Kedai Kopi Yee Fatt, Ipoh

After hearing and reading so much about the curry noodles at this place, we decided to give it a try one morning. Hmm.....seems that lots of people are fans of the curry noodles judging from the packed shop when we walked in just after 8.00 a.m. There's only one stall in this shop and that's the curry noodles stall but they do sell the "loh mai kai". We ordered 2 soup version and 2 dry version of the curry noodles. Comes with shreds of chicken, pieces of "char siew" (BBQ pork) and.......yes, pieces of chicken but you can also opt for other combinations with "siew yuk" (roasted pork). Maybe our taste buds are different from the majority but we find that the curry noodles are not at all to our liking. There isn't any of the fragrance of curry that makes the stomach juices flow. It's like there's something missing from the curry or......maybe they didn't 'tumis' the ingredients before putting them to cook in the curry???? Quite oily too. Most definitely we won't we back again.
Kedai Kopi Yee Fatt is situated at Jalan Kampar, Ipoh opposite Methodist Girls School.

Do not cater to our taste buds at all

Food For Thought (18)

Be miserable or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice. (Wayne Dyer)
Yup.

Chicken Koay Teow Soup (Restoran & Kafe Macy, Ipoh)

The thing we usually order when we come to this place is the "kai see hor fun" (chicken koay teow soup). It is among one of the best kai see hor fun in Ipoh..........in my opinion only lah. You don't have to agree with me leh. But the standard has dropped somewhat over the years. So......sometimes, it wouldn't taste so good lor. The hor fun is smooth and would just slid down your throat but the soup sometimes tastes a bit sugary sweet these days. There are 2 guys manning the stall. The taller, bespectacled guy is friendlier. At least, he acknowledges you when you place your order. The shorter, skinnier guy is another kind. Surly is the word to describe him. He doesn't acknowledge your order, so, you would be left wondering whether you have suddenly become invisible.
Restoran & Kafe Macy is located at Jalan Perajurit, Ipoh Garden East (next to the highway flyover). Incidentally, this place also serves some of the best "tong sui" in town.

Penang Balik Pulau Laksa

After some 'detective work', we found out that there is this stall that serves really good assam laksa and siam laksa in Balik Pulau, Penang. So.....off we go on another one of our makan trips to Penang, this time, heading straight for Balik Pulau. This stall is located in a coffee shop called Nan Guang at Jalan Balik Pulau.
Waah........big crowd. Our orders - assam laksa, siam laksa and chum (a mixture of both assam laksa and siam laksa). Wow! Best laksa I've ever tasted......so far. All three varieties were equally "ho chiak" (tasty). The assam laksa was just the right combination of sour and spicy while the siam laksa was a perfect blend of sour, spicy and creamy. The chum.......ahah......a first for us. Can taste both the assam laksa and siam laksa equally without one overpowering the other. "Ho, ho, chiak". Yum, yum.
Another must try when in Balik Pulau.......the fresh nutmeg juice. Very refreshing......but it's an acquired taste somewhat. Half of our group loved it immediately while the other half either had reservations about it or plain didn't like it one bit, so......

The chum

Fresh nutmeg juice

Siam laksa

Food For Thought (17)

I once read somewhere that it's not the load that breaks us down, but it's the way we carry the load. Yup. We can carry the load quietly, willingly and happily orrrr.......we can carry the load, complain endlessly and in the process, make our own life and the lives of other people around us miserable. Either way, we still have to carry the load. Well???? What's your choice.......?????

Kedai Kopi Nam Chau, Ipoh (Again???)

