Established in 1945, Lok Kei (六记粥麵) specializes in noodles & porridge.  To be specific, the noodles are known as “bamboo noodles” (竹升麵) as the dough is kneaded manually by a giant stick of bamboo.  The dough is kneaded with even forces from all directions and finally pressed into a thin sheet.  The laborious procedure requires years of practice and this particular skill is also amongst one of the “36 Cantonese Cooking Methods” (广东36艺).

The bamboo noodles are exceptional with a light crunch and it’s perfect to go with everything, whether it’s with wanton or braised beef.  The most extraordinary combination is to pair it with shrimp powder (虾籽捞麵, MOP 38). The noodles might look like food-gone-wrong with its unusual earth-colored powder, but the sawdust-like powder is finer than beach sand with an intense shrimp flavor.

The wantan skin is also pressed with bamboo stick and is superbly thin.  The broth is a tad bland on the flavor as opposed to the noodles with braised beef.  Both noodles are MOP 28.

The bouncy fish balls (米通l鲮鱼球 MOP 52) are coated with an unlikely element – bee hoon shreds; creating crusty fishballs with an ultimate texture.

The crab porridge (水蟹粥 MOP 180) is another famed dish of Macau and a few different restaurants carry this dish.  The one at Lok Kei is famous, but not particularly out of this world for me.

Considering that the noodles, the porridge and the fishballs are the “must-tries” at Lok Kei, the stir fries are not too shabby either.  Both dishes – the clams with black bean paste (MOP 52) and the beef hor fun (MOP 45) are hot and steamy I could imagine them tumbling in high heat to generate that “wok flavor”.

The restaurant is modest with a local vibe.  It’s hidden in a small lane and not really within the range of any major attractions, making it much less touristy.   If you have a chance, you should at least try the shrimp powder noodles, before the traditional craft of bamboo kneading is lost.

More Info
Address : 新马路沙梨头仁慕巷1号D地下。
1 d Travessa da Saudade, Ribeira do Patane, Macau.
Opening Hours : 6 pm – 2.30 pm.

The post Lok Kei Noodles & Porrdige @ Macau appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

Soong Kee Beef noodles has been around for a long long time.  Imagine my friend of almost 60 years old says that he’s been eating at Soong Kee since he was in high school.  That’s at least 40 years there ! The modest shoplot is swarmed with dedicated patrons.  Fortunately the turnover time is pretty fast you’ll just have to be patient to get your table.  Remember to check out for more tables upstairs.  

We called a small bowl of mixed offal with beef slices, beef balls, tripe and tendon (RM 7 for small; RM 12 for large).  I am not a fan of offal soups because sometimes the soups can have a strong smell.  There was nothing of that sort to worry about at Soong Kee.  The beef slices were cooked to perfection, just enough to get rid of the rawness, evident from some of the slices still having a tint of pinkness to them when they arrived.  That pinkness quickly went away as the slices remained in the hot broth.  Melt-in-your-mouth kind of tender, the beef slices were utterly thin and supple; a proven recipe to entice you to the moon and back.  The beef balls were light, airy with a crisp bite while the tripe and tendon were satisfactory.

The noodles (RM 4 for small, RM 5 for large) had a copious portion of simple yet flavorsome minced pork; copious enough so that there was a bit of minced pork with every bite.  The noodles though could do better as it had a faint alkaline taste and they were just not springy enough.  Go to Ipoh and try the wantan noodles at Ipoh Stadium then you’ll know what I mean.

It’s Ok if you don’t fancy pork noodles because there is also the popular Loa Yau Kee Porrdige located in the same compound as Soong Kee.

More Info
Address : 86 Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, 56000 KL, Malaysia.
Opening Hours : 11 am – 12 am.  Closed on Sundays.

The post Soong Kee Beef Noodles @ Chinatown, KL appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

The humble food cart of  Loa Yau Kee Porridge (老友记) is parked in front of Soong Kee Beef Noodles.  Despite being much smaller, Loa Yau Kee is not overshadowed and it’s just as popular.  The uncle that manes the stall dishes out a fulfilling bowl of porridge as fast as he could with agility.  I don’t know how old this stall has been around, but perhaps started out some 60 years ago in the same era as Soong Kee Beef Noodles. 

The porridge could not be any plainer.  Just plain, plain plain, enabling one to truly enjoy and focus on this bowl of simplicity that’s soupy, lightly starchy with rice grains that have disintegrated to a fluffy texture.

Unlike Teochew porridge that comes with a variety of vegetables and meats to choose from, Loa You Kee has only three dishes to pair the porridge with – chicken, raw fish slices and pork innards, which are already enough to keep the stall busy.  It is RM 6 per bowl of porridge with one dish.

Raw fish slices are seasoned with oil, ginger slices and scallions; a versatile option whether you would like to eat it raw or add it into the hot porridge to cook it.  The slices are thin enough to be cooked thoroughly.

Silken chicken drizzled with oil and soy sauce ? Sure, bring it on anytime.

More  Info
Address : 86 Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, 56000 KL, Malaysia.
Opening Hours : 11 am – 12 am.  Closed on Sundays.

The post Loa Yau Kee Porridge @ Chinatown, KL appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

Shilin Night Market is indisputably the most famous night market in Taiwan.  Not only tourists, but locals too flock here for a vibrant night filled with superb food, dazzling clothes and amusing games.  There are two sections to the market; one section is housed in the Shilin Market Building, while the other section is on the open streets. At Shilin Night Market, traditional and classic foods are showcased you’ll be able to get a gist of Taiwanese Street Food at a glance.  Let’s start off with things to eat at the Shilin Market Building first !

1.  Grilled Prawns (烤虾@迷你钓虾场)


These prawns are not just any prawns; they are prawns that you have fished for yourself.

The vendor will provide you with 7 fishing sticks @ NT100, each comprising of a stick connected to a small hook via a piece of thread.

With the seven chances, you could fish all you want till the thread breaks.  We’ve only manged to fish two prawns with our 7 chances.

2.  Paper Pork （猪肉纸）


I would say this is a variation of “bak kwa”, only this is almost as thin as paper, drier and crunchier, but just as addictive.  The paper pork comes in a few flavors including original, seaweed and black pepper.

While you are busy hunting for food, do take note of these two red-brick buildings on the same floor.  They look old and they are indeed more than a 100 years old built by the Japanese during their occupation.  These two buildings are now classified as historical sites in Taiwan.

In the same building, head over to the food court at the basement.

3.  Stinky Tofu （臭豆腐）


Some call it putrid, some call it heavenly.  It’s an acquired smell.  There’s a stinky tofu stall as you descend from the B1 entrance to the basement.  It’s so smelly pretty much everyone that walks pass this stall covers their noses.  Other than the intolerable / wonderful smell, the dish is truly delectable that’s crisp and puffy with a punch from the pickled vegetables.

4.  Oyster Omelette （蚵仔煎）

A simple egg omelette transcends to an ultimate delicacy with the addition of oysters.  The starchy omelette is mixed with vegetables then topped with sweet chili sauce. You may ask for oysters only, or prawn only, or mixture of both.

5.  Fried Bee Hoon （炒米粉）


The fried bee hoon is basic with a splash of braised minced pork.  Try it for the texture as it is very much different from the Malaysian ones with an extra tad of springiness.  Oh, and the vendor has their unique way of labeling their chili sauce.  The chili sauce on the right says “This one is spicier”.

6.  Seafood （海鲜）





A typical store like this would carry a good selection of seafood.  Sea snails, prawns, scallops, baby soft shell crabs, etc. Most of them are in the range of NT 150 to NT 200 per plate.


Can you imagine these baby abalones are only NT200?  Can’t imagine how much this plate of abalone in Malaysia would cost.  The items are mostly deep-fried or grilled. While you are not getting the “feeling-the-liveliness-in-your-mouth” kind of freshness because the items are prepared from a frozen state, the price is sure uber-affordable.

7.  Taiwan Beer （台湾啤酒）


Taiwan Beer is light and refreshing.  I think ladies would resonate with me on this while gentlemen might think it is too light.  Nonetheless, tick this off your checklist if you life goal is to savor every beer in all the countries you travel to.

Best yet, beer comes in fruity renditions too.  Take your pick – orange, grapes, pineapple or mango (image credit http://www.twbeer.com.tw/).  PS: Don’t drink and drive.

8. Big-Bread-Wraps-Small-Bread （大饼包小饼）


I really don’t know what to call this besides translating directly from its mandarin name – 大饼包小饼 (NT 35)。  The vendor lays a piece of capati-like-pastry (but thinner ad softer) on the wooden board, places the brown crisp bread on the capati, hammers it to pieces, adds a sweet topping (red beans, peanuts, sesame, coconut or yam) or savory topping (curry, meat floss or black pepper) and wraps up the whole ensemble.

9.  Fresh Juices （果汁）


With advanced agriculture, fruits are exceptionally sweet in Taiwan.  Pineapples don’t even have the slightest hint of sourness; lychees are grown with puny seeds to maximize flesh volume and bitter gourds are not bitter.  If you can’t decide which one to drink, try the classic papaya milk drink.  For the adventurous, try the bitter gourd juice or the custard apple juice.

10.  Aiyu Jelly （爱玉）



Most of the drinks stores would have this.  It is made from fig seeds.  Upon washing of the seeds, a gelatinous jelly is formed, best eaten with sugar syrup and a drizzle of lemon juice.  Aiyu originates from the Chia Yi / Alishan region of Taiwan.

Moving onto the streets,

11.  Oyster Mian Xia / Mee Sua （蚵仔面线）

Oyster Mian Xian / Mee Sua is an iconic Taiwanese street food.  The gooey, bonito -laced noodle soup with oysters that impart a note of umami is a national favorite.  Ah Zhong Mian Xian in Ximending is particularly famous with patrons willing to queue; but seriously, it doesn’t really matter where you eat this dish because it won’t go wrong.

12.  Pepper Pork Bun （胡椒饼）


There was a queue even when it was raining.  After trying the bun, I understood why.  The crispy bun envelopes a heavenly bolus of juicy, peppery, succulent minced meat that’s to die for.  After one bite, I was a follower.  The bun reaches your hands as soon as it leaves the oven it’s almost too hot to hold.   Eat the bun as soon as possible because the bread gets a bit soggy with the heat after sometime.  You can also find the original branch at Raohe Night Market.

13.  Phallic Symbol Ice Cream / Pastry / Soap （大雕冰/大雕烧/大雕香皂）

Sex Sells.  It doesn’t matter when, how, what, where, it just sells, even when it’s in the form of food.  Nobody could keep a straight face while walking past this store.  The ice cream ones are of course to be consumed right away while the long lasting ones such as pineapple pastry and soap could be brought home as souvenirs to generate some giggling.

14.  Honey Barbecue （蜜汁烧烤）

Barbecue is made extra sinful with an extra coating of honey.  Literally finger-licking-good.

15.  Braised Food with Shacha Sauce （沙茶卤味）

Taiwanese braise anything and everything.  Chicken wings, chicken innards, pork balls, bean curd, eggs, pig’s blood cake and vegetables are classic items on the braising menu.  The soy sauce based marinade differs from stall to stall; some makes it with an additional herbal accent, while some makes use of “shacha sauce” like this particular one.

16.  Giant Grilled Squids (大鱿鱼）

You could smell the grilling scent from afar.  The scent is like an invisible hand pulling you towards the stall, urging you to try the sensational giant squid.

17.  Fired Mackerel Thick Soup (魠魚羹)

The mackerel fish slices are coated in spiced batter, deep fried, and dunked into a vegetable-based thick soup with a note of sweetness.  The fish slices amazingly taste quite like deep-fried chicken.  Imagine poop-corn chicken (咸酥鸡) but now it’s made with fish.

18.  Giant Sausages （大香肠）

Now sausage lovers can get overdosed with sausages because these sausages now are twice as big.  Another popular item from a sausage stall would be “Big Sausage Wraps Small Sausage” (大肠包小肠), an ensemble of a glutinous rice sausage wrapping a small meat sausage.

19.  Shaved Ice （雪花冰）

Termed as “snow flake ice” ( 雪花冰) in Taiwan, the fine, fluffy texture of  snow  shaved ice is irresistible and tantalizing. Various flavors are available such as mango, chocolate, peanut and sour plum.

20.  Three-Kinds-of-Ice (三种冰)

Before taro balls and herbal jelly became systematic and SOP-ed to form franchises like Snowflake and Meetfresh, the stores were typically your neighborhood dessert stores by the roadside and they all had a generic name called Three-Kinds-Of-Ice, where you would choose three kinds of topping (or more at an additional price) to add on to your shaved ice / herbal jelly /green bean soup.  Trying a traditional one in Taiwan is much different from say, Snowflake.  It reeks nostalgia and it’s easy to add too much topping with a myriad of topping all laid out in front of you.

21.  Bacon wraps （培根卷）

Lightly charred bacon infused with the aromatics of scallion is simply a bundle of joy.  Be careful though because there is a small piece of toothpick inside to keep the bundle intact.

22.  Cow Tongue Pastry （牛舌饼）

No animals were harmed in the making of this crispy pastry.  The pastry resembles the shape of a cow’s tongue and hence the name.  Two flavors are available : savory peanut and sweet malt sugar.

23.  Tanghulu – Sugar Coated Fruits (冰糖糖葫芦)

Traditionally, sourish fruits are coated with rock candy syrup.  The syrup forms a hard coating and as you sink your teeth into it, the combination of crackling sweetness and palate-teasing sourness will win you over.

