Motormouth From Ipoh

Zakka Loft; Where the fine line between Life & Art is blurred?

You know, all throughout this Chinese New Year holidays (the first few days, and these last few days of the season), I was struggling through and through.

Not entirely because of the blistering hot weather, the absence of Lady Luck during those … erm, trying times, or even the fact that the sheer abundance (overloaded, onslaught, avalanche?!) of FOOD got me huffing and panting while bulldozing through them all.

With ease. Like a boss … Okay, maybe like a Motormouth.

Pumpkin Sweet Corn Soup (RM3.80/USD1.20) with Barley and Sago; either warm or chilled.

This may well be the season or longest holidays of the year when we’re blessed with the opportunity to gather with old affiliates and acquaintances; something we might have taken for granted in those separated times when we thought that by clicking on the LIKE button on Facebook, everyone’s connected and everything’s okay.

But my gripe came in droves during those in-between hours; you know when restaurants and cafes routinely close for about 3 hours between lunch and dinner, and that’s the BEST time to catch up aside from late night hours?

That was when I resorted to Old Town White Coffee outlets … for countless times, even more than once a day. Had I known that Zakka Loft is around, I might have just resorted to this charming quarter bashfully masquerading behind a boutique in Medan Ipoh Bistari, behind of Tesco in Ipoh Garden East.

If you had trouble finding this quaint, smallish cafe-cum-art house, I don’t blame you. I zoomed by and did not even notice its presence. This is situated opposite of Fu Tien Vegetarian Restaurant, Michelangelo’s Pizzeria, Mokuren and Momo Steamboat. Ring a bell?

Good thing is, this place opens from 11am all the way until 9pm daily, except Mondays. So you can drop  by anytime of the day for a rejuvenating escapade from the heat, dump the structured/rigid life and embrace the arts and purchase some handicrafts, fill up on the desserts and snacks, or even stuff yourself with a full blown bento set.

Aloe Vera Longan Soup (RM3.80/USD1.20); a tad too sweet, but best served chilled to counter the sweltering heat. With white fungus and dried longan.

Osaka Cake (RM3.50/USD1.20) – Now, if this piece of fluffy, creamy baby does not remind you of Hokkaido cake, I don’t know what else will. Anyway, this is sourced from a third party, and not made in-house. Still, the sheer lightness of the cake was a gleeful experience; like biting into creamy/frosted air.

I wouldn’t say that Zakka Loft serves outstanding, one-of-a-kind feast that deserves a Michelin star or two. But they do take pride in cooking everything from scratch. The bento meals are pre-cooked at home by the lovely couple fit to be grandparents, who are manning the place for their daughter who’s the architect (literally) for the loft; conjuring up vivid images of comfort and style, transforming the blueprints into reality.

The desserts and beverages too are not run-of-the-mill stuff unimaginatively sourced from the supermarkets. The sweet soups (tong sui) we sampled (Aloe Vera with Longan, Pumpkin with barley and sweet corn) were surprisingly good with a hint of home-cooked stuff.

(P/S : I don’t even bother to write, but I had a disastrous Mango Pomelo (less) Sago Soup priced at RM7.00(!) at Tongue Park Full Desserts yesterday.)

Homemade Mashed Potatoes (RM5.50/USD1.80) – With crunchy bits of chopped cucumber, carrot and crabstick/filament stick, the potatoes were warmed prior to serving, and actually tasted very good.

There were some desserts on the menu that were not readily available; as they only stocked up on a few cakes, puddings, sweet soups and teas in the refrigerator with several tiers. Since Zakka Loft is not equipped with a kitchen, they can only afford simpler items that can be re-heated or served chilled on the spot.

One minor (could be major, if you know me …) is that they DO NOT serve coffee or tea. I can imagine this private space takes off well if they serve simple coffee to go along with the cakes, or maybe a platter of homemade cookies or two. Some muffins, cupcakes and even macarons can bode well with the ones with sweet tooth.

Of course, all of the items in the shop are up for sale. And they even have a small room at the back of the shop that’s been used as a tutorial space for the ones keen on learning some handicrafts.

Me? I am born without a single artistic cell in my body. Do visit their website or Facebook page (at the end of this post) if you require more information on the handicrafts up for sale at the shop, or the workshops they conduct from time to time.

Or maybe you have this hidden talent of creating beautiful artworks out of the most unconventional household items; and intending to sell them to a niche crowd, you can approach them too.

Zakka Loft – Since October 2011. Don’t swarm the place and scare the nice couple off, please.

“Today’s the Last Day of the Chinese New Year, thus Motormouth would like to wish you Happy Chap Goh Meh! … Ladies go throw oranges already, and Guys … grab a HUGE net!”

ZAKKA LOFT
No 2, Jalan Medan Ipoh 1C,
Medan Ipoh Bistari,
31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Tel No : +6012-480 3591 (Chloe), +6013-488 8503 (Jean)
Business Hours : 11am – 9pm, Closed on Mondays
GPS Coordinates : 4.618026,101.117604
Website : www.zakkaloft.com
Facebook : www.facebook.com/zakkaloft
Opposite of Fu Tien Vegetarian Restaurant, Mokuren and Michelangelo’s Pizzeria.
*By the way, Zakka Loft has been used as a premise for wedding shots too.