Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog

Beef Stroganoff (RM17/USD5.20) – A sumptuous dish of Russian origin, barely available anymore in the menus nowadays.

For all it’s worth, I could not help but write another silly post today. Blame it on the unwelcoming thoughts of starting a full 5 days working week. Or the shot of caffeine earlier this morning (Thank you old town for the perpetually interesting selections of coffee. You’re intoxicating me). But since the previous post was on coffee and toast from a random back alley stall in Penang, let’s move slightly southward to a classic coffee house/steak house in Taiping.

Backed by an astonishing experience of 20 years in business, Nagaria Steak House on Jalan Pasar serves Western cuisine like how the past generations loved them. Of course, Nagaria also serves the occasional Asian fares like fried rice, noodles, and such, much like how Scotch Pub includes their legendary fried beehoon, fried gizzards and inchi kabin chicken into their dominatingly Western menu. Read on to find out just how ‘cheap’ the food at Nagaria is …. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

A Slab of Pork Chop @ Scotch Restaurant & Pub – A tender cut commonly used in Chinese cooking, marinated then pan-fried in a simple manner.

Words can’t express how much I would love to divulge the history/legacy behind Scotch Pub, a classic Western diner that has been around for ages in Ipoh Garden South. 20 years? Or maybe more? I can’t be sure, but this perennial classic had been battling out with the newer, funkier generations and yet still standing strong.

The legendary FMS in Ipoh’s old town was closed back in late 2007, for renovations that lasted to this very day. Miner’s Arms (also in old town) on the other hand, was shut down for business sometime last year, though the charming, once the MOST prestigious Western diner in town was not doing so well in the past few years. First Coffee House on Cockman Street (Jalan Dato Onn Jaafar) recently underwent a major facelift, sporting a lime green exterior but I have not visited the cafe since my secondary school days. Rendezvous Cafe at the corner of Cockman Street and Brewster Road (Jalan Sultan Idris Shah) ceased operations few years ago, giving way to some dodgy cafe … followed suit by Blue Window Cafe located further down the road.

Do you think that Scotch Pub is in serious threat of losing out to the freshly-conceptualized fusion cafes, fine diners, and bistros? Or can they beat the odds; maybe creating history as THE longest running coffee house in Ipoh? Read on to find out ….. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Hot Jack Cafe – A hard to missed corner lot with a catchy signboard facing Jalan Pasir Puteh, before one reaches Shatin Court on the right.

Finally … Thanks to recommendations from a few readers, I came to know about Hot Jack Cafe; a barely half a year old cafe situated on Jalan Pasir Puteh of Ipoh. Though it took me a considerably long, loooonnnggg period of procrastination before making my way over for lunch on a Sunday afternoon.

The cafe serves an array of Western and Asian delights; and thankfully far from the generic, washed-up choices like Chicken Chop, Lamb (or Lamp … ) Chop, and Fish & Chips.

Instead you get ambitious fusions such as Mediterranean Pizza Chicken Chop, Cajun Spice Chicken/Fish, Turf & Surf (funny it’s not listed as Surf & Turf …. but, oh well), and even Almond Crumbed Fish with Butter and Raspberry Sauce.

Everything on the menu appeared to be reasonably-priced, with nothing beyond RM20/USD6 each. With 12 varieties of chicken chops, 8 methods to serve their fish, and 3 types each of steak and lamb, you know you’re in a fix if you’re one of those indecisive species ……. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

STEAK FACTORY @ Rapid Mall Seri Intan, a relatively new mall in Teluk Intan

Last month we went on a whirlwind eating tour in Teluk Intan, covering the famous Liew Kee Chee Cheong Fun (only opens from 5pm onwards, so don’t park yourself there for lunch), Ah Chai Rojak (not as good as some might say), Jalan Maharani decades-old soya bean milk, Ta Sin Guan Tin‘s confectioneries and Lana Tea House (a charming little place for lunch, dinner, and everything in between).

That took us about 8 hours worth of travelling, bingeing, resting in-between, and naptime in the car. But if you’re thinking that those are all that Teluk Intan has to offer …. you’re wrong, my friend.

Nobody told me that the Root Beer Float comes in a huge-a$$ jug sufficient for two. They should have put some warning/reminder or such. >_<

Anyway, to make a long story short (hehe, yeah right), we were there for work yesterday morning and ended up having our rushed breakfasts at McDonald’s (no pics though, and I made a blunder by trying to order a Weekday Breakfast Special set priced from RM4.00-RM4.50, when it was clearly a SATURDAY!), then subsequently our lunch at Steak Factory; a Western diner with Asian influences that spans two shoplots at Rapid Mall in Teluk Intan. Steak Factory is supposedly ‘Halal‘ (sorry I forgot to confirm the status, but definitely pork-free and they claimed to use Halal ingredients), and offers a range of Western cuisine, with minimal choices from the Asian kitchen sandwiched between. Read on to find out about this place ….. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Something Special Cafe @ Hugh Low Street – Painted with a stark contrast of sunshine yellow and sky blue, it’s tough to NOT notice this wacky little outlet stuck in between the famous Xin Quan Fang curry mee (police station curry mee), and Paris Restaurant’s famous Hakka Mee (formerly Yin Yau Kui from the opposite side)

Huh. I lost half a Saturday today. No thanks to a well-planned, well-prepared, but ill-selected choice of starting time. Waking up at an un-Godly hour of 5am just to scramble my way over to Teluk Intan does not sound exactly like one’s idea of a perfect weekend now ….. does it?

Anyway, there’s a “Special” place (pun intended) I wanted to introduce to you readers since months ago. But somehow, the prospect of getting oneself stuck in the congestion on Hugh Low Street (Jalan Sultan Iskandar Shah) during lunch hour did not appeal at all. Hence the hesitation, and then come procrastination.

“Thunder Tea” Rice, or Lui Cha Fan is a type of famous Hakka one-dish meal, consisting of an assortment of chopped greens and roasted peanuts on white rice, served with a side serving of the ‘lui cha’ – a Green broth made from various greens and herbs.

Something Special Cafe (in Chinese, it’s known as “Gu Ling Jing Gwai”) has not been on the scene for that long, but in the past couple of years, this cafe has remained a permanent favourite of the lunch crowd.

Why not? When a lunch set, consisting of a main dish (rice, noodles, or fish/chicken steak), an apple tart, and a glass of their homemade sweet potato juice is priced from RM5-RM7 (USD1.50-USD2.10) only !!   CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Siamese Laksa @ Family Cafe in Ipoh (RM6.80/USD2)

Ever since the ‘demise’ of Sharon’s Laksa recently, I have been receiving comments, queries and mails asking about where to go for Siamese Laksa in Ipoh. Most suggestions point to this place, named Family Cafe situated in Taman Ipoh Permai, off the main road from Jusco Kinta City leading to Tambun of Ipoh.

I have tasted Family Cafe’s Siamese Laksa once (which is only available on weekends), before Sharon’s Laksa even came into the picture. Yes, I do agree that I prefer this type of richer, less sour and spicy, yet equally as satisfying bowl of laksa, than say, its counterpart the Assam Laksa, or Curry Laksa.

So how did this bowl of Siamese Laksa at Family Cafe fare? Read on ….. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »