Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

This article was first published on The Malay Mail Online HERE.

A hearty lunch at Wong Koh Kee at Concubine Lane, Ipoh old town will surely bring back memories from the yesteryears

The Old Town is well known for its diverse range of hawker eats and fair share of vintage cafes; the latter which have gradually been injecting life back to the otherwise sleepy side of town past noon. The sudden rise of coffee culture in Ipoh, coupled with murals painted on walls within the Old Town enclave and the opening of the Sekeping Kong Heng retreat above the legendary kopitiam of the same name have drawn visitors from near and far.

Lou Wong Ipoh Bean Sprouts Chicken opened a second outlet in old town; same row as Thean Chun and Kong Heng

I still remember that during my childhood having breakfast in Old Town meant having to wake up really early, struggling to find a parking space and sharing a table with strangers at the stretch of white coffee specialists (e.g.. Sin Yoon Loong and the likes). Needless to say, the memories were not pleasant especially when we were not really die hard fans of white coffee in the first place. Aside from breakfast options (and trust me, there are MANY; from Ipoh style dry curry mee to soupy pork noodles cooked individually, caramel egg custard to a bowl of chicken kuey teow soup laden with umami goodness from the stock infused with essence from the prawns), nestled hidden from clear view is this more than eight decades old Chinese eatery named Wong Koh Kee on Concubine Lane. Read the rest of this entry »

This article was originally published in the Malay Mail Online HERE.

Despite the scarily hefty portion of mayonnaise splattered on each plate of deep fried goodness, at Hong Kong Dim Sum BFB (or “Bat Fun Bun” aka 8 1/2) their crispy dim sum were quite delicious

Talk about dim sum in this city well-loved by many as one of the food capitals in Malaysia, and most would point you to either Foh San, Ming Court or even Yoke Fook Moon; all three within a stone’s throw from one another. The hype surrounding the likes of Foh San has been circulating since decades back, when they served the early risers at their old outlet at the corner of Osborne Street. Those were the decent souls making a living working through the graveyard shift, or taxi drivers stationed nearby (and they still are) looking for a hearty start to fuel the day’s worth of labour.

Now they have shifted to Leong Sin Nam road directly across Ming Court Dim Sum, which is also backed by a respectable number of years in business and personally, I think they serve higher quality dim sum compared to the new Foh San outlet. Many a time, the locals would shy away from the frenzied crowd at the dim sum giants, where the unreasonable congestion is caused by traffic, inconsiderate double-parkers and touts looking to earn a quick buck through “extortion” via the classic “jaga kereta” guys of Ipoh. It never fails to make me wonder when the local authorities will finally act on their “master plan” to capture these thugs smearing the good name of Ipoh.

Anyway, the multiple factors around an already tough decision to select ONE dim sum place (if you only can afford one) can be killing. Especially if you are not familiar with dim sum restaurants situated outside of the city centre. But fret not, here’s where I think I might come in and help. Read the rest of this entry »

Read the original published article on The Malay Mail HERE.

Wake up to the lingering aroma of Hainanese curry rice in Tiong Bahru – People DO eat these for breakfast!

As much as I would like to move on and cover more ground with my Singapore food journey, I can’t help but share yet another Hainanese curry rice story with you. Blame it on the genes. The Hainanese streak within me craved for another bite of succulent Hainanese chicken or pork chop, a glass of rich creamy milk tea, or even a plate heaped with plenty of steamed white rice smothered in a mess of curries and braised sauce.

Following my recent excursion to Beo Crescent’s Hainanese curry rice, I discovered this stall hidden within another nameless coffee shop that lies in the Tiong Bahru neighbourhood. Here, it’s less than $5 (RM13) per person price tag was well justified by their crispy, thinly-sliced pork chops, soft stewed cabbage and braised eggs. I guess Tiong Bahru folks must have all the luck.

Just around the corner, opposite the Tiong Bahru market (where the food centre is another space packed with great street food gems at rock bottom prices) is this Hainanese curry rice specialist that has been around since 1946. The stall is known as Loo Hainanese Curry Rice. Apparently they just moved to this new location at the junction of Seng Poh Road and Eng Watt Street not too long back. Finding this place is not that hard really. All you need to do is look for Block 71, Seng Poh Road (all the other blocks at Tiong Bahru, be it residential or commercial are tagged with numbers and clearly stating the road’s name) and you are good to go. Read the rest of this entry »

This article was first published in The Malay Mail. Click HERE to read it.

Hainanese Curry Rice feast at Beo Crescent Block #40

One of the most recognisable street food in Singapore that’s not easily found across the Straits in Malaysia is the Hainanese curry rice; something which I was not accustomed to back when I was growing up in Ipoh. I first had my taste of the rice with its ensemble of dishes about a decade ago around Port Klang, where the tradition still lives in renewed and reimagined ventures.