24.  All the Other Things You Didn’t Get to Eat

Of course it’s not possible to eat everything at the market in one go ! There are bound to be something that you swore to yourself that you will come back again for.  Perhaps that ferocious soup with snakes and turtles;

or that Hot Star Fried Chicken you might have already tried in Malaysia and decided to leave your stomach for something else;

or that fried rice balls and that grilled dice beef and that beef noodles and much more.

More Info
Shilin Night Market Official Website
Getting there : via Jiantan MRT Station.  You’ll be able to see the market once you exit the station.

The post 24 Things to Eat @ Shilin Night Market @ Taipei, Taiwan appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

There’s something undeniably alluring about Ipoh’s White Coffee.  That velvety texture, that hint of charcoal scent and that unforgettable flavor all contribute to Ipoh’s famed drink. There are a few places you could drink Ipoh White Coffee : Ah Chow, Chang Jian, Nam Chau, Nam Heong, Sun Yoong Loong and Xin Xiang Er Nong.  You probably have your own absolute favorite place to go to it’s just got to be that particular kopitiam and no others will do.  I was so addicted to Sin Yoong Loong at one point I was sometimes drinking 2 cups a day before cutting down my consumption.  Have you ever wondered why you are particularly inclined to white coffee from a certain kopitiam ? Perhaps it’s the old coffee stains in the cups that made Ipoh White Coffee so special; or perhaps the subtle differences in acidity, sweetness and bitterness from different kopitiams are enough for you to vouch all out for your favorite white coffee.

I decided to try out all the white coffees to see what’s the difference between them.  Typically, I LOVE my white coffee as kopi-c; i.e. milk and no sugar.  For the first few rounds, all the white coffee seemed to taste the same to me.  So I gave up my favorite way of drinking for this experiment and I drank all the white coffee as kopi-o-kosong – no milk and no sugar.  Here are my findings (in alphabetically order) :

1.  Ah Chow White Coffee

Ah Chow’s white coffee had a distinctive sweet note to it even without sugar.  It was the least characteristic among all the white coffee because neither the strength nor the charred scent stood out.  Having said that about the kopi o kosong, Ah Chow’s one and only alcohol-laced white coffee was remarkably noteworthy.

The slightly milky-looking coffee had a tad of alcohol; not a whole lot of it so don’t expect it to have the alcoholic potency as the Irish coffee.  There was enough alcohol for you to acknowledge it and its chemistry with the inherent sweetness of the white coffee was splendid you could end up asking for seconds.

As for food, chicken rice and noodles are available at Ah Chow.

Address : 31 Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak (in Ipoh Old Town).

2.  Chang Jiang White Coffee (Branch )

Chang Jiang’s white coffee was a robust brew, perhaps even one of the strongest.  The coffee had a powerful charred scent with an amazing herbal taste.

The chicken and pork rice at Chang Jiang were decent with a delectable sauce.

Address : No. 171 Jalan Pasir Puteh, 31650 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

3.  Chang Jiang White Coffee (Branch 2)

Chang Jiang White Coffee has opened a signature outlet in 2014.  The outlet exudes nostalgia with its marble table tops, old-fashioned panel windows and giant mirrors.  At the same time, it is demurely chic with Tiffany-blue chairs and pink window frames.  The signature noodles topped with chicken feet, tofu, egg, minced meat and vegetable are simple yet exquisite.

Address : No. 7 Jalan Windsor, 30250 Ipoh, Perak.

4.  Nam Chau White Coffee

Nam Chau’s white coffee had a subtle note of sweetness with a hint of bitterness.  I just couldn’t resist and ordered a cup of kopi-c; where the simple presence of milk was like a magic potion, adding bliss to the coffee.

As for food, you won’t be disappointed with Nam Chau’s variety of curries.

Address : 54 Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

5.  Nam Heong (Branch 1)

Nam Heong’s white coffee was moderately intense and leaned towards a heavier note on acidity.  The acidity was still recognizable when I drank it as kopi-c.

Food at Nam Heong is one of the best in Ipoh; including dim sum, char koay teow and curry noodles.

Address : 2 Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

6.  Nam Heong Food Court (Branch 2)

To drink Nam Heong’s white coffee at a more sophisticated environment, go to Nam Heong Food Court.  Same coffee, same dim sum, more choices for food as the food court has gathered at least 10 popular Ipoh hawker food stalls all under one roof.  The food items here are slightly pricier though.

Address : Blok B, 2-14, Soho Ipoh, Jalan Sultan Iskandar Shah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

7.  Sin Yoon Loong (Branch 1)

I’ve always had an affinity towards Sin Yoon Loong’s coffee and I never knew why.  Now that I have tried a good number of white coffee in Ipoh I think I found the reason.  Sin Yoon Loong’s coffee was very well balanced.  It was a moderately strong brew with hints of bitterness, acidity and charred scent.  There was a bit of everything that you could recognize yet the elements didn’t overwhelm each other, making it my kind of coffee.

Food items you can order at Sin Yoong Loong include charcoal toasted bread with kaya, yong tau fu and pork rice.   Food from next door, Sin Yuan Fong, can also be ordered to be eaten at Sin Yoong Loong.

Address : 15 A Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

8.  Sun Yoong Loong (Branch 2)

Sin Yoong Yoong has two branches; the one in old town is run by the mother, while the one at Medan Bendahara is run by the son.

Address : Medan Bendahara, 31650 Ipoh, Perak.

9.  Xin Xiang Er Nong

Xin Xiang Er Nong’s white coffee was potent and as vigorous as the one from Chang Jiang I couldn’t decide which one was stronger.  The white coffee was predominantly charred with a pleasurable tinge of bitterness.

Food items at Xin Xian Er Nong inlcude Pan mee, economy rice, currey mee (from Dong Gu Teng) and herbal duck noodles.

Address : At the intersection of Jalan Tokong / Jalan Foo Ee Ling, 31650 Ipoh, Perak.

Conclusion

In conclusion,

1.  For coffee lovers who prefer a heavy brew, go to Chang Jiang and Xin Xiang Er Nong.  For a unique herbal taste in coffee, go to Chang Jiang; for an energetic charred scent, go to xin Xiang Er Nong.

2.  For coffee lovers who like a moderate brew, go to Sin Yoong Loong, Nam Heong and Nam Chau.  Go to Sin Yoong Loong for a well balanced coffee with a bit of everything – charred scent, bitterness and acidity; go to Nam Heong if you like a bit of acidity; go to Nam Chau if you like your coffee with a note of sweetness.

3.  For coffee lovers who like a lighter brew, go to Ah Chow.  The coffee there is indeed very light; almost too light.  Try the alcohol-laced white coffee for an oomph.

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Tai Feng Steamboat @ Cheras (台风火锅) is located among the shoplots next to Aeon in Balakong, on Jalan C180.  To be precise, it is Taiwanese steamboat, from the drinks (Taiwanese fruit beer & health-conscious drinks), to the ingredients used and even the service too are downright Taiwanese.  The interior is the current trend of industrial chic of bare red bricks and raw concrete, but with sprigs of added greens, it reminds me of Taiwan’s “Siheyuan”, or courtyard houses in the shape of quadrangles.

There were 4 kinds of soup bases – tomatos (RM 20), lemon grass (RM 20), tomatos + milk (RM 20) and sour cabbage + pork (RM 25).  We went with sour cabbage + pork as it was highly recommended by my sister.

When the soup was boiling, the staff  scooped a spoonful for us to try  the flavor.  It had the similar taste as “kiam chai” soup (green mustard soup), only more refreshing and less salty.

He scooped another spoonful of soup into the sauce, made of deep fried, crunchy shrimps and sesame sauce – an ultimate dip that adds a hint of umami to anything.

The steamboat set (RM 20.90) is suitable to get you started including basic items such as vegetables, prawns, meatballs, eggs and noodles.  Looking at the three-tiered bamboo basket, for a moment I thought I was having hi-tea ! The amount shown here is for 2 sets.

The top tier.

The second tier.

The third tier.

Our a la carte items were – Australian Beef (RM17) – succulent and inviting;

minced meat with yolk (RM 15.90) – which formed the most wonderful bolus of meat when dropped into the hot boiling soup.  It was delicate without any porky smell even my friend who dislikes almost any kind of pork gave it a positive nod;

and various kinds of pork balls and fishballs (in the range of RM 6.90 – 9.90 for a plate of 6).  Pork balls are classic Taiwanese food commonly seen in Taiwanese households and in Taiwanese cuisine.  The pork balls became more and more creative over time; more ingredients were used instead of solely pork.  In the case of Tai Feng, you see cheese within pork balls, sausage within pork balls and minced meat within pork balls; adding a twist to the classic.

The steamboat set was pretty value for money, at RM 20.90 per set, it came with a scoop of Haagen Dazs ice cream too. Would have been RM 12.90 if we ordered as a la carte.

Service at Tai Feng Steamboat was excellent – almost too attentive.  The staff will “report” to you about everything they are about to do; for example they will notify you when they want to add more soup to the hot pot, or they’ll ask for your permission to put in the last remaining bits of vegetables, and they are extremely polite every sentence ends with “thank you”.  Very classic Taiwanese restaurant service.  The boss himself is actually not from Taiwan but has worked sometime there.  I think he’s replicated a successful Taiwanese business model at Tai Feng Steamboat.

More Info
Tai Feng Hot Pot Facebook
Address : A-1-UG, Jalan C180/1, Dataran C180, 43200 Cheras.
Opening Hours : 4 pm – 12 am.

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Rasa Lain in Ipoh (怡保味不同) serves as one of my earliest food memories.  In fact, I’ve eaten at Rasa Lain before it was even called Rasa Lain and before its present location in Bercham.  It was called “Gao Xiung Seafood” (高雄海鲜) back then and located at today’s Soho area not too far away from Ipoh Parade.  My family was always going to Gao Xiung Seafood with their friends and the two distinctive dishes that were imprinted in my memories since 20 years ago were the crab tungfun (glass noodles) and fish porridge.

On our recent visit to Rasa Lain , the crab tungfun was sold out by 8 pm – can you believe that? So we settled for the next in line, the prawn tungfun.  If you don’t specify how you want your tungfun, the default is tungfun soup – splendid with prawn flavors infused into the soup and superbly aromatic with spices like ginger and scallions.

The fishballs are Rasa Lain’s signature dish.  If you shake the plate, the bouncy fishballs are like dancing on the plate.  I am not sure if it would bounce high if I throw one of these on the floor – but that would be a wasteful way to find out.

Both the squid stir fry and the intestine stir fry had a similar flavor inspired by Thai cuisine – with onions, lemongrass, chili and plenty of dried shrimps.  The squid was thick, crunchy and full excitement.  The crisp intestines were exceptionally refreshing, especially when it was Thai-inspired.

Feeling somewhat unfulfilled because the crab tunfun was sold out, we went back again a second time for stir-fry crab tungfun – though I must say I was a bit disappointed because it was too far off from my childhood edition.  It wasn’t that this version was terrible or anything; the crab was juicy which was the essence of the whole dish but the tungfun was liveless.   The version that I remember vividly from my childhood was much more stunning – where the crab was accompanied by tungfun that was thoroughly stir-fried and lightly charred .  I think perhaps the bald-headed boss is no longer doing the cooking himself and hence the difference.  You might be better off with the soup version of crab tungfun.

Anyhow, Rasa Lain will always be one of Ipoh’s restaurant, but note some amount of MSG was most likely used.

More Info
Address: 69, Persiaran Medan Bercham 2, Pusat Bandar Baru Bercham, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

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Ecole P @ Damansara Uptown sports a charming back-to-school theme, serving both Malaysian dishes (some with a twist) and Western dishes.  Going to Ecole P will definitely conjure up familiar memories of your good old school days !  

The times tables welcome you at the entrance – they don’t look so intimidating now once we are out of school !

Most of the cafe’s tables are upcycled from old and graffitied school tables.

The balcony is the designated “classroom” with blackboards, polka dot curtains, notice boards and vintage hot water flasks.

These ice gems are served as starters (actually, there was more cookies but hands dug into the bowl faster than my camera…)

Ecole P serves a variety of coffees, smoothies, mocktails and teas; to be specific, “TEAcher drinks”.  Some of your favorite teachers (or not so favorite teachers) might be on the list – Maths TEAcher, Arts TEAcher, Discipline TEAcher, etc.

This one is the “Geography TEAcher” (RM 9) – comprising of Earl Grey, berries, and sugar syrup in a tiny milk bottle.

The school bags hanging on each table are not solely for decoration purposes.

They also hold pencil boxes just like the good old days, but only that the pencils are replaced with utensils.

The Coke & Sprite Chicken Wings (RM 13.90)  come in a metal, two-tiered tiffin carrier, the dark ones braised in Coke while the white ones braised in Sprite, inheriting two kinds of sweetness from the respective drinks.

The seaweed fried rice in claypot is a healthy concoction with seaweed, mushrooms, carrots and mesquite-smoked chicken slices; flavorful with every mouthful (RM 16).

We like the Seafood Linguine (RM 21.90) with a burst of flavors in curry leaves, chili flakes and a refreshing squeeze of lemon.

Intriguingly, the incorporation of nasi lemak into creme brulee (RM 10.90) creates a world of wonders.  The savory dessert consists of coconut-milk-infused custard topped with anchovies, peanuts and cucumber; accompanied with a berry-based savory chili sauce.  It’s definitely peculiar to be eating nasi lemak creme brulee this way.  Ecole P is worth visiting just to eat this savory creme brulee alone but it might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Ecole P cleverly uses exercise books as their menu.  Other items on the menu include triple baked egg (RM 14.90), roti canai burrito (RM 11.90), chicken tandori schinitzel (RM 17.90), fish a la Thai (RM 18.90), vegetarian dishes (RM 15.90) and waffles (RM 14.90).