We're back at Kedai Kopi Nam Chau again, heh, heh, heh,heh!!!! This time, it's the parents' turn to try out the shop's famous curry noodles. Both gave the thumbs up for this. Sis chosed the Lam Mee which she said is nothing special. Comes with shreds of chicken and half a hard boiled egg. My order of the curiously named "Tar Lan Woon" (direct translation "break a bowl" or, ......... if you like, "hit a broken bowl") ................. is ok lor. This is actually "toong fun" (glass noodles) in soup served with fishballs (fried and otherwise) and "yau char kwai" (Chinese crullers) but this morning, the "yau char kwai" was yet to be delivered to the shop, so, no "yau char kwai" in my bowl of "Tar Lan Woon". The soup could do with the addition of some "toong choy" (some kind of preserved vegetable.........Chinese cabbage, I think?????) to give it more flavour. Without the "toong choy", somehow, the soup doesn't match the "toong fun", if you know what I mean..........?????
Once again.............., Kedai Kopi Nam Chau is located in Ipoh old town (Jalan Bandar Timah).

Nam Chau's "ho chiak" (tasty) curry noodles

Nam Chau's white coffee - one of the best in Ipoh

Not very outstanding

Food For Thought (16)

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge but rather a lack of will. (Vince Lombardi)
Yes.......when there's a will, there's sure to be a way. Sooooo, don't blame your failures or whatever on anything...........or anyone else.

Prawn Mee (Kedai Kopi Chang Jiang, Ipoh)

Hmm....when did I take this photo of the prawn mee at Kedai Kopi Chang Jiang in Tasek, Ipoh??? Never mind....just thought I'd share it with anyone who cares to read this blog. One of the best prawn mee I've ever tasted in Ipoh. Comes a close second to the one at Kedai Kopi Keng Nam. The soup is full of flavour. Very prawn-y. Comes with a generous serving of pork slices, prawns, kangkong, slices of fish cake and hard boiled egg and garnished with fried shallots. "Hou sik", yum, yum. They are not stingy with the chilli paste leh. Can ask for as much of it as you can take with your bowl of prawn mee. Very fragrant. The white coffee served here is also very good. One of the best in Ipoh.
Kedai Kopi Chang Jiang is a corner shop located in Taman Tasek Jaya facing Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman (formerly known as Jalan Kuala Kangsar). Arrive late during peak hours and you can expect to see the shop bursting at the seams.

The prawn mee which got the thumbs up from a lot of people.

Restoran Kam Wan (Aneka Selera), Ipoh

Since Mum is taking a break from cooking dinner, we decided to go to Restoran Kam Wan or better known as Gourmet Square (or Tung Koo Th'eng) for dinner. Actually, this place is not really a restaurant despite its name. It is a hawker centre and it always seems to be packed to the gills during weekends and public holidays. There are quite a lot of food choices so one can be hard pressed to decide what to eat especially if you are famished. Small example. : ikan bakar (grilled fish), curry noodles, rojak, lobak, char koay teow, vegetarian food, assam laksa, claypot chicken rice, bak kut teh (herbal pork ribs) satay, nasi lemak, seafood, popiah, yong tau foo, 'ngar choy kai' (chicken bean sprouts), what we call 'one dish rice' or 'tip chai farn', hor hee, char koay kak, etc, etc. The list goes on and on and on. Too many to list down everything.
Gourmet Square is located at Lengkok Canning, Ipoh Garden.

Curry noodles - one of our favourites

Fried rice

Some of the food you can find at Gourmet Square

Food For Thought (16)

A long time ago, someone once said to me, if you find yourself with problems in situations that doesn't feel like they will be ending anytime soon, give yourself something to look forward to and give yourself something to be thankful for. Then you will find that, hey, things aren't so bad after all and the end is actually in sight. Very true for me.

Food For Thought (15)

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them and they bless you, the giver. (Barbara De Angelis)
Yes.....so be kind and loving even though it may sometimes feel like a waste of time and energy.

Kedai Makanan & Minuman Hua Nam, Ipoh

Ahah.......found some photos taken at Kedai Makanan & Minuman Hua Nam during the Hari Raya Puasa holidays. If I remember correctly (you know lah.......this brain of mine is not too good already), it was quite early in the morning (just after 8.00 a.m.), so there weren't many customers around but the place started filling up rather quickly after that. The claypot 'low shi fun' was quite tasty. Theirs is not the soup-y type but the drier version with thick gravy. The portion was generous with lots of mince meat, meat patties and vegetables (choy sam, to be exact). The curry noodles was also tasty. Came with prawns, 'char siew' (BBQ meat) and garnished with mint leaves. The yong tau foo was equally good. Flavourful and gives a sort of crunchy texture to each bite. Too bad the coffee was not so good leh.
Kedai Makanan & Minuman Hua Nam is located at Jalan Seenivasagam, Ipoh.

Claypot low shi fun

The curry noodles and yong tau foo

Assam Laksa, Penang

After all the hype surrounding the famous assam laksa along Jalan Pasar near the Ayer Itam market, we decided to check it out during one of our almost annual trips to Penang. Huh.......what a huge disappointment! It was quite bland. We had to literally pour in the "heh koh" (shrimp paste) to give it some taste. There seem to be something missing from the soup...... If not for all the fish and the trappings that come with a bowl of assam laksa, I would seriously thought that we had ordered the wrong thing. For the first time, I was not able to finish my bowl of assam laksa (an unheard of thing with me). Never going back there again. Buuut........judging from the crowd, we must be the odd ones out. Oh well, they say one man's meat is another man's poison.....
So, we went in search of more assam laksa to satisfy our cravings. On a whim, we decided at random to pop in to a little shop located on the left side of the road opposite the souvenir stalls immediately upon coming down from the Kek Lok Si Temple. Didn't catch the name of the shop leh.....sorry. Too busy feeling disappointed???? Hah........this assam laksa is much, much better than the other one. Needed only a little blop of the "heh koh" to complete the taste. Finally.........we were satisfied.........for the time being.

A big disappointment for us

Much, much better

Food For Thought (14)

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning but anybody can start today and make a new ending. (Maria Robinson)
Yup......guess I should start now........

Restoran Ipoh Hometown, Ipoh

Our original plan was lunch at Restoran Wong Koh Kee in Ipoh old town buuut..................the place was packed to the gills and there was a horde of people waiting outside for seats even though it wasn't even 12 noon yet. So, emergency plan - change venue to Restoran Ipoh Hometown. We settled for their set lunch for 4 pax. First to arrive was the crispy skin tofu with mince meat. The tofu was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Very tasty. Then came the fried pork ribs. Something like fried chicken. Full of flavour. Yum, yum. Next was the 'paku choy' (fern shoots, I think) in sambal belacan. A perfect blend of flavours with just the right degree of spiciness. Nice. Then, the soup arrived. There were lots of stuff in it - Chinese cabbage, carrot, seaweed, tomato, meat patties and mushroom. Good till the last drop. Finally, there was the claypot stewed fish with 'kei chi' (Chinese wolfberries) and Chinese mushrooms. Good. Can even taste the 'kei chi' in the fish which was deep fried beforehand. To round things up - dessert of red bean soup. All these plus rice for 4 persons and free flow of Chinese tea came up to only RM42.00. Yes folks, that's right - forty two ringgit only. Now that's what I call a steal, no?
Restoran Ipoh Hometown is located at Jalan Medan Ipoh 1, Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh behind Old Town Kopitiam near Tesco.

All these plus dessert, rice and free flow of Chinese tea for only RM42.00

Crispy skin tofu with mince meat

Fried pork ribs

Sambal belacan 'Paku choy'

Mix vegetables soup

Claypot stewed fish with 'kei chi' and Chinese mushrooms

Food For Thought (13)

A long time ago, in my darkest hour, a wise person told me even though all doors are closed to me, God will still open a window for me. Yup, eventually I managed to find the open window and not long ago, a door opened for me too. Glad to say I could tell the door was opened. So......yes, never stop believing and always have faith no matter how long the wait or how long the search for the open window or door.

