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US FRIES FIESTA 2019 – SPEAKEASY BAR AND KITCHEN

Posted by crizlai On June - 28 - 2019

The Potatoes USA’s U.S. Fries Fiesta campaign, which is ongoing from 17 June to 21 July 2019, has 5 participating outlets and one of them is Speakeasy Bar and Kitchen. This outlet has one of the most extensive dining menus compared to others, with options ranging from main course, pasta, platters, pizza, burger, salad, soup and a long list of finger snacks. More additions would be available within these few weeks to satisfy your appetite even more. If not for dining, there would also be some alcohol promotions and lots of U.S. potatoes snacks to chill out while enjoying some Mandopop live band music during weekends.

The outlet would be promoting 3 dishes, namely Garlic Butter Escargot in U.S. Potato Boat, U.S. Waffle Pan-Seared Norwegian Salmon and U.S. Wedges Lamb Cutlet.

The Garlic Butter Escargot in U.S. Potato Boat (RM18nett) was impressively tasty, especially with the added cheese which brought out the ultimate umami sensation.

I was expecting a normal serving of U.S. Waffle Pan-Seared Norwegian Salmon (RM35nett) but the portion was humongous and the dish came with lots of ratatouille and U.S. Criss Cut Fries. Moreover, the salmon cut given was way bigger than most I’ve eaten.

If fish is not your choice, you could also go for their U.S. Wedges Lamb Cutlet (RM36nett). Who could resist two big slabs of delicious lamb cutlets with so much of mashed potatoes and potato wedges at that price? It’s surely a dish value for the money paid.

There will also be a Facebook Contest where the public can win dining vouchers on a weekly basis with a grand prize of an iPad at the end of contest. All they need to do is to order any US Fries Fiesta dish from any of the participating outlets and post a creative caption and photo of the U.S Potatoes dish with #MYPotatoesUSA, plus “Check In” to the participating outlet. Terms and conditions apply.

Please refer to the 20 participating outlets for Penang and Ipoh as below:

Name: SPEAKEASY BAR AND KITCHEN
Address: 40 & 42, Jalan Lau Ek Ching, 30300 Ipoh, Perak.
Contact: +6016-353 3222
GPS: 4.599242, 101.085733
Business Hours: 4.00pm-1.00am (Fri & Sat 4.00pm- 2.00am)

 

US FRIES FIESTA 2019 – HISTORY BISTROZ

Posted by crizlai On June - 27 - 2019

Housed along a street full of entertainment outlets in a beautiful colonial architectural building, History Bistroz, is another participating outlet in the Potatoes USA’s U.S. Fries Fiesta 2019 campaign from 17 June until 21 July 2019. Do enjoy their English-style bar with occasional beverage promotions and at the same time savor their generous portions of snacks and meals.

The outlet would be promoting 3 dishes, namely U.S. Crisscut Fries Special, Mixed U.S. Fries Platter and U.S. Fries with Special Chicken Burger.

The U.S. Crisscut Fries Special (RM10nett) had some salsa with melted cheese, served with pickled jalapeno. It was simple yet refreshing.

The Mixed U.S. Fries Platter (RM14nett) consisted of 3 different types of fries and the dish came with some salsa dipping sauce.

The U.S. Fries with Special Chicken Burger (RM18nett) had a big chunk of batter-fried chicken and it came with loads of mixed fries as well.

There will also be a Facebook Contest where the public can win dining vouchers on a weekly basis with a grand prize of an iPad at the end of contest. All they need to do is to order any US Fries Fiesta dish from any of the participating outlets and post a creative caption and photo of the U.S Potatoes dish with #MYPotatoesUSA, plus “Check In” to the participating outlet. Terms and conditions apply.

