Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Organic Pork Spare Ribs (RM36/USD12) @ Healy Mac’s, Greentown Ipoh – A stack of tender spare ribs falling off the bones; lightly basked in a sweetish marinade infused with the goodness of … Guinness.

Barely two weeks in operation, and rumour has it that Healy Mac’s in Greentown has taken over Berlin’s Bier Houz as THE watering hole of choice within the vicinity; possibly only second to the equally new Overtime on Brewster Road. If you’re getting a faint inkling of ‘just-another-fad’, I don’t blame you though. I had the same thought; what more with Airport @ De Garden closing down late last year, and pubs in Ipoh Garden East closing and new ones opening like how cineplexes rotate their movies.

But wait a minute. The name Healy Mac’s may sound unfamiliar, but the Irish bar and restaurant can boast of the legacy traced back to their roots in Ireland (story here); setting foot in Kuala Lumpur back in 2009 and now with outlets in Klang Valley, Penang and Perak. Read the rest of this entry »

Claypot Indonesian Prawns – Irresistible right? Imagine the utmost sins of devouring fresh and succulent prawns cooked in a creamy gravy with a tinge of curry and spices.

Wan Chai Kok Restaurant near to Merdeka Garden (that famous garden in Ipoh; renowned for the curry mee stall come the darker hours of the day) has been featured in the paper once (an article by Alexandra Wong in the Star, but sorry the link is broken), and also occupied a page in Eatpoh, a brief yet comprehensive food guide to the best eats around Ipoh.

Still remember how in her article, Alexandra gushed lyrical on the new-found favourite of her family’s; the Claypot Indonesian Prawns from this restaurant. Had me salivating reminiscing about the delectably creamy/sinful/spicy creation back in Pengkalan Hulu sometime last year.

Read on to find out more about this perennial favourite of residents around the area …. Read the rest of this entry »

Who Needs Fork & Knife? Basted with a finger-licking droolworthy BBQ sauce, the Pork Ribs Special @ Berlin’s Bier Houz just begged to be devoured using hands and all.

A new watering hole opened in Greentown Business Centre recently, named Berlin’s Bier Houz (www). Specializing in imported German beers, and a mish-mash of German-European cuisine, I came to know about this place recently from a colleague, and decided to venture over for lunch.

This place reminded me of Bavarian Bier Haus @ The Curve, with almost the same setting, cuisine, and imported German beers.

The front facade of the restaurant/bistro, located at the new premises in Greentown Business Centre. Berlin’s Bier Houz faces the row of shops housing Movenpeak and Assam House.

The menu covers mostly liquors in all manners, served in half-a-pint sizes, full pints, in bottles, and even cocktails/mocktails. Indeed, a haven for those who appreciate the finer forms of German beers, with names such as Erdinger, Stella Artois, Blackthorn, Tetley’s and Connor’s. Pardon me for being ignorant, for I’m not an avid drinker myself.

So let’s see what type of cuisines Berlin’s Bier Houz has to offer …. Read the rest of this entry »

The Porky Face-off Separated Miles Apart – Nambawan @ Taman Sri Manja, Old Klang Road VS BellyGood @ Sunway Mentari, PJ

First day of work this week (cool huh?) and I had already stuffed myself crazy with the astonishing array of Yong Tau Foo (Yong Liew) over at Gunung Rapat’s Kedai Kopi Kwong Hong. Seriously, if you’ve never tried their thousand and one creations, you do not know what you’re missing! And the range of beverages there, from the ultra thick Umbra juice to a bowl of sinfully refreshing Cincau (grass jelly), I swear you’d be delighted from a brunch/lunch here. We went twice in two weeks, and we’re not even working around the vicinity.

By the way, we are working in Ipoh’s ultimate treasure trove of food; Ipoh’s Old Town. So excursions to eateries elsewhere in Ipoh is a very rare phenomenon, in case you’re wondering.

The 100% Home Made Pork Burger @ RM6.90/USD2. Top that, anyone?

But enough about my lunch. Burp. Let’s talk some other highly prized delights, not as universal (in Malaysia at least) and definitely something which can’t be found that easily here in Ipoh, shall we? I’m talking about PORKY GOODNESS. Yup, last week I was rambling on Klang’s Famous Bak Kut Teh and this week we divert westward (cuisine-wise) to seek for grilled pork belly and pork burgers.

Nambawan Restaurant & Cafe was brought to light after repeated doses of poisons (read : blog entries) from the food Gods over in the Klang Valley. Bellygood, on the other hand, is also known as the “Pork Lover’s Paradise” (as in their tagline), situated at Sunway Mentari, opposite of Sunway Pyramid. The charming little bistro was previously known as Wendy’s Bistro, for those who have not been visiting for quite some time.

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Intensely deep in thoughts, the staff was having a whale of a time sniffing the enticing whiffs of lemongrass freshly-cooked crabs

Okay, so it has been AGES since the feast happened. 8 months to be exact. Whatever it was that was holding me back, I don’t know. But searching back through the archives, I noticed that most of my KL food hunts had gone unnoticed, and left to rot in my folders. Better dig deeper and write about them before my memory falters me completely.

Claypot Crab with Rice (RM45/USD12.80) @ Robson Heights Seafood Restaurant

This dinner marked the first time I met Jonathan of A Lil’ Fat Monkey, Meena of A Whiff of Lemongrass, Su of Delectable By Su, and KatCL in persons. I was star-struck, yes. And even Boo of Masak-Masak was there too. The conversations, the acquaintances and the vibrant camaraderie set the mood for the feast that ensued, and boy did we have one ….

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For the full chapter-by-chapter accounts of my Bali trip back in October of 2009, click HERE.

I am seriously in need of some discipline. One whole month has passed since I last posted something with regards to my Bali trip two months ago. I know, I know. Procrastination’s one of my ‘stronger’ points no doubt, but have you ever experienced those days when you felt that enough is enough, and you’d rather tie those loose ends and be done with it?

Through the gap, I saw light shining from beyond … @ Bajra Sandhi Monument, Denpasar, Bali

And now, my dear friends, the time draws nigh for the next chapter in the saga. We’re still on Day 5, by the way, after we shopped at Sukawati Art Market, strolled around the grounds of Goa Gajah, and then visited the infamously crammed with traffic city of Denpasar, the capital of Bali.

We passed by a grand structure of a monument in the midst of a spacious field in the city centre of Denpasar, and good old Komang Triawan (our driver for the whole journey, for your information) explained that the Bajra Sandhi Monument is one of Denpasar’s landmark, but to enter the interior vicinity of the grounds, one has to pay. Okaaaayyy ….. But wait, there were so many people prancing around on the green fields stretching for hundreds of metres surrounding the monument, in their most recreational modes. To which Mr Komang answered, Oh, we could walk around the fields FOC, but could not step inside the gated area of the monument. Fine with us, for we were in no mood to climb the stairs nor perform our prayers anyway.

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