More Info :
Ecole P Facebook
Address : 19 M, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama.
Opening Hours :  11 am to 10 pm.  Closed on Tuesdays.

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Mandarin Kitchen (唐人食坊) in Falim is probably one of the most popular Chinese Restaurants in Ipoh.  The food served is classic Chinese food while some dishes have a creative twist to them.  I think there are three major factors that contribute to the perpetual state of full house – excellent food, big portion and good price ! 

You might think that dinner at 6.30 pm is early and you should get plenty of seats, oh you are so wrong ! The restaurant gets packed by 6.30 pm on a weekday; I can’t imagine how it’s like on a weekend ! The first time we visited, we made a reservation for 6.30 pm, and we had to wait for about an hour before the food arrived.  The second time we went, we learnt the lesson and we went at 5.30 pm (that’s one crazy early dinner right !).  We were the first ones there, but not for long because by 5.45 pm, people started streaming in, fast, and the restaurant was filled in no time.  The moral of the story is that if you want good food, either you go really early, or be prepared to wait.

Anyway, on the first occasion that we went, we spent RM 96.90 on 5 dishes, 4 rices and tea (inclusive of GST).

The Sweet and Sour Pork (冰鎮咕嚕肉, “gu lou yoke”, RM 16, small) was so addictive ! I’m sure everyone must have had “gu lou yoke” at some point of their lives, but I bet you’ve never had the “ICED” version.  The pork was placed on a bed of ice, which hardens the cramelized gravy that coats the pork， giving the bite-sized pork a crispy texture.  It was an adventurous twist to the classic dish.  The downside was that since ice was involved, the meat was lukewarm (and it got colder as it sat longer on the ice).  Do take note that you need to preorder this dish; it is not readily available if you walk in. 

Since we already pre-ordered the Iced Pork, by right one pork dish was enough, but we could not let go of the “Dongpo Pork” （東坡肉， RM 19, small), so we ordered one more pork dish ! No regrets because the pork  belly was braised till tender, and smothered in flavorful gravy.  

The Steamed Tilapia (醬蒸金鳳魚, RM42.90) was flawless – perfectly steamed with fiery spices.  Our fish was a whopping 1.3 kg for our party of 4, which was apparently the smallest they had on the day.  

The Green Dragon Vegetable (青龍菜， RM 10, Small) was elegantly stir-fried with mushrooms; while the use of dried squid strips was ingenious because it was not only visually appealing, but  it also immediately added a taste of umami to the vegetables.
Try the delectable Minced Meat Tofu (菜脯肉碎豆腐, RM9, Small) if you are looking for something homey.  

When we revisited Mandarin Kitchen on a second occasion, we spent RM 75.2 on three dishes, one rice and tea.

Normally, sea cucumber is not a dish we would order because most of the time it’s pretty expensive.  When we saw it at Mandarin Kitchen, the braised sea cucumber (紅燒海參) was only RM 35 ! The classic dish had everything right – the meaty mushrooms, tender cucumbers and broccoli all came together in a happy medley.

The Ice Cream Pork Ribs (雪糕排骨 RM 14, Small) didn’t taste as peculiar as it sounds.  In fact, the ice cream paired so well with the pork ribs I wondered why did nobody else think of this combination before ? The pork ribs were well marinated and topped with a scoop of herb-laced vanilla ice cream.  The ice cream was immediately melted by the sizzling-hot pork ribs and it became a delightful, buttery, creamy sauce.  
Another interesting dish was the Fried Milk with Prawns (大良炒鮮奶， RM18, small).  How the hell do you fry milk ? The dish sure sounded strange enough to pique my curiosity.  It turned out that super-fresh prawns were stir-fried with a smooth batter, then topped with prawn roe.  So that’s how you do it ! What was more baffling was that it was only RM 18 – anything with this much of prawns would easily cost RM 25 and above !

The restaurant has two floors; both were packed to the max when we visited.  

Would I visit the restaurant again ? Surely I would, for its affordability, and all the other creative dishes that I am yet to try (blueberry prawns, I am coming for you !)

More Info
Mandarin Kitchen Ipoh Facebook
Address : 11&13 Laluan Perusahaan Menglembu 2, Kawasan Perusahaan Menglembu (Located behind Old Town Kopitiam in Falim)
Opening Hours : Opens daily for lunch and dinner.

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Woong Kee Tau Fu Fah in Ipoh (旺記祖傳豆腐花) is fast becoming Ipohans’ new favorite place.  The stall started off as a small stall in Bercham and has now expanded to a bigger store on Jalan Ali Pitchay (Off Jalan Yang Kalsom).  When it comes to weekends and public holidays, good luck, because you’ll need the patience to queue. 

When it comes to tau fu fah in Ipoh, Funny Mountain would no doubt be the first to pop-up in one’s mind because it’s been around for ages and everybody loves its silken tau fu fah.  Wong Kee’s tau fu fah is just as good, if not better.  The texture of Wong Kee’s tau fu fah is extremely soft, unbelivably light;  you could almost eat it as if you were drinking water.

Wong Kee is also very creative with its ingredients.  We’ve tried so many different kinds of tau fu fah here and we’ll keep going back for more. Here’s the classic tau fu fah with sugar syrup that’s always a safe bet.

Tau fu fah with ginger sugar syrup – a little more earthy because of the ginger.

Tau fu fah with a mix of everything – red beans, grass jelly, and shaved peanuts.  If you want, you can just choose one or two toppings instead of adding all three.

Tau Fu Fah with chrysanthemum sugar (photo below) – I was so amazed at the owner’s creativity for crafting this flavor to pair with the tau fu fah.  You get the elegant floral flavors from the chrysanthemum that goes superbly well with the tau fu fah.  The chrysanthemum sugar is not always available, so watch out their Facebook page for updates.  Another ingredient that you’ll have to check their Facebook pages for updates is the pumkin “tong yun” (glutinous rice, 湯圓) as it is also only available from time to time.

Woong Kee’s soy bean drink has an option to mix in grass jelly.

For something not too commonly seen, try the black soy bean drink.  Notice that the drink has a greenish hue which is the natural color of the beans after the removal of the black husk.

All the yummy tau fu fah comes from this giant tub.

A small seating area is within the store.

More Info

Wong Kee Tau Fu Fah (旺記祖傳豆腐花) Facebook
Address : 32-38A (Bawah), Jalan Ali Pitcha, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (Off Jalan Yang Kalsom).

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When it comes to Taiping Food, it may not have as much attention as its neighbouring cities such as Penang or Ipoh; but trust me, Taiping is a place that you don’t want to miss out for food !  In my recent visit to Taiping, I’ve had the chance to try out a number of things.  
I didn’t have to go far as many of these food are along Jalan Pasar. You could hang out on this street for 3 days and you would still have something different to eat for every meal.  Although there are “15 Things to Eat in Taiping” in this list, I am sure that there are a lot more things to eat than that, so please comment below the post to benefit those that are looking for awesome Taiping Food !

If you happen to be visiting Taiping from Ipoh and need a place to stay, check out Dream & Wander Homestay on Air BnB. The homestay sleeps 6 – 8 people and the rate starts RM 330 per night for the entire house.  See more pictures of Dream & Wander Homestay here, or you may contact them through Dream & Wander Homestay’s Facebook page, or via email admin@dreamwanderhomestay.com.

1.  Lian Thong Restaurant (聯通茶室)
Lian Thong Restaurant is one of the oldest kopitiams in Taiping serving loads of yummy things.  It is relatively more expensive than other restaurants in Taiping, but still reasonably priced for those that visit from outstation.   If there is only one thing you can try here, I would say go for the  “toufu-pop” (RM0.90 / piece), which is basically a ball of deep-fried minced meat wrapped with beancurd sheets.  The outer beancurd sheets become so crunchy that it flakes off delicately, while the meaty parts remain moist and juicy.  These tofu-pop sell out fast, so be there early if you can.

The kerabu rice (RM5) is another interesting item, which is a combo of fried rice, prawn crackers, onions, cucumbers and your selection of either chicken or fish.  I took the chicken, which is deep-fried till crisp without being oily, and highly addictive.

Lian Thong also has a selection of noodles.  The “Noodle Explosion” /”爆炸麵” (RM4.50) was  recommended by the uncle that took my order – yee mee noodles that’s been puffed into a crispy explosion, topped with egg gravy, chicken, prawns and vegetables.

My friend’s Jawa Noodles (RM 4.50) is a burst of flavors, and full of “wok-hei”. 

As for drinks, don’t miss out the housemade kamquat juice, evidently seen in jars and jars of kamquat nearby the counter.

Lian Thong Restaurant is your classic old-timer’s kopitiam housed in a pre-war shoplot.  The walls are green with typical mosaic tiles on the wall.  It’s worth checking out the kopitiam just to sit on the classic wooden straight-backed seats as you just don’t see them much anymore.

More Info
Lian Thong Restaurant Facebook
Address: 5 Jalan Kota, 34000 Taiping, Perak.

2.  Restoran Kakak (家家茶室)
Restoran Kakak is known for its shredded chicken noodles (雞絲河粉).  The bowl of noodles is actually very simple.  There’s nothing fancy about it, but every element in this bowl is perfect – lovely “hor fun” noodles, scrumptious chicken broth and a generous portion of shredded chicken – which is more than enough to capture the hearts of Taiping folks because many are loyal patrons of this place.  Other optional items include pork balls and dumplings.

The best drink to go with the noodles would no doubt be Restoran Kakak’s signature drinks – Jia Jia Ping (家家冰) and Jia Jia Re (家家熱)， which are intriguing concoctions of barely water and coffee.  Jia Jia Ping is the cold version with ice, while Jia Jia Re is the hot version.

The use of barley water is ingenious because there are no more traces of bitterness from the coffee, but replaced by a hint of unfamiliar sweetness from the barley.  You can even see barley bits in your coffee, which feels strange but ultimately fascinating.

Restoran Kakak’s interior and exterior.

More Information:
Restoran Kakak Facebook
Address : 111 Jalan Pasar, Taiping, Perak.
Opening Hours : In the morning.

3.  Hua Soon Fireworks Char Koay Teow (太平新板華順煙花炒粿條）
The uncle at Hua Soon Char Koay Teow has been on the job for the past 40 over years. He uses a fan to reduce the heat , in the process creating a splash of fireworks. Many patrons come near to his work station and watch the sizzling wok in action, enthralled by this spectacle. How about the taste of the char koay teow you ask ? Irrefutably good with plenty of “wokhei” and a heavier-than-usual peppery flavor. Request for duck egg for an enhanced flavor.

The video below will speak for itself !

More Info
Hua Soon Fireworks Char Koay Teow
Address :  13 Medan Pasar, Jalan Taiping-Kuala Kangsar, 34700 Simpang, Taiping.
Opening hours : Mon – Sat, 7pm to 12 pm.

4.  Kok Beng Chicken Rice (國泯叉燒雞飯)
In a battle of chicken rices organized by Guang Ming Daily Newspaper in 2007, 100 ＋ Hainanese chicken rice stores throughout Malaysia compete for a space among the Top 10 Chicken Rices of Malaysia.  Kok Beng Chicken Rice was among one of the winners. Even the huge chopping board has a peculiar shape from tens of years of repetitive chopping that it has become conical at the center of the board.

My plate of poached chicken, roasted chicken and char siew indeed is comfort food that is to-die-for.  If you  love to eat chicken rice, there are a few other excellent chicken rices in Taiping, such as the one in Tai Chien(大千茶室), or the one in Kedai Kopi Dan Tumpungan Swiss (瑞士茶室).

More Info:
Kok Beng Chicken Rice Facebook
No. 38, Jalan Kota, 34000 Perak.
Opening Hours : from 11.30 am.

5. Coffee from Antong Coffee Mill (安東咖啡廠)
Established in 1933, Antong Coffee Mill is the oldest coffee mill in Malaysia.  The coffee mill is open to visitors to see the captivating process of roasting one of Malaysian’s favorite drinks – the Kopi-o, which is typically roasted with 50 % of sugar.  The spellbinding coffee aroma permeates the room, making the hot and steamy roasting room surprisingly tolerable.

Antong coffee produces various type of coffee to cater to different coffee preferences for Malaysians from different parts of Malaysia.  Try them all at the showroom to see which one suits you better !

There’s also a piece of interesting history related to the coffee mill.  The mansion in the vicinity of the mill is the current office for Antong Coffee Mill; it was also the mansion where the first president of Taiwan, Sun Yat Sen had stayed in for a short period of time.  The interior of the mansion is mostly unaltered since the olden times, while the most precious piece of antique in the mansion is the wooden screen allegedly used by Sun Yat Sen.

More Info
Antong Coffee Mill Facebook
Address : No.8A , Assam Kumbang, Taiping, Perak.
Opening Hours : 8.30 am – 5.30 pm.

6.  Yut Sun Restoran (日新茶餐室)
Yut Sun Restoran is another old timer’s kopitaim that has almost 100 years of history. It looks like your typical Chinese Kopitiam serving an array of Hainanese cuisine, western dishes, rice dishes and noodles dishes; but it has one big difference compared to most Chinese kopitiams -it is halal.   It is a common sight to see the true essence of “1 Malaysia”, where everyone – the Chinese, the Indians and the Malays – dine together.  Yat Sun also observes fasting hours during puasa months so the opening hours are only at night time from 6 pm onwards, whereas during normal days it is open from 8 am – 9pm.

