which has been catering to the lunch crowd for years now, with valued individual meals from RM5 onwards.

And makes you wonder why the MONGOLIAN moniker, when I doubt the creamy, peppery gravy originates from the country with yaks, warriors and such.

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Well, well, well … after the dismaying outing at Delight Seafood Restaurant a day before the Lunar New Year, thank goodness the second reunion (this one with friends, instead of family) fared much better. Should have gone for the tried-and-tested approach this year around, for last year we had our family reunion dinner at Soon Fatt as well. And everybody was pleased with the food, the service, and of course, the price. (Read more about my previous Soon Fatt experience HERE)

A much tastier Yee Sang compared to Delight, and served in ample portions for 7-8 pax

They offer festive sets, ranging from a set for 4 pax, to 6 pax (RM188), to 7-8 pax (RM298 – the one we ordered), and of course the full-course 10 pax sets priced from about RM398 onwards, escalating to a grand sum of RM998 or so. (Notice that I do not have the menu with me, so the price range may vary slightly). Read about our dining experience after the jump :

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With a name as FUNKY as Let’s Rock, you’d be hard-pressed NOT to be tickled pink when discovering this most famous eatery in Ipoh is in fact, a HAWKER STALL (though not anymore) specializing in Yeong Liew (or Yong Tau Foo/Stuffed Fish Paste) and noodles.

Die-Hard Fans/Aficionados/Purveyors of good old Yeong Liew in Ipoh would be torn for choice, as the extensive alternatives to the almost world famous Fried Yeong Liew under a most legendary tree, simply named “BIG TREE FOOT” in Ipoh is delectably mind-boggling. Okay, some prefer to call these combination of noodles with stuffed fish paste as Fishball Noodles (aka Yue Dan Fun), but I’ll skip the noodles on most occasions, be it in Big Tree Foot (Dai Shu Geok), Gunung Rapat’s Kwong Hong, Tai Kar Rock (which coincidentally, is the place where I place more emphasize on the noodles more than the liew themselves) etc etc….

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