Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

Uncle Albert’s Battered Halibut (RM39/USD13) on a bed of rocket leaves served with Homemade Chips, Mushy Peas and Homemade Tartar Sauce

How’s the weekend been to you, dear fellow foodies? Have you made that once-a-year commitment/formality of a saunter towards the nearest Ramadan bazaar; packing an insane amount of food to be savoured and felt the guilt thereafter?

I have not, actually. As much as I had wanted to, the mere thought of jostling with the crowd eager to ‘buka puasa’ with families on time, and driving/jamming my way to some of the most popular Ramadan bazaars in the Klang Valley just did not take off as desired.

To which I kept my cravings suppressed and reminders to self to at least hop over to one as soon as I can. And gosh …. it’s amazing how time flies. ‘Hari Raya’ is coming in 3 days!

So let’s respect the festival and focus on something pork-free this Monday evening. A one-month old traditional fish & chips shop originating from Ireland; from the same owner of Healy Mac’s … 

Homemade Potato Soup with Garlic Bread (complimentary as part of Opening Promotion)

How Ipoh has flourished in a matter of months!

I still remember it used to be a challenge to find decent Western cuisine in Ipoh back when I was still running around and establishing the foundation for this blog. There were Indulgence, Citrus & Brewster’s. And then came along more affordable (yet not necessarily top notch) options like Olivenz, Yeolde English and Denis Jazz Bistro.

Then a good few years passed without any significant entries to the scene. Sure, a bit hoo-hah here and there; several cafes opening up, closing down, sold off, transferred ownership and what-nots, yet, none that sustained a reasonable quantum of applause that deserved more than a few visits.

Grilled Fillet of Fresh Salmon (RM39/USD13) served with roasted tomatoes, mashed potatoes, vegetable ratatouille and white wine cream sauce.

And then Secret Garden, Burps & Giggles, Tammy’s Kitchen, Jose & Deli & Healy Mac’s arrived at the scene. I might have missed David’s Diner and Macoy from the timeline, as these have been around for more than half a decade yet wedged between the ‘old’s’ and the ‘new’s’.

The recent sojourn back to my hometown led me to few more interesting discoveries.

Oz Aussie Outback Roast Chicken and Uncle Albert’s Traditional Fish & Chips.

Uncle Albert’s Lemon Grilled Halibut (RM39/USD13) served with Mediterranean vegetables, rocket leaves and homemade vinaigrette

Uncle Albert’s is situated adjacent to Healy Mac’s in Greentown Avenue, the fairly new commercial area with Chatime, Berlin’s Bier Houz and Greentown Dim Sum (which is the ONLY Halal dim sum in Ipoh, btw).

Half expecting that this was related to that stall previously operating at GT Kopitiam, I was pleasantly surprised to read the history behind Uncle Albert’s.

The fourth generation of Uncle Albert’s started this venture in Ipoh; as a mean to test the waters before expansion to the other states; obviously keeping Klang Valley in mind according to the daughter of the same owner who runs Healy Mac’s Irish Bar.

The legacy behind the name is detailed on the wall; on how Uncle Albert survived a storm and a shipwreck in Ireland with a net-full of cod; then proceeded to start up a stall selling his secret recipe of batter-coated cod fish … and the rest was history.

Flaky halibut coated in a crispy batter; seated on a bed of rocket leaves and served with their own-concocted tartar sauce. And the battered and fried chips.

On to the food review, please.

A quick glance across the menu will inevitably stun a passerby. Fish & chips starting from RM39 onwards (yes, nothing below that price); but the catch is that … no frozen and boring fishes to be seen. Only freshly-flown in, chilled halibuts, monkfish, cod, haddock and salmon. So there’s always this price to pay for quality.

The freshness of the fish was evident. Their signature Uncle Albert’s Traditional Fresh Cod goes for RM59 (USD20); so beware if you’re not ready to part with your hard-earned moolah. We sampled the halibuts and salmon; all priced at RM39 for each portion.

The lemon-grilled halibut and grilled fresh salmon were safe choices; nothing too overpowering that killed the taste of the succulent, flawless flesh. However, the disappointment came in the form of the ….well, ironically, fish & chips.

Don’t get me wrong. Compared to most fish & chips (using frozen dory most of the times) out there, this has to be one of the better ones. But although the batter was crispy and not too thick, the slab of fish coated in batter was almost devoid of any flavour. Yes, the fish was tasteless, and the batter was nothing but flour.

You have to rely on the homemade tartar sauce for flavours; which was excellent to go along with the fish and the chips (and I dare bet with anything at all!) by the way. The crunchy chips at the side shone brighter than the fish, I’ll have to admit.

Still, I will probably be back for another round; and hopefully this time I’ll get to try the English cod coated in batter and served with the same homemade chips and mushy peas. And hopefully, the cod won’t fail to impress. I really hate to rely on an overwhelming dollop of tartar sauce or even chili sauce for taste, especially when premium fish is being used for the dish.

They serve burgers, shrimps and pasta as well, if you don’t fancy eating fish.

Currently, they are running an opening promotion whereby you get a serving of soup, a slice of garlic bread and a glass of iced lemon tea for free with any order of main dish.

UNCLE ALBERT’S TRADITIONAL FISH & CHIPS (pork-free)
Ground Floor, No 4, Persiaran Greentown 4,
Greentown Avenue, 30450 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Tel No : +605-241 4176
*Next to Healy Mac’s in Greentown Avenue.

**Now where else shall I write about next? Plan B? STG Tea House? 42 Foodies Italian Restaurant? OR …. you still can’t get enough of those Street Food posts?