The Hainanese Chicken Chop is absolutely flawless – a golden piece of deep-fried chicken smothered with delicious gravy.  Another dish to try here would be the Roti Sayur; an unique dish of minced meat on toast, invented by the restaurant founder.

More Info
Yut Sun Restoran Facebook
Address : No. 78 – 80 , Jalan Pasar, 34000, Taiping, Perak.
Opening Hours : 8 am – 9pm, Closed on Sundays.

7.  Cendol.  
Nothing beats a bowl of ice-cold cendol in Malaysia’s scorching weather.  There are two popular places for cendol- Ansari Famous Cendol and Bismillah Cendol.  I tried the one at Bismillah Cendol and I adored it as it’s just adequately sweet with the enchanting flavors of gula melaka.  I love the red beans too as they are cooked just right, and so creamy to an extent that they almost melt in your mouth.  If you’ve tried both places, which one do you vouch for ?

More Info
Bismillah Cendol Facebook
Address : 151, 139, Jalan Barack, 34000 Taiping.
Opening Hours : 10.30 am – 6 pm.

8.  Popiah at Kedai Makanan Tai Chien (大千茶餐室)
This popiah at Kedai Makan Tai Chien is a favorite among many Taiping folks.  The popiah skin is extremely thin, with delectable fillings of shredded omelette, lettuce, “sar kok” (turnip) and a dash of chili sauce.  I like it a lot, but it would have been even better if the popiah was made more plump with more fillings. The char koay teow at Tai Chien is also scrumptious if you have a chance to try.

More Info
Address : No. 77 – 79, Jalan Pasar, 34000 Taiping, Perak.
Opening Hours : 7 am – 3 pm.

9.  “Hor Ga Sai”  (虎咬獅子)
“Hor Ga Sai” is the Hokkien pronunciation of a drink in Taiping, which is a concoction of coffee and milo, served in many kopitiams.  This drink tastes different in different kopitiams because the drink-makers have their own secret proportions of coffee and milo they use.  True enough, I’ve had this drink at a few different places, Ta Chien Kopitiam, Peace Hotel, Kuala Sepetang and Kualau Kurau, and indeed it’s different every time.

If you know Hokkien, you would know that the drink’s name is super grand, because “hor” means tiger, “Sai” means “lion”, and “hor ga sai” means tiger bites lion ! I am not sure which is which, whether the milo is “hor”, or the coffee is “hor, but either way, the intense flavors of the chocolaty coffee does pounce on you ! The next time you visit Taiping, order a cup of drink like a boss local by saying “jit bui hor ga sai ” (one cup of hor ga sai) !

10.  PSL Goreng Pisang (PSL 炸香蕉)
PSL Goreng Pisang is one crowd-pleasing store in Taiping.   The star of the store is of course the calorific goreng pisang, which has a crunchy golden coat that encases a piece of sweet banana within. I’ve passed by the store quite a few times while I was in Taiping, and every time the store seems to have a perpetual stream of people buying  the goreng pisang and all sorts of deep-fried treats – such as kuihs and curry puffs.

More Info
PSL Pisang Goreng
Address : 85 Jalan Pasar, 34000 Taiping, Perak
Opening Hours : 12.30 pm – 8.30 pm

11. Fish Egg Char Koay Teow at Larut Matang Food Court （拉律馬登魚丸炒粿條）
The Larut Matang Food Court has a wealth of food selections, including both halal and non-halal items.  Among the plenty of excellent food here to try, I tried Taiping’s very own version of char koay teow, the Fish Cake & Fish Balls Char Koay Teow.   There are many stores selling this dish; a few recommended ones include store 78 and store 63.  Both were closed during my visit so I picked store 49 which serves fantastic and chewy koay teow noodles, though the char siew could have been better.

More Info
Larut Matang Food Court Facebook
Address : Jalan Panggong Wayang
Opening Hours : 6.45 am – 6 pm.

12.  Noodles at Golden Corner (金邊茶餐室)
Golden Corner’s name is quite literal because it is surrounded by gold shops left right and center.  It’s popular for its shredded chicken noodles (雞絲麵), fishballs, braised chicken feet, and “lemak-sui” noodles.  Since I’ve already tried the shredded chicken noodles at Restoran Kakak, I tried the “lemak-sui”noodles – a mix of curry and laksa soup.  It is an amalgamation of best of both worlds where you get the sourish flavors from the laksa, while simultaneously getting the resplendent flavors from the curry.

More Info
Golden Corner Facebook 
Address : 94 Jalan Pasar, 34000 Taiping, Perak.
Opening Hours : from 5.30 pm.

13.  Char Koay Teow & Duck Rice at Peace Hotel (和平茶餐室)
Peace Hotel is one of the most beautiful kopitiams in Malaysia.  Housed in an ornate pre-war shoplot, the kopitiam sports a stunning facade, with many pillars inside and outside of the kopitiam inlaid with precious Peranakan tiles.  The kopitiam is open for lunch, serving popular char koay teow and duck rice.  If you can’t make it for lunch there (like me!), enjoy a glass of “hor ga sai” in the morning, when the kopitiam hardly has any patrons, and immerse yourself in that vintage vibe !

More Info
Peach Hotel Facebook
Address : 32 Jalan Iskandar, 34000 Taiping, Perak
Opening Hours : from 8am (for drinks), food available from lunch 11 am onwards.

14.  Eat at the Gigantic Food Market at Night. 
During night time, there is a gigantic spread of hawker stores, consisting of 3 corner-lots of kopitiam – M&M Kopitiam and 2 Prima Kopitiams (百齡茶室). There’s just so much food to choose from, it took me a while to decide what to eat before settling down on seafood pork noodles. Since Taiping is so close to the sea, I don’t see anything wrong with the addition of seafood and fishballs to pork noodles ! The more the merrier to increase the flavors of the soup.  It is so affordable too at only RM 4.80.  

15.  Heong Peah (香餅)
Taiping has quite a few places for “Heong Peah”.  The bigger ones include the Aulong Biscuit & Confectionary (後廊香餅) and Biscuit Tupai Emas (太平金地園香餅) .  I didn’t get a chance to eat them while I was in Taiping, so tell me what they taste like if you’ve tried them

More Info
Aulong Biscuit & Confectionary Address : No. 768 Kampung Baru, Lorong 29, Aulong, 34000 Taiping, Perak.

Biscut Tupai Emas Facebook
Address: No. 35, Jalan 19, Taman Sungai Mas, Taiping, Perak.

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When it comes to Ipoh food, it is so difficult to decide what to eat because there is just so much good food and you just want to eat everything ! I’ve picked out 15 Ipoh Foods that you absolutely must try when you visit Ipoh.  The food on this list is as iconic as KLCC is to Kuala Lumpur; and as iconic as Eiffel Tower is to Paris.   That’s how iconic they are.  Many hawker places on this list have withstood the test of time and have been around for more than 40 years.  Your trip to Ipoh will only be complete by trying at least one item from the list, otherwise your trip to Ipoh doesn’t count.

If you need a place to stay during your visit to Ipoh, check out Dream & Wander Homestay on Booking.com The homestay sleeps 6 – 8 people and the rate starts RM 330 per night for the entire house.  See more pictures of Dream & Wander Homestay here, or you may contact them through Dream & Wander Homestay’s Facebook page,  via email admin@dreamwanderhomestay.com or via wechat : kuanju77

1.  Bean Sprout Chicken /高溫街芽菜雞，老黃芽菜雞，安記芽菜雞

There are a few places for Bean Sprout Chicken – Cowan Street, Lou Wong and Onn Kee.  Cowan Street’s bean sprout chicken is the best, as the chicken is the most tender while the soup that the koay teow is cooked in is also the most flavorsome.  It is also the one that’s the most beloved by Ipohas while Lou Wong seemed to be favored by those visiting from out station.  The only downside is that Cowan Street Bean Sprout Chicken doesn’t seem to have a consistent opening time, and when they are not open, Ipohans go to Onn Kee.

Cowan Street Address : 44 Jalan Raja Ekram, Ipoh 31450, Perak.
Lou Wong Address : 49, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Onn Kee Address : 48, 51, 53 , Jalan Yau Tet Shin, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Cowan Street Bean Sprout Chicken

Cowan Street Bean Sprout Chicken

Bean Sprout Chicken from Lou Wong.

2.  Ipoh White Coffee /怡保白咖啡 (Earliest record of Ipoh White Coffee is at 1937, Sin Yoon Loong)
The Ipoh White Coffee is smooth with a lightly charred scent and it’s super addictive.  Sin Yoong Loong and Nam Heong are two popular places to drink this famed coffee while there are also 7 other places to drink Ipoh White Coffee, such as Xin Xian Er Nong, Chang Jiang, Nam Chau and Ah Chow.  Find out more about these places in this article – 9 Places to Drink Ipoh White Coffee.

3a.  Chee Cheong Fun @ Canning Garden / 大和園豬腸粉

This chee cheong fun  store in Ipoh is easily one of the best in Ipoh and it has been around for at least 40 years. Many Ipoh folks love this place to death ! My husband who has been eating this since he was six years old is one of them. The noodles are silky soft with unparalleled texture.  The sauces and condiments include onion oil, crispy fried onion, sesame seeds , chili sauce, sweet sauce, mushroom sauce and green chilies. We usually just take a mix of everything, which is the best of all worlds ! Be careful though, because the uncle that runs the stall is grumpy sometimes.

Address : 27, Lorong Cecil Rae, Taman Canning, 31400 Ipoh, Perak
Opening Hours : Morning.

3b.  Chee Cheong Fun @ Pasir Pinji / 兵如港豬腸粉

This is another legendary chee cheong fun in Ipoh (although my favorite one is still the one in Canning Garden).  It’s located in a small lane in the Pasir Pinji residential area and it’s definitely not the usual place that you would expect to find chee cheong fun.  The chee cheong fun here is the dry version without any soupy sauces and comes in three sizes, priced at RM 3.8, RM 3.2 and RM 2.3.  Be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes because people tend to “tapau” (take away) 10, 20 packets at one time.  On the upside, the waiting system is quite organised and you will be given a waiting number.  All you  need is patience.

Address : Jalan Pasir Pinji 5, Taman Hoover, 31650 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening Hours : 1 pm – 4 pm, closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Tens of packets of chee cheong fun waiting to be taken away.

4.  “Gai Si Hor Fun” (Shredded Chicken Noodles) @ Thean Chun / 天津茶室雞絲河粉
Gai Si Hor Fun is something you’ll find in many kopitiams in Ipoh, but the one in Thean Chun is the most iconic and perhaps the oldest in Ipoh. Everything in this bowl is perfect.  The noodles are soft with a bit of chewiness; the chicken is succulent; the prawns are crunchy and the soup is just divine with fantastic flavors of crustaceans. With a dash of chives, this bowl of simple noodles is absolutely delicious.

The same stall also sells bean sprout chicken, which is also one of the best in town because the oil that’s used to drizzle on top of the chicken is the most aromatic.

While the gai si hor fun is extremely popular in Thean Chun, pretty much every single stall in Thean Chun serves excellent food, such as the custard, kangkong rojak, pork satay and popiah.

Address : 73, Jalan Bandar Timah, 31650 Ipoh, Perak.
Opening Hours : 9.30 am – 2 pm.  Closed on Wednesdays.

5a.  Dim Sum @ Foh San (富山點心)
Foh Sun is the name that people automatically associate Ipoh dim sum with.  I still remember going to Foh Sun with my parents 25 years ago when it was still located on Osbourne Street in a classic kopitiam.  Even as a child, I knew the food was good.  Fast foward to 25 years later, Foh San has expanded and shifted to Jalan Leong Sin Nam, neighbouring 2 other dim sum places – Ming Court and Yoke Fook Moon.  Food has changed  over the years, perhaps due to expansion and training of new staff, the food is just not as good anymore.  The only thing that hasn’t changed is that you still have to wait for a long time.  Go there for the fame if you don’t mind to wait, as it is ultimately Ipoh’s most famous dim sum place.

Address: 51 Jalan Leong Sin Nam, Kampung Jawa, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening Hours 6.30 am – 2.30 pm.  Closed on Tuesdays.

5b.  Dim Sum @ Ming Court (明閣點心)
The dim sum at Ming Court is delicately crafted.  You could feel their daintiness when you hold a piece of dim sum with your chopsticks.  Try the “Yu Mai” (fish paste) that’s superbly springy, Prawn Wrap (蝦捲) that’s wrapped with paper-thin beancurd and the chicken glutinous rice (lo mai gai, 糯米雞)   that has plenty of ingredients such as lup cheong, egg, bits of char siew and chicken.

Address: 32 Jalan Leong Sin Nam, Kampung Jawa, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening Hours 6.30 am – 2.30 pm.  Closed on Thursdays.

5c.  Dim Sum @ Yook Fook Moon (玉福滿點心)
Dim Sum at Yook Fook Moon does not disappoint.  The portions are big with plenty of selections.  A few things I like include the “Har Gow”, the extremely bouncy “Yu Dan” (fish balls), and the “You Char Kway wrapped in Chee Cheong Fun”.  One plate of dim sum typically range from RM 4 to RM 10.

Address : 65-69, Jalan Leong Sin Nam, Kampung Jawa, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening Hours : Daily.  6 am – 1.30 pm.  6.30 pm – 11 pm.

6a.  Funny Mountain Tau Fu Fah (奇峰豆腐花)
Tau fu fah from Funny Mounntain is a long-time favorite for Ipohans.  It provides a special “drive through service”, where you could just park your car outside the store, and somebody will come and take your order.

