When I was young and still didn't knew what hometown really mean, I always told people that my hometown was Ipoh because that was the place where my grandmother came from and it was also the place where I go down to every Chinese New Year. As I grew older, I found out that Ipoh was not actually my hometown because I was born and raised in KL. But, I still like to think of it as my hometown because it reminds me a lot of my grandmother and my childhood memories.
For me, Ipoh has always been my hometown but for most other people, it is place where they would go down for a day or so just to have amazingly good food which are not only authentic but at cheaper price compared to KL. If you have been to Ipoh, I am sure you have eaten the Ipoh's famous chicken floss hor fun (rice noodles), chicken rice, dim sum and even drink Funny Mountain's soya bean drink. But, this post isn't about those places, this post is dedicated to places who have plain simple good food that have not yet turned mainstream. So let's get down to it:
#1. Big Tree Foot Yong Tau Foo- Pasir Pinji
In Ipoh, my hometown is specifically located in Pasir Pinji. Even though, I did not know all the good food in Ipoh, I thought I knew most of the good food in Pasir Pinji, but I didn't. During my last trip to Ipoh in January, my friend, Artemis told me that I have to eat the Asam Laksa at the Big Tree Foot at Pasir Pinji, so I gave it a try and it definitely did not disappoint me.
Though I personally find the Yong Tau Foo just ordinary, I fell in love with their Asam Laksa. It had the perfect balance of sweetness, sourness and spiciness, and it is really difficult to find a perfectly balanced Asam Laksa in the market these days. Also, even though it only costed me like RM3 for a bowl of laksa, it had like chunks of fish meats in there! Highly recommend the Asam Laksa!
#2. Char Kuey Teow at Restoran Sin Lean Lee- Jalan Bandar Timah
This is one of my dad's favourite to go breakfast place in Ipoh because it is located very near his old school. I know, I know, you don't go to Ipoh to eat Char Kuey Teow and I used to think so until my dad brought us there and it is not my favourite place to have Char Kuey Teow. I personally love Sin Lean Lee's Char Kuey Teow because unlike the usual Char Kuey Teow, it's more wet and goey because the egg that they top on top of it is usually not fully cooked, so if you like it more wet like me :P, give them a try! However, you really need patience to dine here because you usually have to wait for a minimum of 30 minutes.
#3. White Coffee at Kedai Kopi Xiang Er Nong- Jalan Peh Kee Koh
In the coffee market, we know that there is black coffee. If you aren't local, you probably have not heard of white coffee, which is the coffee that Ipoh is famously known for. As you can see, it is not actually white in colour. Though it looks like black coffee with milk, it doesn't taste like the normal black coffee and milk. The aroma of white coffee is distinctive and fragrant. I am not actually a big fan of white coffee, but when I do feel like drinking it, I usually buy a packet of iced one from here because they make it really kau (strong) and it is one of the best I have drank.
#4. Kaya (Coconut Jam) Puff at Ming Yue Confectionery- Jalan Peh Kee Koh
If you are fan of pastries just like me, I strongly strongly recommend having a Kaya Puff from here. I have not exactly tried anything else from here because I love their Kaya Puff that much. Reasons why I love it: a) they are make from real actual kaya and not the fake bright green in colour kind b) the size of it is really small. It's both a good and a bad thing. Good, that you don't have to eat a whole big piece by yourself (like those kaya puffs you can find in regular stalls are big). Bad because they are super addictive, so you most likely wouldn't eat only one :P
#5. Muar Chee (Glutinous Rice Balls) & Fa Sang Wu (Peanut Soup Dessert) at Hong Kee Mah Chee- Pasar Pinji
I love Muar Chee and I love Fa Sang Wu. Did you know that Muar Chee and Fa Sang Wu is such a good combination together? I bet you didn't know. This place is located super near my hometown. It used to be super hidden where the guy who owns this shop used to sell right in front of a random house along the street, below a big tree. But, the last time I went there, he moved to this small little turquoise house which can be spotted very easily.
But, he also told me that the turquoise is all temporary and that he will be moving again. However, if you do come by Pasir Pinji, you have to really come here. Though the Muar Chee isn't anything besides the ordinary but the Fa Sang Wu is really amazing as the consistency isn't too thick and it tasted like its made more of peanut than flour. And the guy who owns the stall actually recommended me to eat both together, because ordinary people like me would eat them separately. Seriously, they both go so well together!
6. Wat Tan Hor (Stir Fried Rice Noodles) at Tuck Kee Restoran- Jalan Yau Tet Shin
Like the Big Treet Foot place, I have not actually tried Tuck Kee until my last trip. I have heard of it but have not tried it because it only opens at night, if I am not mistaken and I always go down to Ipoh for less than a day and be back before night. Catering mostly for dinner, they have a wide variety of stir fried noodles to choose from, but that time when I went tried it I ordered their Wat Tan Hor and their famous steamed octopus.
Their steamed octopus wasn't anything special, but I did like the how well it went with their chili sauce. However, I did really like their Wat Tan Hor. All my life, I have eaten alot of Wat Tan Hor because it's one of my family's favourite noodle dish and I only have had one really good one before this. But, Tuck Kee's Wat Tan Hor could actually compete with that. It wasn't diluted and it had the right amount of seasoning. The next time I go down, I will like to try their Hokkien Mee.
#6. Yong Tau Foo & Teh Ais (Iced Milk Tea) at Kedai Makanan Kum Kee- Pasir Pinji
Kum Kee really brings a whole lot of good memories to me because it is actually the nearest kopitiam (coffee shop) located to my house at Ipoh. When I was a kid, whenever I overnight at Ipoh, my family always went to Kum Kee for supper. It really has been a long time since I went there. They serve the usually Ipoh Yong Tau Foo, but what I really enjoyed there is actually their Teh Ais.
I usually wouldn't order Teh Ais because there aren't good ones. Most of the kopitiams serve diluted teh ais because usually they will premake the milk tea and then pour it over ice whenever an order is made which makes the drink so diluted. But I decided to order it from here because I saw one of the customer from the next table ordered it and the colour of the teh ais looked really 'kau', so I tried my luck and ordered it, which did not disappoint me. Then, I realize all their drinks are actually 'kau' because the they actually make the drink only when there is an order, which makes a whole lot of difference! If you are very particular with your drink being 'kau' or not, like me, you would understand.
That's all I have for this post :)
Yeoh Eening
BRING MEEEEEEEe
ReplyDeleteOne day, definitely!
Delete