[ closed ] Kahve: plain food in the house

i must remind myself, there is seldom, rarely good food in shopping complex. the only nice food that comes to mind was chatters cafe's roti canai... though with that price, i could easily get better ones in any morning. but during shopping trip to jaya jusco, we were too tired to go else where, so we settle in Kahve.

in the spot where the last Deli France was, here, in the middle of the shopping complex, was a white-house like structure. it supposedly gives u the home feel. n it really was successful in tat. though not a original ideas ( i could easily name a few in Klang Valley), but it does breathe some new breath. the service was swift, the waitress would be more than eager to place u in their seats.

the menu was the usual pseudo western-asian-local fusion type of food. chicken chops-fried rice- noodles-nasi lemak-bit pastry/ sandwiches... u get the ideas.

we decided to try the set lunch cause that would be the fastest. we were hungry so the first few bites was fooling our taste buds.

the nasi lemak was ok. the sambal was slightly different, and boy, it was spicy. so i liked it.

the grilled chicken with the chicken from my rendang was basically the same marinated chicken, with different sauce. now, that is lazy! after half the meal, it just taste the same across. feel like MSG taste. was not satisfy in the end... so in the end, i end up cooking myself a Ramly burger at home... aiiiiiiiii.....

ratings: 2 poinks!

comments: IF u do not want to walk anymore, probably this is more reasonable choice compare to some restaurant in the same floor. if not, there are plenty other choice.

Restoran Haji Ghani: candidate for the best roti canai!

Roti canai: one of the most forgettable food, always taken for granted. maybe its because of the cheap ingredients? the low price? BUT the simpler the food, the more difficult to master it...

mamak joint had been the fav hanging out place everywhere, so again, it will be taken for granted. and then again, there was so many around, in all the corners, the most inconvenient to the most convenient place. it had become part of our lives.

so rarely would i want to review any mamak joint for its roti canai.... it will be like reviewing bowl of white rice. ... then again, would it? roti canai had come a long way, from the humble beginning of roti kosong to the modest roti pisang, planta, bom, tisu, to the slightly more extravangant roti salad (which actually is coleslaw) to now, tens of tens of different variety.

here in Restoran Haji Ghani, in Bandar Baru Kampar, which boast so many types of roti canai that they practically had few pages on the menu just dedicated to rotia canai... until i cant recall the number. was it 70? it is just behind the Grand Kampar Hotel. if u r turning in from the main Kampar-Ipoh main road, just turn right after Petronas. the crowd will show u the exact location.

it is an extension to Restoran Ghani, i presume, which situation more deep in Bandar Baru. service here is the norm for any mamak stall. few fellas running around taking order, settling the bill. the ordering part is ok. but it takes relatively long time for the order to come, n even longer for the fella to come to settle the bill.

however, the roti canai makes the service bearable. the range would be from slightly more than RM1 to Rm 5-6 depending on the type of roti u order. it could be the simple roti to the usual fare. feel free to be more adventurous and order some roti like roti vietnam. my personal fav would be roti masala with masala potato wrap in roti canai. took roti maggi the other day, with practically maggi mee wrap in roti canai, cut into bite-able size with mayo on top... well, the possibility are endless. n wat it makes it all out of this world is the roti canai. its one of the best one done. crisp, not so oily, and the consistency is perfect.

wat about the other food? forget about it. its not worth it, u can definitely find better ones.

ratings: 4 poinks for the roti canai, but if u r here for the other food, it will drop to 2 poinks.

comments: the roti canai is just out of this world. must try.

Lelio Popo: like the actual real life DJ show

i got a soft spot for local production. probably because local chinese film did not get the support they deserve so i am rooting for the underdog. previous production such as ice kacang puppy love was really good, so i did have a higher expectation for this film. then again, i am no fan of KK and Luke's daily 988 radio show so that lower down my expectation...

Lelio Popo, like the name suggest (lelio= radio), is a show about 2 cocky DJ who got fired because of their bad attitude. due to lack of job, they had to make up as old ladies to work in another radio station. they met up with a primary school fren who became their supervisor, n KK fell in love with her. the rest of the show basically tells how they were change into the good side. throw in a mild villian who was the girl's scorned boyfren, and there u have it....

there is so many problem with this show. like the real life radio show, i find KK and Luke talk too much, the joke is too low... come on, the main protagonist name is actually refers to Big Anus (kong mun da) and Long Penis (luke ye cheong), plus there was so many reference to those kind of jokes. acting wise is good, the editing is using lots of panning/ cross fade, there was some scene which dun serve any purpose at all (eg. P Ramlee scene), the story is so cheesy, and the script is so generic, and the whole film did feel like singapore's Jack Neo's earlier film which shove the moral story down your throat: please love and respect the elderly.

BUT, i did love the jokes, as low as it is.... and i did have a good laugh. not a bad effort, but to consider the recent standard of film by Aniu, this is far from perfect....

ratings: 2 poink!

comments: good laugh, but forgettable film

Mojiupai: no frills pan mee

this used to be my parents favourite joint for panmee. situated in new town, the same row as the original Haji Ghani, next to Just-to-eat bakery. the shop is weirdly named miss cafe. Miss cafe? as in miss mr or miss out? none the less, the literal translation would be "mojiupai" which meant no signboard. weird, but better than another shop in the area.

the main selling point here is pan mee. the shop itself is nothing to shout about. simple deco, airocon, simple plastic chairs and cheap tables. and FULL of students. many students. then again, in new town, everywhere is students.

the menu is limited, then again, like airasia, this is no frill food. nothing on the fancy side, just the things u want to order to make urself full. panmee is supposedly to be good, and the noodle did live up to expectation. the dough was ok in consistency though not the best ive seen. the soup based is variable though, from the normal conventional anchovies plus meat, to the chicken soup, curry chicken, dry pan mee or "fugua" based soup. the mee itself is rather simple but ok, with the anchovies sweetness in it. dun expect fanciful things, the bowl is just the meal with soup plus bit of anchovies and meat. as i said, no frills. like eating on top air asia. other food included waffles (though not the best, but one of the better ones in Kampar), and nasi lemak. the sambal in nasi lemak is nice, but then again, the same mistake with lots of place, the nasi is not "lemak" enough. tasted like plain rice though. the rice in nasi lemak is equally as important as the sambal also. the curry chicken was run of the mill, nothing to shout about.

price is rather hefty for some simple food. the pan mee would cost RM 4-RM4.50 depending on the soup base. waffle is RM 2 which is ok. plain nasi lemak cost RM2 which is the price expected on most place.

would i come again? i ve been here numerous time. the amount of students here is also a testimony on how good the biz is. but personally? i prefer my pan mee at times to be more fanciful with more meat, and stuff, like the ones we always go in Bercham, Ipoh. but IF i wanted something simple, no frills, i know i can always come here.

ratings: 2 half poink!

comments: simple nice pan mee, but still bit expensive for my likings.

Weng Wo: Taiwan breakfast in Ipoh Garden

Since mum dad was in Ipoh for followup, we decided for some different breakfast. Taiwan snack seems ok. i began to notice this shop since Motormouth highlighted it long long time back. surprise that it still stand.

WengWo soya milk is situated in medan bistari, Ipoh Garden, the same row as Kajang Satay. it situated rather subtly so dun miss the shop in the middle of the row.

food is rather different from the usual breakfast. remember the food here is rather light, so dun expect too much. ranging from RM3 onwards, the snacks would make up for good breakfast, simple light lunch, or tea time.

the drink was rather special with the soya milk on top of the list. the rice milk or combination with soya milk is something that i personally like, though not many share the same thought. taste bit really like baked rice, but thicker than the rice tea u find in jap restaurant. it would cost bout RM2 per cup but worth it. there was this salty soya milk which looks like porridge and eat with "chakui"

food was nice also, with the egg rolls,

rice rolls, buns as base. u can add multiple options inside such as ham, eggs, floss etc so the price range from wat is the main ingredient. egg roll or crepe is rather light but nice, the rice roll on the other hand was filling and taste like pulut udang. another nice offer is the radish cake which is not special locally but nicely cooked here. simply fried, without the tauge and onions, it was cooked the way i like it.

nice thing also about this place is, of all the time i've been here, not many patrons so not much of problem looking for a place to sit. deco is rather simple, but without aircon. the only drawback was the waitress seems to be foreign so ordering was bit of using sign language instead.

i would definitely come back for light snack, but too light for a proper meal though...

ratings: 3 half poink! (additional half for my fav drinks)

comments: for the guys, the food here maybe too light, for the gals, this would make up for a great lunch!

phone: 05-5456318

opened: 9am - 6pm

add: 7, Jalan Medan Ipoh !E, Medan Ipoh Bistari, Ipoh.

Shilin Taiwan Street Snack: Shilin in Malaysia

having went to a trip to taiwan recently had waken my interest in taiwanese food. n it had been nice to see the franchise had finally come to Ipoh. had seen it many times in kl/ pj.. in fact pass it so many times in tropica shopping complex in PJ but yet to try it once.

so recently go find Shilin Taiwan street snack, in Ipoh Parade, first floor, same as Popular bookstore. nicely situated above the concourse area, u cant miss the big red stall like corner.

the menu is rather limited, which i think is an advantage so that u would roughly know wat to order. so this is rather different from the real Shilin in taiwan. u c, shilin is THE KING of nite market in Taipei, u can easily get lost in it. so many food choices around that anyone could get headache from choosing each gastronomic delight. so, unlike the real nite market, this franchise only offered few food or snack that probably would suit local tastebuds.

we really miss the "digua" or sweet potato in Taiwan so that is the first thing we ordered here. cost only RM4 which didnt differ much from the price in Taiwan. it is really just deep fried sweet potato with sour plum powder as seasoning. the sour plum is the one that set the difference n it really suit the sweet potato well. the ones in Taiwan was really a taste to kill for, but here, the MSG taste was bit too much. rendering the mouth the be really dry after finishing it. but the taste was still great. the XXL chicken chop costs RM 6, the size appeared bigger than the one found in Taiwan, but it is less thick though. the seasoning was not tat prominent here, or probably eating it after the "digua" shadowed the taste. bit plain for me. but still a good bite. the only drawback was it was not boneless.

other food which is there included "meesua", which is not my fav even in Taiwan, Happy rice box, egg crepe, tempura, etc. something definitely different to try for.

ratings: 3 poinks! (added points because of all the fond memories from Taipei, less points because we tasted the real deal there...)

comments: service was bit slow, for fast food, but since it opened not long ago, didnt take tat into account.

Nasi Vangey: nasi ganja anyone?

there was a legend of nasi kandar that was so nice that the competition spread the rumours that they put cannabis/ grass into the rice. and that remained a legend.

Nasi Vangey is one of the more famous nasi kandar in Ipoh. situated in greentown biz centre, next to mike's place, its just beside the road. wont miss it.

the crowd is steadily flowing in, even though it was weekday. the place is rather wat u would expect from a nasi kandar place. big, huge tv. plenty of workers running up and down to entertain the customer.

menu wise is the standard food. range of dish to accompany the rice. the typical fried fish, chicken, beef .... and limited range of prawn. the nan, roti canai and the magi goreng are the standard fare. drinks also is wat u expect, the usual teh tarik or neslo...

we ordered nasi kandar with something which look like rendang chicken. nan with tandoori set and took one packet of nasi lemak on the table. nasi kandar was a bit of let down. the curry was hot, but not spicy enuf for me. frankly, i prefer the Pelita's curry. the chicken was bit on the dry side. the nan, although plain nan, was bit burnt, and it was the most oily nan i ever seen. however, the oil was just put on top, so tat did not do much damage to the caloric scale. the tandoori chicken was also dry... looks like it was put on the sun to dry up. BUT, the taste of tandoori was one of the better ones. taste was too salty to eat it on its own...

the saving grace was unexpectedly comes from the nasi lemak. it was one of the nicest one ever. the "lemak" taste was good. the sambal was spicy and hot, and that's how curry should be made like. too bad tat kind of taste was missing in the rest of food.

price was rather standard, nasi kandar with a piece of chicken and 2 other vege would set u back about RM5, same with a plain nan and tandoori chicken. standard price.

in the end, it was ok, not bad for a nasi kandar. but deep down, i prefer Pelita. and this is definitely far from nasi ganja.

ratings: 2 half Poink!

comments: actually, it was not bad, but too many nasi kandar shops around. the only reason i would wan to come here again is the place was rather comfy...