Address : 49, Jalan Theatre, Ipoh, 30300, Ipoh, Perak, 30300, Malaysia
Opening Hours : 10.30 pm – 6 pm. Closed on Tuesdays.

6b.  Woong Kee Tau Fu Fah (旺記祖傳豆腐花)
While Funny Mountain is the famous one, Woong Kee is fast winning the hearts of Ipohans.  I used to be the number 1 fan for Funny Mountain, but my heart changed when I met Woong Kee.  Woong Kee‘s tau fu fah is so smooth that you could even swallow it without chewing.  It also excels in creativity by the addition of ingredients such as red beans, cincau, peanuts, chrysanthemum sugar and pumpkin “tong yuen” (glutinous rice balls).

Address : 32-38A (bawah), Jalan Ali Pitchay, 30250 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening Hours : Daily 1 pm – 6 pm.

7.  Yong Suan Nasi Kandar Ayam Merah /永泉茶室紅雞扁擔飯 ( Since 1959 )
Yong Suan Nasi Kandar’s history goes all the way back to 1959.  The most well known dish is its “ayam merah” (red chicken), which is deep fried till almost jerky-like at the outer layer while still remaining tender within.  It is even nicknamed “nasi ganja” (marijuana rice), meaning that people has an insatiable crave for it and it is as addictive as marijuana.  While there always seem to be a perpetual queue outside the shop but that’s for takeaways. If you are dining in, just walk in, find (or share) a table with someone, and your food will arrive very fast. Other than ayam merah, there are also other kinds of nasi kandar dishes available such as different kinds of curries and meats.  Our 2 plates of ayam merah and one plate of fish curry was RM 16.70.

Address : 2, Jalan Yang Kalsom, 30250 Ipoh
Opening Hours : 9.30 am – 4 pm.

8. Tuck Kee Fried Noodles /德記炒粉 ( Since 1963 )
Tuck Kee Restaurant is another restaurant that boasts with expertise of more than 50 years.   There are all kinds of noodles here – dai loke mee, yee mee, hor fun and bee hoon – all fried with an intense “wok-hei”, and the pork lard is the key ingredient to the bursting aroma in every plate.  Other than the noodles, the restaurant also serves braised chicken feet, blanched baby octopus and pork balls.

Address : Jalan Yau Tet Shin, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours : 5 pm – 2 pm.  Closed on Tuesdays every fortnightly.

9.  Xin Quan Fang Curry Noodles (新泉芳咖喱面, Since 1949)
The curry noodles here come with heap loads of toppings that deserve an entire bowl on its own.  The toppings include chicken, roast pork, bean sprouts, prawns and char siew (the char siew is house made and the colour is dark brown instead of the usual red char siew that you would see).  The minimum wait time is 30 minutes, and that’s just on a typical day and not on any weekends or holidays.  You may drool over the video below.

Address : Jalan Sultan Iskandar, 30000 Ipoh, Perak.
Opening Hours : 7.30 am – 1 pm.

10. Sin Eng Heong Kaya Puff /新榮香加央角

You don’t want to be here during holidays because you will have to wait at least 1 hour for these delectable treats.  Alternatively, you can also get these kaya puffs in their sister outlet Sin Win Hoe located in Pasir Pinji.  There is no wait there (the last time I checked).  Even if you have to wait, it’s worthwhile because after all, these kaya puffs have more than 50 years of history and its recipe refined to perfection. The kaya puffs are delicately flaky and crumbles a little bit in your hands.  Fresh batches come out at 1 pm and 4 pm.

Sin Eng Heong Address : 64, Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakry, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Perak.
Sin Eng Hoe Address : No.1267  Jalan Pasir Pinji ,31650 Ipoh, Perak.
Opening Hours : 9 am – 8 pm.

11a.  Cheong Kee Wan Tan Mee @ Buntong, Ipoh /祥記雲吞麵
The folks behind Cheong Kee Wan Tan Mee has be on the job for more than 40 years.  Cheong Kee’s Wan Tan Mee is very different from others because they  use bean sprouts instead of leafy vegetables, and they use minced pork instead of the usual char siew.  Why bean sprouts ? Because bean sprouts is also produced in Buntong.  It’s local (more like right next door), and it goes well with the wan tan mee so why not ? As for the texture, I love the wan tans, which are delicious while the noodles are good, but not the best.

Address : 542 Jalan Sekolah, Buntong, 30100 Ipoh, Perak.
Opening Hours : 7 pm – 12 am.  Closed on Sundays.

11b. Wan Tan Mee at Medan Selara Stadium Ipoh
If you are looking for a plate of classic wan tan mee, I would like to recommend the one in Ipoh stadium, store 22.   The noodles are fantastic because of the springy texture.  If you’ve eaten wan tan noodles at Canton-i, the noodles from stadium have a similar texture to the ones from Canton-i.  But consider that Canton-i uses imported flour (from Canada I think, as stated on the menu),  the hawkers at stadium have done a great job !  And as for the wan tans, simply fabulous.

Address : Jalan Ghazali, Ipoh, Perak.
Opens from 6 pm onwards.

12.  Seng Kee Heong Peng /成記香餅
Ipoh is famous for “Heong Peng”, especially in the area of Gunung Rapat.  Many residential homes have a “heong peng” sign (in Chinese) on their doors, indicating that they have Heong Peng for sale.  But it is Seng Kee Heong Peng that still makes these crispy biscuits with decadent filling the traditional way.  The biscuits have a distinctive smoky flavor because they are roasted in a small kiln by using coconut husks.  It’s a fascinating experience if you can visit the place at about 10 am when the manufacturing process takes place, that’s when the smoky scent permeates the room with a savory aroma from the deep-fried shallots.

Address : 177, Lorong Gunung Rapat 3, Gunung Rapat, 31350 Ipoh, Perak.
Opening Hours 9 am to 7 pm. Closed on Wednesdays

13.  Yong Tau Foo from Big Tree Foot in Pasir Pinji (“Dai Shu Geok”, 忠記兵如港大樹頭炸料粉)
The stall got its name because it used to operate underneath a gigantic tree for the past 20 years. It has recently shifted to a food court next door, so technically it’s not under a tree anymore but the name “Dai Shu Geok” is already deeply ingrained.

The yong tau foo here is big in size and irresistible. My favorite piece is the “Sar Kok Liew” (deep fried shredded turnip wrapped in bean curd sheets) as the outer layer is deep fried till crisp, while the inner turnip stuffing remains juicy.  Plus, you don’t get “sar kok liew” anywhere else besides Ipoh so if you are visiting from outstation, be sure to eat this specialty found #OnlyInIpoh !

Address : Jalan King, Pasir Pinji, Ipoh, Perak.

14.  Yee Fatt Curry Mee
The sight of the famed, piquant curry noodles isn’t the prettiest because it is pretty much just a scoop of curry gravy dunked onto the noodles without much presentation.  But I assure you, the curry is  resplendent with spices and because the curry is so thick, it coats every strand of noodles evenly, making every bite memorable.

Address : 39 Jalan Kampar, Ipoh, Perak.

15.  Pak Kong Chicken Rice (White House Chicken Rice, 白宮雞飯)
Just look at the picture below, do I need to say more about how good the chicken rice is at Pak Kong Chicken Rice ? The chicken is delectable, and immersed in a generous concoction of shallot oil and soy sauce.  Other than chicken rice, the store also has other side dishes such as char siew, siew yok, salted vegetables and asam pedas.

Address : 27 Jalan Theatre, Ipoh, Perak.
Opening Hours : 11 am – 3 pm.

Lastly, don’t forget to book your stay with Dream & Wander Homestay in Ipoh

The post 15 Iconic Ipoh Foods You Must Try in Ipoh appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

Not too long ago, I wrote  a list of “15 Iconic Ipoh Foods You Must Try in Ipoh” that’ll serve well as a beginners’ guide to Ipoh food.  These foods are the most iconic and they are pretty much what everyone wants to eat when they are visiting Ipoh for the first time.  But of course Ipoh has much more to offer than these 15 things.  In this new list , I’ve put together 17 hidden food gems in Ipoh that are not too well-known by visitors but are absolutely  loved by Ipohans, and you wouldn’t want to miss these 17 incredible things to eat in Ipoh. 

If you happen to need a place to stay in Ipoh for this epic food trip, check out the new Dream & Wander Homestay.  The homestay sleeps 6-8 people and starts at RM 330 per night.

1.  Cheong Kee Beef Noodles @ Tong Sui Kai /糖水街章記牛腩粉
Cheong Kee Beef Noodles has been around for decades in Ipoh.  The bowl of noodles is a scrumptious treat that consists of very basic ingredients – koay teow noodles, beef, cow stomach, broth and chili sauce. The light broth makes the biggest impression because it has a hint of sweet taste with an alluring beefy flavor. The chili sauce is unexpectedly exotic as it is not the typical Malaysian chili sauce that you would expect in a hawker stall.  It contains spices that are commonly used in Sze Chuan cuisine and has a bit of nutty flavor.   You might want to visit the stall soon because  the owners that run the store are getting old and they are already not opening as regularly as they should.

Address : Jalan Sultan Ekram, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh.
Opening Hours : from 5.30 pm.

2. Chee  Kong Roast Pork @ Kwong Chow Coffee Shop /第一花園廣州茶室淅江燒肉一支骨
Peak lunch times are typically between the hours of 12 pm to 2 pm. At Chee Kong Roast Pork, the store defines its own hours because it opens at an odd hour of 2 pm, when most people would have already taken their lunch.  Patrons that visit the coffee shop are obviously regulars and are well aware of the opening hours because at 1.50 pm, the coffee shop has almost no people in it but by 2 pm sharp, the queue starts to form in no time. As for the pork, the crackling skin and lean, succulent meat are obvious reasons for the dedicated crowd.

Address : Kedai Kopi Kwong Chow, 59 Lorong 11, Taman Pertama, 30100 Ipoh.  (Silibin area)
Opening Hours : 2 pm onwards.  Closed on Mondays.

3. Fook Kee Pan Mee @ Chung Hwa Restaurant /福記板面@中華茶餐室
The stall located at the Gunung Rapat Area only serves two kinds of pan mee – dry or with soup.   Not many people know about this place except for locals living in the area. I have always eaten the soup version at this stall, which is a hearty bowl of flat noodles with generous ingredients of crunchy anchovies, tender pork pieces and sayur manis (RM 5).  Then one fine day (after many years of eating at the place), I decided to try the dry version, then there was no turning back.  For the dry version, round noodles are used and the texture is one of the best I have tried – springy, chewy – I could happily chow down the noodles on its own.  If you are there after 6 pm, expect to wait at least 30 minutes.     Find out more about Fook Kee Pan Mee here.   

Address: Chung Hwa Restaurant, Taman Ipoh Jaya, 31350 Ipoh.
Openign Hours  : from 5.30 pm.

4.  Lai Kee Chop Rice @ UTC  Perak/ 近打 UTC 黎記扒飯
Established in 1983, Lai Kee Chop Rice is a place where many Ipohans have been eating since young.  The chicken chops and pork chops are coated in an eggy batter and deep-fried till golden, creating little air pockets in the deep-fried batter that soak up the gravy and the tomato sauce effortlessly. Perhaps the older generation try their best to keep prices low, our meal of one pork chop, one chicken chop, two rices and two Chinese tea was at only RM11.  The flavors of the chicken chop and pork chop remain unchanged for the past 30 years and some even refer to this as flavors of childhood.  A visit to Lai Kee Chop Rice always brings one on a trip down memory lane, when there was no UTC, when Super Kinta was a favorite hang out place, and when there was still Mc’Donald’s across the street.

Address : Bangunan UTC Perak，Off Jalan Dato’ Onn Jaafar 30300，Ipoh.
Opening Hours : 10 am – 5 pm.

5. Nasi Pandan @ Restoran Kam Wan (Dong Gu Ting) / 金山冬菇亭香葉飯
Normally I control myself and I don’t eat too much rice for dinner.  But all that self control was lost when I ate the Nasi Pandan at Restoran Kam Wan (also known as “Dong Gu Ting”). The rice is laced with coconut milk and as you can see from the picture, the rice is green from shredded pandan leaves, resulting in an amazing pandan aroma.  The stall operates on a economy rice model, where you line up, wait for your turn and choose the dishes you want.  The fried chicken is the popular one in which most people chose before me.  I went for the pedai, mutton curry and sambal (RM 13). The mutton is melt-in-your-mouth tender; the pedai is superb, while the sambal has hints of refreshing lemongrass.  Be there early because it’s sold out by 8pm.

Address: Restoran Kam Wan, Ipoh Garden, 31400 Ipoh, Perak.
Opening Hours : 6 pm onwards.

6. Mixed Fruit Ice on Tong Sui Kai / 糖水街雜果雪
Many drink stores at Tong Sui Kai serve this mouth-watering dessert and each store has its own variation of fruits, jelly and ice cream that they use.  Regardless of what ingredients are used, the end-result is always a delightful bowl of instagram-worthy fruit-tower on shaved ice.

Address : Jalan Sultan Ekram, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh.
Opening Hours : 6 pm to 2 or 3 am.

7.  Hong Kee Mah Chee Chee & Peanut Soup @ Pasar Pinji (芳記麻糬&花生糊)
Hong Kee’s business began at the roadside of Jalan Queen in Pasir Pinji as a hawker pushcart more than 30 years ago. Business is obviously going well for them as now they have upgraded to a permanent kiosk.  Everything is house-made, from pounding the glutinous rice into chewy mah chee to the grinding of the peanuts to make the creamy, rich peanut soup.

