1) As our holidays draw nearer to a close, I feel it would be incomplete not to have one more blog update. So back to nice food recommendations haha. Where I come from (Ipoh, lest anyone forget!) we have a variation of "yong tau foo", which we call "yong liew". Basically, yong tau foo is a Hakka dish that literally translates to stuffed bean curd. Usually stuffed with homemade fish paste, the yong tau foo is served alongside other vegetables, stuffed into assorted variations, presented in a bowl of clear broth. In Ipoh, the yong liew includes deep fried variations of these, which are not served in soup but simply deep fried. They can be eaten by themselves, but are usually eaten alongside bowls of noodles.
2) A few days back, we decided to pay a visit to a small, unassuming restaurant by the side of Buntong Market. I'd been here many times before, and have always loved their noodles and yong liew. We were very lucky to go there early as the queue grew and grew throughout our entire meal, and was literally overflowing with hungry customers when we left! The owner/cook of this small home-converted restaurant is actually an aunt, and she runs the entire business with her family and a few foreign helpers. So we ordered some yong liew with dry curry noodles (I love spice), while my mom opted for pork belly soup with rice - the perfect combination for a rainy day!
3) I honestly haven't felt more satisfied after a meal! Food guides and blogs on Ipoh would recommend much more popular options e.g. "Dai Shu Geok" (in Pasir Pinji), Wah Nam, or Sin Yin Loong, but in my opinion nothing compares to the richness of the curry, the utter crunchiness of the fried dishes (yong liew), or the sweet peppery goodness that is the pork belly soup. Does this restaurant have a name? To be honest, it's more a corner house that's been converted to a restaurant catering for the whole neighbourhood - which adds to its charm. So if you're ever in Buntong, it's definitely worth a try :)
4) Now on to my next detail - a completely unexpected meet up with my good friend and classmate Nathaniel. My mom and I were out one night looking for some dessert (or so we thought), and we mistakenly entered a tea shop. The name was "Instea" (I suppose I should have known it would sell only tea from the name haha), located right behind Aeon Kinta City (the original Jusco). Imagine my surprise when I saw Nat waving at me, even as my mum asked one of the servers whether they sold any cakes here XD. Turns out Nat is working here now, having just moved back from Penang. It was indeed unfortunate that we couldn't chat for too long, as it started pouring and my mum was impatient to get to the car (having found out they sold only tea and coffee). But it would be great to have a simple reunion of all our secondary school buddies after soooo many years...
5) And now, for more dessert - cake! As my dad is a tuition teacher, one of the student's mother had prepared for us two lovely cakes. One was a classic graham cracker crust cheesecake, and the other was chocolate pecan brownies. I've eaten many good cakes in my life (I can only blame my sweet-tooth) but this REALLY "took the cake" (pun intended). Just imagine the best cake you've ever tasted, turned up to 11 - and you're nearly halfway there. That's all I can say...
6) For today (Sunday), we had lunch at the food court @ Aeon Station 18. Nothing too special, but the Japanese food that we had (from Suntei Sushi) reminded me of the good old days when we had the same at the food court @ Aeon Kinta City (the original Jusco). My grandpa absolutely adored the grilled eel (unagi kabayaki - if you've never tried it before or are put off by the thought of a slimy slippery creature, trust me and take just one bite; it will be your best decision ever!) But eel is really expensive so we tend to make it a rare treat :) After window shopping pretty much the entire afternoon, we rested at OldTown Kopitiam, and had a bit of toast bread and "roti john" (basically an omelette sandwich that's popular in Malaysia and Indonesia).
7) That's basically it for the past few days' worth of activities (mostly food-hunting if I'm honest). I want to go back to Penang feeling rejuvenated and contented - happy that I've made the most of my holiday time here with family and friends. I've to start packing soon, and mentally prepare myself for the coming hustle and bustle of med school life. Thanks very much for visiting my blog as always, and have a great day ahead. Cheers!
A hidden gem that houses some of the best yong liew and noodles that I've ever tasted :))
You literally can't go wrong with any of the fried dishes on the large trays
Beneath that mess of a plate hides the most flavourful "dry curry noodles" I've ever had the good fortune of experiencing. The orange bowl contains various "yong liew" - fishballs, meatballs, and beancurd, swimming in a lovely yet light savoury noodle broth :)
The two plates of dry curry noodles are easily spotted, as is the bowl of fishballs and meatballs from the previous pic; the orange plate on the right contains deep fried yong liew, including fried wan tons, "sar kok liew" (yambean fritters), fried spring rolls etc. The middle dish with greens is actually steamed okra with soy sauce and a dash of fried garlic. The white bowl of soup contains pork belly soup - spicy and peppery, it goes perfectly well with a steaming bowl of rice!
I was understandably elated when the food arrived :)
All the yong liew
(mixed fried platter of yambean fritters, wantons, and stuffed beancurd)
My mom deciding to pose for a picture :)
The Hari Raya decorations never looked any better than at Ipoh Parade (formerly Parkson Grand)
My good friend and secondary school classmate from six years back - Nathaniel :)
Come to Instea for some tea :)
So my mom introduced me to this cafe in Greentown called "Padi Cafe"
this is their spaghetti with chicken parmigiana - very adequate portion sizes haha
Some quality time with my mom over dinner :)
Two exceedingly delicious cakes,
very kindly made for us by the mother of one of my dad's tuition students
(that's chocolate pecan brownies on the left, and classic graham cracker cheesecake on the right)
They look simple and plain, but OMAIGAWD they're absolutely delicious!
The cakes deserve a spot on any MasterChef competition (in my humble opinion)
Crispy spiced fried chicken, served with rice and two vegetarian side dishes (cucumber salad and stir-fried cabbage), and topped with mixed curry and lamb curry
(if this doesn't wet your appetite nothing ever will haha)
Having an early breakfast with my family on Sunday :)
The dish on the left is called "ka yang lo mai fan" or sticky rice with coconut custard
The dish on the right is called "ham yoke zhong" or salted meat dumplings
Both are out of this world, both are definitely 5/5 would recommend ^^
And to wash all of it down, there's two cups of iced coffee and the middle cup is iced milk tea
What a way to start the day! :D
Having lunch at Aeon Station 18
Some ramen noodle soup for mom, curry chee cheong fun for dad, "omurice" (omelette with fried rice) for my grandpa, and "oyakodon" (chicken and egg rice dish) for myself :)
My mom flying on a magic carpet through the fictional city of Agrabah :)
Me and my dad's turn to ride on the magic carpet XD
A whole new world... coming soon! :)
All together now... ^^
Stopping by for afternoon tea at OldTown Kopitiam @ Aeon Station 18
(From l-r: Our famous Ipoh OldTown White Coffee, Root beer ice-cream float, "Roti John" or omelette sandwich)
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