Having opened their doors to the public since year 2009, Aka Momiji has been captivating the hearts of many Ipoh folks. This includes my parents. Aka Momiji is their favourite Japanese restaurant in Ipoh. We have celebrated countless birthdays and special occasions here.

Interior is very simple, but nice and clean. There’s also elegant tatami rooms catered to larger groups.

Having worked in Japan for over a decade, the chef cum owner Mr. Tan’s favourite season is autumn. Hence, he named his restaurant after Aka Momiji, which means red leaf in Japanese language.

5 Ten Mori (RM 50.80) consists of five types of assorted sashimis. It comes with generous slices of thick, fresh and creamy sashimis. The fresh sashimi is value for money too, it will probably cost more than RM 50 in any Japanese restaurants in KL.

Ebi, Japanese Shrimp

Maguro, Tuna

Aji, Horse Mackerel

Ibodai, Butter Fish

Sake, Salmon

We love having our sashimis with daikon and shiso leaf, to be dipped in soya sauce. It leaves a fresh, minty after taste.

Kyuri Maki (RM 11.80). This cucumber roll is a signature dish of Aka Momiji. If you want to skip rice, this vegetable and deep fried bits maki wrapped in thinly sliced cucumber is light and very refreshing. It’s definitely a must order dish!

Salmon Maki (RM 18.80). Intrigues by the food presentation? It tastes as good as it looks too!

Chicken Ham Maki (RM 16.80) is catered to some of the elderly who can’t take raw fish slices. Very considerate, but I don’t quite like the combination of chicken ham and maki.

Avocado Roll. The rich creamy texture of an avocado lends itself nicely to the maki. Again, the chef has incorporated deep fried bits into the maki, giving it a nice crispy bite.

Kaisen Teppan (RM 24.80). The seafood teppanyaki with vegetables came in a generous serving. The seafood was fresh, but I find the sauce to be a little too greasy for my liking.

Gyu Sirloin (RM 29.80). The beef was quite very good- tender, juicy, buttery and full of flavour.

Coated in a sweet, savoury sauce; these big and succulent scallops were really good. A squeeze of lemon juice over the scallops brings out the wonderful fresh and briny flavor of the sea.

Mentai and Cheese Korokke (RM 11.80). Crispy on the outside and soft inside, these korokkes are best eaten hot. I especially love the one with mentaiko, so creamy!

Hire Yaki (RM 15.80). Smokey, salty and chewy; these smoked shark meat makes a great beer snack.

The pan fried gyoza was tasty but not out of the ordinary.

Yaki Soba Omelette (RM 15.80). Omusoba is a dish that takes the already yummy on it’s own Yakisoba and blankets it inside a fluffy omelet.

Last but not least, complimentary desserts from the owner! We always get free desserts from him whenever we dine here.

AKAMOMIJI JAPANESE RESTAURANT
6-38, Medan Ipoh 1E,
Medan Ipoh Bistari,
31400 Ipoh, Perak.
Tel : 605-546 8368

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It’s interesting to see how the old premise where Ipoh’s legendary dim sum giant previously occupied has been transformed into a charming and quaint tea house. A lot of thoughts have been put into the layout and landscaping of the old premise. On one side of the outlet houses their retail segment which features various tea products and utensils, on the other side is the dining area with charming mismatch wooden tables and chairs. There’s even a mini “secret garden” behind where their VIP rooms are located.

From top left: two VIP rooms that require a minimum spending of  RM150, the charcoal wall that works its magic in absorbing moisture and unpleasant odour, I like how they decorate the ceiling with old flour sacks, round compressed tea and delicate tea cups.

Unlike its KL counterparts, the Ipoh outlet serves more like a tea house by serving light bites and a few main dishes.

The lady who run the place, Madam Hew is very friendly and she is a great help in recommending some specials to our table.

My Green Tea Latte (RM 5.80) was was decent, if not passable. I found it to be rather diluted and weak.

Madam Hew recommeneded their signature Sweet Potato Balls that comes with a Green Tea mayonnaise dipping sauce. The potato balls were not too sweet and not oily at all. However, I find it rathe expensive to pay RM5.80 for 8 measly size balls.

Hot Tea Soup (part of set). The savory soup is deliciously infused with Chinese tea, but not overpowering.

Set Menu

Black tea curry chicken served with choice of Long Jing green tea rice/Wan Tan Mee/Chee Cheong Fun, Rose Egg Custard, Hot Tea with choice of Cane’s Puer/Jasmine/Green Tea – RM 16.80

Cooked without coconut milk, this is a healthy and hearty curry dish that will leave you without guilt. The curry sauce was really addictive, and went really well with our green tea infused white rice.

