DAY 846-849

Dec 26-29

1) These past couple of days, I've been living the good life. My mom brought me to one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Ipoh (and possibly, ever XD) - called Ten-good (天狗). We also went for afters at Old Town Grand Restaurant at M Roof Hotel, which I haven't been to yet. The following day, my dad brought my grandpa and myself to the Birch Memorial Clock Tower, where opposite lies the Dato' Sagor Food Court - a frequent breakfast venue for my parents and me during my younger years XD. At night, I met up and had a nice long chat with my dear friends and schoolmates, from back during my days in Anderson High School. That's basically the gist of my blog, I'll let the pictures and captions do the rest. Thanks very much as always for visiting, and have a nice day. Cheers! :D

First time in 2.5 years meeting up with my school friends from Anderson High School 

(SMK Anderson). 

(from l-r: Leonard looks taller, Jon's gotten his man bun done, Nick's gotten more buff yet rounder :))

Hainanese Chicken Chop - at Gourmet Square

Hainanese chicken chop is usually served with a bread-crumbed, fried de-boned chicken thigh, dressed with thick brown sauce (mainly made of Worchestershire and tomato sauce), mushed peas and sliced onions. Thickly sliced pan-fried potatoes are served alongside.

Authentic Japanese Restaurant in Greentown - Ten-Good (actually Tengu (天狗)

a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion and also considered a type of Shinto god (kami) or yōkai (supernatural beings) 

I can't for the life in me remember the exact name of this particular set meal, but suffice to say the main meal (far left) is accompanied with a large bowl of miso soup (foreground), chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), kaaraage (fried chicken bites), pickled jellyfish salad (appetizer), and a sweet yam dessert!

My mom had the pork belly hotpot - complete with a huge helping of steamed white rice :)

A feast for the eyes and stomach :)

Ten-Good Menu

Afters at M Roof - We don't normally do this but I haven't been here before haha

Banana lava

Paratha with banana cream filling, served with a side of ice-cream

Toast bread with ice-cream, a simple but completely irresistible combination!

Dato' Sagor Food Court :)

"Gerai Ah Ying" - Ah Ying's Stall is our main go-to place for breakfast

The busy atmosphere at the food court

Foreground - a set of toast bread with butter and kaya

Mid - soft-boiled eggs on buttered toast (the so-called "roti goyang")

Background - two cups of hot tea and one cup of hot Milo (chocolate malt drink)

What an awesome meal ^^

The eggs are perfectly cooked, and the buttery bread acts as the perfect vehicle to deliver all that eggy goodness to your mouth :))

Standing in front of the Birch Memorial Clock Tower - constructed to commemorate James W. W. Birch, the first British Resident of the state of Perak and unveiled in 1909 at a cost of $25,000

Ipoh - hometown for the past 20 years :)

In commemoration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, the Chinese community subscribed over £43,000 to create the Ipoh Padang in 1898. Padang is the Malay word for 'field', and this is exactly what it is. In the colonial days, British men were seen wearing whites on the field, hitting a wicket or two (in the game of cricket, for the uninitiated). Some were then seen heading back to the exclusive Ipoh Royal Club adjacent to the field, where the rules of "white men only" still applied. The Perak Cricket Association was once based here.

During the Japanese Occupation, every morning at 8 o'clock all the staff of the government offices in Ipoh gathered here to participated in a bowing and allegiance ceremony. When Subhas Chandra Bose, an Indian revolutionary leader, visited Ipoh on October 1, 1943, he spoke to a large gathering here and recruited hundreds of volunteers for his Army of Free India. On May 31, 1962, the Sultan of Perak declared the formation of the Municipality of Ipoh at this Padang, and the town of 200,000 spent nearly RM1 million to celebrate the occasion with a mammoth parade of 120 floats and other festivities.

Today, it is more of an exquisite playground for the rich and poor, brown or white. The Japanese and the British have long gone, taking away the rules with them. Ipoh Padang is a testimony of a common playing field that has withstood the test of time and prejudice, almost as old as the massive casuarina trees (pokok rhu) that dot parts of its periphery. It is today that the old town area surrounding the field seems to be revitalised with a new lease of life.

Royal Ipoh Club

 Designed by Arthur Benison Hubback, the Ipoh Railway station was officially opened in 1917. Affectionately known as the Taj Mahal of Ipoh by its locals, the building also houses a station hotel called the Majestic Hotel.

The Ipoh Town Hall (Dewan Bandaran Ipoh) building was built way back in 1917 and is part of Ipoh's heritage sites. Part of the town hall once served as Ipoh's post office and later on, the district police headquarters.

My mom's special ABC soup, this time with corn for extra sweetness! :)

"Nasi lemak rendang ayam" Nasi lemak is a Malay fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish. Rendang is a spicy meat dish which originated in Indonesia, especially the ethnic group of Minangkabau people, and is now commonly served across the country. In 2011 an online poll of 35,000 people by CNN International chose rendang as the number one dish of their "World's 50 Most Delicious Foods (Readers' Pick)" list. Finally, "ayam" means chicken in Malay, so rendang ayam is chicken rendang.

Dai Gau Min (大舊面) or one of its many other names:

1) Ban Jian Kueh (Hokkien)

2) Min Chiang Kueh (Mandarin, in Johor/Singapore)

3) Chin Loong Pau (Cantonese, in Kuala Lumpur/Selangor)

4) Kap Biang (Hakka, in Sabah)

5) Apam Pulau Pinang (Malay, in Penang)

6) Kuih Haji (Malay, in certain areas)

7) Apong (Kelantan)

The pancake's batter is made from a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar, baking soda, coconut milk and water. The batter is cooked upon a thick round iron frying pan in plenty of palm margarine to avoid it sticking to the pan. Then other ingredients are sprinkled as filling; the most common or traditional is crushed peanut granules (as in this version) with sugar and sweetcorn kernels (available from cans), but modern innovations such as chocolate sprinkles and cheddar cheese are also available. Then, the pancake is folded (hence the name: "turnover pancake") and cut into several pieces.

Three glasses of ice cold coffee!