Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Sri Neelas serves a delicious mutton varuval (dry curry mutton); lip-smacking stuff.

It has been awhile since I wrote about banana leaf curry rice. Wondering what’s the big deal with eating rice + curry + dishes served on a piece of banana leaf?

Beats me. Supposedly, the leaf imparts a certain aroma to the rice. Or so we have always thought, or led into thinking. But seriously, with a variety of side dishes (usually vegetables and potatoes), delectably robust curries, crispy flavourful papadom crackers and chicken/fish/mutton of your choice, can you even taste the faint nuance of fragrance from the leaf?

My lurve for BLR runs deep.

That being said, I’m still a huge fan of banana leaf rice. Haha …. Goes to show how old gimmicks still work, and the novelty never runs out.

There are many good options in Klang Valley. There’s the one in Bangsar, the authentic ones in Brickfield (pardon the ignorance, as I have always wanted to pay Vishal a visit, yet this place escaped my radar more often than not), the commercialized ones, the poor imitators of the real deal, and of course … the in-betweens.

Like Sri Neelas in Taman Desa, a worthy choice in my opinion, yet with a niche crowd of their own ….. Read the rest of this entry »

Nasi Briyani Ayam Anarkali – For about a quarter of a century (since 1985), Restoran M. Salim has been serving their famous brand of Nasi Kandar and Nasi Briyani in Ipoh; with 3 branches to date.

I admit that I am a sucker for good Nasi Briyani. Those long-grained, fluffy and fragrant Basmati rice cooked with loads of herbs and spices, sometimes together with your meat of choice (usually chicken or mutton); whereby in this case the rice and meat ensemble might be known as a “pullao” or “pilaf.” But commonly, we have our plates of Nasi Briyani served separately from the curry(s) of your choice.

If you’re a local, you couldn’t have missed this “white and green” restaurant situated at the junction of Jalan Yang Kalsom and Jalan Che Tak in Ipoh.

I heard many positive reviews on A.K. Nasi Kandar, where they’re supposed to serve the BEST Nasi Briyani in Ipoh. Tough luck, for I found A.K.’s version being almost too bland and boring when eaten as it is, without the ‘supporting characters’ of curries and vegetables. Yes, good Briyani should be tasty enough to be eaten plain, sans the extra ingredients, and the whiff of spices and condiments alone can send one to Briyani heaven …. IF, there ever was one.

And so, I ended up at Restoran M. Salim on Jalan Yang Kalsom in Ipoh, to seek for greener pastures. No, I was NOT searching for recruitment opportunities, in case you’re confused. I was merely looking for a worthy plate of Nasi Biryani in Ipoh to be relished on a hot Sunday afternoon.

Curious on how my experience at M.Salim was? Read on to find out …. Read the rest of this entry »

I did promise a post on Penang’s famous street foods, didn’t I? I tell you, nothing beats Penang when it comes to street fare. Not even my beloved hometown of Ipoh. Every corner, every junction, and almost on every single row of shoplots on the island, you’re bound to bump into a coffee shop, hawker centre, or at the very least, a make-shift hawker stall under some shady trees.

Kapitan’s Claypot Biryani Chicken (RM7/USD2) – Not exactly a POT, but a single serving of this can net you euphoria, nevertheless!

I do not know where or how to start off with, for the 2 days 1 night ‘Makan’ tour (read : gluttons at work) had us almost clutching our stomach and begging for some form of respite. Only to be duly served with more and more scrumptious food, completely devastating our plans for a much slimmer beginning to the new year. 😉

You MUST try this lovely, warm concoction of ground almond with spices, nuts and fruits and fresh cow’s milk

I was back to Kapitan on Lebuh Chulia (Chulia Street) for I just can’t forget the taste of the aromatic, creamy and smooth Badam Milk (or Almond Milk), boiled and served at a stall parked at the side of this Indian-Muslim restaurant. Yeah, a glass full of nourishing and no doubt, fattening (who cares?!) warm fresh milk with mild almond flavour, before our meal. Top that!

Read the rest of this entry »