Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Teluk Intan – The third largest town in the state of Perak

Can you smell it? The year end holidays are just looming beyond the horizon. School holidays starting in 4 days, and next week we have not one but TWO public holidays within the same week. Talk about productivity boost. 😉

Naturally, with about a month and a half of break (for the younger ones, that is), planning for one flawless year end trip for the entire family can be a pain.

Hotels charging premium rates for Super Peak season, last minute flights to international destinations costing almost twice (if not thrice!) as much, and human congestion at an all-time high in conventional tourist picks.

And then, there’s Motormouth’s Travel Ideas. I don’t deny that I too, enjoy traveling. It broadens one’s horizons (or horizontally, depending on how optimistic you are) and create a common platform to brag share travel stories and tips.

But aside from arranged itineraries and tediously crafted plans, why not consider road trips and impromptu escapades? Gather a group of gung-ho travelers/adventurers, drive or hop on a public transport (not really recommended unless you really, really know the routes around the smaller towns) and go crazy.

Like how we did in Teluk Intan (Diamond Bay). Don’t faint, but almost 40 photos ahead. Let’s go! Read the rest of this entry »

Nasi Kandar Rahman (as this stall is fondly called) – Array of curries, meats, vegetables and sambal boiled eggs. Not the most extensive of choices, but if you see the crowd in the afternoons …. you’d be amazed!

Flurry of posts huh? Pardon me, folks, for I have been writing at breakneck speed lately, for fear of not able to get connected once relocating to KL (shock! horror! … thankful?!) I assume I’d be eating and not writing in the early stages. Then picking up steam as life goes on …. Or I may just jump in the fray and pick up where I have left off in Ipoh; writing stories on good street food in and around the Klang Valley.

You know, the resilient spirit is hard to beat.

Any better description than packed-like-sardines?

Gerai Rahamath (fondly referred to as Rahman) in old town of Ipoh can easily be mistaken for just another random ‘warung’ (stall) selling nasi kandar/nasi berlauk for lunch.

The difference? The horde of people swarming the pitiful excuse of a restaurant (or rather, ‘gerai’ as in stall) painted in a lovely shades of yellow and green. The place fits the Ipoh’s old town theme to a tee. To imagine a stand alone shack, located behind the state mosque in old town; an almost non-descriptive eatery that is usually best left to demolition works than granted a chance at seeing the light of day.

BUT dear, Gerai Rahamath has done JUST THAT. And for many decades now. So popular is this Halal Indian-Muslim rice stall during lunch hour, that I could not resist giving in to the scorching weather this afternoon. Of course, I could not bear the thought of being alone in my endeavours. Hence Mr Z was my esteemed assistant. Read on to find out why people keep coming back for more, although they serve the same dishes every single day …. Read the rest of this entry »

Nasi Briyani Ayam Anarkali – For about a quarter of a century (since 1985), Restoran M. Salim has been serving their famous brand of Nasi Kandar and Nasi Briyani in Ipoh; with 3 branches to date.

I admit that I am a sucker for good Nasi Briyani. Those long-grained, fluffy and fragrant Basmati rice cooked with loads of herbs and spices, sometimes together with your meat of choice (usually chicken or mutton); whereby in this case the rice and meat ensemble might be known as a “pullao” or “pilaf.” But commonly, we have our plates of Nasi Briyani served separately from the curry(s) of your choice.

If you’re a local, you couldn’t have missed this “white and green” restaurant situated at the junction of Jalan Yang Kalsom and Jalan Che Tak in Ipoh.

I heard many positive reviews on A.K. Nasi Kandar, where they’re supposed to serve the BEST Nasi Briyani in Ipoh. Tough luck, for I found A.K.’s version being almost too bland and boring when eaten as it is, without the ‘supporting characters’ of curries and vegetables. Yes, good Briyani should be tasty enough to be eaten plain, sans the extra ingredients, and the whiff of spices and condiments alone can send one to Briyani heaven …. IF, there ever was one.

And so, I ended up at Restoran M. Salim on Jalan Yang Kalsom in Ipoh, to seek for greener pastures. No, I was NOT searching for recruitment opportunities, in case you’re confused. I was merely looking for a worthy plate of Nasi Biryani in Ipoh to be relished on a hot Sunday afternoon.

Curious on how my experience at M.Salim was? Read on to find out …. Read the rest of this entry »