Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

The tangy, tomato-based gravy graciously slathered upon the piece of meat (chicken, pork, beef or fish) prior coated with an egg batter and then deep-fried, topped with boiled peas and onions, with a compulsory side of pan-fried cubed potatoes. This … is the epitome of one traditional Hainanese chop.

Being a Hainanese descendant myself, many people have expected me to be;

1) Being able to whip up a storm whenever and wherever, since our ancestors were supposed to be magnificent cooks, AND

2) Literally having the ‘winds’ inside the head; stereotyped as a person with an extremely moody temperament; close to churning out whirlwinds and tornadoes at the slightest point of irritation. (loosely translated to ‘Hoi Lam Ting’ … )

Then again, I can assure you that I am none of the above. But developing a strong penchant for culinary excellence and at times swayed by winds of changes that might have overwhelmed the basic sense of judgment, I may just be revealing my true colours beneath.

This, my dear readers, is a story of one classic Hainanese kopitiam in Ipoh; a rarity in this era of booming commercialization. Read the rest of this entry »

*The original article appeared in the May edition of I.M. – a one of a kind, reader-powered lifestyle magazine. Go grab a copy from your favourite bookstore; for RM3.50 each.

It’s disheartening to see the youngsters nowadays, rushing for nothing but empty calories in the form of fast food, frozen pre-packed foodstuff, greasy unrecognizable morsels and eating in the malls for the sake of convenience more than anything. And yes, even when the price is a few folds more expensive compared to the real deal out there.

You can barely hear about stories on how people travel far and wide, going on food hunts to the rural outskirts of the city, or appreciating a good old feast cooked from the freshest of ingredients from the wet market, or noodles fried with charcoal fire in a most labour-intensive manner, or even biscuits/breads baked NOT in electronic/microwave ovens, but utilizing the most traditional of means.

Talk about Kalumpang, a small town in Hulu Selangor and chances are the young ones will be scratching their heads in a puzzled manner. I don’t blame them, for I myself was one who has never heard of this place that reminded me of Sungkai; an equally small town in Perak where I used to visit when I was small. Only until the time when I passed by Tanjung Malim en route to Kuala Lumpur, that we decided to venture off the beaten track, and into the wild, so to speak. A road less traversed equals a gem worth discovering, usually …… Read the rest of this entry »

Yei Lock Hainan Pau @ Jalan Kampar, Ipoh – A great spot for breakfast-brunch.

I must admit that I am not an ardent fan of ‘pau‘. Those fluffy buns of Chinese origin, usually filled with either a sweet or a savoury filling, then steamed until warm before eaten. Though I like the feeling of biting into a warm bun filled with succulent ‘Char Siew’ when I don’t feel like eating heavily; or for a light breakfast on a cold, rainy morning.

But of course, there ARE exceptions to the rule. Pau eaten as mains; larger ones with fanciful fillings like curry chicken (more like a bread, but you can see from the Kam Ling @ Kampar’s post for a general idea) and sweet & spicy crabs. Or the endless varieties from a pau (or ‘bao) specialist operating from kiosks. *On a side note, the Mr Baoz in Pavilion has moved?

Say, you need something more substantial than a piece or two of pau, then go for the Chee Cheong Fun from the feisty and chirpy lady named Lee.

But at the end of the day, nothing beats the traditional, kneaded from scratch buns filled with not-overly-processed fillings of lotus paste, red bean paste, kaya (egg-coconut jam) or even a savoury vegetarian mix of julienned yambean, carrots and wood ear fungus. If you’re suddenly (miraculously?) out of idea on what to eat for breakfast in Ipoh; consider Yei Lock on Kampar Road. Full story after the jump … Read the rest of this entry »

Hainanese Chicken Chop – At RM7.50/USD2.30 per portion; this is a throwback to the glory days; the colonial times when our ancestors were great cooks, whipping up lip-smacking dishes in the kitchens in the British residences.

