Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

#1 – Sushi as part of the SET. Kampai offers various lunch and dinner sets, at extremely affordable prices. And they do not skimp on the portions either.

“THANK YOU.”

This blog hits another milestone today. 3 million hits, and counting. Thank you dear readers, for staying sane and still having faith in this motormouth of a glutton-cum-writer. Time flies indeed, and soon enough Motormouth From Ipoh will hit its 4th year on the web.

I feel old. And the recent amnesiac attacks came in a slurry of unfortunate incidents; from leaving my diary in another meeting room, to paying at parking machines and completely forgetting to retrieve the paid ticket. Lucky me, good Samaritans all around with angelic halos hovering above their heads ….. I was saved from the hassle,shame and ultimately, penalty ($$) of having to pay for the lost ticket.

Here’s a very simple yet heartwarming piece on Kampai; one of the pioneers of Japanese cuisine in Ipoh.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kizuna @ Ipoh Garden East – One of the pioneers in premium Japanese cuisine; a follow-up of Moritomo previously THE place for Japanese food in Ipoh.

It is close to 3 years now, since the last write up on Kizuna; the Japanese restaurant that possibly sparked all the interests in premium Japanese cuisine; independent Japanese eateries spawning like wildfire there after including Akamomiji, Waraku, Tengood, Mokuren, and even Kizuna One @ Royal Perak Golf Club.

Many years ago (at least a decade or so) Moritomo was a brand to be reckoned with; situated at the now Cafe Takahashi’s location in Jusco Kinta City.

Then as the story goes; the restaurant went into a frenzy of break-ups (not the lovey-dovey kind) and the co-owners went their separate ways. Hence Kizuna, Akamomiji and Kizuna One came into the picture. A Lai I on the other hand, was started by one of the chefs from Moritomo.

Confused? Don’t be. Just know that there are WAY more Japanese restaurants in Ipoh than the pathetic (sorry, had to) Sushi King. And do continue reading for my insights into the Kizuna’s latest performance ….. Read the rest of this entry »

Nigiri Set (RM22/USD6.90) – 5 pieces of Nigiri Sushi & 1 Hoso Maki served on the geta, a wooden clog-like tray used to present the sushi.

“Mokuren is the oldest flower on earth. Its flower language is Continuity. Now our restaurant opens its door. We continue to serve. We continue to stay …. “

And so, there we were on a hot afternoon, seeking for a pleasurable session of lunch with the colleagues somewhere in Ipoh Garden East. If you remember my post last week, the Domino’s Pizza plan went awry when the pizzeria was packed during lunch, and we ended up at Mokuren instead. Mokuren is a new Japanese restaurant at Medan Ipoh Bistari; situated on the same row with Kizuna.

Salmon Teriyaki Set (RM18/USD5.60) – A thick slab of salmon grilled with teriyaki sauce, and served with white rice, miso soup, chawan mushi and the other side dishes.

The couple met in Prague, and had this vision of opening a Japanese restaurant. Then they came back to Ipoh, and found this space to put their desires into work; realizing their shared dream. Mokuren was thus the fruit of their labour, and the rest was will soon be history in the compendium of fine Japanese cuisine in good old Ipoh ….

Okay, so I more or less made up the story from the brief history printed in their menu, injecting some pizzazz to dramatize the romantic love story. But Mokuren exuded this aura of warmth; a sensation not as easily experienced when dining in the other snazzier establishments …… Read the rest of this entry »