When we talk about food in Malaysia, Penang (Asam), Malacca (Peranakan) and Ipoh (Hor Fun) are always popular. We have been to Penang and Malacca recently, but the last time we set foot in Ipoh was 11 years ago.
Last week, we went on a food trail to Ipoh. It is almost 500km away from Singapore. We need to know whether Ipoh’s white coffee is different from our supermarket’s 3-in-1 version :p
Boon Kang loves his toast. Look at the Kaya oozing out of the crispy crust !
We know we are near Ipoh (Perak) when we can see all the picturesque hills surrounding the highways.
Breakfast. Our first taste of aromatic White Coffee, coupled with freshly baked egg tarts and bread toast!
Lunch. Ipoh is famous for salted chicken, we tried claypot rice too π
Tea break. Buns, desserts, or tim sum aplenty. Which one is good?
It really does not matter where we settle our meals, follow the locals. Drinking θ±θ± (bean curd) in a car is so authentic !
Shopping. We should choose those brands not found in Singapore supermarkets right? Problem is there are so many brands to choose from ! (Bisuits, crackers, cuttlefish, Tau3 Sah2 Piah4, and Mah3 Ti2 Soh1)
We strongly recommend family with young kids to visit Lost World of Tambun. The petting Zoo, Hot Springs are a nice distraction from food experience.
Dinner time. Yummy Bbq Chicken wing.
Cuttlefish kangkong at Woolley Food Centre. This is the best dish of our trip, voted unanimously by Mummy and Daddy. This 5 stars dish is very affordable, the satay gravy so fragrant and the cuttlefish so chewy. It appears on almost every table.
Daddy might have to boycott Singapore’s Satay bee hoon :p
Dessert. You must try the cendol and ice kachang. We love Ipoh’s version compared to Penang (Sweeter). The below left pic is actually a mixed-fruit and topped with chocolate ice-cream (just like a salad).
We did not force Boon Xin to sip off the last drop of Ice. It is that Good !
If you find the above street food appetising, it is only 30% of what we have savour !
Can you imagine why our waistlines have balloon over the short Ipoh stint?
Poor Boon Yee. He was stuffed with so many goodies on Day 1! No wonder he is hesitant about another mouth of goodness.
We will recommend Regalodge to our friends, we stayed three nights at this cozy hotel. Click for Tripadvisor and Hotel website.
Meanwhile, we will share more about the food locations in the next few posts. Meanwhile, you can drop by our Fanpage Day 1 album, or reference and google :
a) F&B names (to be updated)
– Salted Chicken
– Woolley Food Centre (Ipoh garden ζ‘δΏθ±ε)
–
b) Blogs
– Eunice (TravelFolio)’s Ipoh list
– Motormouth ( An Ipoh food blogger)
– Ipoh Food GPS
c) Some of our food joints were from XinMSN’s recent “Volkswagen Holiday On Wheels”.
(link no longer valid)
d) How does Penang and Malacca street food fares ?
– Malacca Fenix Inn (Budget) Day 1 and Day 2 albums. Older Malacca post from 2010 Holiday Inn.
– Penang (HRC)
Although we drove 7 hours to reach Ipoh, budget air Firefly takes only 1.5 hours. In case you choose to drive, we have just blogged about our driving experience on North South highway too.
=== === === Read our Ipoh posts below === === ===
— Malaysia Driving tips
— Day 1 – Drive and Food
— Day 2 – Lost World of Tambun
** updated 2014Jun – GPS for food locations added
** Or fly to Penang then drive to Ipoh
oh my goodness!!! It’s been a long long time since I went back to Ipoh!!! I miss the tau geh chicken!! And the kway tiao is so smooth it glides down my throat!!
Time to visit the Old Town again, and let the kids enjoy some old-school cuisines too.
Ipoh has overtaken Penang and Malacca as my best food-city π
I’ve just went there few months back and I’ll definitely go back for more of their street food. Can never have enough π
We cannot go back too frequently, otherwise wardrobe all must change haha π
Thanks for sharing your food adventurous of my hometown ^^ I hope you’ll visit again and have lots of delicious good times!
Thank you for dropping by Angela π
Yes, I must find time to go again.
Thank you for sharing your trip to Lost World Theme Park Tambun. Really look interesting for me and my kids. Especially the Water Theme Park. How long does it take to drive from spore to ipoh? Since we’re family of 5 is there a room for 5 of us to stay in 1 room? I really appreciate if you could tell me more about driving there. So far our driving skill is only till Sunway Lagoon. Thank you my dear friend. I also learn more about your trip to various places especially in Malaysia.
hi Siti, thank you for dropping by our blog.
We took about 8 hours to reach Ipoh (average speed 130kmh, with two stops).
Head North then exit 214, look for direction towards Shah Alam then Ipoh.
(Do not drive into KL city otherwise be traffic jam)
As for accommodation, we did not stay at Tambun, so you will have to check with Hotel for room details π
cheers, Andy
Would have been nice if the locations were included. Anyway, nice photography.
Thank you for dropping by, Rick.
I kept procrastinating the GPS updates.
Hope to get something up by May.
cheers,
andy
Love the pictures and great post! Check out our coverage of the Top 10 Foods of Ipoh Malaysia here!
Happy Travels Everyone!
Tom,
2bearbear.com
Hi! Nice blog about your travels in Msia.
I’m planning a 5day4night family roadtrip up to ipoh in Nov.
Do you have any recommendations for stops (overnight or otherwise) from singapore to ipoh? Cameron highlands 1 night stay?
If you like paddy fields, try Sekinchan. The mangos are superb, during harvesting period, expect golden fields and tractors.
(google Sengkangbabies Sekinchan for photos, not blog yet)
One hour North of Sekinchan is Kuala Selangor Sky Mirror, another fun spot but must check travel agency for “low-tide timing”.
(https://sengkangbabies.com/holiday/sky-mirror-photos-day-2-itinerary/)
You will need minimum one night at Cameron, toenjoy the cold weather, hot steamboat and perhaps Sun rise and mossy forest.
(https://sengkangbabies.com/holiday/cameron-highlands-day-3-glorious-sunrise-at-brinchang/)
I would recommend another route. Fly to Penang, then drive to Ipoh (optional Cameron). Save time, enjoy good food both cities π
(https://sengkangbabies.com/holiday/bao-sheng-durian-penang/)
Let me know if you need more details.