Sun Tack Kee Kampar: pleasant outing for fried noodles

I had visited the similar shop in Ipoh, so I had a rough idea what to expect from Sun Tack Kee in Kampar. Located on the same row as Old Town in New Town, Kampar, it is just stone throw away from Econsave. In the row of new shop lot, the restaurant is nice and comfortable. Though the food offering is what we expect from a simple "da-chow" type of fried noodle, dining here is comfortable minus the road side stall.

The list of food is rather typical, with different types of fried noodle, as many as you can count. Though they may be slightly expensive compare to stalls, we must remember we are dining in a comfortable shop rather than stall. Expect to spend at least RM6-7 per person which still way cheaper than dining in a fancy restaurant or fine dining. The food, surprisingly is quite nice, with adequate amount of "wok-hei". You can felt the noodles are fried in a hot wok rather than mix around and dished out. Sometimes, it is rather difficult to explain what "wok-hei" actually means. We had a few dishes, including the recommended moon hor-fun, which is quite smooth. Portion is enough, slightly big for the elderly. Dining here definitely would not disappoint, we do like the place for the dining comfort more than the food. For comparison of the typical fried noodle, this still yet to replace our favourite "da-chow" spots, which remain one of the road side stalls.


ratings: 3 poink~!
comments: there is a loyalty card of sort when we dine, so remember to enquire about it.

Restaurant Ipoh Sun Tack Kee
25, Jalan Batu Krang, Off Jalan Batu Sinar,
Taman Bandar Baru,
Kampar

Ah Boy Noodle: Refreshing take on Soup Noodle

Have not been trying new places lately, given that not in Perak most of the time. Mum was the one who suggest we eat out and try the new restaurant in town. Apparently a few of the friends had given good feedback on Ah Boy Noodle.

comfortable dining

It is situated in the new row of shops next to Econsave in Bandar Baru, along the same row as Old Town and M Boutique Hotel. Just look for the cute face hogging a bowl of noodle. Being a new shop and probably established by a group of young entrepreneurs, this place is designed for comfort and practicality. Not to the point of being fine dine, but simple arrangement of the restaurant make sure dining here is a comfort. The service is attentive, and ordering uses self filled order sheet. I noticed that many of the current shops ran this system, similar to most stalls in Taiwan.

huge pork balls

curry lala noodle

The basic selection is actually rather simple, varieties of noodles, varieties of soup, varieties of sides and you get different types of combination.  There is nothing to boasts about the noodle, I am sure it is found in most noodle stalls. The soup selection is based on clear chicken soup or curry. The clear soup is one of the better version out there. Stock used is full of taste and with the right combination of freshness, sweetness and saltiness. The curry, on the other hand, is not to my liking. Too watery and not spicy enough. I prefer my curry thick and spicy. The presentation and type of sides boasts a rather wide varieties, from pork noodle (comes with pork balls), seafood to simple presentation with eggs and sausage. Although theoretically anything can be combined with anything, but I find that certain combination works better. For example, having my bowl of curry la-la noodle would be better in clear soup to lift the sweetness of the seafood.

pork noodle

Overall, price here is acceptable, slightly more than what we can get in a normal roadside stall. Dining here comfortably, coupled with the air-conditioning background, I would not mind to come again for a different combination.

ratings: 3 half poink~!
comments: the chilli sauce is one of the best out there.

BFB Dim Sum Restaurant 八分半点心茶楼: back to basic

Ipoh is never short of dimsum place. The unfortunate thing is most of the dimsum restaurant tend to be commercialized and caters more for out of town tourists who are willing to spend while visiting this peaceful town. Seldom we find a dimsum restaurant that focus more for the locals with their no frill basic servings with affordable price. I used to favor Choi Yue in Ipoh Garden South for its tasty dimsum but since its popularity rise, it is difficult to find a seat nor parking spot.

Ong recommended this shop, BFB Dim Sum Restaurant 八分半点心茶楼, deep in Persiaran Baru Tambun, which is in the midway of Tambun and Ipoh Garden East. This is situated in the vicinity of Citrus and Tammy's kitchen, which both offers decent western cuisine. Come early for the varieties of dimsum, apparently if arrived later, there would not be as many choices.


