Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog

A hefty portion of Red Wine Mee Suah for RM7.00/USD2.10; with plentiful of chicken, stalks of spring onions and slices of ginger.

Since I have not been writing much about food from outside of Ipoh, allow me to insert one short post here. Yesterday work took us to Ayer Tawar (wondering where’s Ayer Tawar? Read from Wikipedia HERE) to the west of Perak. If you’re on your way to Sitiawan, Seri Manjung, Lumut or Pangkor Island, you will be sure to pass by the town of Ayer Tawar.

Much like Sitiawan, Ayer Tawar is a predominantly Chinese town with a sizeable Foo Chow/Fuzhou population. Thus you know you can find great Foo Chow cuisine in even the simplest of coffee shops or restaurants.

Usually we have our lunch in Sitiawan, for the wide array of good food (from cheap and fresh seafood to Teochew style of Bak Kut Teh to authentic Hock Chew food) never failed to tantalize our tastebuds. But after awhile, eating at the same restaurants got a little repetitive, hence we decided to push our luck and seek for food in Ayer Tawar instead.

Ended up at Red Ruby Restaurant, an air-conditioned Chinese restaurant on the main road that is opened for lunch and dinner. How did Red Ruby fare in comparison to the more famous Bei King and Lido of Sitiawan? Read on to find out.

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Beef Stroganoff (RM17/USD5.20) – A sumptuous dish of Russian origin, barely available anymore in the menus nowadays.

For all it’s worth, I could not help but write another silly post today. Blame it on the unwelcoming thoughts of starting a full 5 days working week. Or the shot of caffeine earlier this morning (Thank you old town for the perpetually interesting selections of coffee. You’re intoxicating me). But since the previous post was on coffee and toast from a random back alley stall in Penang, let’s move slightly southward to a classic coffee house/steak house in Taiping.

Backed by an astonishing experience of 20 years in business, Nagaria Steak House on Jalan Pasar serves Western cuisine like how the past generations loved them. Of course, Nagaria also serves the occasional Asian fares like fried rice, noodles, and such, much like how Scotch Pub includes their legendary fried beehoon, fried gizzards and inchi kabin chicken into their dominatingly Western menu. Read on to find out just how ‘cheap’ the food at Nagaria is …. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

For two weeks in a row this month, work takes us to the west of Perak. Last week, we were put up at Orient Star Resort (www) in Lumut for 3 days. Lumut is the pier town before one takes the ferry to the more glitzy Pangkor Island. Situated about 10 minutes away from Seri Manjung and Sitiawan, seeking for FOOD and FUN (in whatever way you wish to interpret this) has never been a hassle. (If you’re lost on what to eat, you can refer to my constantly-updated list of Perak Food Guide)

Orient Star @ Lumut - Gorgeous right? You can imagine wailing hours after hours waddling in the pool, underneath the scorching-ly delicious sun. Now if ONLY the trip was not solely for work.

A little resemblance to Eastern & Oriental Hotel on Penang Island? Shades of a pre-colonial residence preserved til this very day?

But of course, if you’ve been an ardent follower of this blog (Hehe, I am so over myself here ….but allow me to, for I’ll tell you why at the end of the post!) you would have known that Motormouth does not go outstation without at least slipping out for a meal or two. And it’s no difference for this short exodus to Lumut. Albeit, for a very short seafood dinner and a movie (Predators, in case you’re curious) in Sitiawan …. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Steamed Freshwater Prawns with Egg whites - Lined up remarkably with their vibrant orange-hued shells and some with golden luscious roes oozing from the smashed heads!

Tanjung Tualang is a small town located about 40km away from Ipoh town. No doubt the township is almost synonymous for its very famous freshwater prawns, aside from the infamous tin dredge near to Chenderoh (a short distance away from Tanjung Tualang) which was (and probably still is) precariously threatened with the prospects of being submerged in the waters. The tin dredge was opened to the public at a fee, but not sure if it’s still offering the tour in and around the dredge. (You can view some great shots from brandoneu’s blog here)

At a corner lot in the square formation of one-storey shoplots forming the perimeters surrounding the market, Yew Kei Seafood Restaurant appeals more to the locals, and came highly recommended from not one, not two, but a few of my friends and relatives staying in the town, or nearby.