Restoran Ko Pi Tim, Ipoh

One of our favourite places to go for breakfast is Restoran Ko Pi Tim in Medan Ipoh Bistari. We will usually order the curry noodles (soup or dry version), siam laksa, pork noodles or fried noodles. We like the curry noodles (both the soup and dry version) with slices of 'char siew' (BBQ meat), shreds of chicken and prawns. Of course, they cannot be compared to the Nam Chau version but still.........they can stand on their own. The siam laksa (from the same stall) is also quite tasty with lots of fish (big chunks too), slivers of onion, pineapples and cucumber.
The pork noodles comes in a huge bowl filled with minced meat, meat patties, pig liver, pig intestines and vegetables garnished with lots of fried garlic. The soup is clear and flavourful. Nice. The fried noodles stall serves up a big variety of fried noodles in different styles. Worth a try. There is also a chee cheong fun stall, a hor hee stall, a pan mee stall, a wantan mee stall, a Western food stall and a 'liu fun' stall. But I should say this about the 'liu fun' stall - the man and lady manning the stall have attitude problems and service is extremely slow even when they have no other customers. Never going to patronise this particular stall ever again. I can't stand bad attitude and bad manners. Guarantee to make me see red.
Restoran Ko Pi Tim is located at the corner of Jalan Medan Ipoh 1B and Jalan Medan Ipoh 1D in Medan Ipoh Bistari, Ipoh behind PC Depot.

Pork Noodles

Siam Laksa from the curry noodles stall

News flash (07.04.2012) : The 'liu fun' stall manned by the man and lady with attitude problems has closed shop. Goes to show that bad attitude and bad manners will get nobody anywhere. Hah.

Food For Thought (12)

The only disability in life is a bad attitude. (Scott Hamilton)
Hmmm.............yup, couldn't agree more.

Northam Beach Cafe, Georgetown, Penang

One of our favourite places to go for dinner whenever we are in Penang is Northam Beach Cafe. Besides the ample parking, the stalls at this place serve up a variety of delicious food. You can opt to sit out in the open and listen to the sounds of waves lapping at the shore or you can choose to sit under the roof.....and listen to the sounds of people talking...... One of our favourite food here is the Belacan Fried Chicken Nugget. Very fragrant, tasty and flavourful with a distinct belacan taste. Nice. Goes well with beer. Also worth trying are the char koay teow, assam laksa, fried rice and hokkien mee; all which are pretty decent. The fried oyster would be good too if it was a bit drier but that's only my opinion lah. The oysters are quite big loh. Another offering worth a mention is the Teluk Kumbar Prawn Mee. Quite tasty but certain members of our group didn't like it, so..... There are also Western food (French and Italian), rojak, grilled fish, mua chi, bak kut teh, porridge, etc, etc being served here.
Northam Beach Cafe is located opposite Ambank at Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Georgetown.

An acquired taste????

Hokkien Mee

Belacan Fried Chicken Nuggets

Fried Oyster

Food For Thought (11)

Experience is the worst teacher; it gives the test before presenting the lesson. (Vernon Law)
Huh.......don't I know it. Very well too.....but I will always remember the lesson. So.....thank you, Experience.

Gunung Lang & The Wrong Roast Duck Rice

Being a long weekend due to the Hari Raya Haji holidays, we decided to go to Gunung Lang for a look see. Huh......surprise, surprise!!! Erm....on second thoughts, I guess we shouldn't be too surprised since this is exactly what we would expect from our dear city council (prevention is better than cure : most definitely not their motto). Both boats used to ferry visitors across the lake to the park had broken down and there was no sign of the mechanic. Perhaps it was due to our great disappointment over this incident that we went into the wrong shop for lunch, heh, heh. Instead of going into Kedai Hong Kong for a lunch of roast duck rice, we walked into Restoran Sweet Home Town which is just a few doors away. Don't know how that happened??? One is air-conditioned, the other is not....... Anyway, their roast duck rice was only passable. The gravy was a bit on the salty side and so was the roast duck itself. But.....if they are less heavy handed on the salt, I believe the roast duck rice would be good. The sour vegetables (suen choy or choy kiok) was not good at all. Too bland for us. Not sour and spicy enough. Buuut......you don't have to agree with us lah.
Restoran Sweet Home Town is located in Taman Tasek Damai facing Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman (formerly known as Jalan Kuala Kangsar).

