Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

## This article was also featured on the May 2nd, 2010 edition of The Star’s Sunday Metro section. Here’s the LINK to the article, “Feast From The Sea” ##

It’s a double whammy for today. Sitiawan food posts back to back. For the sake of it, yeah! After all, weekends don’t always come in a mega-luscious, enticing and enviable THREE days.

We Perakians have them good, for the next Monday’s a holiday. Long live the Sultan of Perak …. for this translates to another weekend marathon of rejuvenation, and FOOD!

Sa Jui Yee is seemingly known as Garfish. Or so I was told. Garfield-Fish? Nah …..

So we had seafood for lunch on consecutive weeks. Sometimes, we really really do LURVE our job. Last week’s Kampung Cina’s Villa Seafood feast was good enough (and do take note that they’re relocating soon, to a brand new outlet on the same road as Ah Pek Lee Kou Hock’s), we returned to Kampung Cina again today for lunch.

This time around, the chosen restaurant was Ah Pek Lee Kou Hock Seafood Restaurant; a restaurant which popularity has since been elevated a few folds after being featured in Taste of Jason – A famous local TV show highlighting food finds all over Malaysia, hosted by Axian.

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Back then, the four of us devoured everything in sight, from town to town, district to district, and from north, south, east to west of Perak.The sheer delight of travelling, sight-seeing and tasting local food while working was thrilling to say the very least.

At least, back then, work was never mundane, the higher authorities none too controlling nor annoying, and the many pleasant food discoveries along the way imbued us with a sense of pride and satisfaction in our job.

Villa Seafood Restaurant @ Kampung Cina, Sitiawan, Perak – Where Time Stops for Everyone …

And then, one by one, they started to leave. First TallGal, then FCOE. Leaving me and KYT fending for ourselves in this most hostile of environment.  Mr Z joined in the fray soon after, the hand model holding the Ching Han Guan’s irresistible Lotus Paste with Meat Floss Biscuit. Slowly, the Makan Gang grew with the addition of two more members. (No nicks yet, I am too flustered with the state of things as of late).

“Pak Cheok Har” – Plain, steamed prawns with Ginger and Scallions.

Anyway, we were back in Sitiawan for a short stint last week. Initially planned for a meal at Michelin Star Restaurant on Jalan Lumut of Sitiawan, but the grandiose ambience, luxuriously chic-sounding name (yeah, MICHELIN STAR, dear readers!!!), and the eatery resembling more of a Chinese diner than a casual ‘Chu Char’ restaurant had us thinking twice before stepping in. To anybody who had dined there before, please send me your recommendations, the type of cuisine they serve, the prices, and whether it’s worth a visit?

And so, we ventured back to the same old, tried-and-tested Villa Seafood Restaurant in Kampung Cina of Sitiawan. I have written about this place once (click HERE for the review), back when FCOE and TallGal were still with us.

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Updated (9/11/2009) - This post was featured in The Star Sunday Metro dated 8th November 2009. You can read the article at The Star Online at the following link : Memorable Chow

Curry Wild Boar’s Meat

A year ago, we went before to this restaurant for a meal. A restaurant with a name almost passing off as an expletive in Cantonese; Chau Y (ahem) Restaurant in the small town of Gerik in Perak.(For the previous post – The Gerik-Pengkalan Hulu Trail (Pt2))

Gerik may not sound like a familiar name to most, unless you’re one who travels to Betong often (you can of course, see how ‘often’ I actually crossed the border to the land of sins with a 3 days excursion to Betong last year, and subsequently a day trip (!!) to Betong recently), or you’re passing by the town en route to the east coast, arriving in Jeli (that’s a town in Kelantan, not the jiggly sweets you might be thinking!) then Kota Bharu in a matter of 4-5 hours. And that reminds me of the long overdue Kelantan posts I promised months ago …….

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Min Sin Yie Vegetarian Restaurant

Still remember this place? Click HERE for my previous visit with FCOE and TallGal. On the 1st and 15th of every month in the Chinese lunar calendar, grandma will go vege (though half day only), and as time goes by, the options become more and more limited. She being a picky eater doesn’t help either. So, after a few visits to Min Sin Yie at Taman Ipoh Permai, my family was hooked. The food is good, the service satisfactory, and the location’s very near to our house.

Clockwise from top left : Salted “fish” with “Minced Pork”, Butter Milky Mushrooms, Curry Vegetables, and Watan Tofu.

They have set menu, on top of the ala carte dishes. The sets cater to any amount of people dining along, and we picked the one for 4-6 pax. At only RM48/set, rice and chinese tea is included, and there are 4 dishes and one soup.

What we like about their food is they are not oily, nor salty, yet closely resemble the taste of the REAL deal (read : meat !!!). Most notable in my books would be the Butter Milky (Nai Yau) Mushrooms, deep-fried to crispiness heaven, and drizzled with a rich, creamy butter gravy,with curry leaves and some chillies. Highly recommended.

4 Heavenly Kings (RM8)

But of course, if there are more of you, and you do not wish to order the sets for 7-10 pax, you can opt for the RM48 set, PLUS any ala carte dish you desire. For instance, the aptly dubbed “Four Heavenly Kings“, with brinjals, stinkbeans (petai), long beans, and French beans, topped with some vegetarian minced pork, and garnished with strips of red chillies. Slightly spicy, the dish goes really well with white rice.

Crispy beancurd skin

If you’re eating individually, and in a rush, you can pick any dishes you like from their wide array of dishes available at the counter, economy rice style. The vegetarian roasted geese and deep-fried beancurd skin come highly recommended.

For address and contact, refer to old post HERE.

” There are times in life when we weep in sorrow, Wailing our hearts out till it’s all hollowed,

But persevere my dear friend, do not stay mellow, For after the storm, the calm will follow ….. “

Stall No 19 – Sri Asoka Corner

Banana leaf curry rice is no doubt, a most popular Malaysian favourite, more so in Klang Valley than any other states. But Ipoh has a few gems here and there, one fine example being Sri Asoka Corner at Stadium Ipoh’s food centre.

Famed for their banana leaf rice, which is essentially white rice with mixed vegetables served on banana leaf, with your choice of curries. The leaves are supposed to be aesthetically pleasing, and believed to impart a fragrant aroma to the rice. Not scientifically-proven though. But who cares? …. Read the rest of this entry »