Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

What used to be Tai Ka Lock, became known affectionately as Tai Kar Rock, to something more contemporary … Let’s Rock. Tell that to a foreigner and none would have expected Yong Tau Foo and curry fish head to be the stars.

And right after the revisit to the revamped Italia Mia (changed owners, same premise, same name), we proceeded to try our luck at the ‘new’ Let’s Rock on Cowan Street.

Can’t brand this as new though, as aside from the new location (they were from the next street – read previous review HERE), nothing much has changed. The premise got more spacious now and the place opens until so late at night; giving the pubs within the vicinity a run for their money. Or the relationship could be symbiotic. Read the rest of this entry »

How does “Kon Low Lou Shu Fun” with “Chu Yau Char” sound to you? Utterly sinful and delicious? Or scarily unhealthy and resentful? For me, there’s no denying the allure of “Liew Fun” in Ipoh.

Now I am going to skip all the grandfather’s stories and get straight to the heart of this piece. I have this post in draft since yesterday, yet could not find the time to write one proper sentence. Writer’s block? Or purely basking in every single minute of the weekend? The latter, actually. Guilty as charged.

Now if there’s a NON-halal satay stall worth trying in Ipoh, aside from Kong Heng that opens only during the day, this uncle must be somewhere up there in the ranks.

And why the strange title; amalgamation of three distinct entities (okay, so pork and lard come from the same source, but still …. ) today?

If you love your Ipoh hawker food, don’t miss this place. Seriously. Read on for the insight …. Read the rest of this entry »

“Sar Kok Liew” aka Stuffed Yambean/Jicama is but one of many Ipoh’s signature street fares. Diced, or cubed yambean with beancurd sheet deep fried to a crispy finish, but most importantly; the moisture within must be retained for that juicy crunch.

If you had taken Motormouth’s words for it, you would have remembered how I had paltry affairs with both the K10 claypot chicken rice outlets in Ipoh. First the one in Ipoh Garden East, and the original one in Bercham.

And you wonder why was this post is named as such? (ie : Redemption) And what’s a claypot chicken rice specialist doing serving “Sar Kok Liew”?!! Read on for the revelation.

Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

Let’s take a walk down memory lane. This stall, housed in such an inconspicuous manner deep in the middle of Pasir Pinji wet market had always been a family’s favourite haunt back in the 90’s. Or maybe late 80’s? I can’t be sure, for when we were still residents around the Pasir Puteh area, we used to eat the fish ball noodles (also known as ‘kap liew’ or ‘liew fun’ to us Ipohans) here on a weekly basis.

When pigging out like mad won’t cost you a bomb, an arm, or a leg. Every piece of ‘yong liew’ (more popular known as Yong tau Foo in the other states) is priced at 40-45 cents each.

Back then, I never paid much attention to the stray kittens and puppies circling under our table. Nor the slight stench from the day’s offerings sold at the wet market; and the random pest or two.

Only one stall was operating then; this same “Yee Jie” (translated to Second Elder Sister) stall is surprisingly still up and running. And the allure of tucking in into a bowl of soupy goodness with a myriad of stuffed fish paste as sides proves to be evergreen.

The “Yee Jie” hard at work. A family business this one, the third generation of youngsters already knee deep in assisting the operations.

Read on to find out more about this past favourite of Motormouth’s, and how such a simple fare can attract the crowd to a dilapidated wet market at night ….. Read the rest of this entry »

One half of the famous Twin Sisters curry mee on Jalan Ali Pitchay in Ipoh – Still as elegant and energetic as ever in their golden years …..

Let’s do a breakfast post today. Since tomorrow’s a Sunday, and most (I hope all) of you will be off from work, and seeking to start the day with a brilliant breakfast with family members.

Unsurprisingly, the dim sum restaurants around Ipoh will be swarmed like bees to the honey, shopaholics to a mega sale or even politicians to the allure of money voters. 🙂

Rolls of fish paste covered with beancurd sheets (foo chook) deep fried to a crunchy finish.

If you are around town area and the prospect of waiting for a table AND possibly facing the wrath of the staff at Xin Quan Fang (that legendary “Ma Ta Liu”/police station’s curry mee on Hugh Low Street) sounds unforgiving, no sweat.

A hop and a skip away (though you have to skip backwards, or go one big round for Hugh Low Street /Jalan Sultan Iskandar is a one way street) you will find an equally as long-standing curry mee specialist, yet not as notorious for the attitude and hogged by the media or guide books – Twin Sisters Food Stall on Jalan Ali Pitchay.

Read the rest of this entry »