CRIZ BON APPETITE » Ipoh

PEKING PAN MEE NOODLES SHOP AT IPOH GARDEN EAST

crizlai — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:57:08 +0000

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)

KEDAI KOPI KONG HENG

Criz Lai — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:16:00 +0000

With barely few hours left in Ipoh, I had a quick breakfast in one of the coffee shop along Jalan Bandar Timah upon the suggestion of my non-food blogging friend. How unfortunate… haha. Where was J2KFM when I needed him around most? LOL! Anyway the shop we went to was called Kong Heng. It used to house one of the good Ipoh Nga Choi Kai (Chicken with Beansprouts) but they original stall had moved somewhere else.

I ordered the Beef Noodles (RM6) which was supposed to be one of the best around but it did not suit my taste bud as I personally felt that there was no sweetness at all in the soup. All I get was the taste from the lots of ginger-filled meat ball and pepper taste. I would think those from Penang such as the stalls at New Lane/Macalister junction, Chulia Street/Beach Street junction, Lorong Kampung Malabar or the one at GoodAll Café, Gottlieb Road tasted even better.

Next on my list was their famous Poh Piah (RM1.70 each). I ordered the wet one as well as the fried one each to try out. Not bad as the filling was full of fried dried flounder (Phnee Hoo). I can taste the crunchiness of the flounder in every single bite. The wet Poh Piah looked somewhat like our Penang Mamak Poh Piah as the sauce is spread on top. The fried one looked like the Penang Choon Phneah but the filling was not with any crab meat or any sauce to accompany. Although the Poh Piah tasted great, I somehow still love the one in Penang along Jalan Anson (Padang Brown opposite Convent Datuk Kramat) as the Poh Piah is filled with lots of crab meat at only RM2 each.

We also ordered the Ee Mee Soup (RM3) and Shui Kow Noodle (RM3.30) but those are just normal and nothing to brag about.

To get to the shop, just drive along Jalan Bandar Timah and you will see the shop on your left between Jalan Market and Jalan Panglima.

Name: KEDAI KOPI KONG HENG
Address: Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 8.00am – 3.00pm
GPS: 4.596498, 101.077845

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: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

SIN ENG HEONG FOODSTUFF MANUFACTURES

Criz Lai — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:50:00 +0000

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

AUN KHENG LIM SALTED CHICKEN

Criz Lai — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:37:00 +0000

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!

The price per bird (not really that meaty but nice) is RM16 nett. You can ask them to pack for you individually in a box with a beautifully designed red plastic bag if you intend to make it a gift for someone. Finding the way to the shop is rather easy if you know the way well. Just move around the main road along Jalan Raja Musa Aziz until you see a corner shop with red, white and blue stripes on your right. That’s the shop.

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)