Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

The “Lontong” from Gerai Mak Yah @ Section 14 Wet Market Hawker Centre has been repeatedly proclaimed as the BEST in Klang Valley. 40 years of legacy can’t be wrong.

A case of growing addiction perhaps, but we see ourselves going back to the Section 14 (where Digital Mall is and the area where the new Jaya Supermarket will soon be operating from) for breakfast again; for 2 consecutive weekends. Last week, we tried Lum Kee’s Siam Laksa and Curry Laksa from the hawker food centre on the lower floor, while today we ventured over to the Halal portion of the area; where Gerai Mak Yah Lontong & Nasi Lemak seems to be perpetually luring in the breakfast crowd.

It was barely 9am and the queue extended to a good 15 pax or so. Yes, service is DIY here. You walk up to the stall with the green signboard, get yourself in line and be prepared for the wait. Took me a good 15 minutes or so; with a dozen of hungry Lontong fans in front of me.

And the question boils down to … was it worth the effort?  Read the rest of this entry »

Thumb’s Cafe – A refurbished premise in the compound of Kompleks Badan Khidmat Islam Perak (BAKIP), this building used to the hostel for the orphanage under BAKIP.

It’s not easy finding a Halal cafe for hangout with Muslim friends in Ipoh. There are several pork-free joints in town, no doubt, yet one that’s operated by a Muslim is almost non-existent. Thanks to some heads-up from a reader; I came to the knowledge of a few new outlets in Ipoh; and Thumb’s Cafe in Greentown being one of those.

Benefiting from the owner, Elias Yahaya’s extensive travel experience over the last decade during his stint in the tourism industry, Thumb’s Cafe has become one exciting marriage of traditional Malay cuisine with modern Western fares. And this was also evident in the ambience of the cafe; imagine a bar top (that serves NO alcohol, of course) at one corner complete with high stools and a barista churning out frothy ‘teh tarik’, and plush settee with colourful cushions set against a backdrop of nostalgic window panes and curtains ala ‘kampung’ style.

In short, this could be a photographer’s dream come true. Read on to discover more about this rustic cafe housed in the middle of a bustling business district.  Read the rest of this entry »

 Nasi Ayam Pasar Bulat from Restoran Fuziah is an established brand since 1980; when they were still operating at the old “Pasar Bulat” (Yau Tet Shin Market) along Cowan Street.

It’s the fifth day of Raya, and most of us are already back to work. Some with a limp, others with a whimper and probably somewhere out there are a handful of extraordinary souls eagerly lapping up the delayed tasks and pumped up with adrenaline rush upon seeing the heaps of unfinished assignments.

Me? I extended my long break (Raya ma … kita kan “1Malaysia”? So let me wallow in my sorrow okay?) to another day. And it gradually dawned on me … that I have not written much about Halal restaurants in the past few months.

I do believe that Ipoh has limited choices of renowed/delicious Malay cuisine (correct me please if my assumption is wrong here!), but there are still quite a number of famed establishments deserving of the spotlight.

Restoran Fuziah Nasi Ayam or better known as Nasi Ayam Pasar Bulat for example, escaped my radar for a good period of time. Not anymore. Here’s today’s fix of chicken rice story to get you through the Monday blues …  Read the rest of this entry »

And yeah, you read the title right. This ain’t no mere Thai buffet lunch or dinner. But this promotion runs in tandem with Impiana’s famous weekend high tea buffet. Hence, the Thai-High-Tea fusion! Imagine piping hot Tom Yum Goong, sweet Mango Glutinous Rice with Coconut Milk, the Coffee House’s signature ‘pisang goreng’ (banana fritters) and ‘cucur udang’ (prawn, scallions and onion fritters), and D-I-Y ‘ais kacang’ being featured in the same buffet spread!

The Thai Food Extravaganza runs for only 2 weeks at Impiana Hotel, Ipoh; from 5th until 19th October 2012. Featuring delicious Thai signatures like tom yam goong (Tom Yum Soup with Prawns), massaman nua (beef in massaman curry), gai phad prik tai dum (stir fried chicken in black pepper), gaeng kiew waan goong (prawns in green curry), pla mauk thod kra tiam (deep fried marinated squid with garlic), roasted lamb leg with thyme flavoured garden vegetables and pla saam rod (deep fried fish in 3 taste sauce).

Wanna know how YOU can win holiday vouchers from Impiana Chaweng Noi, Koh Samui? Read on.

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Short of being labelled as one lackadaisical review, let’s enjoy the food shots pumped with captions this terrific (or terrible, but let’s be positive, ya?) Tuesday evening, and spread your loving arms to welcome the month of October!

Fresh seafood tightly-wrapped in banana leaves and grilled without much seasoning, or any gravy. The cooking style used at Medan Muara Ikan Bakar might be unconventional; especially if you’re expecting your ‘ikan pari’ (sting ray) or any other fish to be smothered in a thick, devilish red and spicy sambal sauce.

Fresh catches laid out to your visual delight, sending pulses of signals to the gluttony segment of the brain. Don’t expect anything less than the freshest seafood at Tanjung Harapan, Port Klang.

Medan Muara Ikan Bakar @ Tanjung Harapan, Port Klang. About 40km from Petaling Jaya. But felt almost like a world’s apart. Full story after the jump.

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Sambal Paku Pakis, Tom Yam Campur, Telur Bistik & Ayam Masak Merah @ Vicchuda Tomyam & Seafood Restaurant, Damansara Uptown

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IMPORTANT : In case you’re one who scrolls through the pictures without pausing to digest the (bountiful of) words in the post, please take note that Mek T has ceased operations from May 1st onwards. The pop-up notice on their website revealed that they’re ‘taking a break’ now.

Laksa Terengganu – Lots of fresh ulam, herbs and spices went into this killer of an east coast rendition of Malaysia’s favourite noodles; the Laksa. The thick, chunky gravy was laden with robust flavours of curry and spices, and bits of pureed fish for that distinct kick. Warning : not for the faint-hearted.

Wait. And why is Motormouth writing about an outlet that has closed for busines?! Senile? Amnesiac?! Or for the sake of annoying lost sheeps travelling all the way there to try the Terengganu delicacies?!!

None of the above. Yeah, so I can be cruel sometimes but I am not heartless. Hence the warning message above. Unless you missed that, of course.

This visit happened almost a month ago; but I was holding back on the review because we vowed to return to try the other sumptuous-looking stuff before I compile everything into a single post. The ‘Nasi Dagang’, Nasi Sedap Sokmo’ and ‘Laksam’ did tickle our fancy. But read on to see what we ate that had managed to capture the very essence of east coast delicacies. Read the rest of this entry »