Ying and Niq’s Niche

We were strolling around Little India along King Street with Angie, Bart and Julian after dinner at China Street. Stopped by a sundry goods shop to see anything interesting. I was interested in the coffee sold there. There were some unusual brands sold – Bru Instant Coffee (coffee-chicory blend), and Mysore Gold Instant Coffee. I tried Mysore Coffee before in Indian restaurants but was apprehensive about Bru because of the chicory. So I bought a small can of Mysore coffee (RM7.20, 100gm). First thing when I got home was to make a hot cup of Mysore Coffee. Here’s how I make it: 1½ tsp Mysore coffee, 2 heap tsp non-dairy creamer, 2 tsp sugar, 150ml hot water. It’s smooth, fragrant, doesn’t have a sharp sour taste, and has a slight hue of mocha. Nice! Hmm… wonder how the coffee-chicory blend tastes like?

Mysore Gold Coffee

Sat, 11-Apr-09. Tried our luck for dim sum from GPS POI. We ended up at Siang Hai Tim Sum at Lorong Abu Siti (GPS Coordinates: N5 25.024 E100 19.395). Not many tables occupied, so, we had some peace and quiet. There was quite a good variety with some not so ordinary creations.

Char Siew Pau did not make it to our selection as we normally would. Tried Har Pau with Shark’s Fin instead. Nice.

Har Pau

Inside the Har Pau

Har Kau was plump. Prawns were fresh and crunchy.

Har Kau

Har Mai - skin colored naturally using flower petals.

Har Mai

Loh Mai Kai was ordinary fare.

Loh Mai Kai

I liked the Hong Siew Yee Tau or Deep Fried Fish Head too. Slightly spicy with bird eye chili.

Hong Siew Yee Tau

A nice place to have breakfast before shopping at Gurney Plaza…

Sun, 5-Apr-09. Had dim sum breakfast with Ying’s family at Ming Court Dim Sum, Ipoh. The place was packed. Steady flow of customers going in but few going out. Had to be thick skinned and stand by a table to wait.

Dim Sum customers - playing the waiting game

The food was good - very juicy and succulent. Yum!

Spread of the day

Besides Ming Court, there is another less popular dim sum restaurant in the vicinity. But just opposite Ming Court, looms a new and grand building, set to grab Ming Court’s market share. The new place, still under construction belongs to the long time popular big name Foh San.

Foh San's new building

Sun, 29-Mar-09. Went to Taiping with Ying’s family for Ching Ming. Planned to eat at Ah Eng’s curry mee shop but they were not open. Ah Ma (Ying’s mum) advised not to bring Gabriel along to the graveyard. So we decided to go to the museum. However, the road to the museum was closed. So we headed to the Lake Gardens. There was a massive traffic jam as it was Bukit Gantang nomination day. We parked the car as soon as we found the opportunity. After some photography, and corn ice-cream, we met up with Ying’s family.

Ying and Gabriel at Taiping Lake Gardens

Eye to Eye with T-Rex

First we went to a waterfall at Tupai River (GPS Coordinates: N4 50.146 E100 45.339). Only Ying and Gabriel went for a wade. Moments later it rained. So we chat and ate Penang Tau Sar Peah.

Waterfall at Tupai River

Next stop was Ngah Ibrahim’s Fort and Museum (GPS Coordinates: N4 48.745 E100 40.540). There was a large collection of items from the Colonial era. Entrance is free of charge.

Ngah Ibrahim's bed

Ngah Ibrahim's Well

Part of Ngah Ibrahim's Fort damaged by Kamikaze Attack

Third stop was Port Weld Curry Mee (GPS Coordinates: N4 50.294 E100 37.709). The place was packed. Our orders took longer than our patience threshold. We complained, was given an ear-full from the proprietor, and had to even self-serve. The taste was too strong on lemon grass (serai). Neither did they do justice for the cockles (kerang) - it was like a spin off from “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” or rather “Honey, I Shrunk the Kerang”. They were overcooked.

Port Weld Curry Mee

Next we walked to Kuala Sepetang fisherman wharf. We bought some large prawn at RM25 per kg. Then Loong, Ying and Gabriel took a boat ride across the river - 20sen round trip. Passengers just flung the coins on the floor board. The locals would just stand in the boat. Ying was too afraid. Even after the short ride, she still felt swaying about!

Kuala Sepetang Boat Ride

Last stop was Restoran Tepi Sungai. We had to stop here for a drink and ate boiled cockles with Kampung Koh chilli sauce. Everyone was tired walking under the scorching sun.

Powerboat Race at Kuala Sepetang

Fri, 3-Apr-09. Went back to Menglembu for Ching Ming. Had dinner at Restoran Mun Ji (GPS Coordinates N04 34.335 E101 2.097), recommended by Mom and Dad. Seems to be a popular place among locals. We were lucky to have a table. They open daily but only entertain reservations on weekdays. If you intend to have dinner between 7:00pm to 8:00pm, it is a good idea to reserve a table. We ordered Fish Head Curry, Steamed Herbal Chicken and Egg Trio Bayam.

The Fish Head Curry was hot but not too spicy, more suited to Perak Chinese. Penangites may find it mild. Just ask for some bird eye chillies to spice things up.

Fish Head Curry

The Steamed Herbal Chicken was full of flavour - Chinese herbs with Siu Heng wine. I loved the crispy-solid skin, giving the dish a more satisfying bite. There was not much fat on the chicken. I guess they used “kampung” chicken (not the fatty, cooped up broiler).

Herbal Steamed Chicken

Finally came the Egg Trio Bayam. This was done with three types of egg - fresh chicken egg, salted duck egg and century egg. A nice light vege dish.

Egg Trio Bayam

Taste-wise, Ying gave it a “Good”. She emphasized not “Above Average”. I totally agree with her. All dishes were carefully prepared - not too salty, not too bland, not too spicy, and lots of flavour. Simply perfect. The meal for 4 adults, was more than substancial - we even had to ask them to pack the leftover chicken. The bill? Let’s put to vote…