Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Every now and then comes a cafe (another cafe?) operating from a most unorthodox choice of location; almost like a close encounter of the hippie kind and yet drawing in hordes of die hard fans returning for almost the same reason. It’s either the coffee, the ambience or the company.

In the case of VCR, it could have been a (lethal) combination of all.

The cakes and coffee here speak volume of their passion in emphasising on only the good stuff. Barely half a dozen choices of cakes available, and no savouries, yet the younger crowd came in droves. And spend a good amount of time idling away.

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Tray Cafe @ Plaza Damas (Facebook page) was but one of the dozen or so interesting new cafes that have been shortlisted in most top cafes picks around Klang Valley; but the relatively obscure location had been losing out when jostling for our attention to more accessible choices in Publika, PJ or Bangsar area.

And I guess it’s a calling of some sorts. After a good many runs of bingeing on sinful fares no thanks to that extended year end break; Motormouth was seeking for something slightly healthier. And thus, a quick search led us to Tray Cafe; started by 3 passionate entrepreneurs; Victor, Dinesh and Allison.  Read the rest of this entry »

Springy strands of noodles coated with the gooey minced pork sauce; a signature of Soong Kee that has stood the test of time. A good seven decades of legacy relates to exceptional fan base and coming here feels like traveling through the tunnel of time.

I still remember the first time I fell in love with KL style of beef noodles. It was at Shin Kee in Chinatown, a stone’s throw away from the Petaling Street entrance. Whereas in Ipoh you don’t usually find beef noodles in the thick of all the rage (in fact, seldom do you see beef served in most Chinese hawker stalls; aside from a selected few like Yik Sun Hakka Mee and Buntong beef noodles), there are quite a number of good ones in town; especially centred around the Chinatown and Golden Triangle.

Shin Kee Beef Noodles Specialist was the first, followed by Lai Foong directly opposite the street. Then Ngau Kee around Tengkat Tong Shin came next, and finally we tried Soong Kee Beef Noodles at the junction of Jalan Tun HS Lee and Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin.

For today, after a good half decade or more, we were back on a revisit to Soong Kee for dinner.  Read the rest of this entry »

The “Lontong” from Gerai Mak Yah @ Section 14 Wet Market Hawker Centre has been repeatedly proclaimed as the BEST in Klang Valley. 40 years of legacy can’t be wrong.

A case of growing addiction perhaps, but we see ourselves going back to the Section 14 (where Digital Mall is and the area where the new Jaya Supermarket will soon be operating from) for breakfast again; for 2 consecutive weekends. Last week, we tried Lum Kee’s Siam Laksa and Curry Laksa from the hawker food centre on the lower floor, while today we ventured over to the Halal portion of the area; where Gerai Mak Yah Lontong & Nasi Lemak seems to be perpetually luring in the breakfast crowd.

It was barely 9am and the queue extended to a good 15 pax or so. Yes, service is DIY here. You walk up to the stall with the green signboard, get yourself in line and be prepared for the wait. Took me a good 15 minutes or so; with a dozen of hungry Lontong fans in front of me.

And the question boils down to … was it worth the effort?  Read the rest of this entry »

Mostly Penang delights; Curry Laksa and Siam Laksa are two wise (and sumptuous) choices here at Lum Kee stall; manned by two elderly brothers

It’s not often that you see me writing about good street food in the Klang Valley these days. This could be due to a multitude of reasons; the most obvious being the absence of real, intense effort to venture all out for a decent food hunt after a day’s work (usually an energy-sapping routine), saving up the weekends for a splurge somewhere else instead (more often than not, back to my beloved hometown of Ipoh) or possibly due to the lack of information.

Or sheer lack of interesting spots worthy of a detour.

Don’t get me wrong. KL and Selangor when combined, have a good handful of gems deserving a nod. Real, delightful hawker food stalls that have stood the test of time. But these are either few and far in between, or closed down … giving way to commercialisation and dawn of the new era of cafes, burger bars and fine diners. Or wannabes.

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Dry Yee Mee with Fish Balls & Fish Cakes (RM5.50/USD1.80) @ Min Yee Fish Ball Noodles Stall, Mei Keng Coffee Shop, off Jalan 222, Petaling Jaya

Happy Monday dear folks! And a Happy New Year to all. Not easy to get back into the groove of things; the steady (laborious, mundane) rhythm of work after a long break. This being the start of a full 5 days working week (shock! horror!), I guess most of us are still in dreamland, Christmas mood or probably wishing for another bowl of Tang Yuen (Winter Solstice was on 22 Dec, btw).

Anyway, the year started on the opposite side of a high note for Motormouth however. Down with slight fever and sore throat on the first day itself, followed by some rather disturbing news from home … Grandma got admitted two nights ago.

It’s not uncommon for me to share life stories way back in 2008 or 2009, but ever since then, rarely do readers observe Motormouth rambling about life’s finer details and mishaps. Like in the words of a fellow reader; has Motormouth gone commercialised?

Maybe. Maybe not. But rest assured that the delicious food shots and reviews will still come in rapid-fire style. Happy 2014. And let’s hop over to a breakfast spot in Petaling Jaya that I have taken a strong liking to.

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Nobody really knows how long Ming Kee has been around. The neighbourhood wanton noodles stall has been one of the most recognized, renowned and revisited eatery within the vicinity of Bukit Maluri in Kepong; tucked in the middle of a row of old shop lots facing the bustling wet market in the mornings.

I was brought to this place one fine Saturday morning when we had nothing better to do, really. To be waking up that early and reached the breakfast haunt before 9 am. That’s almost unheard of, especially on weekends when time is better spent on …. well, snoozing.

However, we trusted his instinct and constant raves about this really delectable plate of wanton noodles all the way in Kepong that opens very early in the morning and sells out pretty quick too apparently. Traveling to Kepong from Petaling Jaya or Kuala Lumpur on a weekend sounds much better than crawling our way amidst the congestion over the weekdays ….  Read the rest of this entry »