Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog

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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Taiping is a town in the northern part of Perak, famous for its generally cooler climate, hogging the limelight for being Peninsular Malaysia’s absolute wettest town, with average annual rainfall doubling the average of other towns. While usually we relate cloudy weather to forlorn frowns and depressive states, but in Taiping, the unusually heavy rains have led to the fertile growth of flora, especially the century-old, breath-taking rain trees lining the perimeter of Lake Gardens.

Aside from its rich heritage, spanning a historic momentum since the 1844, when Taiping was the first town to initiate tin mining activity in the peninsula, the town is equally famous for the resplendent array of street food. From Chinese style of hawker fares to Malay-Indian (mamak) eateries, with the exceptionally famous Bismillah Cendol serving possibly thousands or millions of bowls of the delectable Cendol since the olden days, the town is developing rapidly as of late, with the opening of several departmental stores and chain eateries such as Noodle Station and Sushi King, fast food outlets, as well as cafes and bistros.

But the real charm lies in the most ancient of places. One brilliant example being Peace Hotel and Coffee Shop (Kedai Kopi dan Rumah Tumpangan Peace) on Jalan Panggung Wayang in town centre. A colonial corner shoplot with a dodgy guesthouse on the first floor, with the ground floor being a coffee shop populated with several stalls selling Chinese hawker food. The interior of the coffee shop plain screams nostalgia, with the same mosaic tiles on the floor since the pre-independence era, and the ceramic tiles lining the walls with colourful designs of swallows.

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How’s the CNY preparation going? Reached your boiling point yet?Or you’re still playing cool cucumber, and neglecting the chores, the cooking, the cleaning and … the shopping.

Whatever it is, DO NOT forget the eating. Hahaha … coz that’s what people do during the festive seasons, and live to regret the binge right after the celebrations. Oh well … a continuous spiral of gluttony, then crash diet, then foodhunting again …….

Cafe Takahashi @ Jusco Kinta City, Ipoh

Sometime ago, I wrote about this new Japanese fusion cafe in Jusco Kinta City, when it first opened its door back in the middle of 2009. Combining elements of traditional Japanese cuisine and modernized ‘kissaten’ (Japanese cafe) concept, Cafe Takahashi has seen its following building up as time goes by, and even has a Facebook fan page of their own now.

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Guess the rarity of reviews on “Halal food” in Ipoh got some people all worked up. Or worse; disappointed, fuming mad, furious, fingers-a-pointing, mouth-a-cursing and even kerosene+lighter in hand. But I digressed. Seriously, I ain’t a hater of Malay food, or any other halal version of Western, or even Chinese food for that matter. I love my satays, nasi lemak, nasi kandar, and tempoyak all the same. Really, if you’re one who knows me personally, you’d appreciate the fact that I put almost all types of edible (and to some extent …. some INedible!) food into my mouth.

Which makes things so much easier eh? Especially when my working environment constantly calls for halal meals in and out of the office.

Possibly one of the most famous Malay restaurant (or Thai-Malay?) in Ipoh – Restoran Waritha opens only for dinner

But why the dearth in blogposts about Malay food in Ipoh? For one, I am at lost on where to search for GOOD Malay food, and not the average ‘Warung Nasi Berlauk‘ (though Restoran Tasek Raban opposite of Medan Seleran Stadium Ipoh is a fine choice for lunch, with their astonishing array of Malay style dishes, ‘ikan bakar’ and fantastic condiments – even TEMPOYAK, yeah!).

Piping hot, yet without the pleasant ’sting’ of its fiery counterpart in southern Thailand ….

If you’re wondering where to go for FINE-DINING Malay food in Ipoh, I have absolutely NO idea. Laksamana Cheng Ho (both the original corner lot behind of Yeolde English in Greentown Business centre AND the bungalow lot located a stone’s throw away from MP Steamboat and Restaurant) is a definitely NO-NO for me, for I’ve eaten at the more posh establishment (the bungalow one) twice, and came out disappointed on both occasions.

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A compilation of some of the new eateries in Ipoh, a special feature for those jaded palates (Read : those who had grown bored of the same old … same old … offerings).

RESTORAN AYAM PENYET – AP @ DE GARDEN MALL (HALAL)

The only time I have tried Ayam Penyet in Malaysia was my Waroeng Penyet experience at The Curve sometime ago. Ayam Penyet literally translate to ‘Flattened Chicken’, and no, before you go all smart-alec thinking ’bout that bad joke on why the chicken crossed the road (ahem), this is actually a traditional, Indonesian delight whereby the piece of chicken (a thigh, in this case) is marinated, then smashed with a wooden hammer-like apparatus, before deep-frying. Of course, one can argue about more efficient tenderizing method, for the chicken may turn out drier anyway, exposed to the rigorous process of deep-frying.

But the authenticity lies in its preparation process, more than the ingredients themselves. Marinated lightly, with some herbs and spices, the piece of chicken did remind us of the average Ayam Goreng served at most Malay ‘warung’, topped with some crispy fritters and served with a dollop of spicy sambal on the side, with blanched kangkung (water convolvulus), fried beancurd (tofu) and and piece of ‘tempe‘ (a fermented soybean cake) to round up the set.

No rice was served with this set, which is a clever business ploy, as I highly doubt you will eat the chicken on its own. A serving of rice is priced at RM1.50/USD0.40, while the Ayam Penyet set is priced at RM7.50/USD2.10.

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