Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Today’s a Saturday gone wrong. Somewhat. The incessant travelling and crazy weather started to take its toll on me. Not to mention this viral bug roaming around the office. So let’s do a pictorial, shorter post (finally?) on one of the BEST ‘char chaan teng’ (Hong Kong style of cafe) in Mong Kok in Hong Kong.

Polo Bao (Pineapple Bun; literally) contains NO pineapple, but the resemblance comes from the sugar-crusted top with a significant crunch. At Kam Wah Cafe; they do them BEST.

Since I wrote extensively about them in my 2008 post; from not one but TWO breakfast sessions at the buzzing, quintessentially-Hong Kong, yet friendly cafe on Bute Street in Mong Kok, I guess I don’t have to go all out and sing praises for their famous Polo Bao.

But read on for the various types of Polo Bao they offer, and how the staff here are generally more pleasant, attentive and minus the usual attitude anticipated in busy eateries in Hong Kong …..

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For all the posts on this Hong Kong/Macau food fest, click HERE.

Extremely thin strands of egg noodles with a prominent aroma of lye water (alkaline water, or ‘kan sui’) made up bowls after bowls of noodle in soup with either dumplings, beef brisket, pig’s parts, etc.

At the time of posting this, you must be scratching your head wondering what the heck has gotten into Motormouth lately. DAILY posts?!! Almost unheard of, since … erm, aeons ago when I was back in Ipoh and leisure time exceeded working hours by a far margin. After all, stuck in traffic jams after office hours was almost unheard of back then …..

Before this passion to put my thoughts into words fizzles out, I’d better keep this momentum going. After all, this trip was more food hunt and shopping than sight-seeing, as opposed to the last trip back in 2008. So there will be more posts on FOOD (hurray?) than anything else.

Still in a daze, I started this week by waking up in Hong Kong, then journeyed to Macau for 2 nights, before coming back to Malaysia for a subsequent night, and finally travelled down south to Singapore last night. I am back in PJ now, but this weekend will be spent in Ipoh (double hurray?!!).

Since it’s Friday (that darn Rebecca Black’s tune kept playing in my head, for some incomprehensible reason!), let’s keep today’s post short, shall we?

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For the other equally mouth-watering food and travel posts from this Hong Kong escapade, jump HERE. Feeling slightly nostalgic? Then go all the way back to 2008 for even more ramblings from Motormouth. Be warned, leave your common sense behind. Seriously.

If there’s ONE Hong Kong street food that’s not only repulsive and pungent; bordering on being categorized as garbage food, yet alluring enough to aficionados and symbolizes the charisma of Mong Kok so well, it has to be the Stinky Beancurd; fondly referred to as “Chow Tau Foo”

Mong Kok in Kowloon has been portrayed as THE most notorious area in all of Hong Kong. At least, in the movies. When gangfights juxtaposed against the neon lights of hovering signboards publicizing the melange of massage parlours, mahjong dens and spitting images of tattooed men tucking into their hot pot (fondly known as steamboat in this part of the world).

On the contrary, this bustling part of Hong Kong is a foodie’s wettest wildest dreams come true. Generally crowded from day until night, you can find a cafe, restaurant or even a snack vendor/peddler at every nook and corner.

Read on for more tantalizing shots. I kid you not.

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Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum Specialists; loudly hailed as the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant. And probably the smallest too.

Let’s get the ball rolling. Highly doubtful that I can finish all the food posts in the very near future, but I shall try my best. And what better way to kick off the gastronomic endeavour than a heavenly (late) lunch of Hong Kong dim sum?

This feisty lady manned the counter; giving away queue numbers while intermittently serving the customers within. Don’t get all jelly-legs, people. She’s a charmer, surprisingly.

And this ‘restaurant’ (if you can even call the premise that) was awarded with an unprecedented ONE Michelin star, a startling choice since fine dining establishments have always had preferential treatment  over humble eateries. Granted, this might also be due to the fact that Chef Mak Pui Gor at Tim Ho Wan (literally translated to “Add Good Luck”) came from a 3-starred Lung King Heen himself.

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