Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Hard at work; the ladies of Foo Kwai’s curry mee stall in a buzz of activities in the mornings. Just don’t go in a severely famished state. The wait can be slightly daunting. We waited a good 30 minutes.

Ahhh…. to be back in good old IPOH for the long weekend (thank you PM?). Breakfast in Ipoh is a delightful endeavour; almost the most important meal of the day. If you’re not fond of the humongous crowd at the dim sum restaurants around Ipoh (it’s mad on a weekend’s morning, so be warned), then you can choose from the many other selection of hawker fares.

Dry Curry Mee with Homemade Char Siew (barbecued pork slices) at Foo Kwai @ Bercham

For me, a good breakfast in Ipoh is constituted from either a toast, eggs and WHITE coffee combination, OR a noodles affair with various accompanying sides eg. stuffed fish paste (yong tau foo or yong liew). And the list of GOOD places for ‘yue dan fun’ or fish ball noodles (literally) in Ipoh spans long and far. Scattered all around Ipoh, you can actually find hidden gems in exclusive residential areas unknown to the outside community, but with a strong fanbase formed from the local community and the random epicureans willing to travel far and wide for a gastronomic sensation.

And Foo Kwai in Bercham might just be one of them …. Read the rest of this entry »

Why oh why, was this named “Kam Chau Fun” aka Golden Char Kuey Teow?

Maybe because of the gorgeously wet and creamy egg oozing juices seated on top of the pile of fried noodles? OR the fact that a serving of a minimal handful of noodles with two shrimps cost RM3.50/USD1.20 per plate?

Hard to say, but ask anyone about this famous ‘kam chau fun’ of old town in Ipoh, and chances are people would be torn in between. One might sing praises for the skilfully fried combination of kuey teow (flat rice noodles) and yellow mee, slightly charred from the intense frying process (it’s a skill shared by the presumably-father and son duo) then topped with the signature egg omelette with a brilliant, golden hue.

While the other person might scorn for the pathetic serving of a Char Kuey Teow (CKT) cost that much for two mouthfuls. Read on to find out more …… Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Readers,

Thanks first and foremost for the touching display of affection in the last post. I never in my wildest dreams expected that many responses from random strangers. Strangers, yet somehow felt like we have known each other for years. A good 2.5 years since the inception of Motormouth From Ipoh. Thank you.

An aromatic brew of Ipoh famous white coffee, with a distinctive robust flavour from the roasted beans with the right level of creaminess. -White Coffee @ Xin Xiang Er Nong-

And so, here we are … back to the usual post on Ipoh Food. One fine morning, a colleague of mine was browsing through a poll to gauge the popularity of Ipoh’s white coffee outlets. The ten places or so included of course; Sin Yoon Loong and Nam Heong in old town, Chang Jiang on Jalan Pasir Puteh (no post on that, but I have tried the white coffee there …. not bad) and many unheard of coffee shops.

Sadly, no Sin Lean Lee and Nam Chau (both very worthy contenders, and situated in old town as well) on the list. But there was this Xin Xiang Er Nong Restaurant, located on Jalan Tokong in Pasir Pinji, parked somewhere between Tow Boo Keong temple and Tuck Kee Restaurant/Big Tree Foot Yong Tau Foo. Wanna know whether this one soars sky high, or falls flat on the ground? Read on …. Read the rest of this entry »

There is this bistro-cafe-pub-lounge like place in Greentown Business Centre that has been earning stripes in both positive and negative aspects. Cocooon Cafe (no spelling error, it’s spelled with that many O’s) started business sometime in the beginning of this year (can’t be sure, for I seldom venture out to that jammed area for lunch anymore these days).

Set Lunch – Dory Fish Fillets cooked in a light garlic and butter sauce, served with a side of herbs rice and potato wedges. RM14.90/USD4.60 for a set with a soup, a dessert and a drink.

Okay, I do admit that the ambience plays a pertinent role in ensuring a most pleasurable dining experience. To which I have to give credits to the management of Cocooon Cafe, for the interior of the premise looks resplendent yet comfortable with soft hues of natural light streaming from the sidewalks.

Cocooon Cafe – A relatively new dining sensation in the heart of the city; Greentown Business Centre of Ipoh.

Painted with an eye-catching purple shade on the outside, the cafe appears more like a pub or bistro than a fine dining settlement. Which, in this case works wonders as the casual environment befits a simple and quick lunch for the blue-collar workers around the vicinity. And Cocooon serves various affordable sets for lunch and dinner, but here comes the major lament ….

Read on to find out what they offer in the sets, and the daunting wait for our food …… Read the rest of this entry »

Two years ago, I was fascinated by the wonders of food blogs on the Net. Seeking for a good restaurant (or avoiding a bad one) was at the tip of one’s finger. Or rather … at the click of a mouse. I still remember vividly, how I was deeply engrossed by the articulate writings of masak-masak‘s, the wondrous food shots from WMW and Lyrical Lemongrass, as well as the down-to-earth reviews from Precious Pea and the now inactive Mei Yen, whom had since found her destiny in life. 😉

Two years ago, I wondered aloud, how on earth did these people manage to maintain such discipline (and maybe, physical well-being, with that much eating and all!) … NOT only providing great information and insights on food hunts in every corner of Klang Valley, but also honest, unbiased opinions unlike those food shows on TV, or paid reviews published in the papers.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s midweek, and I bet most would be having the midweek blues by now. I sure am having them, for I did not touch my work for a good 2 weeks throughout the entire Chinese New Year season. And can’t really remember how long has it been since I worked a full FIVE days in one week. To top things off, today our job had us working overtime, going through the mundane routines once again.

Laughter and Cheers @ Pappa Rich, De Garden, Ipoh

I previously wrote a snippet on the new Pappa Rich outlet in Ipoh, the first outside of Klang Valley to be exact. If you had noticed, I never even touched on the other famous kopitiam (which has since dropped the Kopitiam moniker, retaining the Old Town White Coffee signatures only), nor any other kopitiam-style of outlets to be exact. Not to say that I DON’T go to these places for a drink, in fact I frequent them more than the barrage of street foods I commonly write about.

Fragrant & crispy coffee-crusted bun toasted to perfection, with velvety rich butter fillings ….Pappa Bun (aka Mexico Bun) (RM2.80)

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With a name as FUNKY as Let’s Rock, you’d be hard-pressed NOT to be tickled pink when discovering this most famous eatery in Ipoh is in fact, a HAWKER STALL (though not anymore) specializing in Yeong Liew (or Yong Tau Foo/Stuffed Fish Paste) and noodles.

Die-Hard Fans/Aficionados/Purveyors of good old Yeong Liew in Ipoh would be torn for choice, as the extensive alternatives to the almost world famous Fried Yeong Liew under a most legendary tree, simply named “BIG TREE FOOT” in Ipoh is delectably mind-boggling. Okay, some prefer to call these combination of noodles with stuffed fish paste as Fishball Noodles (aka Yue Dan Fun), but I’ll skip the noodles on most occasions, be it in Big Tree Foot (Dai Shu Geok), Gunung Rapat’s Kwong Hong, Tai Kar Rock (which coincidentally, is the place where I place more emphasize on the noodles more than the liew themselves) etc etc….

Read the rest of this entry »