Address : 550A Jalan Queen, 31650 Ipoh.
Opening Hours : 1 pm to 6 pm.  Closed on Thursdays.

8. Curry Noodles @ Nam Chau / 南州茶室咖喱面
Nam Chau serves both dry and soup version curry noodles, with the dry version easily being one of Ipoh’s best.  A big scoop of viscous curry paste smothers over the plate of noodles, ensuring that there’s a fiery curry taste with every mouthful.  I’ve also pushed away some of the curry paste so you could see what’s buried underneath – chicken, char siew and prawns.

Address: 54, Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh.
Opening Hours: 7 am – 3pm.

9.  “Golden Noodles” @ Sin Lean Li, Ipoh Old Town / 舊街場新聯利”炒金粉”
This noodle stall has a glamorous name for its noodles – “Golden Noodles”.  These noodles are full of “wok hei” and are very similar to char koay teow .  The only difference it has is that the egg is laid on top of the noodles like an omelette instead of being stir-fried into smaller pieces.  Amusingly, locals sometimes mock the noodles as being literally made of gold because the noodles are pricey for the small portion served.

Address : 21, Jalan Panglima, 30000, Ipoh, Perak
Opening Hours : 7 am – 3 pm. Closed on Tuesdays.

10. Cathay Mee Stall’s Mee Goreng @ Restoran Dan Rumah Tumpangan Beauty Baru / 新麗都茶餐室旅館印度炒麵
My friend SF introduced me to Cathay Mee Stall’s “die-die-must-eat” mee goreng.  True enough, the noodles are impressive with a smoky flavor; they are also extremely spicy that I needed to keep drinking water to reduce the spiciness.  The mee goreng is not your typical mamak mee goreng; it is more like rojak mee goreng, using potatoes, tofu, prawn fritters with a squeeze of lime.  The prawn fritter is the best part because it is super-crunchy !

Address: 97 Jalan Yang Kalsom, Ipoh.
Opening Hours : 11 am – 8 pm.  Closed on Sundays.

11.  Cong Yin Pork Noodles  @ Ipoh Garden South/ 怡保花園狀元及第粉
For a meal of pork noodle extravaganza, Cong Yin would be the place to go.  At RM8, the noodles are prepared with an abundance of ingredients including lean pork, pork patty, pork liver, bamboo fungus, konjac and pork lard.  If you are looking for an even more lavish bowl of pork noodles, abalone pork noodles are available at RM 22.80.  On Sundays, there is also a special edition of pork stomach noodles.

Address: 39, Lebuh Taman Ipoh, Taman Ipoh Selatan, 31400 Ipoh
Opening Hours : 7.30 am – 4 pm.

12. Curry Noodles @ Yat Yat Seng Restaurant / 日日升茶室咖喱面
Would you just look at this plate of curry noodles ? Every ingredient on this plate is top notch – fresh prawns, shredded chicken, and “siew yok” (roast pork) that has just the right amount of fat with crunchy skin.  If you compare this to Nam Chau’s curry noodles, the curry flavor is not as intense but go for it if you love chunky siew yok in your noodles !  The same stall also serves Hainanese chicken rice that’s worth trying.

Address: 83, Lebuh Ipoh (off Jalan Dato Lau Pak Khuan), Taman Canning, 31400 Ipoh.
Opening Hours : 11.30 am onwards.

13.  Guan Heong Biscuit Shop / 源香餅舖
Guan Heong began its business in 1918.  Can you imagine, this biscuit shop will be 100 years old next year in 2018 ! The biscuit shop carries loads of traditional biscuits, such as wife biscuit, chicken floss roll, almond cookies, brown sugar “heong peah” and more.  The signature biscuits include bean cake, macadamia cake and various kins of meat floss / “bak kwa” biscuits.  My favorite one is the meat floss biscuit with salted egg yolk, as the combination of savory egg yolk, fluffy meat floss and sweet lotus paste is simply scrumptious, not too mention that salted egg yolk makes everything better !

Address: Jalan Sultan Iskandar, Taman Jubilee, 30000 Ipoh, Perak.
Opening Hours : 9 am to 7 pm

Floss with Salted Egg Yolk

Floss With Lotus Paste Biscuit

“Bak Kwa” with Lotus Paste Biscute.

14.  Banana Leaf Rice @ Sri Asoka Corner, Medan Selara Stadium / 體育場蕉葉飯
The tiny Sri Asoka Corner located in Medan Selara Stadium serves great banana leaf rice.  The rice is served with three kinds of vegetables, fresh crackers and your choice of meat ( chicken, mutton and fish).  I went for the fried fish, which had a crispy outer shell and a generous coating of chili paste.  Together with teh tarik served from the same store, my banana leaf rice was at an affordable price of RM 9.50.

Address : Medan Selara Stadium, Jalan Ghazali, Ipoh.
Opening Hours : Lunch time.

15.  Hoong Too Restaurant / 鴻圖酒樓
Established in the 1950’s,  Hoong Too Restaurant in old town seemed to remain unchanged.  Items of the yesteryear such as  hardy teakwood cupboards, portraits of Sun Yat Sen, mosaic tiles on the wall and old grandfather’s clock fit in perfectly well. The restaurant specialises in noodle dishes such as “wah tan hor”, yee mee, while the signature dish is “Seng Har Meen”, or noodles cooked with fresh water prawns.  The char siew wan tan mee is special edition that’s only available on Thursdays.  The restaurant also offers other items such as fish balls, fried dumplings and “sui kow”.

Address: 20, Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh.
Opening Hours : 10.30 am – 3  pm, 6 pm – 9.00 pm. Closed on Tuesdays

16. Porridge @ Hun Wang Kedai Makanan / 漢元餐室潮州粥
Hung Wang has been dishing out delectable home-cooked food and Teow Cheow porridge for the past 40 years.  Dishes such as braised pork, egg omelettes, deep-fried-fish and various kinds of stir-fried vegetables are nothing fancy, but they are the kind simple dishes that you would crave for.  For the fish, I would recommend the steamed kampung fish – because it is always remarkbly fresh, best eaten with the fermented bean sauce provided.   It’s interesting to see how the efficient family members that run the place work.  They are dedicated, and each has a specific role – a few are stationed at the counter, one is dishing out porridge, while one is a “human-calculator” that calculates the cost of your meal by mental arithmetic.

Address: 7 & 9 Jalan Leong Sin Nam, Ipoh.
Opening Hours : 11.30 am – 4pm. Closed on Thursdays.

17. Ching Han Guan Manufacturing Co /鐘漢元餅舖
Established in 1949, Ching Han Guan Manufacturing Co is the go-to place for locals for wedding biscuits.  It has similarities to Guan Heong in terms of the variety of biscuits that it carry.  Uncle Ching that has been running the store for the past 60 years proudly recommends the walnut candy (胡桃糖), meat floss biscuits (肉絲蓮蓉餅), “hiong peah”(香餅), and cashew nut egg cookies (腰豆核桃酥) for first-timers to his store.  The images below were taken a few years ago, and are perhaps the original decor of the shop.  They have renovated since then and the shop now has a modern appeal, though I still prefer the old decor.  See more photos of Chin Han Guan Manufacturing Co here . 

Address : 145, Jalan Sultan Iskandar (Hugh Low Street), 30000 Ipoh, Perak
Operating Hours: Mon – Sat 9am -6.30pm.  Sun 9am – 12,30pm.

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The post 17 Hidden Food Gems You Must Try in Ipoh appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

I am back in Ipoh for a few weeks and at a friend’s suggestions we decided to go and try Facey Noodle House’s pan mee ( 辣一辣怡保馳名辣椒板麵), which is particularly known for its chilli pan mee.  I’ve tried a few places in Ipoh for chilli pan mee before but I haven’t really found anything remarkable.  

That perception all changed we we tried Facey Noodle House’s chilli pan mee.  The ingredients in the noodles are very simple but all done to perfection – the deep fried anchovies are crisp; the minced pork is marinated well; and the chilli has a hint of umami from the dried shrimps.  Mixing up the noodles is the best part, poking through the poached egg and watching the egg yolk ooze. If the level of spiciness is not enough for you, simply add in a few more spoons of chilli placed on every table.  Be careful there, because you might become addicted with the chilli pan mee !

While there is the traditional soup and dry pan mee, Facey Noodle House is adventurous in creating unconventional pan mee, such as the Japanese CEO Pan Mee and the Korean Kim Chee Pan Mee.  The Japanese CEO Pan Mee is similar to Japanese ramen, using ingredients such as chashu, minced pork, egg, wood-ear and miso-based broth, but only much more value for money as it’s only for about half the price of Japanese ramen.

The Kimchi Pan Mee comes with poached egg and fried pork nugget.   The broth is pleasantly spicy with a tad of sourness from the house-made kimchi.  The bowl of noodle is as good as kimchi chigae (kimchi soup) being served in Korean restaurants so do go for this if you are a Korean-food-lover !

Besides being a pan mee expert, Facey Noodle House also offers side dishes such as Thai-style paku pakis salad, meat balls , fried dumplings, red oil dumpling, fried fish cake and Japanese wakame.  Try the sweet & sour paku pakis salad , which is not only appetising, but also refreshingly cold.

Price wise, everything is mostly kept at a below RM 7 .  In case you have not heard, hawker food prices have been going up in Ipoh, especially for  places like Ipoh old town.   In comparison, Facey Noodle House offers good value with generous portions so definitely come here for a noodelicious feast !

Facey Noole House is located in Greentown Business Center, directly opposite from Maxis Office.

More Information
Facebook : 辣一辣, 怡保馳名辣椒板面 aka Facey Noodle House
Address : 25, Psrn Greentown 7 , Greentown Business Center, Ipoh, Perak 30450
Tel : 010-770 7907
Opening Hours : 8.30 am – 5 pm.
Get there using Waze : https://waze.to/lr/hw0zfhmrbd

The post Pan Mee @ Facey Noodle House， Ipoh 辣一辣怡保馳名辣椒板麵 appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

沒有人指點，真的不知道無拉港AEON Cheras 對面的星安廟裡內有乾坤。想不到吧！廟裡居然有美食，而且不是素食，是火候十足的葷食煮炒店，最推薦是這裏的潮州滷豬手和清蒸非洲魚。

潮州滷豬手是以滷鴨的滷汁來燜煮，油而不膩，軟嫩無比；豬手也因為有大量膠質，吃起來還有點黏牙！

普遍我們吃的非洲魚都是以蒜蓉，辣椒，泰式等重口味料理手法來掩蓋非洲魚本身的泥土味，這裏的非洲魚則是以純清蒸的方式來料理，而且沒有泥土味，肉質更是蒸到多蒸一分太熟，少蒸一分不熟！

酒蒸啦啦也是蒸到恰到好處，只是簡單的以薑，胡椒粉，辣椒就能帶出啦啦的鮮甜！

老闆自行搭配的炒菜更是一絕， 你有吃過『苦瓜芽菜』，或是『四稜豆炒蓮藕』嗎？聽起來是很奇特的搭配，吃起來是好吃到沒朋友！第一道是爽脆的口感，第二道則是多了蝦米，肉碎的鮮度，很下飯!

其他菜色還有金瓜豆腐，黃金豆腐包，脆皮花腩，紫菜炒蛋也都很好吃捏, 價錢也都很經濟實惠喔！

地址: Lot 399, Jalan Balakong , Balakong.
營業時間: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm. 每兩個星期三休息。

The post 無拉港天下美味園－ 隱藏在寺廟裡的美食 appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

丹絨士拔 (Tanjung Sepat) 是雪蘭莪州沿岸的一個小漁村，離吉隆坡約1.5小時的車程，很適合住在雪隆區的朋友們來個cuti cuti malaysia一日遊 。 最推薦的是湯頭清甜的海鮮肉骨茶，跟大家在雪隆區吃的很不一樣，其他還有木薯片，梅菜包等一籮筐的美食，有機會一定要去丹絨士拔 cari makan ～

1.  益記海鮮肉骨茶 /Yikee Seafood Bak Kut Teh－ 大家吃慣了巴生的肉骨茶吃到這一檔益記肉骨茶會有驚喜的感覺！他的肉骨茶藥材味沒有巴生肉骨茶濃，可是因為有海鮮 （那隻大大隻的蝦在那裡看到沒有！），肉骨茶的湯底非常清甜。另外一個很特別的是魚肉酸菜湯，帶酸甜滋味的綿綿魚肉跟海鮮肉骨茶真的是很搭。大家去一定要趁早，只開到早上11點而已。
Address : No. 247B, Jalan Besar, Kampung Baru, Selangor, 42800 Tanjong Sepat.  6am – 11am. 

2.  黑猪哥椰酒芭/ O T Ko Seafood Restaurant – 丹絨士拔靠海，有許多間海鮮餐廳，實在是無法一一吃完，在這裡介紹兩家。 第一間是黑猪哥椰酒芭；好吧，我承認會去吃這間是因為他的名字太好笑了！英文也翻譯的很適合，叫 O T Ko (福建話“黑豬哥”的發音） ! 這裏也有賣少見的椰花酒，也很剛好的我們在這裏叫的菜都很下酒 ：炸的酥酥脆脆的尖嘴魚，吃起來好過癮的椒鹽蝦，還有超鮮美的啦啦！
Address : Lot 4012 Restaurant, Jalan Tanjung Sepat.

