My New Food Discoveries

ST Jimmy | Sunday, November 16, 2014 | | 0 comments



MY NEW FOOD DISCOVERIES IN IPOH & TAIPING, IN THE STATE OF PERAK, MALAYSIA

As a true blood “Perakian”, I thought I would be able to remain in the state for the rest of my life at one time. The dream seemed to be perpetual until my former employer “evicted” me away to other parts of Malaysia in the early 90’s because of job requirements. Now, as a retiree, I am happily settled permanently with my family in Petaling Jaya, in the state of Selangor. But I would still yearn to return to Perak for visits at every whimsy excuse merely because of one reason – CHINESE FOOD!!!

My recent two separate trips to Perak took me first to Ipoh, renowned for many Cantonese cuisines. The second outing was to Taiping, which hosts its own savoury wares, and………..fresh, tasty seafood  at worthwhile prices.
  
In Ipoh, there is a newly developed commercial area called Ipoh Soho, which is behind the Sam Tet Secondary School. I was recommended by pal Jeffrey to try out Nam Heong, a cozy café type restaurant offering local varieties in modern ambience and yet at prices which are around those charged by food courts.  We had hi-tea. Service was very cordial. And it has a novel way for patrons to place orders – via electronic tablets placed on tables.  The food served here is, so to speak, “classic”. The snapshots of some items taken by me and the relevant short captions should convey a better impression than long narrative verbiage.  I put both my thumbs up to recommend this eatery to people who have not been there.
(Placing orders via electronic tablets - the modern way.)

(Nam Heong serves good local white coffee.)
(One of the best pork and innards broths that I have ever enjoyed.)
 
 
(Smooth Chee Cheong Fun.)
(Meat combination - delicious.)

(Char Koay Teow with shrimps and cockles.)
(Cozy, yet not costly.)
(Customers got to take a ticket from the machine at the ground floor and wait for their table number to be called in the tv screen before proceeding upstairs to be served. This photo was taken when we left at around 3.30 pm, the off-peak hours. When we reached there around 2.00 pm, we had to wait in queue downstairs as upstairs was still packed.)

Next, also in Ipoh, I was brought to a very humble restaurant in Gunung Rapat, a residential area. This outlet is a long shack with zinc roof, surrounded by lush trees, on a large open land. The trees provided a cool shade while shielding off the blazing sun rays when I was there – no wonder it is named Sunny. KP, another close pal who hosted the lunch, pre-notified me and my two food exploring companions that the dishes served there would be of the home-cooked style  – nothing fanciful but plain looking, no unnecessary garnishes or special condiments and straight forward presentation. The items donned a bland appearance – that was my first impression. But once in my mouth, the enigmatic taste permeated my taste buds. The cost for four dishes, including a steamed fish, catering for 6 persons and three bottles of beer, was around RM140 - another worthwhile food exploit for me.  

(The restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere to hang out for social fellowship over beer and some nice food.......more like a "beer garden" setup?)
( Although a hot afternoon, yet shady and breezy. The wide open space and the mountainous background allow breeze to flow through.)
(Fresh vegetable - fried with garlic, simple and juicy.)
( Very smooth white water bean curd or tofu scalded with fine oil and soaked in good soy sauce. Simple dish but also simply fantastic.)
(Steamed fish in a sauce spiked up by small chilli and sour plum sauce. Freshness was exuded when the meat assimilated my palate.)
 (Fried but not overdone in order not to kill the fresh green characteristics of the four-in-one greens combination.)
 
The two places I was introduced to in Taiping by two respective hosts, also my close pals, cast unique impressions on me.


One is an old-fashioned Chinese coffee shop outlet with a noodle stall in a many decades old building in Jalan Pasar. “The soupy noodle  is unique which you can’t find a similarity elsewhere in Malaysia,” said Koo, the first host.  The shop is called Kakak (“kakak” in Bahasa Malaysia means “elder sister”). I observed the person taking food orders from customers and giving instructions to helpers was a lady. I could guess she was the “kakak”.

 
The addition of a special chilli sauce to the clear chicken soup was unique as this was the first time I tried such a concoction. However, the source seemed to blend well with the soup – slightly spicy, a tinge of sourness and saltiness, yet the clearness of the chicken soup was maintained. The shreds of chicken meat were also tenderly fine in texture. I loved my noodles – completely swiped everything in the bowl and also slurped the exquisite soup till the last drop.
 (Special chilly sauce was put into the clear soup by me. When stirred, the soup turned pinkish in colour.)



I also savoured the side order comprising a plate of braised chicken feet. They were succulently soft. I even chewed and swallowed the soft bones. The slightly sticky gravy was aromatic.

( Ah.......looks enticing, doesn't it? My saliva still drools when I think of that time I chewed the contents of this dish.)
To top up the uniqueness of my food indulgence in this outlet was the special drink called Kakak Ice, a mixture of milo, barley and milk. This was the first time I drank such a concoction. Barley water is normally consumed for its cooling effect to a person’s body while Milo, a chocolate-based beverage, is taken as an energising drink and thus said be a bit “heaty” to some people. To me, it was a beautiful soothing unique and exquisite drink perhaps only available here, and no other eatery in Malaysia.

 (The household drink, Kakak Ice, which may not be found anywhere else in Malaysia.)

Last but not least (“not least” is the apt description because Perak has many more eateries yet to be explored by me) is a typical seafront village restaurant in Kuala Sepatang. Many Malaysians who are already senior citizens may not know where Kuala Sepatang is. But mention Port Weld, its old name, they would immediately relate to the very old busy trading port, half an hour drive away from Taiping, that thrived very well during the British colonial era. 
 
Lunch was hosted by Loo, who has been entrenched in Taiping for more than five decades, and a regular patron of the Xin Kuala Sepatang Seafood Restaurant. I could guess that the venue was a former jetty for handling goods and fish. My snapshots and captions should assist readers visualise better the scene there than descriptive narratives. You can be assured the seafood served in this restaurant will definitely be very fresh as the supplies are delivered by fishing boats right up to the place daily. Loo did not want to reveal how much he paid for the array on our table but he mentioned I would be surprised to know how economical the overall cost was.  Being my close pal, I took his word.

(The frontage of the restaurant looks like a mini-warehouse.)
 
 
(Long walk from the frontage through the narrow alley to reach the restaurant at the end.)
 (The restaurant and its view.)
(A fishing boat berthed beside the restaurant.)
(Fresh fish steamed with salted vegetable.)
( Original taste of fresh fish without sauce.)
( Fish served in rich and thick curry gravy.)
(More seafood......and more below.)
(My two travelling companions with another restaurant as the backdrop. Live eagles hover around in Kuala Sepatang. This is depicted by the  large replica on top of the roof.)


To sum up, I shall leave to you to form your impression about the four eateries based on my overview narratives, snapshots and captions.  My two separate homecomings to Perak for the sake of food exploits were memorable. Again, I show both full thumbs up for my recent discoveries.
 

 

Ends…..

 

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