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.

Food For Thought (6)

Confucius once said "It does not matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop".
Ermm......I guess I will achieve my goal one day. Patience.......

Restoran & Kafe New Weng Fatt, Ipoh

One Sunday, my sis suggested that we go for dinner at Restoran & Kafe New Weng Fatt in Ipoh Garden South, Ipoh. She had a craving for western food namely from Thum's. After ordering a chicken chop, a pork chop and a burger, we settled down to wait. Wait we did.............for almost an hour as the place was packed with Thum's customers. When our orders finally arrived, we were quite stunned to see such a big portion. The huge piece of chicken chop and the 2 big pieces of pork chop were drowned in brown sauce and accompanied by a generous serving of french fries, onion rings, a couple of pieces of sliced cucumbers and half a slice of toast. Ooooh........yum, yum. Fortunately, we were very hungry by then, so polishing off everything on the plate is no problem at all.

Mum's order of fried rice (she's not a fan of western food) from another stall was very appetising too with 4 big, fresh prawns, a generous serving of bits a 'char siew' and chopped french beans. Sorry I couldn't provide any photo. Mum dug in before I could take any pix.

Restoran & Kafe New Weng Fatt is located at Tingkat Ipoh 11, Ipoh Garden South, Ipoh.

Don't be fooled by it's looks, the portion is biiiiig.

MP Restaurant, Ipoh

Dad treated us to a 2 in 1 steamboat and BBQ dinner last Saturday. We decided on MP Restaurant in Greentown, Ipoh. They have 3 types of soup choices for the steamboat - chicken, herbal or tomyam. We chosed the tomyam soup and after dunking so many seafood, meat and vegetables in it, the soup was absolutely delicious. The buffet spread was quite extensive. There's a wide selection of seafood and meat (all prepared differently for BBQ and steamboat), various vegetables and yong tau foo for the steamboat, a small selection of sushi, dessert, fruits and salad plus standard buffet offerings like fried noodles, fried rice, soup, roast duck, steamed chicken, sausages, vegetables, french fries, mash potato (DIY), etc, and of course, drinks. The seafood being offered was fresh although we had no idea how long we should cook some of them, so......... trail and error, lor. Some turned out fine while others.......aaaargh..... turned disastrous. Heh, heh, that's what happens when one has never done a day of cooking in his/her life but........there were some seafood that we have never before cooked at home, so............ Oh yes, the restaurant also provided a herbal drink for anyone who might want it.........you know, all those BBQed food. First time we've come across such thing (maybe we are 'katak di bawah tempurung', heehee). By the way, senior citizens (those above 60 years of age) are entitled to a discount, so can bring your parents or grandparents.

MP Restaurant is located at 12A, Jalan Chin Choon Sam, Greentown, Ipoh.

The interior of the restaurant

Inside those aluminium packets are (clockwise) clams, prawns,  fish fillet and fish

A small part of the buffet spread on offer

Food For Thought (5)

Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines (Robert H. Schuller)
Hmmmm.............................

Food For Thought (4)

Buddha once said : "What we think, we become"
Oh, oh, ......... must change what I think........

Heong Peah & Khong Th'ng (Teluk Intan)

Last Sunday, Dad suggested we go to Teluk Intan for a visit. Yeh, anything for a trip. After nosing around, we came upon this little confectionery shop filled with customers. So, we decided to drop in and find out for ourselves what is the attraction. Waaah.... lots of choices but seeing that most of the people were buying the "heong peah" and "khong th'ng", we decided to buy some too. Seems that most people are not wrong. The 'heong peah" is good - fragrant crunchy skin encompassing a soft filling of molasses with just the right degree of sweetness. The "heong peah" without filling is my favourite - all fragrant crunchy skin ......mmmmmm. Can taste the smokiness. The "khong th'ng" is equally good - crunchy and not too sweet. All fresh from the oven.
In my humble opinion, the "heong peah" and "khong th'ng" from this shop is even better than a certain other more famous Teluk Intan brand but you don't have to agree with me lah. This little shop, Kedai Biskut Sin Guan Hoe, is located at Jalan Pasir Bedamar, Teluk Intan.

"Liu Fun" (Ting Garden Restaurant, Ipoh)

One weekend, while stumbling around again looking for a place for breakfast, we chanced upon a coffee shop called Ting Garden Restaurant in Taman Ipoh Boulevard Timur. Seeing that it was quite crowded, we decided to go in and join the crowd. After all, a crowded restaurant is a good sign of the food served there, no? When we finally managed to park ourselves at a recently vacated table, we settled for the "liu fun". Turned out that it was a good choice. The curry is good taste wise and the "liu", which have a good texture to them and provided a satisfying feeling to each bite, got a thumbs up from all of us. Service is quick too. What more can we ask for, eh? We all agreed that it was much better than a certain more popular shop in town but............. that's just our opinion lor.
Ting Garden Restaurant is a corner lot located at Lebuh Perajurit 3/1 in Taman Ipoh Boulevard Timur.