We also tried the Fried Handmade Noodle with Lei Cha (RM12.80). This is a fun and interesting twist on classic fried noodles. Every strands is well coated with a light hint of lei cha flavour. My only gripe was that the noodles were a tad too soft.

Golden bean curd with tea mill served with green tea dipping sauce (RM8.80). Deep fried to perfection, bite through the crispy exterior and be welcome by the soft blend of vegetables and tea leaves. Excellent!

the green tea dipping sauce – cute isn’t it?

Rose Egg Custard (part of set, ala-carte RM3.80). It was served with a small cup of jasmine tea and we were told that we are supposed to take a sip after each spoonful of custard. It was eggy, soft and smooth.

The food in Purple Cane Tea House was not life changing or anything like that,  but deemed to be a good choice whenever we are craving for something healthy, light and tasty. Purple Cane Tea House is also an excellent place to chill out or to meet up with friends.

PURPLE CANE TEA HOUSE
No 2, Jalan Dato Tahwil Azar (Osborne Street)
30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 605-253 3090/6012-668 3090.
Business hours: 9am – 10pm daily.

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Chor 7: Lou Sang!

Ipoh Leng Luis

Chor 8: Bai Tin Gong

The ninth day of Chinese New Year is a significant day for the Hokkiens, it is a day of gratitude for their ancestors’ relive. The story goes like this: intruders invaded the village – the Hokkiens ran for their life and hid themselves under the clusters of sugarcane – tntruders left, the Hokkiens came out from the clusters, and it is on the dawn of the ninth day of CNY. So, the Hokkiens believe that our life and prosperity are granted by the heavenly god (tian gong).

Mum’s BFFs preparing turnip meat balls.

delicious!

Curry Chicken

Offerings for Bai Tin Gong:

chickens (checked)

fruits (checked)

altar (checked)

sugar cane (checked)

HUGE joss-sticks (checked)

sugar tower, longetivity buns, nin gou, glutinous rice with red dates (checked!!)

kuli aka helpers (checked)

and now we are ready!

whole roasted pig!!!!!!

crispy skin. oh lala

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Happy New Year everyone! Gone is the month with four long weekends where we can do food excursions up north or down south like this (part II) or this (part I). However, if you do have time to do a food trip to Ipoh, please read on.

After making 7 to 9 pit stops a day in the earlier part of our trip, we have decided to tone down our food intake for a little bit, hence the shorter post.

#1 Restoran Paris – Famous Hakka Noodles and Liew

The famous hakka noodles stall used to operate at Yin Yau Kui, a coffee shop just opposite of Paris Coffee Shop which they are located right now.

Just inform the owner the no. of pax and they will pick the liews accordingly. I especially love Ipoh’s version of hakka mee. The noodles were cooked al-dente and topped with a handful of stewed minced pork and chopped scallions. Complete the experience with a delicious dipping sauce made of pickled garlic and chili sauce.

#2 Nam Chau Curry Mee

Since the famous Quan Fang curry noodles is closed on a Monday, we proceeded to the next best thing – Nam Chau.

Everything in Nam Chau is reasonably priced with nothing more than RM3.60.

We ordered the famous dried curry noodles and everyone agreed that it was really good. Unlike KL’s version of curry noodles, the thick curry paste was sourish and aromatic. Very addictive stuff! The roast pork was a disappointment, though.

Kedai Kopi Nam Chau
54, Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh.
opens daily from 8am to 4pm, except on Saturdays.

#3 Sun Yun Loong Ipoh White Coffee

Coffee break at Sun Yun Loong. We had the cincau white coffee and normal white coffee.

Work up a sweat in Kek Lok Tong, a cave temple with beautiful landscaped garden.

#5 Lung Seng Seafood Restaurant at Tanjung Tualang

Steamed Prawns with Chinese Wine & Egg White

And finally, a PRAWNY feast in tanjung tualang before we called it a day. Tanjung Tualang was once a mining area but now most mining area has been converted to became a freshwater pond to breed freshwater prawn. This explains the abundance of seafood restaurants along the shop houses in Tanjung Tualang town. We went to Lung Seng, well known for their expertise in preparing fresh water prawns.

The larger prawns are priced at RM65 per kg wheres the medium prawns are priced at RM58 per kg. We had 3 kgs of the medium sized prawns and the chef will prepare it in three ways.

Crispy Oat Prawns

“Jui Ha” Simmering Drunken Prawns.

Deep fried soft shell crab

Yong Chao Fried Rice

Braised Noodles

Total damage was only RM190++ for the 10 of us! Not too bad huh?