Sin Kok Thye, or New Cathay could possibly pass off as another run-of-the-mill coffee shop in a part of Klang town that has obviously seen better days. Port Klang on a Sunday is deserted; you don’t even see the ‘foreign army‘ scrambling around, making ends meet at the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. Just before you reach the port, you will bear witness to rows of slightly dilapidated shophouses; in no way a haven for food hunters.

But wait, then there’s the almost century old Sin Kok Thye on Jalan Kem in Port Klang. A corner lot at the end of a row of double-storey shops facing a flyover (still operational?); a pork-free establishment reminiscence of the other Hainanese coffee shops like Yut Sun of Taiping and Yut Loy of Kuala Kangsar. Read on to find out more about the Hainanese cuisine served at this charming coffee shop ….. Read the rest of this entry »

Hainanese Chicken Chop (RM6.50/USD2.00) – Gravy-licious serving of a tender chicken chop battered, fried and topped lavishly with the brown sauce with onions, carrots and peas.

I wrote about Yut Sun Restaurant in Taiping before, a famous kopitiam that serves a wide array of Hainanese dishes, including the perennial favourite of many; Hainanese Chicken Chop, as well as the not-so-common Roti Sayur, and they even have an ‘Egg Steak‘ to pique your interest. Best of all, Yut Sun’s PORK-FREE, hence you’ll see people from all races dining together in harmony …..

Corny but true. 🙂

However, this time around, I was aiming for Wan Li Restaurant on Jalan Kota instead. Situated on the same side as Kok Beng Hainan Chicken Rice (amongst the TOP 10 Chicken Rice in Malaysia!!) and opposite of Kum Loong Dim Sum, most people would pass by this place without even batting an eyelid; judging from the disdain and rather rundown outlook of the premise. But DON’T come to conclusion just yet. For more often that not, it’s places like this that holds promise, and dishes out foods that arrest your attention; ensuring perpetual revisits …….   Read the rest of this entry »

Hainanese Chicken Chop (RM8.00/USD2.30) – A most classic Hainanese specialty @ Yut Sun, Taiping

Previous post on Pengkalan Hulu’s Gong An Hainanese Food reminded me of this rather famous pork-free Hainanese restaurant in Taiping, named Yut Sun which I visited last month. For what was supposed to be THE last trip to Taiping for this year. And if you somehow realize, I’ve been writing on Hainanese food as of late. A sign of me returning to my roots? (I am a Hainanese, but speak not a word of the language!) Or a surge in my cravings for some good old, authentic Hainanese fare?

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Continuation from the previous post of Chalet Air Panas @ Pengkalan Hulu ….

In case you’re wondering, what else to do in Pengkalan Hulu, en route to your most sinful destination of Betong in Thailand (over the border, about 7km away from the custom checkpoint – for more information hop over to our 3 days/2 nights Betong experience last year), you can consider appeasing that hungry beast deep within you, with some simple Chinese food or Hainanese fare. Yup, read that right. Hainanese food in Pengkalan Hulu, courtesy of Gong An Restaurant. With a solid 30+ years of history, and opens from 11.30am until 9.30pm everyday, this restaurant is but a mere handful of Chinese restaurants in the small town, and possibly the only one that’s pork free. (Do correct me if I’m wrong)

Hainanese Style Fish & Chips (RM10.00)

A little underwhelmed by the spread served in Chalet Air Panas, we took a most delightful detour to town in search for some food. REAL food. Our eyes spied on a few Chinese restaurants believed to serve ‘Dai Chow’ type of cuisine (Rice with Dishes, and Noodles), one being 126 Seafood Restaurant, another named Huang Chau which I’ll get to later in this post, and of course, Gong An Hainan Restaurant which also acts as a guesthouse, All three restaurants are situated on the main road of Pengkalan Hulu named Jalan Iskandar, hence locating them requires no complicated directions whatsoever.

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