Expect basic but tasty experience. The setup is the basic Chinese dimsum setup, with not much decorations expected and the workers cruising around the shop with trays of dimsum in their hand. See something you like and just ask them to put it on the table. The dimsum also comes in basic form but adequate choices. Do not expect new and innovative dimsum, although they would have special-for-the-day dimsum during weekend. Just focus on the usual day-to-day dimsum offering with a bit of varieties. However, it is not a bad thing at all because they do their basic dimsum well. The dimsum tasted fresh with generous fillings. The meat tasted well and most of the dishes are up to expectations.  The deep fried selections are also not too oily. The one dish that stand out would be their cha-siu-bao (roast pork bun); the filling is really good with the fragrance of the meat, although I would prefer the bun to be bit thinner.



The price would be as expected, though not as pricey as some of their famous counterpart in the main town area. The number of patrons here would be a prove that dining here is a good experience with good food, although it would be an extra effort for me to wake up early for the dimsum breakfast.

ratings: 3 half poink~!
comments: come early for more choices.

BFB Dim Sum Restaurant 八分半点心茶楼
61, Impian,, Persiaran Bandar Baru Tambun 16, Taman Ipoh, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Gopeng Antique Kopitiam: it is the dining experience more than food

Another get together for a old childhood friend brought me to Gopeng. When anyone talks about Gopeng, I would think of lai-fun (noodle) or perphaps the exotic wild selection in Lawan Kuda. Lately for the past few years, Gopeng had done an excellent job to emerge as a perserved old town with lots of sentimental museums and art scenes. A bit of a mini Old Town of Ipoh. So, dining at Gopeng Antique Kopitiam is indeed a special experience.

First, to locate the restaurant may not be that easy. However, since Gopeng town is a very small place, I can take my own sweet time and try numerous roads. Just locate the round-about in the town and head towards the bus station. The kopitiam is just located in between the round-about and bus station, behind a Chinese coffee shop. (For those Pogo players, just locate the shop with Pokegym next to the round about, and the kopitiam is behind this shop). Look out for a small sign board.

The coffee shop or kopitiam, is a small museum by itself. Maintained well, it felt like dining within a different era. It felt so unrealistically serene with lots of old objects to feast the eyes upon. Any elderly would start to tell stories of the yester-years just by looking at all these memoirs. Posters, old iron, fan, and different items hold years of stories in their aged appearance. For those shutter-bugs, this served as a sea of photo opportunity.

The menu during lunch is basically Chinese dishes with selection of stall style noodles. Not as extensive as the sea food restaurant; there are plenty of basic dishes found in any simple Chinese shops. Think of basic chicken, egg and vegetable dishes. Think of the usual
"wat-dan-ho" or chinese fried rice. We ordered a mix mash of selections. To summarize, the dishes were okay. Fairly good but only with few things to remember them by. For picky eaters in Perak, the food here did not stand out. But it is not bad at all. Just that after spoilt by so many good diners everywhere, the food here have some catching up to do. The noodles are tasty, as expected, with any stalls. We ordered fried sotong as finger food. Crispy but not spciy enough; is as expected as any frozen beer joints. Came the ginger steamed fish, which surprisingly taste good with generous amount of ginger but the fish is not fresh enough, leaving a tinge of muddy smell. The vegetable dish is as expected, nice but not outstanding. The 3 yolk egg is steamed smoothly though lack of the taste of century egg.

As much as I think the food here is not excellent, I would still like to dine here for the experience. Sometimes, the food may not leave a mark, but the place itself is the main attraction. The price would not burn a hole in the pocket, although may not be as cheap as the road side stall. According to my friend, there are more western selection at night, which I hope to try again in the near future.

ratings: 2 half poink~!
comments: I am bit picky on noodles dishes since there are so many excellent options both in Ipoh and Kampar. In the end, a lot of people will call me bias. A few of my friends who tried the food here seems to be more impress than me. Well, it could be only me....

