CRIZ BON APPETITE

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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
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)

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)

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.

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)

My friends always described me as a nut when it comes to getting gifts for them. They always get food rather than something that they can keep and appreciate. Well, they were right and errr… isn’t a nut food too? I was down in Ipoh for just a few hours and I ended filling up my car with nothing but delicious food from Ipoh. What a typical me… haha! This time, it was Ipoh’s famous salted chicken. I have tried so many different shops in Ipoh as well as a few from Penang but I still like this shop the best.

The herbs (Dong Quai or Chinese Angelica of Female Ginseng) stuffed inside the chicken and under the wings made the chicken just nice for my taste bud. Moreover the salt used to bake the wrapped chicken does not make the meat over salty. The meat still remained juicy and yummy. I always have the problem not having enough of the delicious chicken as it’s rather small and not as meaty as some chicken meat. Maybe that’s the ideal size to get the best taste out of it.

Do you know what is so great about getting this salted chicken? It’s not only good to be served as one of the delicious dishes on your dining table, it can also be made into a delicious sandwich. Without fail, I would make some each time I get hold of a bird. The herb and slightly salted fragrance of the meat, together with some fresh lettuce, tomatoes and mushrooms always make great sandwiches. This is what I had for my lunch today. You should try that too!

Name: AUN KHENG LIM SALTED CHICKEN
Address: 24, Jalan Theatre, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel: 605-254 2998
Opening Hours: 10.00pm – finish
GPS: 4.594680, 101.083274

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 5/10 (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)