The quite salty roast duck rice

The very bland sour vegetables (suen choy or choy kiok)

Berlin's Bier Houz, Ipoh

Hey, found some photos of the time when we went for dinner at Berlin's Bier Houz in Greentown, Ipoh. Can't remember when leh, no matter how hard I rack this poor brain of mine. Must be getting old........
Anyway,..... let's see. German pork knuckles.........ooowee.....yum, yum. Can still remember the taste. My brain might be slow but my taste buds are not, hee, hee. Goes well with any of the German beers being sold at the outlet. Crispy, crackly skin and juicy, tender meat......mmmmm....... I'm hungry already. Next up, Berlin Spare Ribs.....one dish you must eat with your fingers. Ditch the knife and fork, people. A bit chewy though. Still.........it's not bad. Worth a try. Finally, the German sausages.......ahah! Very different from the normal pre-packed sausages that we find at the supermarket freezers. Sort of gives you a crunchy feel when you chew on it. Very flavourful. I think I shall make another visit to this place soon. Who should I get to go with me.......hmmmm??????
Berlin's Bier Houz is located at Persiaran Greentown 4, Greentown Business Centre, Ipoh.

Restoran San Chai, Ipoh

After passing by this coffee shop so many times, we decided to go in one morning and see what they have to offer. Hmmmm....there's fried noodles, pan mee, curry noodles, prawn mee, wantan mee, western food, pork noodles, etc. Mum and I decided to try the curry noodles. Mum had the curry noodles with 'liu'  and pork skin while I chosed the dry curry noodles with pork skin and 'char siew' (BBQ meat). Mum's choice was good even though it didn't look like it but the noodles were a bit overcooked lor. Ahhhh........my choice brought back sweet childhood memories of eating the same thing during visits to the grandparents' place in Pasir Pinji. A trip down memory lane, no?
Meanwhile sis and Dad ordered the chicken noodle soup (kai see hor fun) and prawn mee respectively from the prawn mee stall. According to sis, the chicken noodle soup was good but not good enough to make her want to come back just for it while Dad said the prawn mee doesn't have the 'prawn-y' taste to the soup but.......not too bad overall.
Restoran San Chai is located at the corner of Persiaran Bercham Selatan 1 and Persiaran Bercham Selatan 8 in Taman Desa Kencana, Ipoh.

Food For Thought (10)

Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it (Albert M Wills Jr)
Life is the sum of all our choices (Albert Camus)
Hmm.........must respond and make my choices wisely, no?

Food For Thought (9)

In this world where almost everyone is chasing after wealth and money, I once read somewhere that if money is our only problem, then we don't have much of a problem after all. Huh???

Kedai Makanan Nam Heong, Ipoh

While going through my stuff the other day, I came across some photos of one of our early morning excursions to Kedai Makanan Nam Heong in Ipoh old town. Incidentally, this is the birth place of the famous Old Town White Coffee that you see everywhere throughout the country. After racking this poor old brain of mine, I finally recalled that these photos were taken some time in September 2010.
So.....white coffee.......not as good as it used to be. Maybe too commercialised and hence the quality is compromised....?? Chicken noodle soup (kai see hor fun).....errr....frankly speaking....never tried it before even though we've been to this place countless times. Anyway, brother-in-law dear who tried it gave it the thumbs up. Maybe I should give it a try the next time I eat at this place. Hmmmm......banana leaf char koay teow (the only thing we've been ordering each time we patronise the shop)....weellll......sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not; depending on your luck at that moment in time. Can count on the element of surprise no??? Heh, heh, heh.
Kedai Makanan Nam Heong is a corner shop located at Jalan Bandar Timah near the 20-storey flats in Ipoh old town.