3. 海洋海鮮餐廳／ Oceaan Seafood Restaurant 第二間是海洋海鮮餐廳，就在情人橋旁邊，推薦這裏的鹹蛋炒蟹還有鐵板蠔煎。不過因為之前的搬遷風波，已經沒有在原地營業，聽說政府會劃一塊地給美食中心，以後才有機會吃到。

4.  梅梅莎梨果汁 ／ Mei Mei Ambra Juice － 在熱辣辣的天氣下來一杯好消暑啊！也可以指定放少一點冰塊就可以喝到超濃的原汁原味啦!
Address : Jalan Besar,Tanjung Sepat.

5.  海友興手工海南包 / Hai Yew Heng Hainanese Pao－ 這裏有各式各樣的包點，花生包，肉包，加央包，豆沙包，是在地人常光顧的一間店。最特別的是梅菜包，畢竟這種梅菜鹹香口味很少看到。
Address :405 Lorong 4， Jalan Pasar, 42800 Tanjung Sepat。
Opening Hours：1pm-6pm/ 10-6pm (假期)。

6.  裕發傳統咖啡 / Joo Fa Traditional Coffee－ 當天去時，小小的房間飄著淡淡的咖啡香，看到員工以手工挑選咖啡豆，老闆也親自站在熱烘烘的爐邊炒咖啡，感覺大家都很努力的為這家咖啡廠盡一份心力。這裏的咖啡很適合喜歡喝“Gao” (厚）咖啡的人喔！
Address : 356 Lorng 5, Jalan Besar, Tanjung Sepat.
Opening Hours : 8 am – 6 pm

7.  寶芝林 ／ Gano Farm － 聽到這個名字是不是露出會心一笑的想到黃飛鴻呢？哈哈！其實跟黃飛鴻無關，有關的是靈芝和許多菇類！在這裏除了可以買到跟靈芝，菇類的相關食品，也有一個菇類生態館，可以看到菌種培養，菇種製作及菇類培植過程小知識。如果想要在丹絨士拔留宿，寶芝林也有提供民宿。
Address :  700 Jalan Laut Membiru, Taman Pelangi, 42800 Tanjung Sepat.
Opening Hours : 9 am – 6 pm

8.  金龍木薯食品廠 / Arowana Keropok－哇！一走進食品廠裡真的是要看到眼花瞭亂了！各種顏色，各種口味的木薯，好想每個口味都買回家！炸木薯是丹絨士拔很具代表性的零嘴，一方面是一吃了就停不了口，另一方面是做為手信很方便大家送給親朋好友。想要參觀木薯的製作過程也可事先跟他們詢問看什麼時候去看得到。
Lot 2926, Kampung Tanjung Sepat Darat, 42800 Tanjong Sepat.
Opening Hours : 8.30 am – 6pm

9.  裕隆海產 （魚丸廠）/ Fishball Factory－ 這裏的魚丸是大量製作，除了提供給許多當地和吉隆坡的店家。新鮮魚丸都是現打現做，也吸引了不少當地人及旅客來光顧。
Address : 30 Jalan Bawah Satu, Tanjung Sepat.
Opening Hours : 8 am – 7 pm.

10.  古早味咖啡 / Kwo Za B Coffee – 在當地有著40多年歷史的傳統咖啡，就在海友興包點對面而已。古早味咖啡和裕發咖啡就要看看自己個人口味看哪一間比較適合咯。
Address : 15 Medan Selere, Lorong 4, Tanjong Sepat.
Opening Hours : 9 am – 5 pm.

11.  旺地龍眼果園 / Wan Tee Longan－ 龍眼的收成期在每年的8－9月，想要吃園主用心栽種的龍眼就要鎖定時間去了！我們因為太早去了，只能眼巴巴的望著樹上尚未成熟的龍眼流口水。除了種龍眼之外，園裡還有種植百香果，鳳梨，及芒果。
Address : Lot 594, Lapis 8/9, Jalan Bukit Bangkong, 43950 Sg. Pelek, Sepang, Selangor.

12.  日熱紅仙蜜果園 / Multi Rich Pitaya Sdn Bhd（火龍果果園 ）- 一直以為大馬的火龍果都是國外進口的，沒想到大馬本身也有生產！第一次看到火龍果果樹原來長的跟仙人掌有點像。果園內的火龍果可以現採現吃，也吃的到以火龍果做成的冰棒還有酵素。
Address : A-126 Kampung Baru, 43900 Sepang, Selangor.

13. 官燕苑 / Kuan’s Wellness Farm － 來到這裏本來想來喝喝燕窩，不過，居然沒有開！如果大家有機會喝到的話，留言給我，我想知道好不好喝～ 在網上有看到裡面還有一個小小生態農場，很適合帶小朋友去喔～
Address : 408, Tanjung Layang, Kampung Batu Lapan, 42800 Tanjung Sepat.
Opening Hours : 9am – 5pm. 

The post 大馬找吃小旅行 － 丹絨士拔美食攻略 appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

怡保辣一辣@有面子板麵的鎮店之寶必屬辣椒板麵無疑。辣椒板麵好吃的關鍵就是裡頭的乾辣椒，是一碗板麵的靈魂所在。老闆親自手作的乾辣椒可是大有來頭，連選辣椒碎都是一門學問 ; 辣椒太細吃起來像咖喱；太粗又吃起來纖維過多、口感粗糙。火候的控制也很重要；火候太大乾辣椒容易焦掉，焦了就前功盡棄。只有準確的掌控火候、不時的調整火候大小才能讓乾辣椒均勻受熱。經過約一個小時的翻炒，辣一辣@有面子板麵的乾辣椒香氣撲鼻、辣而不嗆，是10種秘製材料的完美結合。

辣椒板麵一上桌時，最開心的那一刻莫過於用筷子把蛋黃戳破、看著那邪惡的蛋黃流出來的時候了 。板麵裡頭的配料有：酥脆江魚仔，滷的入味的肉碎，帶點鮮味的辣椒碎以及滑溜的水波蛋。當所有食材配上蛋液混拌在一起時，一碗順滑完美的辣椒板麵就出現啦！也有食客太愛這裡的乾辣椒，每次來吃都是把桌上另外放的乾辣椒一掃而空 ！

除了傳統的清湯及乾撈麵，老闆也很有創意的推出了以日式湯底搭配豐富食材的CEO日式大板麵，以及韓式湯底搭配肉餃的泡菜板麵。

吃了板麵還嘴饞就再來吃小吃吧！有魚餅，豬肉丸，紅油餃子及海帶多種選擇。最推薦的是冰鎮芭菇菜；芭菇菜淋上泰式酸辣醬真是冰涼又開胃！

各種板麵及小吃的價位都維持在很合理的範圍之內，大多數是在RM 7 以下。老闆配料大方，很值得哦。

More Information
Facebook : 辣一辣, 怡保馳名辣椒板面 aka Facey Noodle House
Address : 25, Psrn Greentown 7 , Greentown Business Center, Ipoh, Perak 30450
Tel : 010-770 7907
Opening Hours : 9 am – 4.30 pm.
Get there using Waze : https://waze.to/lr/hw0zfhmrbd

The post 怡保辣一辣@有面子板麵 － 挑戰味蕾的辣椒板麵 appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

Woong Kee Tau Fu Fah in Ipoh (旺記祖傳豆腐花) is fast becoming Ipohans’ new favorite place.  The stall started off as a small stall in Bercham and has now expanded to a bigger store on Jalan Ali Pitchay (Off Jalan Yang Kalsom).  When it comes to weekends and public holidays, good luck, because you’ll need the patience to queue. 

When it comes to tau fu fah in Ipoh, Funny Mountain would no doubt be the first to pop-up in one’s mind because it’s been around for ages and everybody loves its silken tau fu fah.  Wong Kee’s tau fu fah is just as good, if not better.  The texture of Wong Kee’s tau fu fah is extremely soft, unbelivably light;  you could almost eat it as if you were drinking water.

Wong Kee is also very creative with its ingredients.  We’ve tried so many different kinds of tau fu fah here and we’ll keep going back for more. Here’s the classic tau fu fah with sugar syrup that’s always a safe bet.

Tau fu fah with ginger sugar syrup – a little more earthy because of the ginger.

Tau fu fah with a mix of everything – red beans, grass jelly, and shaved peanuts.  If you want, you can just choose one or two toppings instead of adding all three.

Tau Fu Fah with chrysanthemum sugar (photo below) – I was so amazed at the owner’s creativity for crafting this flavor to pair with the tau fu fah.  You get the elegant floral flavors from the chrysanthemum that goes superbly well with the tau fu fah.  The chrysanthemum sugar is not always available, so watch out their Facebook page for updates.  Another ingredient that you’ll have to check their Facebook pages for updates is the pumkin “tong yun” (glutinous rice, 湯圓) as it is also only available from time to time.

Woong Kee’s soy bean drink has an option to mix in grass jelly.

For something not too commonly seen, try the black soy bean drink.  Notice that the drink has a greenish hue which is the natural color of the beans after the removal of the black husk.

All the yummy tau fu fah comes from this giant tub.

A small seating area is within the store.

More Info

Wong Kee Tau Fu Fah (旺記祖傳豆腐花) Facebook
Address : 32-38A (Bawah), Jalan Ali Pitcha, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (Off Jalan Yang Kalsom).

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The post Woong Kee Tau Fu Fah @ Ipoh (旺記祖傳豆腐花) appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

When it comes to Taiping Food, it may not have as much attention as its neighbouring cities such as Penang or Ipoh; but trust me, Taiping is a place that you don’t want to miss out for food !  In my recent visit to Taiping, I’ve had the chance to try out a number of things.  
I didn’t have to go far as many of these food are along Jalan Pasar. You could hang out on this street for 3 days and you would still have something different to eat for every meal.  Although there are “15 Things to Eat in Taiping” in this list, I am sure that there are a lot more things to eat than that, so please comment below the post to benefit those that are looking for awesome Taiping Food !

If you happen to be visiting Taiping from Ipoh and need a place to stay, check out Dream & Wander Homestay on Air BnB. The homestay sleeps 6 – 8 people and the rate starts RM 330 per night for the entire house.  See more pictures of Dream & Wander Homestay here, or you may contact them through Dream & Wander Homestay’s Facebook page, or via email admin@dreamwanderhomestay.com.

1.  Lian Thong Restaurant (聯通茶室)
Lian Thong Restaurant is one of the oldest kopitiams in Taiping serving loads of yummy things.  It is relatively more expensive than other restaurants in Taiping, but still reasonably priced for those that visit from outstation.   If there is only one thing you can try here, I would say go for the  “toufu-pop” (RM0.90 / piece), which is basically a ball of deep-fried minced meat wrapped with beancurd sheets.  The outer beancurd sheets become so crunchy that it flakes off delicately, while the meaty parts remain moist and juicy.  These tofu-pop sell out fast, so be there early if you can.

The kerabu rice (RM5) is another interesting item, which is a combo of fried rice, prawn crackers, onions, cucumbers and your selection of either chicken or fish.  I took the chicken, which is deep-fried till crisp without being oily, and highly addictive.

Lian Thong also has a selection of noodles.  The “Noodle Explosion” /”爆炸麵” (RM4.50) was  recommended by the uncle that took my order – yee mee noodles that’s been puffed into a crispy explosion, topped with egg gravy, chicken, prawns and vegetables.

My friend’s Jawa Noodles (RM 4.50) is a burst of flavors, and full of “wok-hei”. 

As for drinks, don’t miss out the housemade kamquat juice, evidently seen in jars and jars of kamquat nearby the counter.

Lian Thong Restaurant is your classic old-timer’s kopitiam housed in a pre-war shoplot.  The walls are green with typical mosaic tiles on the wall.  It’s worth checking out the kopitiam just to sit on the classic wooden straight-backed seats as you just don’t see them much anymore.

More Info
Lian Thong Restaurant Facebook
Address: 5 Jalan Kota, 34000 Taiping, Perak.

2.  Restoran Kakak (家家茶室)
Restoran Kakak is known for its shredded chicken noodles (雞絲河粉).  The bowl of noodles is actually very simple.  There’s nothing fancy about it, but every element in this bowl is perfect – lovely “hor fun” noodles, scrumptious chicken broth and a generous portion of shredded chicken – which is more than enough to capture the hearts of Taiping folks because many are loyal patrons of this place.  Other optional items include pork balls and dumplings.

The best drink to go with the noodles would no doubt be Restoran Kakak’s signature drinks – Jia Jia Ping (家家冰) and Jia Jia Re (家家熱)， which are intriguing concoctions of barely water and coffee.  Jia Jia Ping is the cold version with ice, while Jia Jia Re is the hot version.

The use of barley water is ingenious because there are no more traces of bitterness from the coffee, but replaced by a hint of unfamiliar sweetness from the barley.  You can even see barley bits in your coffee, which feels strange but ultimately fascinating.

Restoran Kakak’s interior and exterior.

More Information:
Restoran Kakak Facebook
Address : 111 Jalan Pasar, Taiping, Perak.
Opening Hours : In the morning.

3.  Hua Soon Fireworks Char Koay Teow (太平新板華順煙花炒粿條）
The uncle at Hua Soon Char Koay Teow has been on the job for the past 40 over years. He uses a fan to reduce the heat , in the process creating a splash of fireworks. Many patrons come near to his work station and watch the sizzling wok in action, enthralled by this spectacle. How about the taste of the char koay teow you ask ? Irrefutably good with plenty of “wokhei” and a heavier-than-usual peppery flavor. Request for duck egg for an enhanced flavor.

The video below will speak for itself !

More Info
Hua Soon Fireworks Char Koay Teow
Address :  13 Medan Pasar, Jalan Taiping-Kuala Kangsar, 34700 Simpang, Taiping.
Opening hours : Mon – Sat, 7pm to 12 pm.