Please refer to the 20 participating outlets for Penang and Ipoh as below:

Name: HISTORY BISTROZ
Address: 36 & 38, Jalan Lau Ek Ching, Kampung Jawa, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Contact: +6016-557 3688
GPS: 4.599242, 101.085733
Business Hours: 4.00pm-1.00am (Fri & Sat 3.00pm-2.00am, Sun 3.00pm-1.00am)

 

US FRIES FIESTA 2019 – 9’S GRILL & CAFE

Posted by crizlai On June - 26 - 2019

When it comes to creativity, 9‘S Grill & Café in Ipoh, Perak, topped many others in the ongoing U.S. Fries Fiesta 2019 campaign by Potatoes USA, which would be running from 17 June to 21 July 2019. The outlet does serve some high-end dishes such as the Matsuzaka Beef, considered as the most expensive beef out of all types of beef amongst the locals in Japan, even overshadowing the taste of many other beef types with its divine melt-in-the-mouth sensation and sweet aftertaste. However, the outlet does also cater some wallet-friendly dishes for families.

This outlet would be promoting 2 dishes, namely Deep-Fried U.S. Criss Cut with Pandan Cream & Palm Sugar served with Gula Melaka Ice Cream and Salted Duck Egg U.S. Fried Potato Rounds with Smoked Duck Breast & Salad in Popiah Skin Bowl.

Who would have expected potatoes to be served as part of a dessert? The Deep-Fried U.S. Criss Cut with Pandan Cream & Palm Sugar served with Gula Melaka Ice Cream (RM15+) was superb as it was like having an ice-shaven chendol with bits of crunchy bites, minus the intense flavor of coconut cream.

The Salted Duck Egg U.S. Fried Potato Rounds with Smoked Duck Breast & Salad in Popiah Skin Bowl (RM18+) was something out of the world as the dish had distinctive flavors from the added salted egg yolks, beef bacon, curry leaves as well as some hidden spicy hot chili paddy. I won’t mind having some hot steaming rice to go with the dish, if possible.

There will also be a Facebook Contest where the public can win dining vouchers on a weekly basis with a grand prize of an iPad at the end of contest. All they need to do is to order any US Fries Fiesta dish from any of the participating outlets and post a creative caption and photo of the U.S Potatoes dish with #MYPotatoesUSA, plus “Check In” to the participating outlet. Terms and conditions apply.

Please refer to the 20 participating outlets for Penang and Ipoh as below:

Name: 9’S GRILL & CAFÉ
Address: No. 28 & 30, Jalan Medan Ipoh 4, Bandar Baru Medan, 31400 Ipoh, Malaysia.
Contact: +605-547 3868
GPS: 4.617630, 101.120004
Business Hours: 5.00pm-12.00am (Closed on Tuesdays)

 

US FRIES FIESTA 2019 – ROOFTOP RESTAURANT AND BAR

Posted by crizlai On June - 25 - 2019

Rooftop Restaurant and Bar is another one of the participants in the Potatoes USA’s ongoing U.S. Fries Fiesta campaign, happening from 17 June to 21 July 2019 in Ipoh, Perak. The spacious outlet is equipped with pool tables, electronic dart boards, sports news on many scattered flat screens, and live band during weekends to keep you and your companies entertained throughout your presence there. It’s a great venue to chill out and release some stress.

The café would be promoting 3 dishes, namely U.S. Hash Brown Cheese Burger, U.S. Popcorn Hash Brown and U.S. Loaded Waffle Fries.

If you are a big eater, their U.S. Hash Brown Cheese Burger (Homemade beef patty only – RM28+) would suit you well. It was one of those legitimately tasty burgers which have moist yet tasty beef patties. Of course, there would be a big piece of hash brown and curly fries for the bulk to fill up your appetite.

The U.S. Popcorn Hash Brown (RM13+) was nothing to shout about but then accompanied by the tasty cheese dip, they could be deliciously blasted bombs in the mouth.

The portion for the U.S. Loaded Waffle Fries (RM25+) was huge and with the dressed salsa and creesy sauce, who could stop munching over bottles of beer?

There will also be a Facebook Contest where the public can win dining vouchers on a weekly basis with a grand prize of an iPad at the end of contest. All they need to do is to order any US Fries Fiesta dish from any of the participating outlets and post a creative caption and photo of the U.S Potatoes dish with #MYPotatoesUSA, plus “Check In” to the participating outlet. Terms and conditions apply.

Please refer to the 20 participating outlets for Penang and Ipoh as below:

Name: ROOFTOP RESTAURANT AND BAR
Address: No. 2 & 2A, Jalan Medan Ipoh 9, Bandar Baru Medan, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Contact: +6016-238 3688
GPS: 4.615295, 101.122672
Business Hours: 4.00pm-1.00am (Fri & Sat until 2.00am)

 

US FRIES FIESTA 2019 – LAZY CHEF

Posted by crizlai On June - 24 - 2019

The Potatoes USA has kicked off its U.S. Fries Fiesta campaign from 17 June to 21 July 2019 in Penang with 15 participating outlets and for the first time in Ipoh, Perak, with 5 participating outlets. The outlets would be using various U.S. fries varieties to pep up creative, unique and tantalizing dishes to bring some excitements to fries enthusiasts. One of the participating outlets in Ipoh is the Lazy Chef, a cafe serving amazing brunch, delicious teatime dessert treats and freshly grounded coffee.

The café would be promoting 3 dishes, namely U.S. Waffle Fries, U.S. Hashy and Ocean on U.S. Hash Brown.

The U.S. Waffle Fries (RM15nett) might look rather simple but yet the dish was packed with flavorful bites from the added crunchy beef bacon plus lots of grated parmesan cheese. No dipping sauce was provided but then you could always grab a bottle of mustard to pep up some pungent flavors.

On the other hand, the U.S. Hashy (RM23nett) was delicious, especially when combining the oozing egg yolk from the sunny side up, accompanied by the crunchy beef bacon. I won’t mind having this dish for breakfast.

The Ocean on U.S. Hash Brown (RM28nett) remained as everyone’s favorite as the whole concoction was taste-perfect for just any meal. It had a slice of crunchy fried hash brown as the base, topped with some tartar sauce, fish fritter, smoked salmon and artfully dressed with some gherkins, capers, cherry tomatoes and some micro greens. We almost licked the plate clean~ Haha!

There will also be a Facebook Contest where the public can win dining vouchers on a weekly basis with a grand prize of an iPad at the end of contest. All they need to do is to order any US Fries Fiesta dish from any of the participating outlets and post a creative caption and photo of the U.S Potatoes dish with #MYPotatoesUSA, plus “Check In” to the participating outlet. Terms and conditions apply.

Please refer to the 20 participating outlets for Penang and Ipoh as below:

Name: LAZY CHEF
Address: C-G-8, Jalan Sultan Iskandar Shah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Contact: +6012-564 0831
GPS: 4.593068, 101.089460
Business Hours: 10.00am-7.00pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

 

Many people are not aware of the small town of Terong, located between Changkat Jering and Pantai Remis in Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia. The quaint township used to be quite active in tin mining until the late 1970s but has now been replaced by rubber and palm estates as well as charcoal factories. Thanks to the snail development pace for decades, Terong is still left untarnished with the pollution of mankind. It still has the old architectural buildings intact, lively mangrove swamps, forest reserves, clean rivers, scenic waterfall such as the Air Terjun Terong and more. Located about 10km away from the Changkat Jering toll plaza and 1.5km into Terong, lies a nice getaway for families and friends. It’s the first duck themed resort in Malaysia with a total area of 70 acres called Trong Leisure Farm & Resort (自農休閒農莊). The place would consist of a resort with recreational activities, a fishing pond, a duck farm (formerly called Soon Hock Duck Farm), a pork-free seafood restaurant and a Halal Malay restaurant.

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Since not much information is available online regarding this place, let me brief you part by part on the whole establishment.

RESORT:

There are 12 units of rooms available for booking (2.00pm check-in and 12.00pm check-out) – 2-pax Standard (5 units), 2-pax Superior (4 units), 2-pax Deluxe (2 units) and 4-pax Family (1 unit). Prices can range as LOW SEASON (Sunday – Thursday): RM128-RM358, SHOULDER SEASON (Friday, Saturday & School Holidays): RM158-RM388, PEAK SEASON (Eve of Public Holidays & Public Holidays): RM188-RM438 and SUPER PEAK SEASON (EID, Chinese New Year & Deepavali): RM228-RM488. For more information, please contact +6010-464 0918/+6012-549 8978 or email: tronglesisurefarm@gmail.com

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INDOOR & OUTDOOR RECREATIONS:

There will be a small amusement corner next to the restaurant for children such as the Duck Ride Machine and Toy Grabbing Machine. You can change some coins at the cashier counter. Other than that, you can try out the Duck Pedal Boat at RM6 per 15 minutes or feed the duck with duck feeds at RM2.00/100g. You can buy the ticket at a shop lot next to the pond. There’s a passion fruit arch nearby. If you were lucky enough, you might find some fruits intact but I only managed to see some blooms. Do not go about plucking anything in the farm as you will be fined heavily for vandalism.

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FISHING POND:

There will be a few species of freshwater fishes in the pond for your angling experiences such as tilapia, lampang, rohu, patin, sultan fish and more. Any fish above 3kg has to be released back into the pond. Other than the tilapia and lampang which you can bring home for free, rohu and patin will be charged at RM5/kg whereas sultan fish will be charged at RM20/kg. There will be a small fee per rod for the number of hours you spent fishing by the pond (9.00am-9.00pm). Price: Full Day (RM50nett), Half Day (6 hours – RM40nett), 1st hour (RM15nett) and subsequent hour at RM10/hour. Baits and hooks will be calculated separately. For more information, please contact +6010-464 0918/+6012-549 8978 or email: tronglesisurefarm@gmail.com

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DUCK FARM VISIT:

There will be 6 duck houses with each house able to accommodate around 1200 ducks. In total, there will be around 7000 ducks at one time. You will be able to get upclose and personal with those ducklings, drakes and ducks. You can identify the gender of the drakes by their low and deep sound whereas the ducks with their louder and high pitched sound. Ticket is available at the restaurant count at RM5.00/adult and RM3.00/child. Visiting hours will be from 9.30am until 7.00pm. Resort guests will be at half price. A tractor with passenger seats, will chauffer you to and fro from the duck farm. At the moment, there’s no limitation on how long you can spend at the duck farm. Be warned that there might be strong stench emitting from the duck shit along the way. Please make sure that you close all the gates when you enter each fenced farm to prevent the ducks from running out. If you are lucky, you might find some egrets mingling with the ducks.

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RESTAURANTS:

There will be a HALAL Malay restaurant named Naz Tomyam at the dining area. The vendor will operate from 6.00am until 12.00am. They have a combination of dishes from roti canai in the early morning to Thai style dishes throughout the day. For more information, you can contact Encik Khairol at +6017-299 9883/+6016-809 6648 for your special bookings.

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There will also be the Trong Seafood Restaurant serving PORK-FREE dishes from 11.00am until 10.30pm. You can make your reservation by contacting +6010-464 0918 or +6012-549 8978 during business hours.

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Since this was my first time here, I only managed to try out some of their signature dishes. The first dish was their Signature Pei Pa Duck (Pipa Duck/琵琶鴨 – RM20nett/half duck). The name derived from the shape of the duck being opened up prior to roasting which resembles the Chinese musical instrument, Pipa. The sauce had all the necessary flavors which may include hoisin sauce, dark soy sauce, ginger juice, sesame oil, sugar and finely chopped garlic. However, the skin was not as crispy as it should be and the meat was rather tough. From my experience having this dish many times, I would think that the kitchen did not spend time truly understand the method of tenderizing the meat. Moreover, the skin won’t be so soft if they had the proper time to sun-dry the duck properly. On top of that, some famous vendors would normally deep fry the roasted duck prior to serving to give it that extra crispiness. Something might have gone wrong in their process or else it would be a perfect dish to my preference.

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The next dish was the Chili Salt Deep Fried Squids (椒鹽蘇東 – RM15nett). I was actually expecting this dish to be Pepper Salt Deep Fried Squids since “椒” can mean pepper too but it ended up as diced capsicum salt version. The taste was not bad but it would be better if some coarsely pounded black pepper be added in for that extra earthly flavor.

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We also tried out their Signature Deep Fried Homemade Tofu (招牌豆腐 – RM10nett). There are many versions of homemade tofu being served in different restaurants, from silky smooth texture to reprocessed mashed ones with sandy texture aka the Yunnan style tofu. The ones served here was the latter. However, the tofu only had mashed bean curds with only Thai dried shrimps, some chopped scallions and added egg to steam again to make the block. The end product would then be cut into bite sizes, coated with some corn starch and deep fried to golden brown prior to serving. The tofu fell flat to my liking without much flavor and they were rather chewy too. They did not have that bite as some of those I had tasted before. With some added thinly sliced wood ear fungus or finely chopped up shitake mushrooms would have given the dish better justice. I hope the kitchen would improve further on this dish.

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The last dish I ordered was their Signature Eggplant with Dried Shrimps (蝦米茄子 – RM10nett). The dish was just some deep fried batter coated eggplant slices stir fried with some onions, curry leaves and dried shrimps. The whole dish practically depended on the flavor from the dried shrimps, nothing else. The chef should at least add in some pounded bird eye chilies or sliced red chilies or even some chopped fermented black beans to pep up more flavors. The dish was rather amateurish and rather one track style of cooking to my liking.

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As for beverage, we just ordered a jug of Prunella Herbal Tea (夏穀草涼茶 – RM9.00nett). This was a real thirst quencher with the use of brown sugar to clear the internal body heat from the scorching sun.

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If you are in for freshly salted duck eggs, you can always purchase a bag of 12 salted eggs at RM9.00nett at the counter.

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Overall, the restaurant could just be a convenient place for visitors to dine in but not one that could provide the right balance of yin and yang in flavors. In short, it’s a place to fill up the stomach but not the place to go for skillfully prepared meals. Maybe as a Penangite, we have been pampered with too many choices to end up with this type of verdict. However, I hope that the kitchen will improve their food quality too. Wouldn’t it be great if the restaurant could attract more outsiders rather than relying just on the visiting crowd?

It’s not really hard to locate Trong Leisure Farm & Resort as it’s just along the main road towards Terong. No matter where you are coming from such as Taiping, Lumut, Pantai Remis or even via Changkat Jering toll using the old trunk road, just look out for the “Terong” signboard. As you turn into the main road via Jalan Kuala Terong, just drive further in for about 1.5km and you can see the venue on your left. No worries as there’s a big signage in front of the property.

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Name: TRONG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT @ TRONG LEISURE FARM & RESORT
Address: PT293, Jalan Kuala Trong, 34800 Terong, Perak, Malaysia.
Contact: +6010-464 0918, +6012-549 8978
Business Hours: 11.00am-10.30pm
GPS: 4.711202, 100.708172

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 6/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 6/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 6/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

 

PEKING PAN MEE NOODLES SHOP AT IPOH GARDEN EAST

Posted by crizlai On August - 26 - 2010

If you are a pan mee noodle lover and you think that you have found the best place for your favorite noodle in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor or even Penang, you should now pay a visit to this pan mee outlet in Ipoh Garden East, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Since its operation on 9 June 2010, the restaurant has endless flow of customers patronizing the place. What made this restaurant so unique? Instead of the plain noodles that you would get, the restaurant would also offer other flavors such as spinach (菠菜), pumpkin (金瓜) and wolfberry (杞子). Every single strain of the noodles were made fresh daily and there was no usage of preservative at all. When you think that these noodles would be served either dry or in soup, you would be surprised with the varieties of concoction they have come out with and the portion was real huge.

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Let me share with you a few of the noodles that I had tried out here. There was the Ginger Wine Chicken Pan Mee (姜酒雞板面 – RM10) which would only be available on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. This was the chef secret recipe where choice pieces of chicken were slowly cooked with 3 types of Chinese wine, ginger and seasoning. It came with wolfberry noodles. The specially made noodles from the extract of soaked wolfberries have the right al dente texture. The soup base was rich in flavors with a strong hint of ginger but mild in wine flavor while the chicken pieces were tender. The dish was fine for me but it might not be the perfect dish for those who would detest strong ginger taste.

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The next dish which was the Dry Ginger Duck Pan Mee (子姜鴨板面 – RM5) would surely please those duck meat lovers. The amount of duck meat given was over generous for that price and the portion was huge! Each piece of the duck meat was perfectly braised for hours with dark soy sauce, ginger, seasonings with a mild touch of Chinese wine. Everyone immediately fell in love with this unique version of pan mee.

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The Wolfberry Pan Mee (杞子板面- RM5) was served next. This was another awesome dish. Not only was the soup so flavorful, the ingredients used were very generous. There were carrot, wood ear fungus, mushroom, sweet leaves (star gooseberry leaves), high graded anchovies (I was surprised with the quality of the anchovies used here) and homemade fish balls, garnished with lots of chopped coriander. This order would indeed be great for those health conscious patrons.

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Just to clear my curiosity on how a plain bowl of Soup Pan Mee (上湯板面 – RM3.80) would taste like, I ordered one to try out. Gosh! This was my best bowl of soup pan mee in ages. The soup indeed has the required meaty punch. No wonder… on top of the wood ear fungus, mushroom, sweet leaves, anchovies, it had many chicken slices. The garnishing which consisted of chopped spring onions and fried shallots sure pepped up the taste further. Thumbs up!

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You might want to take note of other unique combination of pan mee available here such as Dry Curry Chicken Pan Mee (乾咖哩雞板面 – RM5), Curry Fish Head Pan Mee (咖哩魚頭板面 – RM7), Spicy Fermented Soy Bean Fish Head Pan Mee (鼓椒魚頭板面 – RM7) and Pickled Vegetables Fish Head Pan Mee (鹹菜魚頭板面 – RM7). Each dish is nett price. There would also be special herbal drinks and desserts available daily.

If you are exiting through the Ipoh South Toll, just drive all the way left into Jalan Tasek which would lead you to Jusco Ipoh. From here onwards, watch out for the first left junction (McDonalds). Slow down and go towards the second junction (Jalan Medan Ipoh 1). Turn left into the road and again turn left into the second junction (Jalan Medan Ipoh 1E). Drive further on and you will see the restaurant at a corner shop lot.

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Name: PEKING PAN MEE NOODLES SHOP
Address: 30 Jalan Medan Ipoh 1E, Medan Ipoh Bistari, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Contact: 012-728 8727, 012-514 0782
Opening Hours: 7.30am – 4.30pm
GPS: 4.619845, 101.117119

RATING:
Ambience: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 8/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 9/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

THE ORIGIN OF HUAN CHU LENG

Posted by crizlai On August - 23 - 2010

Now who’s Huan Chu Leng? You may ask if he’s someone famous in Malaysia. In fact, it’s just a name given to a 14” long steamed bun or more commonly known as Mee Koo/Mi Koo (Steamed Tortoise Buns in Hokkien dialect). Huan Chu Leng (Potato Dragon in Hokkien dialect) is originated from Taiping, Perak, Malaysia. I have not seen anywhere else selling these delicious steamed buns anyway. They can only be found in the night market at Plaza Perbandaran Taiping, Perak (Taiping Bowling Centre is at Level 3). It has become a delicacy amongst the locals, whether it is eaten plain, toasted or fried with eggs like French toast.

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What made the Huan Chu Leng my most sought after buns during my each visit to Taiping was the option to choose from the many varieties the stall has. There are basically 5 types of dough flavors such as Plain, Potato, Pandan, Yam and Brown Sugar with the options to have “Swiss roll like” filling such as coconut jam (kaya), red bean paste, chocolate and brown sugar. Such a huge bun only cost RM3.00 each. It’s darn cheap right? After so many years of patronizing this stall, my favorite is still the Green Pandan Huan Chu Leng with kaya filling.

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The stall is also famous for its Mini Mee Koo (RM3 for a pack of six), round pink colored buns with a flower designs and also the cute yellow pineapple shaped plains buns. Both buns are usually used for Chinese praying purposes. If you asked the locals or those from the Northern states of Malaysia, practically Penang, you would find that most buyers prefer those obtained from this stall more as the buns here have more refined textures. You can even get many flavors of mooncakes prior to the Mid-Autumn Festival month.

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Unless you are familiar with the road into Taiping town, you would be a bit confused with the directions as Taiping has developed very fast within the last few years. The easiest way to find the Mee Koo shop is to use the Simpang way rather than to drive all the way to Kamunting (Lake Garden and Taiping Zoo). As you exit from the Taiping Plaza toll, turn right at the first traffic light. Drive on and you would pass through a few traffic lights before you reach the main traffic light at Simpang.

Turn left into Jalan Taming Sari. Go over the flyover and drive on until you see Bismillah Roti Canai shop on your left. Turn right into Halaman Pasar. Drive on until you reach a cross junction. Turn left into Jalan Kota. Drive on until you reach the second cross junction (CIMB Bank at the corner) and turn right into Jalan Tupai. Drive straight again after you have reach another cross junction. You will see the Taiping Hawker Center on your left. Take the first turning on your right and you will see the Plaza Perbandaran Taiping there.

The roads here are rather messy as many of the roads are one-way. If you are still unsure, just ask for the direction to “Plaza” or “Taiping Bowling Centre”. The Hokkien speaking locals would be glad to direct you there. You can even call up Mr. Chong to collect the buns if you feel that it’s a bit too late for you to get them at the Plaza.

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Name: CHONG BAKERY
Shop Address: Plaza Perbandaran Taiping, 34000 Perak, Malaysia.
Residence Address: 97, Jalan Landak, Green House Area, 34000 Taiping, Perak, Malaysia.
Contact: 016-4511899 (Mr. Chong)
Opening Hours: 4.30pm – 9.00pm ( Closed Friday)
GPS: 4.849453, 100.741882

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 8/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 9/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

 

TAIPING HUAN CHU LENG (GREEN MEE KOO)

Posted by Criz Lai On September - 1 - 2008

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Who would want to join me for tea? We can have some Green Aliens from Mars and a cup of Old Town White Coffee? Most people have not seen this so called fortune buns as they can only be found in one “Pasar” in Plaza Perbandaran Taiping, Perak (Taiping Bowling Centre is at Level 3). What are they called? They are called Huan Chu Leng (Potato Dragon in Hokkien dialect). Some will call these buns Mee Koo (Steam Tortoise Buns) as the texture for the Huan Chu Leng is exactly the same.

Tortoise is believed to have long lives and thus Mee Koo symbolized longevity. Mee Koo were originally made to celebrate birthdays, or given as an offering to the deities and to the King of the Hungry Ghosts during the Hungry Ghost Festival. It usually comes in the shape of a pink tortoise or peach. Sometimes, they do produce yellow ones for the birthdays of deities. You can get them easily anytime throughout the year. It has become a delicacy amongst the locals, whether it is eaten plain, toasted or fried with eggs like French toast.

Some of the Mee Koo are filled with peanuts mixture or lotus seed paste. However in this modern era, these traditional Mee Koo have evolved into something different such as the Huan Chu Leng which is about 14” in length and Pandan flavored. Moreover it has either kaya (coconut egg jam) or red bean paste rolled up inside as fillings, somewhat like Swiss rolls. The Huan Chu Leng also comes in other versions such as the plain white ones with the same fillings or the yellow ones with chocolate. Somehow, I still prefer the Pandan flavored with kaya which is only RM3 each.

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The stall is also famous for its Mini Mee Koo (RM3 for a pack of six) which is a round pink colored bun with a flower design on top. I did not manage to get them but it looked like the photo below but with a much more refined and thin flower designs.

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Unless you are familiar with the road into Taiping town, you would be a bit confused with the directions as Taiping has developed very fast within the last few years. The easiest way to find the Mee Koo shop is to use the Simpang way rather than to drive all the way to Kamunting (Lake Garden and Taiping Zoo). As you exit from the Taiping Plaza toll, turn right at the first traffic light. Drive on and you would pass through a few traffic lights before you reach the main traffic light at Simpang.

Turn left into Jalan Taming Sari. Go over the flyover and drive on until you see Bismillah Roti Canai shop on your left. Turn right into Halaman Pasar. Drive on until you reach a cross junction. Turn left into Jalan Kota. Drive on until you reach the second cross junction (CIMB Bank at the corner) and turn right into Jalan Tupai. Drive straight again after you have reach another cross junction. You will see the Taiping Hawker Center on your left. Take the first turning on your right and you will see the Plaza Perbandaran Taiping there.

The roads here are rather messy as many of the roads are one-way. If you are still unsure, just ask for the direction to “Plaza” or “Taiping Bowling Centre”. The Hokkien speaking locals would be glad to direct you there.

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Name: TAIPING HUAN CHU LENG (GREEN MEE KOO)
Address: Plaza Perbandaran Taiping, 34000 Perak, Malaysia.
Contact: 016-4511899 (Mr. Chong)
Opening Hours: 4.30pm – 9.00pm
GPS: 4.849453, 100.741882

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 8/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

SIN ENG HEONG FOODSTUFF MANUFACTURES

Posted by Criz Lai On July - 21 - 2008

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I always love to bring back something nice and unique for my parents to try when I am somewhere out from my hometown Penang. Last week’s half day trip to Ipoh was a worthwhile one as I managed to get the famous salted chicken as well as some yummy biscuits for my family. Thanks to J2KFM for introducing me to this wonderful biscuit manufacturer’s shop down in Ipoh.

One step into Kedai Biskut Sin Eng Heong, you can practically smell the aroma of freshly baked biscuits everywhere. There were many types of biscuits laid on the tables as well as the shelves. Most of those biscuit would be sold out even before the owners have the time to pack them into individual boxes. Now you know how fresh those biscuits are. The most popular biscuit sold in the shop is their Fluffy Kaya Puff. I have not tasted any that are as delicious as those sold there. Now I am regretting not buying more back home. Here are the photos of the yummy Fluffy Kaya Puff at 50sen each and you can get them to pack for you in a box of 5’s or 10’s.


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Other than the kaya puff, you can even try out their Lou Poh Peng, Salted Egg Biscuit, Spicy Biscuit, Tambun Biscuit (plain, orange, pandan flavored), mini mooncake (baked and snow skin) and many other confectionaries. There were just too many to name here.

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On top of all these yummy freshly baked goodies, the shop does sell other products by other biscuit companies such as the thick and thin Chicken Biscuits (Kai Zai Peng) from Long Kee. Surprisingly, they do not have these goodies from Pun Chun which I felt tasted better. Upon checking and having a headache on what to choose from tens of different types of biscuits, I spotted a plastic canister filled with thin crispy Chicken Biscuits (RM12 for about 30pcs). The biscuit was extremely crispy thin and tasted even better than those I had mentioned above. Do watch out for the label under the name Genuine Taste Trading from Kampar (605-466 4803). I have not noticed this label before but they sure did produce the best Chicken Biscuit that I had tasted before. My advice is to buy more than one canister as I am still regretting now for not buying more. 😛

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Getting to the shop would not be hard as Sin Eng Heong is just diagonally opposite the famous Foh San Restaurant along Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri (formerly Jalan Clare). One thing to take note is that please place your orders for the foodstuff, especially the Fluffy Kaya Puff during weekends as they are sold off very early.

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Name: SIN ENG HEONG FOODSTUFF MANUFACTURES
Address:
64, Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri (Jalan Clare), 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel: 605-243 9659
Opening Hours: 9.00am – 9.00pm (Mon – Sat), 9.00am – 6.00pm (Sun)
GPS: 4.594873, 101.084776

RATING:
Ambience: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 9/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

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