The very famous Ipoh Old Town White Coffee

Roti Canai (Restoran Nasi Kandar Nasmir, Ipoh)

After deciding on roti canai for breakfast, we elected to go to Restoran Nasi Kandar Nasmir in Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh. Being quite early in the morning (not even 8.00 a.m. yet), there weren't many customers around, so service was quick. The roti canai was soft and fluffy. Nice. The generous serving of fish curry was a bit too sour for us..........errrr..........or was it too sour for us that we couldn't finish the curry and hence we thought it was a generous serving?????hmmmmmm.  But.....the dhal (a sort of err...lentils stew???? cooked with herbs and spices) was good. As for the drinks, the teh tarik was very milky (so if you are not into milk, this is not for you) while the Milo kosong (just plain Milo without any added sugar and milk) was 'kau' (thick). The kopi O was ........weellll..........just sugar water (cannot taste the coffee at all). No more repeat order of this one for sure.
Restoran Nasi Kandar Nasmir is located at Jalan Medan Ipoh 2, Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh opposite Tesco.


Roti canai with fish curry and dhal

L-R : Kopi O, Teh Tarik, Milo Kosong

Kedai Kopi Nam Chau, Ipoh

Last weekend, we decided to check out Kedai Kopi Nam Chau in Ipoh Old Town. Sis and I went for their famous curry noodles while Dad settled for the noodle soup and Mum chosed the chicken koay teow soup (kai see hor fun).
Both sis and I were very pleased with our orders. Mine is the soup version and it was fantastic. Full of flavour, very fragrant and the level of spiciness adjusted to suit my taste (I really hate it when the level of spiciness in my food is not up to my standard). Comes with shreds of chicken, char siew and prawns. Got the óomph factor. Sis was equally pleased with her dry version of the curry noodles. "Amazing taste," she enthused. The curry was just thick enough to stick to the noodles but not too thick as to be gluey - something which really puts her off. Dad's noodle soup is equally good. The soup is very flavourful, he said. Also comes with slices of char siew, prawns and shreds of chicken. Mum was quite satisfied with her chicken koay teow soup. She said the soup is "ching thim" (sorry, don't know how to translate this - err.......direct translation : clear and sweet). Comes with shreds of chicken, slices of prawns and 'kau choy'.
Kedai Kopi Nam Chau is located at Jalan Bandar Timah in Ipoh Old Town.
We'll be back, heh, heh, heh, heh!!!!!!!!!

The famous Nam Chau curry noodles - the star of the place

The "supporting cast"

Food For Thought (8)

Someone once told me that when one door closes, another door opens but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.
Hmmm........should I go looking for open doors? Err.......but how do I know whether the door is opened?????

Kedai Makanan & Minuman Sun Heng, Ipoh

Went to a coffee shop in Kampung Simee, Ipoh for breakfast this morning. There was a chee cheong fun stall, a pork noodle stall, an economy meehoon stall and a curry noodle stall. Maybe it was still early (only 7.30 a.m.) or maybe it's the way they do things but our drinks order had to be repeated twice before they got it right after bringing the wrong drinks to our table twice.
And perhaps it's her normal way of speaking, but, the young lady at the curry noodle stall sounded quite impatient even though she wasn't run off her feet. Anyway, our orders of curry noodles with and without 'liu' and chicken curry noodles (dry version) arrived very quickly. The curry noodles was quite tasty although they shouldn't call it curry since it was not at all spicy. The chicken curry noodles (dry version) was passable with 4 big pieces of chicken although a bit on the salty side and........not spicy at all. Less of the salt would make it better.........?
Mum was pleased with her order of pan mee from the pork noodles stall. The pan mee was very springy , she said, and the soup very flavourful and besides the standard mince meat, also comes with slices of pork. The yee mee was equally good - same soup base as the pan mee, I think????? Once again the sambal belacan was great.

Kedai Makanan & Minuman Sun Heng is located at the junction of Jalan Pasar and Lebuh 5 in Kampung Simee, Ipoh.

This is from the pork noodle stall

The curry that shouldn't be called curry????

