Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

A potpourri of robust flavours; slivers of filleted black tilapia fish, pickled cabbage, dried red and green chillies from China and fragrant cloves of garlic boiled in a broth that was savoury, tangy and slightly spicy at the same time.

Ever since the ‘demise’ of the last remaining Szechuan restaurant in Ipoh, this city built from the glory days of tin mining has since been left in the lurch; a town devoid of authentic, ethnic Chinese cuisine that stretches far beyond the Cantonese, Hakka and Teochew categories.

After a relatively satiating dinner at Canton Palace the night before, we spied with our little glutton eyes a striking red signboard of a restaurant named Zi Long Restaurant (translated to Purple Dragon … but sadly, not “Barney” as we all know it! ).

Their specialty? Szechuan cuisine. And VERY close to the real feast served in China. Read on to know why.  Read the rest of this entry »

Shanghainese Minced Meat Dumplings aka Xiao Long Bao (RM4.70/USD1.60 for 3 pcs) – Not many places in Ipoh serve XLB, and Qi Yuan does a passable version; with a proportionately filled dumpling with moist and firm minced meat and savoury soup that’s not scalding hot.

And ladies & gentlemen …. I AM BACK !!!

To imagine the longing for good old Ipoh food; to experience the slower-paced lifestyle … where cars travel at 30km/hour and yet don’t get honked at. No double parking even in the most congested of business centres (else risk being awarded with a piece of beef jerky aka “Ngau Yoke Kon”). No rushing to anywhere and everywhere as rarely roads got flooded, and travelling in the car for more than an hour seems almost unheard of.

Unless you’re going all out to Tanjung Tualang for some freshwater prawns, or Sitiawan for good old toddy + cheap seafood combination, then that ONE hour is well worth the travelling time.

And no, one hour spent on Federal Highway to get from PJ to Cheras is NOT a conducive move, in comparison!!!

Szechuan Famous Dan Dan Meen (RM5.00/USD1.60) – Slightly spicy from the addition of chili oil, the savoury mix of minced pork and finely-chopped wood ear fungus added much dimension to their own-produced noodles. Probably not enough to be shared amongst two, I reckon you should order the various noodle dishes to accompany the many dim sum fares.

Now let’s neglect that crash diet for one week. Let’s indulge in some of the BEST street food Ipoh has to offer. And not forgetting the abundance of newer eateries sprouting up here and there; rendering this Motormouth restless (helpless?) in seeking for them.

But no fear, for today …. let’s read about a new dim sum restaurant in Greentown Business Centre (next to Yeong Wai Greentown, same row with Maria’s Cafe and Laksamana Cheng Ho) …….. Read the rest of this entry »

Szechuan-style Stir Fried French Beans with Dried shrimps & Chopped ‘Choy Pou’ (Preserved Radish) aka “Four Seasons Beans”

Szechuan style of cooking encompasses an impressive variety of styles, ranging from the usual stir-frying and steaming, to the scarcely seen smoking and even ‘water-boiled’ (shui zhu); a prominent method of cooking fish (and other meats, to a considerably lesser extent) in China.

But the string that binds the Szechuan cuisine, the one category that most (if not all) Szechuan dishes fall into; is that they are all bold in flavours, pungent in taste, and fiery in nature. Though take note that I used the word ‘MOST’ in my last sentence, not ‘ALL.’

Read the rest of this entry »