Exploring Ipoh at a Relaxed Pace - Kajang to Ipoh | Ipoh Downtown Hotel | Hua Nam Coffeeshop

Was my first time in Ipoh and my sis booked us a room at Ipoh Downtown Hotel. We travelled from Kajang to Ipoh Station via ETS train. Journey was about 3.5 hours from Kajang Station. Think it was less than SGD30 for a return ticket.

arrived - Ipoh Train Station

ETS Route

Reached Ipoh Station at about 1pm. The station was constructed in 1894 and it has a nice exterior painted in white. From there, one could take a taxi or Grab to downtown. If you intend to get Grab, most of the grab cars are not that big and could possibly fit at most 2 luggages of 23-24" in its boot. We had 7 adults with us, thus it took us 3 vehicles to transport all of us and our bags to the hotel.

Ipoh Train Station

It was just a 10 minutes ride from the train station to Ipoh Downtown Hotel. This hotel is located near "Tong Shui Kai" (糖水街) or also known as "Dessert Street".

Ipoh Downtown Hotel

hotel sign

hotel lobby

We were given rooms at Level 5. There's a small sundry shop at the hotel lobby where you could get instant noodles, chips, bread, or ice-cream but with a higher than market price. Good for rainy days where you don't want to walk out but there's a convenience store just a few steps away from the hotel.

hotel room with 2 double beds

view from room

minibar with complimentary drinks

instant coffee

complimentary bottled water

bathroom

bathroom supplies

After checking-in, it was about way past lunch time so we decided to try the nearby coffeeshop. We went to Hua Nam Coffeeshop.

Hua Nam @ Jalan Leong Sin Nam

fried noodles stall

char kway teow  with cockles @RM5.50

cockles 螄蚶

The char kway teow was good. Savoury, well-fried and had a hint of wok-hei. The cockles (seahum) was of a decent size. On another day, I tried their "Kap Dai" (及底) noodles and it was essentially just fried noodles. Preferred the char kway teow over that anytime!

Kap Dai" (及底) @RM6

Also tried the curry mee but think there was a mis-commucation. Ordered a bowl with additional roast pork, and when it came, there was no other ingredients in the bowl except roast pork! Hahaa.

roast pork curry mee @RM6

roast pork curry noodles

My dad ordered the "lam mee" (淋面) from the Penang Noodles stall. Hmm, no particular liking for this dish as I still prefer the lor mee back in Singapore.

Lam Mee (淋面)

The iced coffee from this coffeeshop is pretty good. Not too acidic, strong coffee and milk that's not too overpowering. They also have a plum drink which they soak the plum in a large container to steep out the flavours.

iced coffee

housemade preserved plum drink @RM2.60

Also tried fruits rojak at the coffeeshop, and it was good too. Just that the turnip slices was a tad tough. Other than that, the rest were ok. Tasty.

rojak

The caramel custard from the coffeeshop was not bad but it wasn't made in-house. They got it via a supplier. First one that I had, it disintegrated rather quickly as the custard had not solidify enough. Informed the lady-boss and she changed another one for me.

caramel egg custard

Kedai Minuman & Makanan Hua Nam 華南白咖啡茶室

Address: 45, Jalan Leong Sin Nam, Kampung Jawa, 30300 Ipoh, Negeri Perak, Malaysia

[Media Invite] Celebrate Lunar New Year with Authentic Southeast Asian Cuisine @ Famous Treasure

We are now back to the first of the Chinese zodiac sign; the Rat. What better way to usher in new beginnings than having delicious meals at Famous Treasure with your loved ones?

Famous Treasure is located at Level 2 of Capitol Piazza and is an extension of Famous Kitchen (located in Sembawang). Read about my first experience at Famous Kitchen and watch out for this space as I will bring you an updated version soon!

entrance to Famous Treasure

interior

Famous Kitchen serves Nanyang fare, a Southeast Asian cuisine style assimilated from cultures such as Teochew, Hokkien and Cantonese. The place has an elegant and cosy feel, and is able to accommodate up to 150 diners, and has 4 private rooms available for booking. Suitable for business dining as well.

menu

Chinese New Year Menu

Prosperity Shun De Yu Sheng 顺德鱼生

Shunde Yu Sheng @$118++/$180++ (for 6 pax/10 pax portion)

Shunde is said to be one of the origin of our Southeast Asia's yusheng as we know it today. Revisit the taste of original yusheng at Famous Treasure, and what I liked about the Shunde style Yu Sheng, is that there was no need to jostle for the few slices of fish. It will flow to you naturally as it will be individually plated. Keke, guaranteed win! When a restaurant uses yellowtail (hamachi) for its yusheng, you have my vote already. Just take my money!

Shunde Yu Sheng 顺德鱼生 - feat. hamachi

The yusheng is available as à la carte order and for takeaways. It is also available on normal days (non-CNY period) and is available with 3-days advance reservation.

Chicken Soup with Morel Mushroom and Peach Gum 羊肚菌桃胶炖鸡汤

Chicken Soup with Morel Mushroom and Peach Gum @$68++/$138++ (medium/large)

close-up view of peach gum and morel mushrooms

Peach gum is the resin from peach and is said to be rich in amino acid, which allows collagen to be quickly absorbed into the human body. The chicken soup has a natural sweetness from the essence of the chicken, and light earthy flavours of the mushrooms. Peach gum was like a soft, collageny blob.

Roasted "Silver Hill" Irish Duck 爱尔兰金牌烧肥鸭

Roasted "Silver Hill" Irish Duck 爱尔兰金牌烧肥鸭 @$58++/$108++ (half/whole)

drumstick view

Imagine well roasted duck meat that has a firm chew yet still tender to the jaw, and best parts were those with skin and fatty bits that oozes flavour! My favourite piece of duck would be from the breast. Roasted "Silver Hill" Irish Duck is a signature dish which is also availabe in the CNY Set Menus including Success Set B, Happiness Set C and Fortune Set D.

Steamed Marble Goby "Fisherman Stye" 渔夫蒸笋壳

Steamed Marble Goby "Fisherman Style" 渔夫蒸笋壳

The steamed Marble Goby "Fisherman Style" is available in Wealth Set A and Fortune Set D. Simple flavours with premium freshwater fish. The meat texture was firm, compact and smooth.

Steamed Marble Goby "Fisherman Style"

Wok-fried Prawn Ball with Traditional "Nanyang" Style 南洋风味炒虾球

Wok-fried Prawn Ball with Traditional "Nanyang" Style 南洋风味炒虾球 @$36++/$54++/$72++ (small/medium/large)

Can I just say that the wok-fried prawn ball done in Nanyang style is a crowd favourite? Nothing beats a plump, firm prawn, battered and fried with 'saucy' coating that exuded familiar Southeast Asian flavours. It just shouts "YUM". Available in CNY à la carte menu.

one is never enough

Prosperity Fortune Treasure Pot (Pre Order) 发财盆菜

Prosperity Fortune Treasure Pot (Pre Order) 发财盆菜 @$388++/$588++ (small/large)

The pencai is available on the CNY Takeaway Menu and CNY à la carte menu. Loaded with premium ingredients such as abalone, fish maw, dried scallops, dried oysters, sea cucumber, prawns, and fa cai. The connoisseur would not want to miss the tasty vegetables lining the pot as those would have absorbed all the lovely flavours.

pencai - individual portion

pencai pot

Good news is that one could buy a small Pencai and enjoy a complimentary small Yusheng, or get a big Pencai and enjoy a complimentary big Yusheng. Wow, that's a good deal!

The Auspicious Set Menus and Prosperity CNY Treats Takeaways are available from 13 Jan to 8 Feb 2020, while the Prosperity À La Carte Menu is available from 25 to 27 January 2020. Please make your enquiries direct with the restaurant.

Thank you Jennifer (JY Consultancy) for the invite and Famous Treasure for hosting. Happy New Year everyone!

Famous Treasure Chinese Restaurant

Address: 13 Stamford Rd, #02-28 Capitol Piazza, Singapore 178905
Website: http://www.thefamoustreasure.com/
Contact: +65 6881 6668/+65 9730 7548
Email: reservation@famoustreasure.com.sg
Business Hours:
Daily: 11:30am–3pm, 6–10:30pm

[Tasting] Abundance of Happiness, Prosperity and Auspicious Lunar New Year at 金叶 Goldleaf Restaurant Katong Square

Goldleaf is a household name in Singapore and is an establishment that's widely known for its Taiwanese porridge. But I didn't realize that it has been in Singapore since 1971. Wow! Previously, it was located in Orchard but its current location is at Katong Square.

a mural of its original location

building exterior

entrance

Still hunting for a restaurant to celebrate CNY this year with your loved ones? Let's take a peek at Goldleaf's 2020 Lunar New Year menu:

credit source: Goldleaf

Let's start the meal with a boisterous toss to prosperity and good fortune with the Goldleaf Reunion Abalone Yu Sheng. Done in traditional manner, and the sauce had just the right amount of sweetness.

团员捞起 Goldleaf Reunion Abalone Yu Sheng

ready

收到!

huat ahh!

let's eat

Next, we tried the Fish Maw and Crabmeat in Superior Broth that's available in the Auspicious Set. Broth was flavourful and warms the tummy. Loved the strands of crabmeat in it too.

Fish Maw and Crabmeat in Superior Broth

蟹肉鱼漂羹

We enjoyed both types of fish served in the CNY menu; the Deep Fried Seabass in Sweet and Sour Sauce (from Happiness set) and the Steamed Red Snapper in Hong Kong style (from both the Prosperity and Auspicious sets).

We had good sized fish and the steamed red snapper had a natural sweetness to its firm flesh. Loved the parts with oil. Yums!

Steamed Red Snapper in Hong Kong style 港蒸红鲷鱼

However, my favourite fish vote went to the Deep-fried Seabass in Sweet and Sour Sauce. Lovely knife work on the fish, which allowed the fillet to curl beautifully upon deep-frying. Crunchy batter, meat that's well cooked and matching sauce with a good ratio of sweetness and tangy. I will gladly eat the whole fish! But no lah, must share ok...especially during CNY.

Deep-fried Seabass in Sweet and Sour Sauce 酸甜金目鲈

how to resist?

Another auspicious dish to eat during the New Year, would be the prawns so that everyone could 笑哈哈. The word 'prawn' in Cantonese has the same sound as laughter.

The premium Sauteed Prawns in XO sauce had such a homely taste that makes one want to suck on the prawn shell till all flavours are gone! It was that good.

Sauteed Prawns with XO Sauce

XO 酱炒虾

But, the Golden Cereal Prawns was also a scene stealer! It had a rich savoury taste with a touch of spice. And yes, I took a spoon to scoop up those delicious cereal to eat by them spoonfuls. Well, you'd be doing the same right? Right?

Golden Cereal Prawns 黄金麦片虾

pardon my dirty nail, but look at the prawn size!

Don't forget to eat your greens too! Lucky us had the Braised Broccoli with Scallops. I love scallops and broccoli. Two of my favs!

Braised Broccoli with Scallops 西兰花带子

Another dish that would please the older folks, would be the Mei Cai Kou Rou (梅菜扣肉) which is a traditional Hakka dish. The pork belly was well-braised although slightly lighter in colour and the flavours from the mei cai was simply awesome. Brings back memories with ah ma.

Stewed Pork Belly with Mustard Greens 梅菜扣肉

awesome rustic flavours

For the finale, we tried the Stewed Taiwanese Noodles with Crab Meat. It had genial flavours with a hint of sweetness. I liked it with some chili padi.

Stewed Taiwanese Noodles with Crab Meat 蟹肉炒面

For dessert, we had the Yam Paste with Gingko Nut and Goji Berry, or also known as Orh Nee (荔浦芋头). Doesn't taste oily and sweetness was just right.

Yam Paste with Gingko Nut and Goji Berry 福果芋泥

I've enjoyed the traditional homely taste of the Lunar New Year dishes at Goldleaf. Thank you Kris for the invite and Karen, Goldleaf Restaurant for hosting the dinner. Special thanks to the my foodie gang; Ivan, Rachelle, Alvin, Tiara, Hence and Tracy.

Goldleaf 金叶

Address: 86 E Coast Rd, #01-02, Singapore 428788
Website: https://goldleaf.com.sg/
Contact: 6344 1735
Business Hours: 
Mon to Thurs: 11am–2:30pm, 6–10pm
Fri to Sun: 11am–2:30pm, 5:30–10pm