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.

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Matsu Moriawase (RM28/USD9) – 14 pieces of sushi on a platter; a good introduction to how serious they are with their sushi.

Two weeks on, and I am now at peace. Finally. Last weekend’s rally+road block+work was a killer combination; draining me out physically and mentally. Pardon the delay, but if you’re still kept in the dark, or avoiding Japanese food products like the plague, then here’s a post dedicated to you.

Limited seating, but the private dining rooms, lighting, ornaments and artwork were all tastefully done. A cut above the rest in terms of ambience, I’d reckon.

Hokkaido Japanese Cuisine opened its door to the Japanese cuisine-deprived (maybe not anymore) Ipoh food community sometime in June this year. Kizuna was deemed to be a trendsetter alright, rewriting the standards of Japanese cuisine in Ipoh close to half a decade ago. Then Akamomiji arrived at the scene, catering to night after night of full house situation.

Now we have more than a dozen, and you would have thought that the March disaster in Japan would have a serious impact on the Japanese food scene in Malaysia.

Initially, yes. But we Malaysians tend to forget (or neglect?) the petty matters, plus we do have full confidence in the government’s initiative to screen every food product imported from Japan. Don’t we?

Full review after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Hanare Authentic Japanese Cuisine – Relatively new, when we talk about eateries located in The Intermark itself. Where is this Intermark? That’s where Doubletree by Hilton Hotel is.

And you were wondering where The Intermark is? Don’t worry. I was too; when this invitation for a resplendent ‘omakase‘ session at Hanare came knocking on my door. A fan of Japanese cuisine since the (ahem) Sushi King days, I have not heard or read about Hanare before at that moment of time.

Can’t blame me, since I was only down in KL for short of 3 months, and Hanare’s relatively new in the neighbourhood. But if you’re thinking that “Blah, just another bloke from down the streets …” then think again!

#1 – Ankimo Sunomono (Angle Fish Liver in Vinegar) – A palate teaser of a starter; the vinegared fish liver had this creamy, velvety texture not unlike foie gras, but with a subtle briny tang to it. The succulent shrimp was there; to complement the cube of liver.

And why oh why was Hanare different from others? Firstly, their fresh supplies are being flown in THREE times a week – Mon, Wed and Fri. And they have someone at the famous Tsukiji fish market to hand pick the best tuna (especially) and various delightful seafood to be shipped on the spot. Talk about QC.

Secondly, Executive Chef Sudo was from the famous Tykoh Inagiku. If you’re a fan of real, authentic Japanese cuisine, you must have heard of the name Tykoh Inagiku before. I have not been there, but according to my aunt who works as a tour guide with a Japanese travel agency; the aforementioned restaurant used to be one of the BEST in the city. (Picture of the chef at the end of the post)

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Feast from the East – Spread of Japanese dishes at Sushi Tei; an array of old and new creations

Sushi King, Genki Sushi (defunct?), Sakae Sushi, Yo! Sushi (gone with the wind …), Sushi Groove, Sushi Zanmai and Sushi Tei. Sushi outlets; or rather, Japanese eateries with a fast food concept – the wondrous invention of kaiten belt sushi, have been blooming all over Malaysia these past few years. About a decade or so ago, Sushi King was THE place to be.

Reasonably-priced Japanese fares, pork-free, easily accessible, and plates of sushi from RM2/USD0.70 onwards sounded like music to the ears. Until, the many contenders came to the scene. And comparison breeds discontent, as many have been disappointed by Sushi King’s lacklustre servings of Japanese cuisine, or whatever’s left of it.

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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 »

Fresh oysters on the Rocks – Go crazy on these and guaranteed satisfaction. In every sense of the word.

I once stayed at Holiday Villa Subang, sometime back in 2008 or 2009. Good experience though, still remember how spacious the room was, and the easy access to everywhere around PJ and Subang. That experience (back when I was still with the civil service) was definitely one of the better ones throughout my tenure in the service. If you’ve been following this blog since 2008, you would have realized that travelling’s part of the job. (To some extent … eating as well)

Anyway, fast forward a couple of years and here I am, stranded relocated to the almighty madhouse that is Kuala Lumpur. But good to know that I am in good company, surrounded by foodies with a deep passion and penchant for everything and anything edible. 🙂

From the look of it, this poor baby ain’t gonna miss his Mama too long …..

Holiday Villa Hotel & Resort Suites Subang (that’s the full name, btw) recently held a tasting session for the media; launching their inaugural New Year’s EveCarnival – BBQ Poolside Buffet. As far as Christmas and New Year buffets go, every year we’ll see tough competition amongst the F&B players and no doubt the thousand-and-one hotels in the Klang Valley.

Routinely, to set each other apart from the competition, the hotel would go to the extent of organizing a feast surrounding a particular theme. A gimmick or a timeless business strategy, it all depends on the execution of the tactics.

For this year, the management of Holiday Villa Subang has decided to embrace a carnival-like theme; and judging from the camaraderie of wacky costumed personnel, fancy decorations and the experience of eating beside their Olympic-sized swimming pool; caressed by the warm breeze of the night ….. 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 »