Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

This article was originally published on The Malay Mail Online. Click HERE for the feature.

Lake Gardens in Taiping exudes a tranquil sense of wonder; a breath of fresh air from the traffic and making you walk or jog without you even planning for it.

Being the second largest town in Perak after Ipoh, Taiping is blessed with an assortment of wonders; Lake Gardens with its magnificent century-old angsana trees (golden rain trees), Maxwell Hill with its cooler climes, the many firsts in Malaysia (railway, police station, museum, etc), the only night safari in the country and of course, its plentiful lip-smacking street food. 

We used to go on day trips from Ipoh to Taiping, all within a span of eight hours. And the hungry side of me would always have a list in hand; squeezing in at least three meals within the allocated time whenever possible.

The frequent commuting between the two towns means I have eaten at a majority of the famous eateries in Taiping; yet I still find myself craving and looking for more undiscovered gems.

Larut Matang Food Court – The perfect grazing spot for the indecisive. You even can choose to eat from the Halal or non-Halal section of the food centre.

Thankfully, travelling on the North South expressway from Ipoh to Taiping usually takes about 45 minutes, or an hour, tops. This allows for spontaneous day trips; or at times, even random food hunt excursions. Plus, Taiping being between Ipoh and Penang makes this town an attractive stopover for travellers both north and south bound. 

Let’s start with breakfast. If you’re the indecisive kind or plain eager to sample as many items as possible, you can’t go wrong by paying the Larut Matang Food Court a visit. Come early for breakfast for a splendid selection of hawker fare ranging from Taiping’s famous char kuey teow with fish balls, mee rebus, Nyonya kuih, chee cheong fun with steamed radish cake, chicken rice, oyster omelette and many more.  Read the rest of this entry »

If you have not read Day One’s story, go for that first. To understand the flow of the journey, so you won’t be gasping for air.

#1 – The Famous Nam Peng Sandwich – Beautiful, golden omelette, ham and slices of lean roasted pork layered between two slices of fluffy steamed white bread. Breakfast in Macau can’t get any better than this.

Second day in Macau was an even more eventful day, since we had the whole day to ourselves, and it was a Monday to boot! Yeah. That means lesser crowd, better traffic (don’t go out during peak hours, or you’d be squashed like sardines in buses) and shorter queue!

A glimpse of what to expect? The iconic Pork Chop Bun. Bird’s nest egg tarts. Red Bean Ice with Milk. Nostalgic moments from eating at cafes retaining their charm from the olden days. Coconut ice-cream made fresh on the spot. Shanghainese cuisine but we missed their Xiao Long Bao. Lord Stow’s Portuguese egg tarts and traditional desserts that will leave you in awe.

More than 30 photos right ahead, so once again ….. don’t blink. Read the rest of this entry »