Restoran Lung Seng
10 Jalan Besar
31800 Tanjung Tualang, Perak
Tel: 05-360.0735
Open daily from 11.30 a.m. – 9.00 p.m.
It’s almost a must to make a reservation.

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I remembered having a first taste of JJ Swiss Roll at a friend’s place few years back and I was really impressed with the varieties. Since then, JJ Swiss Roll has expanded to 3 outlets and the one nearest to me is actually this “shop” (more like a kiosk with chiller and all) located at the back corner of De’ Mouth, a Chinese restaurant.

I went back home few months back, with a mission at hand – to complete m’dam Christine and m’dam Ivy’s order. I got them two rolls each. Using only fresh fruits and vegetables, the maximum shelf life of these swiss rolls is 3 days. I like the light and fluffy texture and the generous fillings of cream and assorted nuts.

From L to R: fresh chempedak, coffee walnut, chocolate hazelnut. Thus far, my favourite of em’ all is coffee walnut, followed by chocolate hazelnut and fresh chempedak. I don’t really fancy the one with fresh durian cream because it smelled and tasted like dodol instead of fresh durian pulp. The cream cheese variation was too plain and “light” to my tasting.

From L to R: fresh durian, pumpkin cream cheese, green tea cream cheese.

Other Variations:

(RM15/roll)
Carrot Cream Cheese
Banana Cream Cheese
Pumpkin Cream Cheese
Spinach Cream Cheese
Green Tea Cream Cheese
Chestnut Puree

(RM12/roll)
Chocolate Hazelnut
Coffee Walnut
Fresh Chempedak
Fresh Durian
Fresh Strawberry
Fresh Mango
Fresh Yam
Fresh Sweet Potato
Juicy Corn
Chocolate Mint
Dragon Fruit
Wolfberry
Black Sesame
Green Bean
Prune

(RM10/roll)
Pandan Custard
Blueberry Filling

(RM8/roll)
Butter Cream (Pandan/Vanilla)

On the prowl for great entrepreneurial ideas? This might be it. I hope someone from KL will steal get inspired and start doing the same thing.

JJ Cakes@ De Mouth Restaurant
No 12, Jalan Raja Permaisuri Bainun (Jalan Kampar),
30250 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel No : +605-255 9933, or +6016-520 9933/+6016-559 7933 (Jennifer Liau)
Opens daily until 10pm at night.

The other JJ Cakes Outlets :
1)Lean Sean Heng (M) Sdn Bhd @ 39 Jalan Tokong, Ipoh Perak, Malaysia.
2) Inn Cafe @ No 107, Jalan Pengkalan Barat, Taman Shatin Baru, 31650 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

(Information from J2kfm)

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Continued from Day 1…

We made 9 pit stops on the second day of our Ipoh Food Excursion. Here’s a picture of us before the excess weight and love handles came into picture.

#1 Foh San Dim Sum

The spanking new and clean Foh San Dim Sum which can easily fit few hundreds patrons at one go were fully occupied by the time we got there. Not surprising at all, as according to my parents, the place is perpetually packed even on a weekday.

After numerous time of eating and fighting for a table in Foo San, I’ve come out with my own strategies – Be there as early as 7 am or as late as 11 am. Its hard to get a table during peak hour, and after you get seated bring your bill to the cart and take your own dim sum as the waitress are too busy to entertain you.

What We Ate?

From Top L to Bottom R: Yew Chu Mai (Siu Mai with Dried Scallop), Zheng Pai Guat (Steamed Pork Ribs), Gai Woh Bao (Loh Mai Gai in Steamed Bun), Char Siu Bao, Har Gao.

From Top L to Bottom R: Har Gao, Zhi Ma Zou (Sesame Ball with Lotus Paste), Wu Kok (Yam Puff), Cheong Fun, Porridge with Meatballs, Egg Tarts.

Restoran Foh San Ipoh
51 Jalan Leong Sin Nam,
30300 Ipoh.
Tel: (605) 254-0308
Fax: (605) 253-5432
http://www.fohsan.com.my/
p style=”text-align: justify;”>Read more about Foh San Dim Sum here, here & here.

#2 Thean Chun (House of Mirror) – Caramel Egg Custard

Step your feet into thean chun which is just beside kong heng for some ultra smooth caramel custard. It was produced in a small amount so you just need some luck to have a taste of these custards. The lady told me that they steamed the beaten eggs in slow fire in order to get the smooth texture while the caramels are plain brown sugar cooked in slow fire in a large wok. It is usually sold out by 11am. SO be there early
p style=”text-align: justify;”>Read more about Thean Chun here.

Thean Chun
Jalan Bandar Timah
Ipoh Old Town
(Open mornings and afternoons only)

#3 Funny Mountain Tau Foo Fah

Dropped by Funny Mountain for a bowl of silky smooth taufufa (RM0.80). Read more about Funny Mountain taufufa here.

Funny Mountain
49, Jalan Theatre,
Ipoh, Perak.

#4 Sin Eng Heong – Mini Kaya Puff

Sin Eng Heong’s mini kaya puffs are to die for! Flaky, crispy pastry with fragrant and not too sweet kata filling; this is the best kaya puff that I’ve ever eaten. Retailing at RM0.70 per piece, please call for reservation to avoid disappointment.

Sin Eng Heong
No. 64, Jln Mustapha Al-Bakri,
Jln Clare,30300,Ipoh Perak.
Tel : 05- 2439659, or 012-4534596 (Elaine).

#5 Dai Shu Geok (Big Tree Foot)

Come to Dai Shu Geok to try “liews” aka yongtafu, a staple of our daily life.

Big Tree Foot (Dai Shu Geok)
located behind Tuck Kee Restaurant
Jalan King, Pasir Pinji,
31650 Ipoh, Perak

#6 Kedai Kopi Kwong Hong

The normal variations that we always come across are oddments such as eggplants, shiitake mushrooms, bitter guard and lady’s fingers. However, it seems like Kwong Hong has the ability to stuffed every single type of vegetables with the fish paste, i.e. abalone mushroom, broccoli, capsicum, kangkung, and even seaweed.

For gluttons who are coming from KL, exit at Simpang Pulai toll, turn right at the traffic light, go straight all the way until you spotted a 24 hour Mcdonalds, make a U turn and turn left at the traffic light to enter into the main street of Gunung Rapat. Kedai Kopi Kwong Hong is located on your right hand side.

Read more about Kwong Hong here.

#7 Seng Kee Heong Peng

The best Heong Peng (much better than Yee Hup’s) can be found at Lorong Gunung Rapat 3.

Seng Kee is still utilizing the old, broiled with coconut shells method, resulting in a very fragrant and crispy pastry. The filling of maltose and shallots has just the right amount of sweetness too.

Seng Kee Food Trading (the house)

77, Lorong Gunung Rapat 3,
Gunung Rapat, 31350 Ipoh, Perak.
Tel: +605 312 0972
Hp: +6012 507 0728

Seng Kee Heang Peah Enterprise (the shop)
No 2, Selasar Rokam 11, Taman Ipoh Jaya, 31350 Ipoh, Perak.
Tel: +6012 563 0717

Together with my partners in crime, we reminisced about those childhood days, blowing bubbles in an open field.

#8 Restoran Kam Wan (Aneka Selera) a.k.a Tung Ku Teng

Before we knew it, it’s time for dinner!

We had the famous oyster sauce crabs from Meng Wa Seafood in Tung Ku Teng, the oldest food court in Ipoh.

Hakka Lei Cha were ordered, just to make us feel better from all that sinful indulgences.

Wan Toh Long, I suppose it’s an “Ipoh thing”? Citrus flavored jelly served on a bed of shaved ice, just squeeze the lime wedge and you are ready for a bowl of tangy, refreshing dessert!

#9 Dessert Street (Tong Shui Kai)

Tong Sui Kai has always been my favourite place for supper. Look out for ngap geok bao, made of pork, liver, and duck feet wrapped around with duck’s intestines, it will sure to satisfy any fans of offal. I love the prawn crackers drizzled with satay sauce and peanut powder sans the cut fruits. For cheap tong sui (RM 0.70 to RM 1.20) and wantan meen (RM 2.50), Tong Sui Kai is the place to go too.

One has to order a huge bowl of shaved ice here. Heavily drizzled with sugar syrup, evaporated milk, and laden with loads of fresh fruits, nuts, cincau, jellies and ice cream; we are having a hard time finishing it.

Tong Sui Kai is located in front of SRJK (C) Sam Tet, off Jalan Sultan Idris.

Ipoh, my beautiful hometown.

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

The title is self explanatory. Together with my usual partners in crime, we drove back to my lovely hometown, Ipoh and practically nonstop binge eating through out the week. I’m now having a hard time adjusting back to our usual de-lata lifestyle here at KL.

As usual, the balik kampung rush has choked the highway to death. Time flies when we were having fun gossiping and before we knew it, the Simpang Pulai toll is just few kms away.

1. Nam Heong

After dropping our stuff off at my place, our food excursion began with Nam Heong – the local antidote of Starbucks.

We were half famished with hunger after the long drive and the aroma of coffee whetted our appetite. Nam Heong’s coffee is as good as always; aromatic and smooth with a slight acidic note. Forget about  Starbucks or Coffee Bean when you can get the best version for only RM 1.50.

The dim sum stall located inside Nam Heong is well known for their cheap and tasty offerings too. However, the quality is not consistent, just like the soggy and greasy yam puff that we got the other day.

The safest bet is always their egg tarts and cha siu pastries.

Excerpt from my older posts: “With the flaky pastry shells, the egg tart looked like it would fall apart any time. Handle with care, it exclaimed. I was expecting a gooey smooth and silky egg custard but it fell short of my expectation. But the cha siu pastry is to die for! Succulent barbecued pork in sweet sauce embedded in a parcel of crispy, flaky puff pastry. Need me to say more?”

We shared a plate of CKT from the supposingly famous stall called Lam Fong. It was decent, but nowhere near Penang’s CKT.

Kedai Makanan Nam Heong
Jalan Bandar Timah
Egg tarts and Cha Siu pastry from Nam Heong Dim Sum are sold at RM1.50 each
Opens from 7.30am to 4pm ( sold off as early as 2 pm)

Few steps away from Nam Heong is a nostalgic toys and snacks shop. Just going through all the old school snacks and sweets brings back a warm glow of nostalgia. Still remember those chocolate sticks, candy coated chocolate with a shape of “8″, Ding Dang & Tora chocolate coated biscuit balls? They are all my favourite childhood snacks!

2. Kwong Heng

We proceeded to Kwong Heng for more food.

Excerpt from my older posts: “Every time we visit this eatery, it’s a tussle for tables and the hawkers will rushed to your tables and laden you with choices, its a bit irritating for me but yet its their culture.

The main dish that customers go for is the pork satay. The old man who run the stall has a habit of thrusting plates of satay at your table. Just eat as many sticks of satay as you want and the remaining sticks of satay won’t be accounted for. I would recommend the innards satay even if you will scream at the sights of it! Trust me, take a bite and you won’t regret ”

The Yau Yee Ong Choy and Ipoh style Chee Cheong Fun in Kwong Heng was quite good too. If you are wondering what’s with those Hello Kitty figurines, it’s to represent our friends from sugarsugarbeanbean who were there with us in spirit.

Kwong Heng
Jalan Bandar Timah, Ipoh Old Town.
Next to House of Mirrors (Thean Chun).
Open mornings and afternoons only.

3. Sam Poh Tong

Did some sightseeing during meal intervals. Marvel at the sight of those beautiful limestones at Sam Poh Tong, Kek Lok Tong and Perak Tong.

4. Aun Kheng Lim Salted Chicken

Excerpt from my older post: “Salt-baked Chicken is loosely translated as ‘Yim gouk kai’ in Cantonese. It is prepared by using paper to wrap the chicken with chinese herbs such as Dong Guai and Gei Zhi (wolfberry) and covered with salts in a big oven. With this cooking technique, the meat will not lose its tenderness and the essence of chicken can be preserved as well. The combination of salt and herbs gives the meat a unique flavour.”

Aun Kheng Lim Restaurant
Theatre Street
(opposite Martell house or near Bak Gong restaurant in the city centre)
Tel: 05-254 2998

5. Onn Kee Taugeh Ayam

How could we missed the famous Ipoh Hor Fun? Somehow I prefer Onn Kee opposite the oldest and most established name of Lo Wong, but patrons came from other states will still prefer to have a taste of Lo Wong’s nga choi gai.

Many believe the water source with the right PH from the mountains surrounding Ipoh is the main secret behind this special delicacy- Cantonese Hor Fun - 河粉).

The fatter version of beansprouts – only available in Ipoh. Best to be dipped with the combination of chicken oil, dark soy sauce and sesame oil that make up the sauce. You can feel and hear the crunchiness of these bean sprouts while indulging in it.

The nga choy kai – 芽菜雞 that is extremely smooth. I saw them soaking the whole cooked chicken in ice water to retain the juicy and tender texture of the chicken.

braised chicken feet, chicken innards, canna lily bulb in it’s original states, nice wat dan hor from Tuck Kee next door.

Restoran Onn  Kee
No 48,51,53
Jalan Yau Tet Shin, Ipoh.
6.30 pm to midnight

my family <3

Ipoh’s Specialty – Pomelos

Saw some cute little pastries in conjunction of Moon Cake Festival

6. Sun Yoon Wah Snow Beer

And finally, washed it all down with a glass of icy cool snow beer 雪花啤酒. Chilled at the certain temperature, layers of flaky ice is formed once the beer is poured against the chilled glass, just like an ice blended beer!

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Some random pictures from my Oxpicious New Year:

#1 Chinese Festive Decoration at Home (the mini mandarin oranges are so sweet and juicy!)

#2 Cuteness Overload

#3 Angpow Giving Ceremony to Perak Thalassemia Society

#4 Ipoh Girls (@ Maria’s, Josephine’s Cafe & Friends’ Cafe)

#5 Assam House, Greentown (very nice halal Nyonya Food)

#6 Weng Seng, Gunung Rapat (my family’s favorite neighborhood restaurant)

#7 Homemade Turnip Pork Balls

#8 Fortune Cookies and Banana Agar Agar (sounds eccentric but nice!)

#9 Bai Tin Gong on the 9th Day of CNY

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Our first visit to Unique Seafood falls on Father’s Day, with a lounge full of customers waiting to be seated we were fortunate enough to secure a table shortly. We handed dad the baton of ordering since it was his day.

We were expecting jumbo oysters, huge mantis prawns, bigger sized crabs but most of the orders turned out less than satisfactory. According the restaurant manager, those were “the few left in the tank” unless we can tolerate with the frozen seafood. Most of the non seafood dishes like guai fei chi (empress faux sharkfin), claypot egg plant with minced meat, two-some kalian are pretty good. The salted egg crab albeit small in size, is really rich and flavourful. It better be, since Unique claimed themselves as the pioneer of salted egg crab.

Two Way Kailan

<=

Claypot Egg Plant with Minced Meat

Guai Fei Chi (Empress Faux Sharkfin)

LaLa in XO Sauce

Salt and Pepper Mantis Prawn

Cheese Baked Oyster

Salted Egg Crab

Sea Coconut Dessert

The total bill came about RM 180 which is pretty reasonable. For a minimum amount of RM100 spent on each bill, we were entitled for a kg of free fresh water prawns. So my parents make a revisit to claim for the voucher, and ended up ordering more. With more vouchers on hand, we went back for a family dinner the third time and this time around we have more vouchers to spend. Can you see the chain effect? The free fresh water prawn promotion is a pretty good marketing gimmick huh?

A medium size geoduck with fresh, plump and firm looking siphons was chosen. Known as the elephant trunk clam in Chinese, the giant clams purported to have aphrodisiac qualities are particularly popular in Asia countries.

Do not be fooled by a geoduck’s freakish look, with its large meaty siphon or neck extending from its large oval shaped shell. The meat has a sweet, fresh sea flavor and crunchy texture and is best eaten raw ala sashimi style or plunge quickly into boiling soup. Extra vegetables and tofu were ordered too.

Stir Fry Lotus Roots

Japanese Clam in XO Sauce

Fresh Water Prawn in Dark Sauce

Salted Egg Crab (Flower Crab)

Other than ala carte menu, Unique Seafood has more to offer, especially value for money set lunches and dinners that’s priced between 188++ to 688++. The dinner comes with a little heftier price tag but is worth every single cent. We were fairly happy with most of the dishes ordered, other than the insignificant flower crab that was recommended by the manager. Apparently Unique Seafood is quite popular among Ipoh folks, with a good scene of crowds on weekend nights, so do make your reservation beforehand.

Restoran Perak Unique Seafood
No 5, Persiaran Lagoon Sunway 1,
31150 Ipoh, Perak.
Tel 05-5486010 / 016 2615622
Fax 05-5486020

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“Dong Dong Dong”, we were distracted from our scrumptious fare of dim sum in Foo San. A man in his early 30s is holding a pair of flat chisels to break the big block of candies apart. Two packets (RM 3) of Deuk Deuk Tong was brought home then.

Having lived in a “mentos” generation, it is something new for us but not for our parents. It has brought back a lot of childhood memories of them; Deuk Deuk Tong was regarded luxury back then when everyone is struggling is make ends meet.

Deuk Deuk Tong or commonly referred to as Ding Ding Tong is a type of traditional candy in Hong Kong. It is a hard maltose candy with sesame and ginger flavors. The sweet is made by first melting maltose, then adding to it various ingredients and continuously stirring the mixture. Before the mixture solidifies, it is put on a metal stick and pulled into a line shape, then coiled into the shape of a plate. (Information from Wikimapia)

Boy! It tasted so good and al natural! With rough and uneven cuts, the maltose taste is rich and delicious with a light hinge of ginger. Any idea on where we can get such goodies around KL?

Original picture as requested.

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Old Town is always a pride of Ipoh people with the origination of White Coffee, curry noodles who made their name to foreign land, hor hee that attracts patrons from other states and other scrumptious variety of food. For me, it is a place that stir up nostalgia because it is a place where my parents brought me for afternoon tea since young before Starbucks, Coffee Bean or the air conditioned Old Town Kopitiam came along.