Pan Mee (Kafe Teen, Ipoh)

One of the two pan mee stalls that I would patronise in Ipoh is this stall located in Kafe Teen, a corner lot coffee shop behind Domino's Pizza in Medan Ipoh Bistari. Reason.....the pan mee would not leave a 'flour-y' taste in my mouth - something which I hate. The pan mee here is sort of al-dente. The soup is full of flavour, with lots of mince meat, veggie and of course, the fried anchovies. (Tip : Request for the anchovies to be served separately from the pan mee so that they will not lose their crispiness after being soaked in the soup.) And I absolutely love the sambal belacan that comes with the pan mee. Very fragrant and spicy. Oooohhh..........I salivate just thinking about it. They also serve a dry version of this pan mee which my sis said is equally tasty.
Be prepared for a long wait if you arrive late during peak hours ie breakfast and lunch.
Kafe Teen was formerly known as Kafe Tim.


(L-R) Dry Version and Soup Version



Kedai Kopi Keng Nam, Ipoh

After a lapse of a couple of years. we went back to check out Kedai Kopi Keng Nam, Ipoh. My curry mee was a disappointment - not as good as it used to be. I can taste the curry powder they used to cook the curry even though I ordered the dry version. And I don't remember it being watery before. So....I was quite put off by this. Dad's order of the Penang prawn mee was a good choice. Quite authentic - as close as one can get to the original Penang version, Dad said. The soup is very 'prawn-y' and fragrant. Comes with all the required kangkong, pieces of meat and slices of prawns. The portion was very small, leh. Dad had to order the pulut kaya to add on. The kaya in this dish was too sweet for us lor, but very smooth. Would be perfect if it wasn't that sweet ...........maybe we just don't have a sweet tooth?????? The chee cheong fun, erm......while tasty, was much too spicy for Mum and sis. Both the chicken curry version and the pork skin curry version were equally good if not too spicy. The pieces of chicken were soft and tender while the pork skin was springy. The yam cake was nothing special though.

Kedai Kopi Keng Nam is situated at Jalan Raja Ekram near the Tower Regency Hotel, Ipoh.

Special Dedication

To little 2 year old Wang Yue of China :
Rest in peace, dear baby. No one can hurt you or let you down anymore. You are safe now.

Food For Thought (7)

I once read somewhere that sometimes misfortunes that fall upon us are not actually misfortunes; they are God's way of showing us a different path to take in our lives. Hmmm......should I take another look at all my past misfortunes????

Freshwater Prawn Noodles (Sang Har Meen), Pusing

On the recommendation of a friend of my Dad's, we decided to try out the freshwater prawn noodles (sang har meen) in Pusing, more specifically, the one from Ming Feong Restaurant. Went there for lunch one Sunday. The place was packed but we were lucky some customers just vacated a table when we arrived. We ordered 'sang har meen' for 4 pax, a bowl of 'sui kau' (6 pieces) and an order of the curiously named 'kau chai ngap' to 'ta pau' (takeaway). The 'sang har meen' was quite good. The soup was full of flavour (a bit salty for me, though) and very 'prawn-y'. The prawns were quite big and fresh while the noodles, erm....while springy in the begining, turned a little soggy towards the end. The 'sui kau', however, was nothing special - can get the same anywhere.
Now, what in the world is 'kau chai ngap' (direct translation : puppy duck). Be assured there was no puppy in this dish, only duck. It's a delicious dish in which duck and old ginger were stewed with herbs and spices in a claypot of dark gravy and garnished with loads of spring onions. Very fragrant and the meat was not chewy at all. Nice. I thought I could taste yam in the gravy but I can't be sure lor because nobody else tasted it (something wrong with my tongue???)
Ming Feong Restaurant is situated at the Main Road in Pusing.

The very ordinary 'Sui Kau'

The star attraction : Sang Har Meen

The interior of the shop

The strangely named 'Kau Chai Ngap' (this is half a duck)

After strolling around Pusing town, we decided to buy some nyonya kuih to take back home with us.