Gopeng Antique Kopitiam
3, Jalan Pasar
Gopeng
05-3593559

Ming Kei 明记 Chu-cheong-fun: best to have it hot

When it comes to chu-cheong-fun, I am very particular. I was told that a good chu-cheong-fun do not require much sauce, it just need light soya sauce and oil to accompany the great dish. I could not agree more. I know that lots of people everywhere would beg to differ, some like it with fillings such as bangkuang/ turnip (Teluk Intan style), mushroom sauce (tend to see it more often in Klang valley), or the ever popular curry. I used to love it with sweet sour sauce and prawn sauce. However, whenever I wanted to taste the real noodle, I always have it with light soya sauce.





The only other chu-cheong-fun stall where I totally fell in love with is the one in Teluk Intan. Similarly, it is freshly made, right from the steamer. Here in Kampar, we have the chance for similar experience. Ming-Kei is situated in Aston Settlement, right next to Hong Chan estate. If still lost, just go around the area, and the area is not exactly that big. The shop is actually a house where they operated from the kitchen. It opens daily from 7am until they finish the noodle, so do come early. The cheaper version always get sold out early.

We have the options of the usual plain chu-cheong-fun or the ones with pieces of small prawns. There are no version with fillings (Teluk Intan version) which is a pity. The noodle is fresh from the steamer, smooth and with the perfect thickness when eaten hot. One need to order from the kitchen and then pick whatever accompanying meatballs or gravy outside. The choices are limited, the sauce is minimal but the star here is the noodle itself. If you wanted impressive curry to go along, I can suggest another stall in the vicinity, but I still would return here for the simplicity of the dish.

The family running the stall are very simple and humble people. There are few tables outside the house, which makes dining here possible. So many other shops selling chu-cheong-fun from generic factories/ shops so having it fresh from the kitchen, is an amazing dining experience itself.

ratings: 4 poink~!
comments: although I had high praises for the noodle, some may still prefer it less smooth, thicker, thinner... well, you cant please everyone, I guess.

Deluscious Food Delight: not a mistake

Yup, it is not a spelling mistake. I just transcribe, not knowing whether the spelling is intentional. Deluscious Food Delight (DFD) has been near Taman Botani for quite some time. As far as my memory serve me correctly, it is one of the earliest shop to set foot in Taman Siber/ Botani when the place was still relatively empty. There was a time I frequently visited Botani, but fate has it that I did not settle down there. Along the main road, near to the entrance of Botani, is this small family run dessert shop. Blink and you will miss, so just drive slow along the shops with numerous restaurants.

This is a simple shop, so do not expect expert deco, personalized service, but dining here is definitely warm with interesting staff. Do not expect high sophisticated choices in the menu, but the highlights would be the Chinese dessert (tong sui) which differ every day. Just look at the wooden tags on the wall to see which dessert is available on the day. The rest of menu is dedicated to dessert such as pan cake. There is a vast range of cold dessert as well, such as shaved ice. Main dishes such as noodle and rice dishes would make sure patrons here return with the tummy full.

Although one may argue that the food here may not be the best among many choices here in Ipoh, but I would say that dining here give me a homely feel with the good food. The dry noodle with braised pork is one of the best combination among pork and mee. The chicken chop and black pepper pork do not shine but do not disappoint either. The pan mee, is bit plain but among the many favourful dishes, plain is good. The dessert choice is aplenty, from tong sui to the cold ice dessert. I have still yet to try their peanut soup, which I will reserve for my next visit.

It is not easy to find a place with both good light and heavy food together with hot and cold dessert. I truly enjoy dining here; it is a nice break from all the fancy restaurants, and I am sure it will disappoint others as well.

ratings: 3 poink~!
comments: I always have a soft spot for dessert....

Yut Kee: memories of Hainan delicacies

Everytime I heard Hainan pork/ chicken chop, I would remember how my dad used to take me to this old corner Chinese coffee shop in Kampar which made one of the best fried meehoon and Hainan chops. Therefore when my friend wanted to bring me to try Hainanese food in KL, I was simply ecstatic.


I do not know how to describe the roads in KL, so I have to apologize not able to direct anyone to Yut Kee. Just google the place and I am sure Google map would provide adequate directions. My friend was describing that this place used to operate in another building and have much history. During the Saturday lunch, the place is packed full of people, that we basically have to leave our names and wait outside. Good signs, I think, since everyone is willing to wait.

Although there is so many people, their system is working well. There will be staff directing us to our seats, another to take our orders, and the orders came very fast, considering the amount of patrons they need to serve. First for us to try is the Hainanese chicken chop (RM9.50). The meat is tender, the gravy is tasty, but I felt it is rather oily. I understand that the meat need to be deep fried with batter but I had tasted less oily elsewhere. My friend recommended roti babi (RM9), which is a must for pork lover. The meat is seasoned well, and with the bread, it felt like pork sandwich with special patty. Nice and filling. The price, is very reasonable given that we are eating in KL. It would not burn a hole in my pocket at all.


I was unable to try the other dish, but I am sure there are reasons why this place is so popular. I would love to try the chops again, but I hope they would reduce the oil.

ratings: 3 poink~!
comments: prepare to wait, but the food did not disappoint.

Yut Kee Restaurant
1, Jalan Kamunting, Kuala Lumpur.

Tricycle Bistro Studio Lok Lok 三轮碌碌: reinvent the way of eating lok-lok [ENDED]

Mention lok lok to any of us, we will have the image of a road side stall, people standing there and dipping their selected satay stick into a common boiling pot. Though sound rather unhygienic, considering that the soup used to boil is shared and there is always a risk of under-cooking the selected sticks, it did not stop people from eating from this type of stalls. However, this is definitely not a place to lepak or to hang around. The idea is select your picks, cook it, dip it into the sauce (a must!), eat it, and leave the place for other patrons.

Tricycle Bistro Studio 三轮碌碌 will probably reinvent the way to enjoy lok-lok in Ipoh. Situated in Ipoh town, it may not be easy to locate, but with patience, it is not difficult to find the shop. Just locate Sri Maju express station in town, and head away from town centre in Jalan Bendahara. Look for a big crowd behind the row of shops slightly further down the road. If failed, there is always google map or waze.

The concept is rather easy. Just move lok-lok into a shaded shop instead. Move the boiling pot into individual tables, similar to satay celup in Melaka, and that's it. The service is homely, and attentive. The environment still maintain the crowds and the sense of "热闹" of any good lok-lok stall. Though there is option of cooking the sticks in individual table (with different price for the soup, ours was chicken soup, costing RM3), there is always the choice of the conventional; standing there with a common shared boiling pot of soup as not all the tables are equipped with the stoves.

For those who still do not know what is lok-lok (which basically means boiling in Cantonese), it is just a simple selections of different raw food skewered in satay stick which are subsequently cooked individually in boiling pot of soup. Imagine satay celup in Melaka, minus the boiling satay sauce. Selections here are just OK, with the usual fish balls, tauhus, the must-have-cockles, sausage, and other selections as well; which are found in other stalls as well. The price, however, is a stand-out as each stick cost only RM0.40. Of course, one could not expect a big portion for such a price. Expect to eat approximately 20 sticks per person on a good day. The food is fairly fresh, I have not much to complain. The sauce, however, is really awesome. The satay sauce is special with its addition of dry prawns (my guess, again) though I would prefer more peanuts in it. Even the usual chilli sauce is nicely mixed, with a tinge of citrus taste.

Overall, it is a very nice place to sit down and really enjoy lok-lok. There is no hurry to rush our food, and a nice place to enjoy friends company with good food.

ratings: 3 half poink~!
comments: come early for good seats. it could get crowded at times.

三轮碌碌

Lot 25973, Ground Floor, 

No 8, Jalan Bendahara,
Ipoh
014-3013808

Gopeng Laifun 务边四会濑粉

Tired of all the cafes and western joints, sometimes I yearn for a simple lunch. Yet, on a Friday long lunch break, I would hope for a nice shop to lepak a bit longer. Gopeng Laifun in Bercham seems to fit the description. Located across Tesco Bercham, it is among the row of relatively new shop facing the main road.

Entering the shop impress me. The owner really put in effort in collecting old items for the retro decoration. We had seen many similar items in other boutiques cafe, but there are one or two things that I had not seen since my childhood, for example the "tikam-tikam" (lottery) game where we spent multiples of 10 cents in front of grocery shop. Not all of my friend even seen these boards at all.

Then comes the menu. Even though it is suppose to be a straight forward noodle shop, but the menu offers different sets with different combination with different add-on that it became so confusing. My friends needed the waiter to help fill in the orders. Luckily the staffs are patient enough to help us through it. Essentially, the list is noodle with different "liu"'s. On top of the list would be the famous laifun. I ordered the mince sauce dry laifun (RM4.30) served with minced pork, while the set of soup laifun plus add on comes to RM9.90. Most of us would find that the noodle and soup is nothing to shout about. Comparing to the ones I had previously tasted in Gopeng (vaguely recalled the market ones and the "big water pipe" place), this version pales in comparison. I even prefer the ones I had in my hometown Kampar market which is served with a simple soup and deep fried taufu. I could still recall eating those cheap bowl of laifun with roasted pork bought in other stall. Laifun, to me, has a different kind of consistency but the version here clearly is bought from generic factory which lacks the after taste.

However, for dining experience, this is a place to start and a place to have a decent meal without breaking the budget. Not all would like to hang out on a long lunch break in roadside stalls. I would still want to see some improvement on the noodle but I have to admit that to eat the authentic laifun, this may not be the place.

ratings: 2 half poink~!
comments: nice place to hang out. I lowered the poink since I expect some nostalgia with my bowl of noodle, but was disappointed of it. Typing this prompted me to go out and get a bowl in the market this weekend.

Gopeng Laifun
30, bercham Bistari 1
Medan Bercham Bistari
Ipoh
05-5412418

Lu Shi Fu: nothing to shout about except the comfort

Braised pork or the variant with taufu or chicken seems to be popular among our southern neighbour Singaporeans; but somehow did not manage to find its niche in central area like Ipoh or Kampar. However, it is still possible to find rather good braised pork in some stalls, especially some notable food court.

6 in 1 set meal

Lu Shi Fu, as the name suggested, is supposedly to be the master of its trade. Situated in Bercham Glamour Square, it is in the corner of the complex beside what used to be WongKam food court. The same complex  hosts the laser tag game centre in its building.

From the outside, the restaurant looks rather welcoming and clean. Decorated with lanterns which gave the far eastern feel, and with multiple warm colours, eating here is rather very comfortable. Coupled with the ever attentive staff, and nicely air conditioned ventilation; no wonder even students come here for lunch. It is supposedly open everyday in lunch and dinner time, resting only on Tuesday.

The menu is essentially braised pork and different variant of it. Think of the braised sauce with taufu, chicken, duck and egg. For the more adventurous, try braised pork intestine. Eat it with rice or porridge. When my order came, they even served it on top of a burning (literally) small wok to keep the heat. That is rather thoughtful of them. The portion is rather small for me but then again, it may be suffice for someone who ate less. The price is not too expensive, surprisingly, given the comfortable surroundings. Expect RM4 onwards for the basic braised dishes. Braised pork served with egg, taufu and rice costs RM6.80. My selection was a 6 in 1 combo with braised pork, intestine, chicken, duck, taufu, egg served with rice which costs RM 9.90. It did appeared nice on the menu but just expect 2-3 piece of each. The braised sauce is not the best I had in Ipoh/ Kampar. The pork is not bad, with the correct proportion of fat and meat. The chicken and duck are rather average, expect the usual chicken/ duck rice with braised sauce kind of taste. The intestine is OK, but the egg is evidently not "braised" long enough, and the taste rather bland.

Overall, the taste is really average with nothing memorable. However, dining here is really comfortable and with the ample parking, making this place still a fair choice to dine in.

ratings: 2 half poink!
comments: nothing to shout about. except the comfort, and the ample easy parking space.

Lu Shi Fu
Plot 16G, Glamour Square
Commercial Centre
Taman Bercham Jaya
Ipoh