Enough said about the aromatic white coffee at Nam Heong. I’m going to introduce this particular dim sum stall that gained their popularity through the hot selling egg tarts and cha siu pastry. It is rare to see patrons that can resist the buttery-smelling pastry. Over 1000 tarts are sold on normal days but the sales shot up to double during public holidays.

With the flaky pastry shells, the egg tart looks like it would fall apart any time. Handle with care, it exclaimed. I was expecting a somehow gooey smooth and silky egg custard but it falls short of my expectation.

Anyway, the cha siu pastry is to die for! Succulent barbequed pork in sweet sauce is embedded in a parcel of crispy, flaky puff pastry. Need me to say more?

Kedai Makanan Nam Heong
Jalan Bandar Timah
Egg tarts and Cha Siu pastry from Nam Heong Dim Sum are sold at RM1.30 each (buy 10 free 2).
Opens from 7.30am to 4pm ( sold off as early as 2 pm)

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Ipoh Old Town Food Crawl (from bfast to tea)

Tea at Ipoh Old Town

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

In Ipoh, eating“Zhu Fan” is so popular that in fact we have the saying among ourselves (or maybe just my family, but who cares? :p) that Ipoh is a land distinguished for its “Zhu Fan” culture. Choose from kuey teow, mee hoon, yellow noodles or rat tailed noodles to assorted seafood or poultry, each zhu fan is made to order. The cook will use a huge metal saucepan to boil the broth and cook the noodles over large fire in a jiffy.

Apparently Fai Kee is a place that comes highly recommended by families and friends for their zhu fan. So here we are, on a Sunday morning, idling at our table in anticipation of a bowl of goodness.

First to arrive on our table is the pork noodles (RM3.50). There’s something about the noodles combined with the savory broth, firm springy noodles, pork slices, intestines and lightly crisp greens.

Seafood noodles (RM 4) have been the star of the table. The bowl is a tangled nest for big fat, curled shrimp, thick slices of stingrays, lalas, squid and shitake mushroom. A generous portion of firm noodles, delicate sweet broth and a wide selection of seafood goes into making it a delicious affair. You can actually have three bowls of these with the price that you pay for Yu Ai’s. Grin

As bloated as I’ve gotten on the noodles, I’ve started yearning to snack on the deep fried minced pork(RM3.50). The bite size snack is crispy on the outside and slightly chewy and juicy inside.

I applaud Fai Kee for their efficiency and courteousness despite the ridiculous large crowd. Do hop over to EatinOut to take a peep at the infamous garoupa fish slices noodles (must order).

Restoran Fai Kee (same row as Overseas and opposite Hotel Excelsior)
28, Jalan Seenivasagam,
30450, Ipoh.
Tel : 012 – 4546111

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Apparently I love to visit Foo San Dim Sum on a Sunday because they have this Sunday Only unorthodox looking dim sum. I think that I have this minor youth Alzheimer’s syndrome that I could not remember the name of these lovely goodies that I have to made it up myself!! Please bear with me people…

Sun Rise – The salted egg yolk played well with the the other textures of the dim sum; the thinner outmost layer is crispy, followed by another layer of bouncy fish cake and lastly the seaweed.

Triangle Love – Unrequited love between century egg, prawns and pork has created a very romantic yet complicated relationship (ermm taste).

Loh Mai Kai in Bao Blanket – Yes, actually loh mai kai is keeping itself warm by hiding beneath a layer of soft and fluffy pao skin.

Har Gao Just Got A Face Lift – There were light and crunchy bits of carrots and sengkuang giving it a refreshing change from the typical fillings of shrimps only.

Peking Duck Wrap Minus the Peking Duck – Wrap Skin? Checked. Cucumbers? Checked. Hoi Sin Sauce? Checked. Crispy Duck Skin? MIA. Bits of pork floss and a slice of char siu is actually a better combination than the crispy duck skin itself.

Typical Stir Fried Radish Cake Pretending As Dim Sum – The radish cake cubes are evenly coated with the thick and sweet savoury dark sauce. I can’t stop nibbling on the crunchy dried shrimps, salted radish bit and the XL sized bean sprouts of Ipoh.After numerous time of eating and fighting for a table in Foo San, I’ve come out with my own strategies – Be there as early as 7 am or as late as 11 am. Its hard to get a table during peak hour, and after you get seated bring your bill to the cart and take your own dim sum as the waitress are too busy to entertain you.Foh San Dim Sum
No. 2, Jalan Dato Tahwil Azar (used to be known as the Ozbourne Street)

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Yong tao fu, literally means tofu stuffed with fish paste or pork paste. Nowadays, the term is widely applied to variety of stuffed vegetables or deep fried bean curds. The best yong tao fu that I’ve ever eaten comes from Kwong Hong @ Gunung Rapat, Ipoh.

