Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Selection of dim sum from Tang Yuan Restaurant, a new dim sum establishment looking to make it big in Ipoh Garden East; a predominantly Chinese-centric community with a strong penchant for hawker food and ‘chu char’ dishes

“Yum cha” to me refers more to the in-between meals tea break; possibly growing up with a culture of drinking milk tea (no, not Chinese tea until much older) for breakfast, post-breakfast, in the late afternoon hours after school and sometimes right before bed time!

Blame it on the Hainanese gene apparently, as my late grandfather (it’s been a good 23 years since he left us by the way) was seldom seen without his mug of freshly-brewed milk tea. Well, not exactly brewed from tea leaves plucked from the gardens, but we used to store quite a few canisters of tea powder and my late grandma or my parents would then ensure that grandpa has his fuel restored periodically.

That iconic mug of his in hand, a cigarette on the other and well, Rediffusion blaring out sappy love stories over the air.

However, the phrase “yum cha” also has other meaning to the general population; especially people in Hong Kong or Australia whereby almost always this refers to a dim sum breakfast, rather than a Westernized afternoon or high tea. And so, this brings me to today’s story on a new dim sum place in Ipoh Garden East, which we discovered late last month during the Lunar New Year break. Read the rest of this entry »

Every now and then you get incoherent, incomprehensible and utterly annoying barrage of rants from Motormouth.

Well, today is well suited for such an exercise after weeks of traveling, squeezing my brain juices dry like a piece of forcefully-wringed rag, seeing (tragic) things unfold in front of my beady eyes and yet, calmly I folded my arms, diverted my glance and here I am ‘surviving’ on a beautiful Friday morning in Singapore.

Munching a few pieces of leftover Seng Kee heong peng, sipping on a cup of Twinings’ English breakfast with honey and fresh milk and serenaded by well-paced, atmospheric tunes from Bon Iver (not very mainstream, but amazing band I tell you), it’s moment like this that allows me to release knotted brain wires, sit back and look at issues from a 3rd party perspectives, all the while taking deep breaths to quell the stomach-churning thought embedded deep within …. I will be a year older, a year wiser and 2014 will finally come to a pass. Read the rest of this entry »

Ipoh’s famous “Kai See Hor Fun” (Chicken Kuey Teow/Rice Noodles); the picture above shows a dry version of the noodle commonly served with soup; a savoury broth not uncommonly flavoured with chicken and prawn shell stock.

Wondering whether Motormouth has vanished into thin air, hibernating like a polar bear or meditating in Tibet? As inviting as those thoughts might have been (the last two, at least), sadly, reality snaps back with no mercy.

Spent the first half of the week at a convention centre in the city attending to a marketing event; followed by a series of meetings and training session for the team; and the finale aka icing on the cake?

I was down with viral fever two days ago; capped off with a visit to the clinic and bed rest yesterday. Life can give you lemons in successive episodes before you even have time to squeeze them into lemonades!

Anyway, all’s well at the right moment! Bracing myself for the extended weekend ahead (it’s the Malaysia Day celebration on 16th Sept 2012), I drove myself back to …. heaven on earth early this morning, and here’s a story to be shared. Read the rest of this entry »

A Chinese Feast unlike the casual ‘dai chow’ restaurants; cooked by a chef from Hong Kong @ Canton Palace Restaurant & Lounge

Opened since 4th of July 2012 (Freedom?!), Canton Palace is a new restaurant in Ipoh Garden East that is a joint venture between three partners with minimal experience in the F&B industry, yet proving to be an inspiring breath of fresh air; combining dishes that showcase the flavours of Hong Kong and exemplary service level.

Crispy Aromatic Duck (1/4 portion for RM15/USD5) wrapped like how you would devour Peking Duck, yet including shredded meat of a crispy, deep fried duck drumstick, and stalks of cucumber resting on a bed of sweetish, hoi sin sauce.

Modern Chinese cuisine with a splash of fusion written all over the UK-inspired menu (the chef apparently has a working stint over in the country back then), read on to discover this invigorating cross between authentic and contemporary Chinese dishes.  Read the rest of this entry »

This is officially my first post from the land down south. Not that I am in a land far, far away from my beloved hometown of Ipoh. But still, the thought of NOT being able to relish in the thought of dunking cups after cups of white coffee in old town in the mornings, then leisurely taking up 1-2 hour of lunch without being caught in massive congestion on the roads, and finally reaching home at 5.30pm SHARP (of course, usually 5-10 minutes earlier!) ….. it’s already killing me. 🙂

This plate of batter-coated fried eggplants drizzled with a sweet and spicy Thai chili sauce is one of 1919’s signature dishes. Very famous, until you can see almost every table ordering a plate!

And so, for the very last meal while I was still based in Ipoh, I chose 1919 Restaurant & Gallery in Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh. Not that this restaurant holds any significance in my life as a foodie in Ipoh, nor this eatery epitomizes what the culinary scene in Ipoh’s all about. (And you just know that it’s the street food that wins them all!)

More to because I was craving for a decent meal in a pleasant environment; a feast that won’t break a hole in the pocket yet offering dishes that are suitably more robust in flavours and a deviation from the normal ‘dai chow’ restaurants. And of course, for that bite of a tempura-like batter-coated eggplants ….. Read the rest of this entry »

A “vegetarian” sushi roll?! Golden Dragon @ Fu Tien Restaurant in Medan Ipoh Bistari.

Enough Already with the Mindless Bingeing!!! Stuffing oneself with countless greasy cheeseburgers, handful of fries, lemang + rendang + serunding daging (geez … saying that makes my mouth waters), Char Koay Teow and meaty feast of dim sum had me reconsider my eating habits (albeit for a very brief stint). Stopped me dead on tracks, and I developed a sudden crave for a wholesome vegetarian meal.

I should be whipped for the dearth of posts on vegetarian cuisine in Ipoh. Aside from the famous Yishen (Yat Sum) and Min Sin Yie which I wrote way back in ’08, I have never wrote another piece on vegetarian food in Ipoh. I bow my head in shame …….

So here’s a post on Fu Tien; one of the BEST place in Ipoh for modernized vegetarian fares. We are talking about maki-sushi rolls, topped with slices of fresh and nectar-ish sweet mangoes, crunchy juicy cucumbers, fritters for that added crunch and even cheese (wait, dairy products are considered vegetarian?) !!! Read on to find out why this place is perpetually packed during lunch hours …… Read the rest of this entry »

Singapore Pasta is but one of the 10 pastas from “10 Countries” – Wacky fusions that may sound weird on the menu, but somehow might just be their make-or-break creations.

Pasta House opened in Medan Ipoh Baru few weeks ago, on 3rd of July 2010 to be exact. Still in its infantile age, the restaurant prides on their pasta creations; a whopping 33 in all. Separated into different categories, namely Cream Sauce Paste, Tomato Sauce Paste, Tomato-Cream Mix Sauce, Specially Fried Pasta, and 10 Country.

Read on to find out about my experience at Pasta House and the prices as well as varieties of pasta dishes there …. Read the rest of this entry »