What transpired from the Hainanese folks’ high learning agility and creativity in adopting various culinary influences, from the Western-inspired pork and chicken chops to meddling (albeit to some degree of considerable success) of the Peranakan curries, the Hainanese curry rice was believed to be a poor man’s fuel to stave off hunger pangs.

In the earlier days, Hainanese curry rice peddlers used to roam the streets of Singapore. Their dishes were somewhat imaginative yet limited; the selection largely limited to the ubiquitous batter-coated pork chops (authenticity matters here, some still use crumbled cream crackers, while most stick to bread crumbs), boiled to a softened pulp cabbage aka ‘chap chye’, fried egg with a dash of dark soy sauce, and a few curry dishes (remember the Peranakan or possibly Malay/Indian influences?).

Fast forward a few decades later and the tradition still lives on with quite a handful of these ambitious and enduring start-ups still being run by the original proprietors or at least, the passionate next generation youngsters. One of the more popular Hainanese curry rice stalls in Singapore still remains nameless even after 25 years in business; located in an equally nondescript coffee shop named Ho Pin Hng at Block 40 Beo Crescent (HDB flats). Read the rest of this entry »

This article was first published in The Malay Mail. Click HERE to read it.

The poached chicken served at Boon Tong Kee appears to be fatter, more succulent and presentable, but yet lacking in flavour compared to the other two

Do you recall — I am sure most foodies are still able to — the “battle” between Malaysia and Singapore a few years back over who “owns” certain hawker food?

It sure placed hawker favourites like chicken rice, laksa and satay on the world food map, which probably was the only blessing in disguise resulting from this fiasco.

But I shall not fan the flames here and let bygones be bygones.

That being said, allow me to revisit some of the points of argument, in particular on Hainanese chicken rice which can be a relatively touchy subject since both countries have stuck their necks out by staking claims over the origin of this seemingly humble one-plate ensemble fit for any meal of the day.

Being a Hainanese myself, and coming from a lineage of fine cooks — my late grandfather worked as a cook for the British during pre-Merdeka days and subsequently started his own chicken rice stall business in Ipoh — I have grown up eating chicken rice from possibly all corners of Ipoh. Read the rest of this entry »

This article was originally published in The Malay Mail Online. Read it HERE.

Right smack in the heart of commercialization, fairly strategic in terms of location yet somewhat removed from the cold, lifeless brick and mortar businesses and an extensive colony of residential homes, is this new village (kampong baru in Bahasa Malaysia) named Sungai Way in Selangor.

When I first wandered around the neighbourhood, it surprised me that this area still exists within the realms of Petaling Jaya, wedged between areas marked for development. The atmosphere is entirely different from its more commercialized counterparts; relatively chaotic with narrow lanes suited for one-way traffic, single storey houses built almost within arm’s length of one another (a tad exaggerated, but you get the picture) and the multitude of foreign workers happily strolling across the labyrinths of Sungai Way all decked in generic uniforms past 5pm every day.

I would not have thought of coming here for a food hunt, despite the overwhelming curiosity ignited by the sight of stalls, eateries housed in home compounds, authentic Indonesian fare prepared and served by ladies from the same country, and the wet market with a food court on the upper level. I was initially intimidated by the neighbourhood; the startling number of foreigners and haphazard traffic after working hours did not make me think of Sungai Way as being an ideal neighbourhood for food walks. Read the rest of this entry »

This article was originally published on The Malay Mail Online. Read it HERE.

Noodles topped with minced meat from the beef noodles stall is delicious when paired with the various pieces of yong liew available for choosing

The expected reaction when one talks about breakfast in Ipoh’s old town — the area recognised internationally thanks to the popularity of white coffee — is usually geared towards visions of sipping the aromatic brew over at Sin Yoon Loong or Nam Heong; both at loggerheads (from a purely business point of view, of course) over at one end of Jalan Bandar Timah.

However, throughout the three years of working within the vicinity, I managed to uncover several places I went to again and again, some even on consecutive days or at least more than once a week.

The first unassuming kopitiam is Sin Lean Lee Coffee Shop, located across the road from Kong Heng coffee shop which is the hallmark of a traditional kopitiam in Ipoh.

First timers to the old town area are forgiven for choosing either the two white coffee specialists mentioned above, or Kong Heng/Thean Chun (also known as the Hall of Mirrors) next door for those are definitely Instragram-worthy places and one needs to tick certain boxes with first visits anyway.

This is just as how one cannot miss bean sprouts chicken at Lou Wong or dim sum at Foh San, no matter how strongly the locals advocate against eating at these established outlets.

However, veteran foodies should know better and explore the possibilities of expanding their eating experiences in Ipoh old town.

Let’s go back to Sin Lean Lee. This coffee shop opens early in the morning and closes after lunch. There are only a handful of hawker stalls here, but what they offer is quality cooking. Read the rest of this entry »