Now let’s get to the more interesting part of this post; the FOOD. Or might as well categorize them as SEAfood. Or in particular; the Tanjung Tualang’s famous freshwater prawns. They come in various sizes, with their respective prices. A kilogram of the L-sized prawns cost RM78/USD23.60, a kg of M-L sized ones will set you aback at RM68/USD20.60, while the M-sized ones are priced at RM60/USD18 per kg.

I went to Luen Fong Restaurant once before, about a year ago, and prior to that, Lung Seng sometime back in 2008. Both of the restaurants were good, the latter being the better choice for me personally, for the freshwater prawns fared much better. But of course, there are detractors that swear by Luen Fong’s prolific legacy (they were even featured in a Guangzhou food documentary, aside from the local ones). So why did I pick Yew Kei this time around, a relatively unknown name that has been dwarfed by the other giants? Read on to find out ….. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

STEAK FACTORY @ Rapid Mall Seri Intan, a relatively new mall in Teluk Intan

Last month we went on a whirlwind eating tour in Teluk Intan, covering the famous Liew Kee Chee Cheong Fun (only opens from 5pm onwards, so don’t park yourself there for lunch), Ah Chai Rojak (not as good as some might say), Jalan Maharani decades-old soya bean milk, Ta Sin Guan Tin‘s confectioneries and Lana Tea House (a charming little place for lunch, dinner, and everything in between).

That took us about 8 hours worth of travelling, bingeing, resting in-between, and naptime in the car. But if you’re thinking that those are all that Teluk Intan has to offer …. you’re wrong, my friend.

Nobody told me that the Root Beer Float comes in a huge-a$$ jug sufficient for two. They should have put some warning/reminder or such. >_<

Anyway, to make a long story short (hehe, yeah right), we were there for work yesterday morning and ended up having our rushed breakfasts at McDonald’s (no pics though, and I made a blunder by trying to order a Weekday Breakfast Special set priced from RM4.00-RM4.50, when it was clearly a SATURDAY!), then subsequently our lunch at Steak Factory; a Western diner with Asian influences that spans two shoplots at Rapid Mall in Teluk Intan. Steak Factory is supposedly ‘Halal‘ (sorry I forgot to confirm the status, but definitely pork-free and they claimed to use Halal ingredients), and offers a range of Western cuisine, with minimal choices from the Asian kitchen sandwiched between. Read on to find out about this place ….. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Finally it’s the weekend again, eh? If you’re heaving a sigh of relief, rest assured you’re NOT alone on this. Yesterday, we went for a short excursion to Kuala Kangsar, the Royal Town of Perak situated about half an hour away from Ipoh. You can reach this town using the North-South highway, exiting at Kuala Kangsar/Gerik (Timur) toll exit, OR you can opt to use the trunk road that connects Chemor-Sungai Siput-Salak-Enggor-Kuala Kangsar. Scenic, yet a little mundane ……

The famous Laksa Pak Ngah of Kuala Kangsar; since 1955. That’s a couple of years BEFORE independence, people!

Earlier we had our lunch at Sudut Nyonya Restaurant; possibly the only Nyonya restaurant in town. Or anywhere outside of Ipoh in the state of Perak, for that matter. A satisfying meal nonetheless, we were still craving for more. I had the urge to try the popular Pak Ngah Laksa behind of Tsung Wah secondary school. Just ask anyone (especially your Malay friends) from Kuala Kangsar or beyond, and I’m sure most would agree that a visit to this royal town is never complete without a packet or two (or dozens of them, from what we saw) of Pak Ngah laksa back home …. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »