Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Braised Lamb Shank (MYR 36 / USD 12) @ Scenic Cafe Garden served on a bed of mashed potatoes, sides of grilled vegetables and brown sauce

Before we decided to give another new cafe in Ipoh a try, we actually hesitated for a while. I guess this was understandable, given the sudden surge of cafe culture in Ipoh and the generally lacklustre experience with some of them. If you are one jolly cafe-hopper, then you should be able to relate to my claims.

Here’s the bucket list: Overpriced ‘gourmet’ coffee and tea (bags), generic outsourced desserts (cheesecakes priced at close to MYR20 per slice anyone?), lazy pastas, salads and sandwiches selection, and to no one’s surprise …. exceptional attention/investment focused on creating an ‘idyllic, artsy’ ambience targeted at the new generation of foodies – feed the camera/smartphone before the stomach.

So when Dad suddenly hatched this idea of a dinner outing at Scenic Cafe Garden at the junction of Tambun Road and Tiger Lane (interesting names, huh?), supposedly another boutique cafe housed in a refurbished bungalow (which we found out later that it was more than a generic bungalow!), I scrambled for alternatives in my to-eat list.

To cut a long story short, the chilly weather, dark skies and post-Cameron Highlands blues (more on that later) placed me in a half-hibernation mode, thus I went with the flow. At least, I could be rewarded with a potential gem for photography, should the food failed me. But read on to find out the full story on Scenic Cafe Garden; cheesy name yes, yet a spectacular place to entertain guests.  Read the rest of this entry »

A Meticulously-Sloppy Massacre – Can’t blame Chef Tim for the vengeful act of dissection. After all, one of the owners (Ernest) is supposed to be a very, very discerning diner (read : picky eater) and Tim has to replicate that particular taste Ernest desires …. 🙂

And we got Hoofed. There were five of us, on an utter devastation of the porcine family. Thankfully, the meal was balanced with meagre doses of fish and fowls, yet nothing came close to rivalling the porky affairs that evening.

Don’t count the bricks, you’ll go dizzy before the first sip of your Sangria. And Colin (the other co-owner of Hoofed) modestly (hehe) staked his claims on the marvelous architecture works and design. And yeah, he was up there (on the ceilings lah …) doing all the renovation works too.

Hoofed is your neighbourhood watering hole-cum-dining extravaganza. Since Tom, Dick & Harry’s Pub & Grub downstairs is also owned by the same bunch of people, it’s a slightly different venture altogether when it comes to Hoofed; being a proper dining establishment complete with fine wines, cocktails (an inhouse mixologist by the Shawn), elaborate menu peppered with porky delights, and even lighter bites for the later (dire?) hours.

Do read on to find out why I was still on a porky high the morning after …… Read the rest of this entry »