pusat makanan sun hor lok

this will be my final entry on the food i had during my 3 days stay in ipoh over the cny holidays.

hidden in this eatery place is a stall that sells teh most awesomest greatest most fabulous pork noodles ive ever eaten in my entire life. ive been craving and wanting to eat it sooooo badly eversince i left ipohland. but can you picture my reaction when i was finally there, just 2cm away from the stall wanting to place my order... IT WAS CLOSED!!

2 mins earlier i was pretty overjoyed and excited (shuddup. i get excited at the thought of my fav food).

2 mins later, i was sulking and whining with my sisters :(

so we had to settle for something else which was not even in our TOP 50 PLACES/FOOD TO EAT IN IPOH.

the dim sum stall was experiencing brisk business as famous dim sum places such as foh san and ming court were closed. the dim sum fares didnt fare too well though.

char siu bao, fish balls, some fried things

other stalls were also having good business even though their food is not that nice... chinese new year mah, everywhere is closed so everyone had to settle for whatever and whereever that is opened.

wantan mee

tai kah lok beats this hands, feet, fingers, toes DOWN!

curry mee

the total bill for breakfast amounted to over rm100, and by ipoh standard (price and taste) it was clearly a cut-throat chinese new year breakfast. whattodooo... if only pork noodles stall was opened... :/

anyway, despite all the unyummy food, this was a clear winner on that morning.

gingko barley- rm2

my fav tong sui!! unlike the ones ive tasted in kl (here and here), this tastes much better. less diluted, more gingko, more barley, and even the color looks more original too!

i want my pork noodles...........

pusat makanan sun hor lok
persiaran greenhill,
30450 ipoh.
(opposite gold vision cake house)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

funny mountain tau foo fah

mention 'tau foo fah' in ipoh and instantly locals will direct you to funny mountain. no, the stall is not located at a mountain that is funny. yes, its a funny name but if you see the amount of loyal tau foo fah lovers lining and waiting for their fix of tau foo fah, its not that funny anymore. these people are making serious money out of just soybeans! they have the last laugh.

it took me to be away from this land of good food to realize the existence of this yummylicious tau foo fah shop. nevertheless, its certainly better be late than never!

this smaller-than-your-bathroom shop has been attracting scores of crowd from in and outside of ipoh. at only 80 cents per bowl, it's truly a cheap thrill. its hard to believe for many that these days there are still good food we can buy with less than a dollar.

armed with a tau foo fah scoop, these boys are pretty fast in getting orders and delivering them... right up to your car window. yes, drive thru service is available here for those who don't want to leave their air cond comfort zone (ipoh can be pretty hot, so hot i also cant understand why).

the smoothness is evident even from pictures. and it tasted absolutely [insert awesome adjectives]. best eaten when it is still warm as the smoothness of the tau foo fah just slides down your throat. absolutely no strength or energy needed :) heavenly indeed!!

funny mountain certainly sets a very high standard for the tau foo fah trade... truly an 'eat it to believe it'... only in ipoh :)

funny mountain tau foo fah
jalan dato tahwil azar, ipoh.

(near foh san dim sum)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

happy valentines 2008

pictures i received from a forwarded email. everything looks too precious to be put in the mouth , eh?

HAPPY VALENTINES!!

<3

kedai kopi let's rock @ ipoh

if you ask me what are the 3 things i am most craving for at the moment from my hometown, ipoh (land of good food), these tops my list:

# Pork noodles @ Pusat Makanan Sun Hor Lok, Greentown
# Hor fun (dry) & fishballs @ Restoran Let's Rock/Tai Kah Lok, Pasir Putih

# Chicken & prawn ipoh kueh teow @ Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri

fishballs, tofu, fishcakes, fu pei, meatballs, wantons

we practically grew up eating noodles, fishballs and drinking teh from tai kah lok. i remember mom used to ta pau these for breakfast on weekends or we would come here for breakfast on sundays with dad. this place remains very nostalgic and memorable to us.

for a good few years now we havent had any tai kah lok, so on 3rd day of cny, we decided to NOT join the foh san dim sum crowd but came here instead. i think we made a wise and yummy decision.

signature hor fun kon loh

the obligatory must haves

the fishballs etc are priced at 50 cents per piece. last time, it was only bout 30 cents. shows how much time has changed... but the taste is stillsogoooooood and ingredients used are absolutely fresh.

the taste of the hor fun is really very distinctive. of all the dry hor fun ive eaten, tai kah lok's still tastes the best! and it's so recognizable that if you were to blindfold me, i would still managed to tell you which is tai kah lok's hor fun kon loh.

so so so so good... *sighs*

p/s: tai kah lok also made it into flavours magazine Perak good food guide (march-april 2006 edition).


kedai kopi let's rock (tai kah lok)
661, new pasir putih,
jln pasir putih, ipoh.
opens 7-11am; 4.30-9pm
closed on wednesdays

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

nihon kai @ jln klang lama

nihon kai is a relatively new japanese place, opened just a year plus. this restaurant is the brainchild of the nakamura family whose daughter is the classmate of my cousin brother. my sister, upon recommendation from my cousin, went here twice and said the food is commendable and prices are reasonably cheap.

so off we went for some japanese indulgence, all 13 of us. famed for its cheap bento sets ranging between rm20 to rm25, we all went for the bento sets for dinner.

obligatory and custom green tea was served immediately. i like the cups cos it has an ergonomical touch to it.

sashimi & sushi party boat set- rm55

mixed seafood bento- rm23

nihon kai salmon special bento set- rm20

sukiyaki (chicken) bento set- rm21

mixed sashimi bento set

fried seafood bento set

cod fish head- rm45

i couldn't take pictures of every single bento set as i was too far away and also my relatives are not used to my "snap before eating" rule :(

the food was two thumbs up. i really like the rice, soft fluffy and chubby grains. hehe. also, the chawan mushi was very smooth and had a nice (i think) salty egg yolk taste, and it comes really hot, so even after you eat it last you'll still have it warm. my sukiyaki chicken (wanted to take beef but dad was staring at me -_-) was awesome! the soup was sooooo sweet and comes with chicken bits, soft chinese cabbage, glass noodles, mushrooms and tofu). i slurped every single drop of it.

another worthy order was the sushi & sashimi boat set. do note that nihon kai is not particularly famous for its sushi range, hence the sushies are alil' pricey. however the boat set we ordered came floating with 5 types of nigirisushi, 1 temaki, salmon & tuna sashimi, and cucumber & pickle maki.

my uncle had the famous cod fish head which was really huge!! also it took rather a long time to arrive, so be sure to be patient as the wait is worth it!! for such a huge head at rm45, everyone said it was "nowhere you can find out there!" the flesh was smooth and fresh. superb!!

the dinner overall was a very filling one. i was filled to the brim and couldn't move!! according to my cousin, if you want a seat on weekends be sure to call and book first or else you'll be joining others in the line to dine here. this place has received several reviews from the media including nanyang and thestar. service is okay and the ambience is very cozy for a family/friends gathering. pricewise, it was about rm340 for 13 of us, you do the math. parking is also available within walking distance.

nihon kai japanese restaurant
4-2, jalan telok gadong,
off jalan klang lama,
batu 3 1/2, 58100 kuala lumpur.
tel: 03-49823668

(from mid valley/pj, go up the flyover to jln klang lama. just before shell station, turn left to a small alley. nihon kai is the last shop at the corner)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]