Food For Thought (3)

Change your thoughts and you change your world (Norman Vincent Peale).
You change your life by changing your heart (Max Lucado).
Hmmm......time for some changes????

Restoran Foo Kwai Ipoh Timur, Ipoh

Since we couldn't decide where to go for breakfast, we drove around until we came upon this coffee shop in Ipoh Garden East and decided to have our breakfast there since we saw there were quite a lot of customers even though it was still quite early (not even 8.00 a.m. yet). Mum went for the fried noodles while the rest of us decided on the wantan mee.

Mum was quite pleased with her choice of spicy fried koay teow mee - tasty although a bit dry, she said but Dad said he liked it just like this - dry. Unlike many fried noodle stalls, this one will add chilly and fry it together with your choice of order besides giving a separate serving of sambal/chilly sauce. Quite a big portion too. The wantan mee is equally good. The mee is al dente (just the way we like it) unlike some which turned out soft and gooey, yucks. Portion is quite big too.

Restoran Foo Kwai Ipoh Timur is a corner lot coffee shop situated at Laluan Perajurit 1 in Ipoh Garden East.

Fried Koay Teow Mee (Spicy Version)

Wantan Mee (Dry Version)

Char Koay Teow (Restoran Sin Lean Lee, Ipoh)

Some months back, after reading a recommendation from a local newspaper, my family and I decided to try the char koay teow at Restoran Sin Lean Lee, a coffee shop located at the junction of Jalan Panglima and Jalan Bandar Timah in Ipoh Old Town. Arrived there quite early (slightly after 8.00 a.m.) on a Sunday. We were one of the first customers there but the shop started filling up quite quickly after that.
Our orders came quite promptly and as you can see from the picture, the char koay teow looked like it is sort of partially wrapped in an omelette. Taste wise, it was not bad though it won't make me salivate just thinking about it. It was a little too oily for us but we were pleased with the prawns which were quite big and fresh. The cockles, ....errrrr.... normal size lor. Portions are a bit small, so if you are a big eater .........
Worth giving a try.

Food For Thought (2)

Confucius once said :
"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life"
How true. Hmmmm..........do I love my job????

Food For Thought (1)

Someone once told me that to suffer for another person is compassion. Huh? Errrr..... I don't think I have actually suffered for another person. Does this mean I am not compassionate?

Thum's Burger, Ipoh

After years of searching, I finally found my long lost childhood "friend" - Thum's Burger. I remember Dad used to bring us to the van parked by the roadside opposite the Ipoh Garden Post Office to buy a couple of very yummy burgers from the two "kor kor" (big brother). A bite of the fluffy bun with a crispy on the outside and soft on the inside burger patty smothered with ketchup/chilly sauce, mayonnaise and shredded cucumbers is enough to send me into absolute bliss. I am glad to find that nothing has changed after all these years .........errrrr.... except the price.
Thum's Burger is now operating from Restoran & Kafe New Weng Fatt in Ipoh Garden South (Tingkat Taman Ipoh 11 to be exact).

Fu Tien Vegetarian Restaurant, Ipoh

Since it is this time of the year (Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods), my family and I decided to go to Fu Tien Vegetarian Restaurant for lunch. Love the sushi, you know. Mum and Dad, being from the so called older generation, is not so much into the sushi thing and so, opted for the 'normal food'. This time, we chosed 3 types of sushi (Fancy, Mika & Ginza plus an Abalone Salad) and 2 types of 'normal food' (mutton curry & claypot salted fish eggplant) with rice. Mum and Dad gave the thumbs up for the claypot salted fish eggplant but they were a little disappointed with the mutton curry which they said is too watery.
Fancy, the sushi, comes with cheese and dribbled with a sweetish sauce got a thumbs up from the rest of us. The Abalone Salad ...... hmmmmm......errrr...... we liked the salad but not the abalone. Being the type who doesn't find real sushi appealing, Fu Tien Vegetarian is the place to go whenever I suddenly feel like eating 'sushi'. Reasonable prices, good vegetarian food, what more can I ask for......?
Fu Tien Vegetarian is situated at Jalan Medan Ipoh 1B in Medan Ipoh Bistari, Ipoh at the row of shops behind PC Depot.