Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

I remember vividly how that first experience changed my perception. I was one staunch believer that selling a cup of Old Town white coffee at double the price will only lead to eventual demise of the ambitious pioneer of this ‘kopitiam’ concept.

“What? You mean they’re selling a cup of Old Town white coffee at around RM2.50 when you can have a cup of the real deal at slightly more than RM1 in old town itself?! Who are they kidding?!”

And so, Mum could not help but being cynical herself. Aside from the comfort the place offered, there was basically nothing much revolving around this ‘trendier’ cafe masquerading as a platform to bridge the gap between the premiums (Starbucks … or maybe Coffee Bean since I am not sure which year did Starbucks come to Ipoh Parade), and the authentics (the Ipoh old town favourites).

Fast forward 7 or 8 years later, and this Old Town White Coffee chain has exploded all over the country. Expansion has been so rapid, I could not help but sniggered when I saw one in Parit Buntar, a town to the north of Perak. Then it dawned on me.

The franchising fee multiplied by a few folds since then. It stands at about half a million Ringgit Malaysia to start one now (last I remembered … it could be more though).

But … aren’t you curious as to where this all began? Read the rest of this entry »

For the full series (and do get ready some napkins and coffee to keep those eye lids open); hop over to : Motormouth in Hong Kong/Macau 2011.

Honolulu Coffee Shop serves a commendable range of pastries and beverages to perk up your day, no matter if it’s breakfast, brunch, lunch or best of all … tea time. And there we were for a good cup of Hong Kong style milk tea (fresh milk instead of the Malaysian style of teh tarik with condensed milk), paired with irresistible egg tarts and more.

Hong Kong’s ‘char chaan teng’ (typical cafes spanning every nook and corner of the city on steroids) never ceases to amaze me. Though you can mentally prepare for what’s on the menu (polo bao, milk tea, egg tarts, macaroni in soup, Nissin noodle soup, etc), yet every outlet serves a signature creation that’s no doubt the crowd puller that keeps the hungry gluttons back again and again.

In this case? Honolulu Coffee Shop (Openrice’s page) takes pride in their flaky egg tarts (as opposed to Tai Cheong‘s buttery short pastry version; the new review to come in a later post), and various buns/breads to cater to the smaller appetites. Read on to gather my thoughts on this cafe with a branch in Wan Chai and this on Stanley Street in the heart of Central, Hong Kong ….

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s take a walk down memory lane. This stall, housed in such an inconspicuous manner deep in the middle of Pasir Pinji wet market had always been a family’s favourite haunt back in the 90’s. Or maybe late 80’s? I can’t be sure, for when we were still residents around the Pasir Puteh area, we used to eat the fish ball noodles (also known as ‘kap liew’ or ‘liew fun’ to us Ipohans) here on a weekly basis.

When pigging out like mad won’t cost you a bomb, an arm, or a leg. Every piece of ‘yong liew’ (more popular known as Yong tau Foo in the other states) is priced at 40-45 cents each.

Back then, I never paid much attention to the stray kittens and puppies circling under our table. Nor the slight stench from the day’s offerings sold at the wet market; and the random pest or two.

Only one stall was operating then; this same “Yee Jie” (translated to Second Elder Sister) stall is surprisingly still up and running. And the allure of tucking in into a bowl of soupy goodness with a myriad of stuffed fish paste as sides proves to be evergreen.

The “Yee Jie” hard at work. A family business this one, the third generation of youngsters already knee deep in assisting the operations.

Read on to find out more about this past favourite of Motormouth’s, and how such a simple fare can attract the crowd to a dilapidated wet market at night ….. Read the rest of this entry »

Wong Kok Char Chan Teng’s Signature Cheese Baked Rice – Melted, oozing cheese atop on a bamboo basket filled with rice lightly fried with finely-julienned egg omelette, then baked together with the meat of your choice (in this case, a whole slab of pork chop) and your pick of sauce.

Since the opening of Hong Kong Food & Tea in Jusco Kinta City a few years ago, Ipoh has been struck with a dearth of worthy “Char Chan Teng” (Hong Kong cafe-style eateries). So when one was hit by a sudden craving for a serving of cheese baked rice or spaghetti, a milky cup of tea (“nai cha“), Macau style Pork Burger (“Zhu Par Bao“) or even Nissin Noodle Soup with Szechuan sliced pork, there was only Food & Tea Restaurant, the random kopitiams, or you gotta make your own.

A Hong Kong restaurant franchise that started in Malaysia back in 2003 …. Proudly?

I have dined and snacked on a few occasions at Wong Kok Char Chan Teng over in Klang Valley, where they have a grand total of 9 branches as of today; the latest being the branch at the new Sunway Giza mall over at Kota Damansara. And the first outlet in the state of Perak opened recently at De Garden of Ipoh. Wanna know how this outlet fared against the other well-established branches down south? Read on ….. Read the rest of this entry »

Sharing a communal bathroom was not a problem for us, and we managed to get prepared for breakfast by 8.30am. Not bad huh? =P

Throngs of people paying Kam Wah Cafe a visit for a taste of their famous Polo Buns, and various other delights

Situated at G/F, 47, Bute Street in Mongkok, the cafe is merely a few roads away from our hostel. And we did not regret going all out in search of Kam Wah, for a taste of their famed Polo Buns (aptly named Pineapple Buns, due to its physical resemblance to the fruit). Read the rest of this entry »