A 2nd Chapter On Food Fight & Lou Sang @ Yum Yum Restaurant
January 31, 2012 | 3,562 views
It does not matter whether you understand the real meaning behind every toss; liberally peppered with shouts of ‘huat ah!’ (rich/prosperous/etc) and such. Even if you’re from a different cultural background, or with a snigger plastered across the face wondering are these people mad? Come on …. adults playing with their food?!!
Some things just don’t change. Just when the dust had settled down after 3 years of hiatus, a second round of ‘food fight’ broke out between these very endearing neighbours; Malaysia and Singapore. Read this article from The Star for more insights.
Back in 2009, I wrote a piece on one of the HOTTEST piece of news in town (yeah, when other countries were deep in thoughts saving lives and such … we were headlining chapters on fighting over bragging rights over .. erm, bak kut teh, chicken rice, etc).
Three years later, here we are …. well-rested from the fatigue over the war of words, a second round ensued. This time over Yee Sang (or ‘yu sheng’), a prosperous dish of mixed vegetables and raw fish tossed and savoured during Chinese New Year.
Clockwise from top left : Boiled julienned jicama/yambean wrapped in lettuce (like the Nyonya style of Joo Hoo Char), Sambal Prawns, Signature Crispy Fried Chicken and Siew Bak Choy.
Now, I am not going to harp on the recent spat over yee sang. For all I care, Chinese New Year will never be the same without this auspicious dish. A food fight over the dailies would be a good read no doubt, for a good laugh that’s possibly more entertaining than the comic pages.
Back in 2009, we had a Lou Sang experience at Yum Yum Restaurant too. Ironically, 3 years marched on and here we are again; reuniting at the same premise that has never changed with the tide of times … and that’s actually a plus point, in reality.
Chinese believe that there MUST be a fish (one whole fish, not chunks or chopped up/filleted pieces) in every major feast, especially during reunion dinners and auspicious celebratory gatherings.
Naturally, come the CNY season, every Chinese/Nyonya/Thai restaurant in Ipoh will be cashing in on the festivity. Set meals will be the norm rather than ala carte dishes; more so if you’re dining on the eve or on the first two days of the season.
We shared a set for 10 pax; at about RM300++ (USD100) per table inclusive of rice and Chinese tea. A total of 8 dishes (including the Yee Sang and the dessert of canned longan in syrup) came almost simultaneously after the joyous tossing and cheering session has subsided.
And leaving bits and pieces of apple, pomeloes, chicken meat floss (!) and various greens strewn across the table. The higher you toss, the better your prospects will be for the year. If you don’t mind creating a scene, go all out and STAND on your chair ….. just don’t tip over and fall into the platter of Yee Sang!
Now that … would be headline-worthy material!
Substitution is permissible; as we had to omit the Nyonya Sotong with pineapples in favour of those allergic to cuttlefish. We chose to have the deer meat cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce; aka ‘kung pow’ style.
However, this dining experience at Yum Yum left me with wanting more. Not because of the portions, which were sufficient for 8-10 pax. But more to because of the cooking. The crispy fried chicken was a little too dry and over-fried, while the Assam pomfret was a sad disappointment; fishy taste overwhelming with a diluted assam gravy lacking in flavour. I had vivid memories of their prowess in whipping up a storm with their Nyonya/Thai-inspired dishes, and this lunch session did not justify this.
The Sambal Prawns and the “Joo Hoo Char” (boiled julienned jicama to a soft yet with a firm crunch, in a savoury gravy with dried cuttlefish and fried shallots, to be wrapped into the leafy lettuce) were the comparatively more fascinating choices; the former was polished off just when I was about done with the shots. Had two pieces of the reasonably plump prawns cooked in a spicy with a sweet tinge sambal (chili paste) base.
Oh … how come Yum Yum does NOT serve their Yee Sang with fish? Seems that this is their tradition. Substituting the fish with meat floss instead. Clever alternative?
Anyway, back to the food fight fiasco …. this will die down as soon as another mind-boggling issue creeps up over the horizon. And living in this ‘Boleh-land’, I believe many will come in the next few months. 🙂
“Still, MM wishes you Happy Chap Goh Meh … coming in a matter of days.”
Yum Yum Restaurant (pork-free)
5, Persiaran Greenhill,
30450 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel No : 605-253 7686
GPS Coordinates : 4.599204,101.087801
seems like many places lost track of their QC during the recent festive holiday. understaffed kitchen perhaps?
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 1st, 2012 at 9:43 pm
Maybe. Or they could be slightly over-ambitious and took on more than they could chew.
Anyway … it goes without saying, better eat at home or go Western/Indian/Malay!
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Well said, on the 2nd day my family went to Tuck Kee – a total flop. The half roast chicken and duck was the worst. Portions were small and full house even need to move also hard. We sat on the 1st floor and the floor was wet obvious spills tea and the staff couldn’t bothered to mop it.
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 1st, 2012 at 9:45 pm
Yeah … service was horrendous as well, when we went. To a point when I really, REALLY wished we had KFC or something at home instead.
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the fish curry makes me hungry!
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MM, I noticed this Chinese Muslim restaurant at the row of shops just opposite Yum Yum/Gold Vision. Forgot the name though… starting with Haji. Perhaps it can be enter your “to-eat” spots when you are back the next time, since there are not many Halal certified Chinese cuisines (mostly are pork free)… =)
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 1st, 2012 at 9:46 pm
Oh … didn’t notice this. Okay, noted. But ah .. like the Laksamana Cheng Ho (that’s closed now), I don’t have faith in these restaurants though. Authentic Malay cuisine? Yes. But Muslim Chinese dishes … hmm.
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Had a very bad experience at LIDO Restaurant too on the eve of CNY – real flop. The service is extremelyX5 bad. Had to wait for more than 1 hour (not exagerating) for the next dish to be served on the table after the yee sang which is already pre-served on the table earlier.
FYI, even the KFC failed. We order a barrel on the 5th of CNY but found that the chicken seems to have been fried and fried over again and again ………the best is still maggi or cintan mee at HOME SWEET HOME !
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J2Kfm Reply:
February 2nd, 2012 at 10:58 pm
Haha … maggi mee for the win?!!! KFC also depends on which outlet lah … I know because different outlet CAN churn out different output.
Surprisingly, amidst the stringent QC and what-nots.
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