Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Giulianna @ Indulgence Living, Ipoh – Timeless Italian Influences

“Whimsical cabinetry is faux painted and small mirrors are flushed into the mantle piece. Above the king bed hangs the proud silver framed mirror of Toi. It is an art nouveau piece ….” (snippets from Indulgence Restaurant & Living)

Thanks to a kind (and timely) invitation from Julie Song, the proprietress of Indulgence Restaurant & Living, I was treated to a fabulous stay at one her passionately designed room; Giulianna.

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Secret Garden Bistro – The open air dining concept (al fresco) taken to different heights; Sipping on your wine while being caressed by the soothing splatters of water from the fountain, and hopefully …. some lush greenery in the near future.

I would be lying if I say I am not intrigued by the sheer pleasure of introducing yet another new eatery in Ipoh, although this one being relatively new. The official launch of Secret Garden was sometime during the first week of August 2010. The bistro started operating way back in June or July, but the boutique hotel on the first floor (only three premium rooms, as far as I know) designed to exude a certain heritage aura will only be opened for reservations in the near future.

The rustic charm in the carefully executed planning and designing of the facade and interior of Secret Garden deserves a mention; especially those supposedly-REAL barrels used to prop up a glass table top at the bar area.

Many are still kept in the dark about the exact location of Secret Garden, or what type of cuisine one can expect to indulge themselves in. Heck, even if you zoom by this lane leading to Secret Garden, all lined with a tall foliage of trees, you might just miss the place as there is NO huge signboard lighted up with neon spotlights, nor engraved walls/tiles with the company’s name emblazoned on them.

To clear the air of mystique surrounding Secret Garden, read on to discover what could have been Ipoh’s best kept secret …… until NOW. 🙂

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Panfried Cod Fillet Mango (RM24/USD7.30) – A slab of thick, succulent and sweet cod fillet served atop the bed of irresistibly yummy mashed potatoes, garden vegetables and a refreshingly fruity coulis of mango.

The premise previously occupied by Rendezvous Cafe at the corner of Brewster Road (Jalan Sultan Idris Shah) and Cockman Street (Jalan Dato Onn Jaafar) has been given a new shot of life recently. Eastern’s Brasserie is owned by the same management team of Eastern Hotel (soon to be opened in November 2010 tentatively; a projected spanking new boutique hotel as opposed to the previously disdain, dilapidated outlook).

A relaxed, spacious and classy ambience defines Eastern’s Brasserie; with a surprisingly satisfactory level of customer service.

I came to know about Eastern’s Brasserie from the All About Ipoh Facebook page, whereby one of the admin posted the pictures of aesthetically pleasant dishes resembling European cuisine, and subsequently generated a positive vibe circulating around this new addition to the upmarket dining scene in Ipoh. Read on for the insights into the dishes, prices and location …. Read the rest of this entry »

Ristorante Italia Mia in Sunway City of Ipoh is one of the few decent fine dining establishments in Ipoh. You can’t find Italian restaurants in Ipoh that easy like say, in the Klang Valley or even Penang. Heck, I think even folks in JB (Johor Bahru) or Melaka have better luck at slurping on pastas, chomping on their slices of pizzas, and licking their fingers clean from the mascarpone cheese pumped into their tiramisu.

Envious? Yes. If you wanna know more about Italian food in Ipoh, you can read about my first Italia Mia experience back in 2008, funky versions of pastas at Spaghetti Sweet Tea Cafe, and of course, the latest addition to Ipoh’s F&B scene; Michelangelo’s Pizzeria that serves fantastic woodfire pizzas, but resembles more of an American style pizzeria than an Italian restaurant.

(*But of course, if you wanna take into account the Pizza Hut’s and the Shakey’s …. by all means, yeah. Ipoh’s LOADED with “Italian Food” outlets!) 🙂

Spaghetti Fresh Seafood (RM39.40/USD12.30) – With Sauteed Fresh Prawns, Calamari, Clams, Garlic, White Wine and Parsley

The menu remains unchanged, since the last time we dined here. But they have SPECIALS of the day, written in chalk on the blackboard on the outside of the restaurant. So do sneak a peek before you waltz in, in case you have grown weary of the same old selections; of about 12 types of Pasta, 9 types of Carne (Meat) dishes, and 4 types of Pesce (Fish) items. But seriously, we don’t need another menu with 100 or more items, each being a variant of another. Confusing to the customers, and the cooks as well … Read the rest of this entry »