Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

This article was first published in The Malay Mail Online.

The dry curry noodles with a hefty ladle of gravy cooked without coconut milk; a supposedly healthier option but tastes delicious all the same

Every once in a while, we stumble upon some hidden gems, those unassuming kopitiams just around the corner with unimaginative names but that are perpetually packed with people. In Ipoh, it is hard to keep track of the number of proliferating kopitiams, cafes, restaurants and everything in between, what more with a barrage of new commercial centres taking over several spots in the city. But the fact remains: this category of traditional, no-frills (read: no menu, no air-conditioning and no GST… well, at least not in a direct manner) outlets are still a hit with the local folks seeking a quick yet satisfying meal, usually served within minutes and costs less than RM10 per person. The variety, for one, is an alluring factor at places like these; you usually see stalls selling noodles, rice, snacks, sweets and savouries being dished out on the spot by locals (in Ipoh, hiring of foreign workers to cook hawker food is still fairly rare), so there really could be something for everyone. Read the rest of this entry »

Charcoal-toasted Bread with Butter and Kaya (RM1.60) – A faint hint of smokiness from the grill, with a distinct fluffiness preserved in between the toasted surfaces.

And finally, after a month or two of tease, I made my way to Lim Ko Pi in old town of Ipoh. This relatively new coffee joint has been in the limelight almost immediately after business has commenced. This concept of refurbishing old buildings into a quaint coffee shop/cafe is not new in Malaysia. But in Ipoh, this has to be the pioneer. So kudos.

Unless of course, this aged mind plays trick on me again. (If there’s any other rejuvenation of heritage premises into a commercial trade without compromising on the beautiful facade, please correct me)

I spy with my little eye …. the fusion of the old and new elements. An iPhone and a ‘gold-painted’ stand fan for the artificial breeze.

You might have the impression that Lim Ko Pi is but another run-of-the-mill kopitiam in the league of the many others, eg: Old Town White Coffee, Pappa Rich, Hailam Kopitiam, etc.

I had the same doubts too. Only to realize that this was anything BUT another mirror image of the mighty Old Town. Read on and see why …..

Read the rest of this entry »

Runny golden yolk flowing from the beautifully done half-boiled eggs on crispy buttered toast @ Ah Chow coffee shop in old town of Ipoh. Simple yet magnificent creation that’s suited for breakfast.

Sin Yoon Loong started this white coffee craze way back then; probably more than half a century now? Nam Heong took things to a whole different level; capitalizing on the potential of white coffee and the concept of old school kopitiams in general; rebranding the franchise into something so BIG nobody thought the idea would work, initially.

Until Old Town White Coffee grew from strength to strength; now more than 100 outlets all over Malaysia. And still counting.

So what makes a good cup of white coffee? And bear in mind that the colour of the brew is NOT white to start with.

Nam Chau, Sin Lean Lee, Chang Jiang, Sun Yuan Loong and Xin Xiang Er Nong soldiered on with their respective valiant effort in taking things into their own hands; cashing in on the popularity of white coffee usually complemented by equally delicious hawker fares; like curry noodles, chee cheong fun, chicken kuey teow soup and most importantly …. the breads.

Oh holy luscious toasts sandwiching a glorious proportion of butter (or margarine) and rich swirls of kaya (egg and coconut jam).

Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t miss the first chapter – Filipino Market, Grand Borneo Hotel, Imperial Boutec Hotel & Restoran Getaran Jiwa ….

Roti Kahwin – Literally translated to ‘Marriage Bread’; this is the classic combination of slices of bread sandwiching butter and kaya (egg + coconut jam), either toasted or without. A holy matrimony indeed; and this one at Fook Yuen far surpasses my expectation (or lack thereof)

Ask any tourist to Sabah on what not to be missed, and darn sure they would proclaim SEAFOOD! Lots and lots of seafood; coming in at cheap and not-so-cheap categories nowadays. Gone were the times when we used to feast on fresh seawater fishes couriered over by my uncle who worked in Labuan. The Seven Star Grouper, Tiger Grouper, Mouse Grouper (all direct translations from their Chinese names) and even fresh cod arrived in abundance; timely for the reunion dinner come Chinese New Year. Imagine the relatives had run out of idea on how to cook the fishes aside from steaming them; and we ended up having curry cod instead. 🙂

But wait, how come I was eating breads and buns instead, yet came back not regretting the decision one bit? Read on to find out why ….. 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 »

Two years ago, I was fascinated by the wonders of food blogs on the Net. Seeking for a good restaurant (or avoiding a bad one) was at the tip of one’s finger. Or rather … at the click of a mouse. I still remember vividly, how I was deeply engrossed by the articulate writings of masak-masak‘s, the wondrous food shots from WMW and Lyrical Lemongrass, as well as the down-to-earth reviews from Precious Pea and the now inactive Mei Yen, whom had since found her destiny in life. 😉

Two years ago, I wondered aloud, how on earth did these people manage to maintain such discipline (and maybe, physical well-being, with that much eating and all!) … NOT only providing great information and insights on food hunts in every corner of Klang Valley, but also honest, unbiased opinions unlike those food shows on TV, or paid reviews published in the papers.

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It’s midweek, and I bet most would be having the midweek blues by now. I sure am having them, for I did not touch my work for a good 2 weeks throughout the entire Chinese New Year season. And can’t really remember how long has it been since I worked a full FIVE days in one week. To top things off, today our job had us working overtime, going through the mundane routines once again.

Laughter and Cheers @ Pappa Rich, De Garden, Ipoh

I previously wrote a snippet on the new Pappa Rich outlet in Ipoh, the first outside of Klang Valley to be exact. If you had noticed, I never even touched on the other famous kopitiam (which has since dropped the Kopitiam moniker, retaining the Old Town White Coffee signatures only), nor any other kopitiam-style of outlets to be exact. Not to say that I DON’T go to these places for a drink, in fact I frequent them more than the barrage of street foods I commonly write about.

Fragrant & crispy coffee-crusted bun toasted to perfection, with velvety rich butter fillings ….Pappa Bun (aka Mexico Bun) (RM2.80)

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