There’s always a line of people waiting to put in their orders during lunch hours. The waiter will jotted down your order of noodles and the yong tao fu are then cooked briefly in boiling water to be served either in broth as soup or in a separate bowl for the deep fried goodies.

What I like about the place?

1. Spoilt for Choice
The normal variations that we always come across are oddments such as eggplants, shiitake mushrooms, bitter guard and lady’s fingers. However, it seems like Kwong Hong has the ability to stuffed every single type of vegetables with the fish paste, i.e. abalone mushroom, broccoli, capsicum, kangkung, and even seaweed.

2. Out of the World Fish Paste
The fish paste is 100% hand made with the core ingredient of Mince fish and seasoning such as salt, pepper, water and tapioca flour. Stir in one direction to get a sticky paste with a springy texture. You need to take handfuls of the fish paste and throw it against the sides of the bowl till the paste becomes springy. How they distinguish themselves from the rest? The secret would be the addition of some dried shredded squid that enhance the flavour of the fish paste. It involves a lot of hard work.

3. Heavenly Noodles

The dried tossed version is splashed with a generous portion of sesame oil and deep fried shallots, so aromatic and delicious. My ultimate favourite would be the curry broth served with stalks of paku while the famous assam laksa is only available during the weekend.

4. Sweet Treat

The same family run the whole shop; including the drinks and tong suis. Cincau served in a bowl, red bean tong sui, green bean tong fui, barley bean curd tong sui are selling like hot cake.

Ipoh Mali and Klites who happen to be around Ipoh, do drop by Kedai Kopi Kwong Hong. For gluttons who are coming from KL, exit at Simpang Pulai toll, turn right at the traffic light, go straight all the way until you spotted a 24 hour Mcdonalds, make a U turn and turn left at the traffic light to enter into the main street of Gunung Rapat. Kedai Kopi Kwong Hong is located on your right hand side.

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

*GASPED* A very back dated post of Father’s Day Celebration. I just got the pictures from my sister. So people, please bear with me! J

I just have to post this because it is one of the best dinners that I’ve ever had (this year). Apart from Sun Lee How Fook and Tung Hoi, Pusing Public Seafood Restaurant is another favourite restaurant of my family, we are often delighted to attend wedding, birthday and anniversary celebrations held here. They were known for whipping up the best fresh water prawn dish in Ipoh.

Mixed Vege with Macadamis Nuts that makes me go nuts. Vegetables such as snow peas, asparagus, lotus roots, lily bulbs, ginkgo, and deep fried macadamia nuts are stir fry in a smoky soy garlic. My mum say it gives eating green the devious way because my sisters has never enjoy her vege so much.

Stuffed myself silly Tofu. Each piece of tofu is gently stuffed with as much fish paste and dried cuttlefish. I could not resist soy based sauce and aromatic garlic oil, I drizzle the sauce over my rice and a sense of satisfaction took me over. The soft and silky tofu paired with the bouncy texture of fish paste is simply amazing too!

Ole Ole Prawn Balls Cup. lightly floured and fried until crisp and served with a dressing of mayonnaise. The prawn is so fresh that it is bouncing in my mouth, and the natural sweetness The natural sweetness of the prawn ball is enhanced by the dressing and cubes of fresh fruits.

Limelight Seekers Sweet and Sour Crabs. Its not the normal ketchup like sweet ands sour sauce with streaks of egg and onions. It is a different version of tangy delicious sweet and sour sauce, ah I’m running out of words to describe the taste for you readers. On top of being sweet and sour, this dish had a kick of spices as a result of the chillies they put in the dish. We happily mop off the sauce with these cute shell shaped mantaos. The enormous crab bursts with roe and the flesh is firm. Heinously sinful with cholesterol, I swap most of the roes to protect my parents against the clogging of arteries.

Trying to be humorous, I made up those name of the dishes. The real limelight seekers whould be my CUTE and ADORABLE pa and ma. Total bill comes about RM 150 which dad footed the bill himself, for a celebration just for him. I’m still living under their roof and shelter ma, but I’m so going to buy my parents a proper dinner when I get my first pay.

Pusing Public Seafood Restaurant Reviews.
57-65 Jalan Verasamy Ipoh (Malaysia)
+60 (5) 2419348.

KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL/KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL - A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG