DELICIOUS FOOD AT PERAK

Ipoh - food in the city

Ipoh Old Town

House of Mirrors (Thean Chun) - Caramel Custard & Ipoh Kuey Teow

The creme caramel here is to die for and if you get there any later than the normal lunch hours, most often they would have sold out. The Ipoh Kuey Teow here is pretty good too and is one of the better places to savour this if you're there for lunch. If you so choose to have Ipoh Kuey Teow for dinner, then there are a couple more places that are equally good if not better to choose from. However, these other shops only open for dinner and are located in Ipoh New Town, which we will touch upon further on.

If you have difficulty locating this kopi tiam (coffee shop), it's the one that has its walls lined with large old mirrors.

Location: Jalan Bandar Timah, Ipoh Old Town. Open mornings and afternoons only

Kong Heng - Pork Satay

This old Kopi Tiam ( one of the oldest food places in Ipoh) is ever so popular with the locals and tourists alike. Every time we visit this eatery, it's a tussle for tables. The main dishes that customers go for here is the pork satay. The old man who runs this stall has a habit of thrusting plates of satay at customers. Just eat as many sticks of satay as you can o want to and the remaining sticks of satay won't be accounted for. Only pay for those that you have eaten.

The laksa is also pretty good here but not as good as some in KL or Penang. Check it out though.

Location: Jalan Bandar Timah, Ipoh Old Town. Next to House of Mirrors (Thean Chun). Open mornings and afternoons only.

Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong - White Coffee

This is one of many coffee shops that sell white coffee in Ipoh. The difference is that this place is popular for just that - white coffee. The next two coffee shops Xin Yuan Foong and Xin Yuan Hoong is also popular for a bit of breakfast and a cup of delicious white coffee. Ipoh is reknown for its white coffee which can now be found in many coffee shops in Malaysia and they are even prepacked for sale in supermarkets and other sundry outlets.

Location: Ipoh Old Town, just walking distance from Kong Fatt Textiles. Open for breakfast and lunch.

Sin Seng Fatt - Curry Noodle

This place is a little bit more difficult to find but is worth the while. Apparently, the curry paste is so good that it's packed and sent to franchisees in Hong Kong!

Location: Jalan Market, Ipoh Old Town. Open mornings and afternoons only.

Sin Yean Lee - Fried Kway Teow

The petite sized char kway teow here is pretty good and great value for money. However, you may have to order quite a few plates to satisfy the pangs.

Location: Jalan Bandar Timah, Ipoh Old Town. Just a little way from Thean Chun. Close to the road junction - a corner coffee shop.

Ipoh New Town

Restoran Lou Wong - Ipoh Kway Teow

Now, this is the place to go for tauge ipoh kway teow. This corner shop is most famous for the steamed chicken and beansprout dishes that go with a bowl of piping hot kway teow soup. Although there are a few stalls selling the same menu along the street, locals tend to make a beeline for this place. Lou Wong gets pretty busy from late evening onwards.

Location: No. 49 Jalan Yau Tat Shin . Open from late evening until after the clubbers go home. So if you're looking for a place to eat at 2.00am, you know where to go...

Restaurant Foh San - Dim Sum

The ever famous Foh San is really for the early risers. This is a favourite haunt for the older folks - after their morning exercises and in for a cup of tea and an array of no frills, scrumptious dim sum to start the day. It's no surprise therefore, that getting a seat is difficult. After getting yourself a table, you may have to fight to get noticed as the waitresses are often too busy to entertain.

Apparently, the Foh San also makes very good mooncakes for the Mooncake festival. If you're in Ipoh sometime August/September, perhaps a box or two for the folks back home will make a great gift.

Foh San has its namesake plastered all over the frozen food sections in supermarkets across the nation. Well, those selling frozen dim sum that is...

Location: No. 2, Jalan Dato Tahwil Azar (used to be known as the Ozbourne Street). Open for breakfast.

Lee How Fook - Kong Kong style Chinese Cuisine

Out of the many outlets of Lee How Fook restaurants in Malaysia, this is perhaps the best in terms of quality and taste. A bit pricy for Ipoh standard but worth a try.

Location: Opposite the Jubilee Building.

Pusing Public Seafood Restaurant - Seafood

A great affordable seafood place. Although a little on the pricey side for Ipoh standard, many local Chinese weddings and functions are held here, especially during weekends. Locals love this restaurant for its signature prawn dish.

Location: 57-65 Jalan Verasamy (Verasamy Street).

FMS Bar & Restaurant - Chinese food

Located in the FMS building, this restaurant serves Malaysian and Chinese street fare on a more upmarket scale. The bric a brac, posters, antiques all adds to the ambience of a bygone colonial era. Great place to chill out if roughing it out in the heat of Ipoh is not your idea of dining out.

Location: 2 Jalan Sultan Idris Shah. Open for lunch and dinner

Canning Garden

Indulgence Restaurant and Jazz Room

Would food here be considered fusion? I mean Ginger Marinated Rib-Eye in miso soup or Braised Smoked Duck in Coconut sounds pretty much a mix of western and oriental. What about Macadamia Turkey Pasta, Lemon Fish Brochette served with oven-dried tomatoes, Soft-Shell Crab Salad, Salmon and Cheese Omelette? Sounds experimental doesn't it. But that's all to do with the owner's passion for conjuring palatable, scrumptious dishes with that little personal touch of a sprinkle here and a dash there to make the experience - just right. Julie Song, the proprietor of Indugence believes in titillating all senses from the ambience where customers can so choose to dine in a Moroccan room, at the courtyard cafe or just lounge at the bistro. For a little privacy, a dining room is set for 8 to 10 people right next to a little garden. Aroma from freshly baked breads like the country breads, tomato rolls and basil buns wafts through and encapsulates diners, possibly turning each and everyone into salivating puppies waiting to be fed anything and everything! The food, well, that speaks for itself really. However, a fine dinner cannot be complete without those devilish desserts such as Mango Ooh Lala, Granny Apple Cheesecake, and a chocolate banana cake. Oh and a good cup of coffee to make it a meal to remember. Ok, if that's not enough, there's a live jazzband performing on friday and saturday nights. Oh, why can't we have something like that in KL?!

Location: 15 Lorong Cecil Rae, Taman Canning Ipoh, Tel: 05-5496941. Open 9.00am - 11.30pm Thursday - Sunday.

Gourmet Square - Seafood

Everybody loves seafood and where better to go then where the locals frequent. Try the Marmite Crab or the sweet & sour crab - that'll make your ears tingle. Other seafood dishes such as prawns, fish, other shellfish are available. If you're familiar with balitong, well, the fried balitong here is good.

Location: Anika Selera or Gourmet Square.

Wooley's Food and Amusement Centre - hawker food court

The curry laksa here is good plus the ABC(Air Batu Campur or Shaved Ice Mix) is nice after a spicy meal. The Ipoh Chee Cheong Fun is a favourite buy here. Unlike the Chee Cheong Fun we have in KL, Ipoh has it with minced pork sauce and mushroom, topped with preserved green chilli, a sprinkle of deep fried shallots and sesame.

Location: Wooley's Food and Amusement Centre

Kao Lee Steamboat Restaurant - Steamboat

Good steamboat variety for a cool night.

Location: No. 48 & 50 Lengkok Canning , Ipoh Garden.

Ipoh Garden South

Pusat Makanan Chha Yong - local desserts

If you're looking for a taste of local desserts, then this is the place to be. It also serves 'Tong Sui' that will be able to soothe parched throats.

Location: No. 2 Tingkat Ipoh II. A corner coffee shop.

Mee Sun Coffee Shop - Chinese Dumplings or Jung and Seafood Noodle Soup

If you're in the area, try not to miss out on the delights this coffeeshop offers. The Jung or Chinese Dumplings, what used to be only available during Chinese Festival is now on the daily menu. The Seafood Noodle Soup from another stall at Mee Sun is also ever popular with residents of Ipoh.

Location: Just a little way down the road from Chha Yong. A corner coffee shop.

Other Places

Lucky Restaurant - Seafood

Have you ever gone away long enough to induce a craving for food back home? For us KL people, we don't much get that problem. You see, everyone is wanting to make it in the city and hence a few entrepeneurial ones end up bringing along their hometown specialities and setting up shop in KL. So we dont go anywhere but KL to enjoy what we think is the best in Malaysia. However, there are these people who dont think much of moving to the big city. (wise people!). Their art & cuisine remains steadfastedly planted in their childhood grounds.

That's why, Lucky restaurant is always so packed with customers returning home for a bit of nostalgia and culinary gratification that only Ipoh can satisfy. Most people go for the steamed fish here. But before you even consider going, make sure you call them to reserve a table. It's that popular!

Location: 266, Jalan Pasir Puteh, Ipoh. Tel: 605 - 255 7330 Mobile: 6013 - 703 8602. (Steven Teo)

Yum Yum Restaurant - Nyonya Cuisine

Good but a little pricey for Ipoh standard, this place is another one of those eateries tucked away in a corner of Ipoh where only the locals would know about. A cosy little place with aviaries in nooks and antiques in corners, this is the sort of place to relax and enjoy that aroma, the presentation and the delicate details that is simply - Nyonya.

Location: 5, Persiaran Greenhill, 30450 Ipoh. Tel: +605 - 253 7686 Fax: 2453 5737

THE BEAUTIFULL OF PANGKOR ISLAND

Pangkor Island – A Dreamland For Tourists

Pangkor Island is an exotic island situated in the north-western peninsular of Malaysia. This intriguing island has an area of just eight square kilometres in which approximately 25000 people live in.
The island is mainly inhabited by fishermen and their settlements are scattered across island. The biggest industries in this island happen to be fishing and fish products. The island is also a great tourist destination with its beautiful beaches and other attractions.
The Pangkor Island lies off the coast in the Perak state, which has a bunch of islands and the most prominent among them is the Pangkor Island and Pangkor Laut. Of these two, Pangkor Laut is a privately-owned island.
The Pangkor Island is a dreamland for tourists on a budget. It is an ideal destination for tourists who are on a shoestring budget.

What you’ll find at the Pangkor Island

Beautiful beaches

Being an island, the Pangkor is surrounded by beaches on all sides. Tourists will find the Coral Beach and the Nipah Beach (Teluk Nipah), which are located on the Nipah Bay in the north-western coast, highly attractive. Foreigners make it a point to visit these beaches and never miss it out from their travel schedule.

Snorkeling and water sport

Pulau Giam and Pulau Mentagor are the two islets which are fenced by strikingly beautiful corals, sea cucumbers and fishes. Tourists enjoy this location so much because it is a great destination for snorkeling.
Apart from snorkelling, tourists will also find a bevy of water-sporting activities that will keep them occupied and entertained. Tourists looking for adventure can try the jungle trek.
Bird-watchers will be amazed by the number of fascinating species including the Burung Enggang (hornbill) that arrive at the island.
While beaches are the main attraction in the Pangkor Island, other places of interest would be: the Pangkor Town, Batu Bersurat, Tortoise Hill, Fishing Villages, Kali Amman Temple, Fu Lin Kong Temple, Tiger Rock, Dutch Fort (Kota Belanda), The Tombs, and Marina Island Pangkor.

THE CAPITAL TOWN OF PERAK(IPOH)

Ipoh

Ipoh
Coordinates: 4°36′00″N 101°4′00″E
Country	Malaysia
State	Perak
Establishment	Around 1880
Government
• Mayor	Datuk Haji Roshidi Hashim
Area
• City	643 km2 (248 sq mi)
Elevation	21.95 m (72 ft)
Population (2010)
• City	767,794 (6th)
• Density	432/km2 (1,120/sq mi)
• Metro	1,499,000 [1]
Time zone	MST (UTC+8)
• Summer (DST)	Not observed (UTC)
Website	http://www.mbi.gov.my

Ipoh /ˈiːpoʊ/ is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km (125 miles) north of
Kuala Lumpur on theNorth-South Expressway.

Ipoh developed into one of Malaysia's main cities around the turn of the 19th century due to the booming
 tin mining industry. During the British colonial era, Ipoh was Malaysia's second city for administrative
 purposes. Architecturally, the city centre is characterised by Straits eclectic shop houses. There are several
 impressive historical buildings from the British Colonial era such as the Railway Station, the Town Hall and the
 Court House.

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History[edit]

Ipoh came into existence in the 1820s as a village at the highest navigable point of the Kinta Rive
.^{[citation needed]} It was less prominent at that time compared to the early mining town of Gopeng,
20 km south of Ipoh. Following the great fire of 1892,^{[citation needed]} the town was rebuilt.

From the turn of the early 20th century, when more British tin-mining companies were set up
in the city, Ipoh gained greater prominence.^{[citation needed]} Influential institutions such as
The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China Limited opened offices in Ipoh in 1902. It
provided credit to the Straits Trading Company and later the Eastern Smelting Company. More Colonial-era
 firms started to set up offices in the booming town such as the stockbroker Botly and Co., A.H. Whittaker &
 Co., Chartered Accounts, Evatt & Co., and Estate Visiting Agents Milne & Stevens.^{[citation needed]}

l

Its geographic location in the rich tin-bearing valley of the Kinta River made it a natural centre of growth.
 It grew rapidly as a mining town, especially in the 1920s and 1930s. A local Hakka miner, millionaire Yau
Tet-Shin started developing a large tract of the city in the early 1930s, today known as the 'New Town' section
from the eastern bank of the Kinta River to Greentown.^[2]

Ipoh was invaded by the Japanese on 15 December 1941. During the Japanese occupation of Malaya, Ipoh was
 made the capital of Perak, in place of Taiping. In March 1942, the Japanese Civil Administration or Perak Shu
Seicho had been set up at the St. Michael's Institution. After the liberation of Malaya by British forces, Ipoh
remained the capital of Perak, till this day.^[3]

Two of the largest entertainment groups then, the Cathay Organisation and Shaw Brothers Company, set up
cinema chains in Ipoh.

Geography[edit]

Topography[edit]

Ipoh is in the state of Perak, which is in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The city is in the middle of the
Kinta Valley, on the bank of the Kinta River and the confluence of smaller rivers, Sungai Pinji and Sungai Pari.
The city is surrounded by limestone hills, which can be found around suburban areas to the northeast, east and
 southeast.^[4]

The Kledang mountain range stretches from the north to the west of the city. This range runs parallel to the
 Bintang mountain range with the Perak River flowing on its left bank and the Kinta River to its right. This
range is interrupted to the north of Ipoh by a tributary of thePerak River called the Pelus River, which is sourced
 from the Titiwangsa mountain range, which runs to the east of Ipoh.^[5]

Climate[edit]

Ipoh features a tropical rainforest climate. Temperatures show little variation throughout the year. The city's
average temperature is 27 degrees Celsius. Ipoh sees high precipitation throughout the year with more 200mm
of rain each month and averaging 2800 mm of rain per year. The wettest month is November where on average
 360 mm of rain is seen. Ipoh's driest month is June which has 128 mm of rain fall on average.

Ipoh annual mean rainfall can be compared to other places in Malaysia in Annual Mean Rainfall Location in Malaysia 2013

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Limestone caves, mountains and lakes[edit]

The Gua Tempurung Limestone Caves

Ipoh is surrounded by limestone caves and there are several cave temples. The Sam Po Tong (Chinese: 三寶洞;
Cavern of Three Precious) is a Chinese temple built within a limestone cave. Another temple is Perak Tong
(Chinese: 霹靂洞; Perak Cave); it has a steep staircase inside leading up to the top of its hill where there is a
panoramic view of Ipoh and its surroundings. The statue of Buddha in Perak Tong was the tallest and largest of
 its kind in Malaysia when first commissioned.^{[citation needed]}.

Sam Poh Tong, one of the many beautiful temples in Ipoh

Kek Lok Tong (Chinese: 極樂洞; Cavern of Utmost Happiness) is a cave temple that lies on the other side of
the same hill as Sam Poh Tong. It is accessible through the Gunung Rapat housing area. It has a clean, quiet and
 cool environment and
has the best scenic cave view.

Limestone hills extend 20 km north of Ipoh and 20 km to the south. There are many caves in these hills; cave
emples are built in some.^[6] Gua Tempurung, near Gopeng south of Ipoh, is a show cave open to
the public. It is popular among spelunkers.
 More than 3 km long, it is one of the longest caves in Peninsula Malaysia. Part of it has been developed as a
show cave with electric
 lighting and walkways, and there are tours of different lengths and difficulty. A fine river cave, the river passage
 runs about 1.6 km through
the hill. There are five very large chambers and some stalactites and stalagmites.

Lakes in Ipoh include the one at Gunung Lang.

Lang Mountaih

Cuisine[edit]

Ipoh has a vibrant food scene with a vast proliferation of hawker centres and restaurants. It is well known for
dishes such as "Sar Hor Fun" (Chinese: 沙河粉) a complete one-dish rice noodle meal with prawn, meat, fish,
vegetables and a savory sauce. Other dishes from Ipoh include "Hor Hee", flat white rice noodles served
with fish cakes and/or fish balls, "Nga Choi Kai" (Chinese: 芽菜鸡), chicken with soy sauce and
beansprouts topped with pepper, "Hakka Mee" (Chinese: 客家麵), yellow rice noodles served with mince meat
 (pork) sauce and Ipoh's famous pastry
"Heong Peng" (Chinese: 香餅), literally translated to "fragrant biscuit". The city is well known in Malaysia for its
"Ipoh white coffee" where the coffee beans are roasted with palm-oil
margarine and the resulting coffee is served with condensed milk.

Main article: Ipoh cuisine

Cityscape[edit]

Today, "Ipoh" usually refers to the territory under administration of Ipoh City Council or Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh,
 which includes the smaller towns adjacent to the city such as Pengkalan, Silibin, Chemor, Jelapang, Menglembu
and Tanjung Rambutan.

The Old Town

The Old Town is west of the Kinta River. There is a vibrant commercial district with many historical
'shop-houses' centred around Leech Street (Chinese: 烈治街; now Jalan Bandar Timah). Other notable features
include:

• Ipoh railway station in neo-classical/Edwardian Baroque style nicknamed the "Taj Mahal of Ipoh".
• Ipoh Town Hall, an Edwardian Baroque municipal building located across the road from the Railway 
• Station.
• Padang Ipoh or Ipoh Field is on Jalan S.P. Seenivasagam. The field is surrounded by historic buildings
•  that feature classic colonial architecture, including the mock-Tudor style Ipoh Club, FMS Bar, HSBC
•  Building and the 
• St Michael's Institution secondary school.
• The Anglo-Chinese School, Ipoh, officially named SMK Methodist (ACS), is located along Lahat Road.

• Muzium Darul Ridzuan is a historical museum of Perak, in a pretty former tin-mining tycoon's mansion on 
• Jalan Kuala Kangsar.

The New Town[edit]k

The so-called New Town, to the east of the Kinta River, was developed by Yau Tet Shin around 1908.^[7] The New
 Town houses the Perak Medical University and Ipoh City Hall building, among others. There are numerous
shops, shopping malls, and hotels.

D. R. Seenivasagam Park (Coronation Park), located in the heart of Ipoh (New Town), is known for its scenic
beauty and recreational facilities. It comprises recreational fields, an artificial lake filled with fish, a nursery
 for potted plants and a children's traffic playground. The latest addition is the newly landscaped
Japanese garden featuring a Japanese carp pond.

From the late 1980s Greentown, beside the New Town, was transformed from old government quarters to an
administrative and commercial centre of Ipoh, often overshadowing Old Town and New Town.^{[citation needed]}

Sports[edit]

There are a few sporting venues in Ipoh. A portion of land in the Kampong Simee area has been selected by the
 City Council for the Sport Center. The main sports stadium for football (soccer) and other track and field events is
 the
Perak Stadium. There is an indoor sports stadium beside it, the Indera Mulia Stadium, playing host to events such
 as badminton.
 Ipoh is also home for the Perak Football Association.

Ipoh has Malaysia's first velodrome, Velodrom Rakyat (The People's Velodrome), costing RM 3.25 million;
funds were raised in a country-wide donation drive (led by Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill). In addition, Ipoh has an
 Astroturf stadium for hockey, the Azlan Shah Stadium.

For golf, the courses are the Royal Perak Golf Club off Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah (Tiger Lane), the Meru
Golf Club in Jelapang, and Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Club en route to Batu Gajah.

Other sports venues include the Kilat Club in Pasir Pinji, Ipoh Field (Padang Ipoh) in the Old Town, the
 Polo Grounds, and the Iskandar Polo Club, in Ampang Baru.

Governance[edit]

The Ipoh City Council governs the city. Roshidi Hashim, appointed in 2008, is the mayor of Ipoh.^[8]

Ipoh is divided into two parliamentary constituencies: Ipoh Barat (Ipoh West) and Ipoh Timur (Ipoh East).
The parliamentary seat for Ipoh Timur is held by DAP Representative, Lim Kit Siang while the seat for
Ipoh Barat is held by fellow DAP leader, M. Kulasegaran.^[9]

Demographics[edit]

Ipoh remains one of Malaysia's largest cities. It is the fourth largest city in Malaysia. As of 2009, it has a
 population of 702,464, with a total urban area population of 1,143,778.^[10] It ranks as the sixth most
populous urban centre in Malaysia. (2007)^[11]

Census statistics[edit]

The following is based on Ipoh City Hall statistics, 2004.^[12][13]

Ethnic groups in Ipoh, 2012 census
Ethnicity	Population	Percentage
Chinese	451,361	70.0%
Malay	109,616	17.0%
Indian	80,600	12.5%
Others	3,225	0.5%

Toponymy[edit]

The name Ipoh is derived from a local tree, Pohon Epu or now more commonly known as Pokok Ipoh.
The sap of this plant is poisonous and was used by Orang Asli (indigenous peoples in Malay) to coat the tips
 of the darts of their blowpipes for hunting.

Transportation[edit]

• Trunk roads: The old interstate Route 1 connects Ipoh with neighboring towns and other 
• states (such as the town of Gopeng, Tanjung Malim and city of Kuala Lumpur down south).
• Highway: The new North-South Expressway is a faster and more efficient alternative to Route 1.
•  However, certain towns like Kamparcan only be accessible via Route 1. Drivers using the North-South 
• highway can exit into Ipoh from any of these exits: Simpang Pulai, South Ipoh (Ipoh(S)) or North Ipoh 
• (Ipoh(U)) and Jelapang.
• Train: Ipoh's railway station is operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) and is in the Old Town 
• (however, it does not have intra-city travel like in Kuala Lumpur). The railway only connects Ipoh with 
• neighbouring towns and cities. The station is a stately building, referred to by locals as the 'Taj Mahal'
•  of Ipoh. KTM Intercity began the Shuttle Train Service between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh from December 
• 1, 2008 while the modern Electric Train System (ETS) shuttle began from 12 August 2010 with average
•  145kmh speed, plying
•  Ipoh-Seremban route, cut the travelling distance between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur into 120 minutes. 
• There are 10 dedicated shuttle train services between these two cities daily which begins at 5am from 
• both the stations. Travel time between the cities was expected to be reduced from three hours to two 
• hours and fifteen minutes when the new set of EMU trains arrived in mid-2009.^[14]
• Bus: The inter-city bus terminal is located at Silveritage Galleria along Gopeng Road nearby Gunung
•  Rapat, 
• south of Ipoh (formerly situated in Medan Kidd, Old Town) to Ipoh Terminal Bus Station.
• Air: the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport is the only airport in Ipoh. It is near Gunung Rapat. Domestic flights 
• (and limited international ones) are available. Firefly provides two daily flights out of Ipoh to Singapore
•  Changi Airport while Silverfly provides flights to Medan, Indonesia.^[15]