4.  Kok Beng Chicken Rice (國泯叉燒雞飯)
In a battle of chicken rices organized by Guang Ming Daily Newspaper in 2007, 100 ＋ Hainanese chicken rice stores throughout Malaysia compete for a space among the Top 10 Chicken Rices of Malaysia.  Kok Beng Chicken Rice was among one of the winners. Even the huge chopping board has a peculiar shape from tens of years of repetitive chopping that it has become conical at the center of the board.

My plate of poached chicken, roasted chicken and char siew indeed is comfort food that is to-die-for.  If you  love to eat chicken rice, there are a few other excellent chicken rices in Taiping, such as the one in Tai Chien(大千茶室), or the one in Kedai Kopi Dan Tumpungan Swiss (瑞士茶室).

More Info:
Kok Beng Chicken Rice Facebook
No. 38, Jalan Kota, 34000 Perak.
Opening Hours : from 11.30 am.

5. Coffee from Antong Coffee Mill (安東咖啡廠)
Established in 1933, Antong Coffee Mill is the oldest coffee mill in Malaysia.  The coffee mill is open to visitors to see the captivating process of roasting one of Malaysian’s favorite drinks – the Kopi-o, which is typically roasted with 50 % of sugar.  The spellbinding coffee aroma permeates the room, making the hot and steamy roasting room surprisingly tolerable.

Antong coffee produces various type of coffee to cater to different coffee preferences for Malaysians from different parts of Malaysia.  Try them all at the showroom to see which one suits you better !

There’s also a piece of interesting history related to the coffee mill.  The mansion in the vicinity of the mill is the current office for Antong Coffee Mill; it was also the mansion where the first president of Taiwan, Sun Yat Sen had stayed in for a short period of time.  The interior of the mansion is mostly unaltered since the olden times, while the most precious piece of antique in the mansion is the wooden screen allegedly used by Sun Yat Sen.

More Info
Antong Coffee Mill Facebook
Address : No.8A , Assam Kumbang, Taiping, Perak.
Opening Hours : 8.30 am – 5.30 pm.

6.  Yut Sun Restoran (日新茶餐室)
Yut Sun Restoran is another old timer’s kopitaim that has almost 100 years of history. It looks like your typical Chinese Kopitiam serving an array of Hainanese cuisine, western dishes, rice dishes and noodles dishes; but it has one big difference compared to most Chinese kopitiams -it is halal.   It is a common sight to see the true essence of “1 Malaysia”, where everyone – the Chinese, the Indians and the Malays – dine together.  Yat Sun also observes fasting hours during puasa months so the opening hours are only at night time from 6 pm onwards, whereas during normal days it is open from 8 am – 9pm.

The Hainanese Chicken Chop is absolutely flawless – a golden piece of deep-fried chicken smothered with delicious gravy.  Another dish to try here would be the Roti Sayur; an unique dish of minced meat on toast, invented by the restaurant founder.

More Info
Yut Sun Restoran Facebook
Address : No. 78 – 80 , Jalan Pasar, 34000, Taiping, Perak.
Opening Hours : 8 am – 9pm, Closed on Sundays.

7.  Cendol.  
Nothing beats a bowl of ice-cold cendol in Malaysia’s scorching weather.  There are two popular places for cendol- Ansari Famous Cendol and Bismillah Cendol.  I tried the one at Bismillah Cendol and I adored it as it’s just adequately sweet with the enchanting flavors of gula melaka.  I love the red beans too as they are cooked just right, and so creamy to an extent that they almost melt in your mouth.  If you’ve tried both places, which one do you vouch for ?

More Info
Bismillah Cendol Facebook
Address : 151, 139, Jalan Barack, 34000 Taiping.
Opening Hours : 10.30 am – 6 pm.

8.  Popiah at Kedai Makanan Tai Chien (大千茶餐室)
This popiah at Kedai Makan Tai Chien is a favorite among many Taiping folks.  The popiah skin is extremely thin, with delectable fillings of shredded omelette, lettuce, “sar kok” (turnip) and a dash of chili sauce.  I like it a lot, but it would have been even better if the popiah was made more plump with more fillings. The char koay teow at Tai Chien is also scrumptious if you have a chance to try.

More Info
Address : No. 77 – 79, Jalan Pasar, 34000 Taiping, Perak.
Opening Hours : 7 am – 3 pm.

9.  “Hor Ga Sai”  (虎咬獅子)
“Hor Ga Sai” is the Hokkien pronunciation of a drink in Taiping, which is a concoction of coffee and milo, served in many kopitiams.  This drink tastes different in different kopitiams because the drink-makers have their own secret proportions of coffee and milo they use.  True enough, I’ve had this drink at a few different places, Ta Chien Kopitiam, Peace Hotel, Kuala Sepetang and Kualau Kurau, and indeed it’s different every time.

If you know Hokkien, you would know that the drink’s name is super grand, because “hor” means tiger, “Sai” means “lion”, and “hor ga sai” means tiger bites lion ! I am not sure which is which, whether the milo is “hor”, or the coffee is “hor, but either way, the intense flavors of the chocolaty coffee does pounce on you ! The next time you visit Taiping, order a cup of drink like a boss local by saying “jit bui hor ga sai ” (one cup of hor ga sai) !

10.  PSL Goreng Pisang (PSL 炸香蕉)
PSL Goreng Pisang is one crowd-pleasing store in Taiping.   The star of the store is of course the calorific goreng pisang, which has a crunchy golden coat that encases a piece of sweet banana within. I’ve passed by the store quite a few times while I was in Taiping, and every time the store seems to have a perpetual stream of people buying  the goreng pisang and all sorts of deep-fried treats – such as kuihs and curry puffs.

More Info
PSL Pisang Goreng
Address : 85 Jalan Pasar, 34000 Taiping, Perak
Opening Hours : 12.30 pm – 8.30 pm

11. Fish Egg Char Koay Teow at Larut Matang Food Court （拉律馬登魚丸炒粿條）
The Larut Matang Food Court has a wealth of food selections, including both halal and non-halal items.  Among the plenty of excellent food here to try, I tried Taiping’s very own version of char koay teow, the Fish Cake & Fish Balls Char Koay Teow.   There are many stores selling this dish; a few recommended ones include store 78 and store 63.  Both were closed during my visit so I picked store 49 which serves fantastic and chewy koay teow noodles, though the char siew could have been better.

More Info
Larut Matang Food Court Facebook
Address : Jalan Panggong Wayang
Opening Hours : 6.45 am – 6 pm.

12.  Noodles at Golden Corner (金邊茶餐室)
Golden Corner’s name is quite literal because it is surrounded by gold shops left right and center.  It’s popular for its shredded chicken noodles (雞絲麵), fishballs, braised chicken feet, and “lemak-sui” noodles.  Since I’ve already tried the shredded chicken noodles at Restoran Kakak, I tried the “lemak-sui”noodles – a mix of curry and laksa soup.  It is an amalgamation of best of both worlds where you get the sourish flavors from the laksa, while simultaneously getting the resplendent flavors from the curry.

More Info
Golden Corner Facebook 
Address : 94 Jalan Pasar, 34000 Taiping, Perak.
Opening Hours : from 5.30 pm.

13.  Char Koay Teow & Duck Rice at Peace Hotel (和平茶餐室)
Peace Hotel is one of the most beautiful kopitiams in Malaysia.  Housed in an ornate pre-war shoplot, the kopitiam sports a stunning facade, with many pillars inside and outside of the kopitiam inlaid with precious Peranakan tiles.  The kopitiam is open for lunch, serving popular char koay teow and duck rice.  If you can’t make it for lunch there (like me!), enjoy a glass of “hor ga sai” in the morning, when the kopitiam hardly has any patrons, and immerse yourself in that vintage vibe !

More Info
Peach Hotel Facebook
Address : 32 Jalan Iskandar, 34000 Taiping, Perak
Opening Hours : from 8am (for drinks), food available from lunch 11 am onwards.

14.  Eat at the Gigantic Food Market at Night. 
During night time, there is a gigantic spread of hawker stores, consisting of 3 corner-lots of kopitiam – M&M Kopitiam and 2 Prima Kopitiams (百齡茶室). There’s just so much food to choose from, it took me a while to decide what to eat before settling down on seafood pork noodles. Since Taiping is so close to the sea, I don’t see anything wrong with the addition of seafood and fishballs to pork noodles ! The more the merrier to increase the flavors of the soup.  It is so affordable too at only RM 4.80.  

15.  Heong Peah (香餅)
Taiping has quite a few places for “Heong Peah”.  The bigger ones include the Aulong Biscuit & Confectionary (後廊香餅) and Biscuit Tupai Emas (太平金地園香餅) .  I didn’t get a chance to eat them while I was in Taiping, so tell me what they taste like if you’ve tried them

More Info
Aulong Biscuit & Confectionary Address : No. 768 Kampung Baru, Lorong 29, Aulong, 34000 Taiping, Perak.

Biscut Tupai Emas Facebook
Address: No. 35, Jalan 19, Taman Sungai Mas, Taiping, Perak.

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The post 15 Things to Eat in Taiping, Malaysia appeared first on Always Travelicious ! .

榮成禮坊 （Yong Sheng Gift Shop ）在1952年由麻坡起家，是麻坡老字號餅家， 至今已走過66個年頭，在全馬共有11間分行，光是年餅就是有20多種！每樣都好想吃啊 ～ 他們最近也加入鹹蛋風潮， 推出了【金玉滿堂鹹蛋酥】！也很推薦【糙米紫薯餅】，【鳳梨酥】，還有【貓山王瑞士捲】～ 限定款買四盒還有Promotion， RM100而已～ 之後所買的年餅還有25%折扣～

最新推出的【金玉滿堂鹹蛋酥】真的是鹹蛋kaki的首選～ 媽呀，一整個就是奶香和鹹蛋香的超讚結合，也有些許的娘惹咖哩風味，那種鹹蛋香在口裡酥化開的口感一定要試試～ 而且鹹蛋酥金黃亮麗的，是名副其實的金玉滿堂，大家也可圖個好意頭！(RM36.8)

【糙米紫薯餅】也是新推出， 紫色愛心的餅是不是少女心大爆棚 綿綿的口感，紫薯的甜、糙米的香全都品嚐得到，很健康，吃多了也不怕 ！(RM36.8)

過年必吃的鳳梨酥讓大家好運旺旺來～ 榮成禮坊的【鳳梨酥】餡料是包在裡面的，酸甜合宜，吃起來有點黏牙，一粒一粒的像小枕頭一樣，有台式鳳梨酥的口味～ (RM36.8， promotion 限定款之一)

另一款promotion 限定款-【杏仁酥】-是以美國進口杏仁粉製作，好料來的叻～ (RM36.8， promotion 限定款之一)

年餅吃多了，也可來點不一樣的瑞士卷，最香的當然是【貓山王瑞士捲】！ 一打開時，貓山王的香味撲鼻而來，鬆軟的蛋糕配上濃郁的榴槤香，咬下下去的那一剎那，冰冰涼涼的，吃得到細緻的榴槤餡，好吃的要流眼淚了啦。除了貓山王口味，還有其他很多口味，像原味，班蘭、芒果， 巧克力， 草莓， 及摩卡 (兩卷RM22)～

他們的年餅包裝也很精美～ 除了美美的鐵盒之外，裡面是用密封袋放年餅，吃不完時，袋子、盒子都可以封起來，雙重保鮮～

以下這六款現在有做促銷喔～ 4盒RM100 而已,  划算捏～一盒原價 都要RM36.80了。每消費RM100之後所買的年餅還有25%折扣捏～

1.  黃金滿滿 Cheese Ball 

2.  招財翡翠 Green Pea Cookies 

3.  鳳梨酥 Carnival Pineapple cookies

4.  杏仁酥 Almond cookies 

5. 椰香一口酥 Coconut Crispy Roll 

6. 戀戀草莓 Strawberry With Almond Nut Cookies. 

他們太多年餅了啦，完整的年餅資訊，價錢都在這個PDF裡面 https://goo.gl/v3ei5B ， 

大家也可上他們的官網 https://www.yongsheng.com.my/查詢更多資訊 ～

或現在就直接Walk In 去他們全馬11間分行辦。年。貨。吧～～

1.  麻坡總店 – Lot 1965, Batu 3 1/2, Mukim Jalan Bakri, Muar. 06 986 3362 

2.  麻坡原店 – No. 30 Jalan Sayang, Muar. 06 952 1362

3.  馬六甲 – N0. 39, Jalan Kota Laksamana 2/17, Taman Kota Laksamana Sek 2, 75000 Melaka.  606-281 1362

4.   大班梳邦 – No. 7, Jalan USJ 10/1E, UEP Subang Jaya, 47620 Subang。603-5635 3362

5.  1 Utama – LG333B, Lower Ground, Rainforest, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, PJ. 603- 7713 3362

6.  峇株巴轄 – No. 87, Jalan Mohd Akil,  Batu Pahat。607-438 1362

7. 居鑾 – No. 23, Jalan Manggis,  Kluang。 607-777-1262

8.  新山 – No. 79, Jalan Keris,Taman Sri Tebrau, JB   607-222 1362

9.  新山 City Square – Lot MF-14, Level 3, Johor Bahru City Square, 106-108, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, JB. 607-222 6362

10. 士古來 – No. 169, Jalan Bestari 1/5, Taman Nusa Bestari,  Skudai, Johor.  607-511 2362

11.  士古來 Sutera Mall – L3-037, Level 3, Sutera Mall, No.1, Jalan Tanjung 8/4, Taman Sutera Utama, Skudai, Johor. 607-557 6362

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