Lunch With New Family Member @ Simpang 3, Ipoh

it’s mr. khairul’s treat, and the special guest is abah who finally gets a break after the wedding, and my new bro-in-law nash, who just got married to my younger sister syida. the place – a popular indonesian restaurant serving delicious nasi padang (basically steamed rice with a lot of different dishes of our choice from chicken to ducks to veggies) called ‘simpang tiga’.

click here to read my review when i first came here with abah and my youngest sis azi.

 

the restaurant ‘simpang 3’ is really spacious. head on to the counter up front where they put all the dishes. choose what you want, and the staff will bring it to your table.

 

the newlyweds : nash & syida

 

chilli prawn (udang masak cili)

 

sayur pucuk – i like! i love this ever since my eldest sister’s indo maid cooked it. this is one yummy dish!

 

must have – ayam bakar (grilled chicken), sweet, succulent, tender chicken meat!

 

this is mr. khairul’s favorite – gulai kaki sapi. the gulai (gravy) is really good, but the texture of the ‘kaki sapi’ is really weird. gooey yet cheewy yet..yet.. i couldn’t describe it! it’s like eating a very savoury hard jelly!

 

sambal terung. i don’t really like eggplant because the texture is much to soft to be in a sambal (chili paste) – haha, but mr. khairul loves this one too.

 

pergedil – potato nugget!

 

my eldest sister and her sons – talk about ‘really reaching out’ for food! hihi

 

abah & umi. abah really enjoy indo food, especially this nasi padang.

 

us!

 

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the newlyweds shared a coconut drink. awww.

 

my yummy sirap bandung! (rose syrup in milk – yum!)

 

azi and her fiance could’ve made it for this lunch but they were sending her buddies to the train station to catch the ETS (electric train service) back to kl. it was a most enjoyable makan-makan as it was my final lunch in ipoh before heading back to KL.

a simple thing as eating together, as a family. at the same table. enjoyable good food. sharing stories. these are the moments to treasure for always.

 

restoran simpang tiga is at greentown ipoh, taking up more than 3 lots of shophouses. you can’t miss it. check out my previous posting on this place!

You Can Get Mandi Rice in Ipoh @ Malika Saba, Greentown

i know middle east restaurants are mushrooming around KL-selangor, and it’s fairly easy to get a plate of mandi rice around that area these days – but in ipoh too?

i was very surprised to know that there is a mandi rice restaurant in ipoh – the greentown area. and what’s more pleasantly surprising, is that it’s really delicious, and comparable to the ones i’ve tasted in dubai! yes, middle east restaurant ‘malika saba’ has brought the true taste of middle east to ipoh!

seriously, rasanya memang macam di dubai! do try!

the chicken was nothing short of perfection. the taste, the texture, the look – this IS the chicken for mandi rice. and that’s all i can say! well done, ‘malika saba’!

the mandi rice – it has to be soft, shouldn’t be dry, and of course should be so tasty! and this rice has it all. another plus point for ‘malika saba’. this is important, because in al-rawsya at ampang, the mandi rice looks and taste like chicken rice…

the veggies differ from restaurants to restaurants – but one thing is for sure, all must be FRESH! ‘malika saba’ added cut-up tomatoes, cucumbers and cabbage as their salad, and they were just fine. a simple addition to the delicious mandi rice.

i didn’t take picture of the ‘sambal’ or the dip of blended cili and tomatoes – but my comment is just that it’s probably the spiciest i’ve tasted. it’s yummy, but spicy!

as you noticed, we didn’t eat there at ‘malika saba’. abah bought some back (just tapau) as he doesn’t want the hassle of bringing my boys haha. so makan kat rumah je. and that’s why i don’t have pictures of the interior, though i feel that it’s quite a nice place to eat from the pictures i see on the net.

i got this picture of its entrance from this website ‘motormouth from ipoh’. read his/her interesting review and beautiful pictures from ‘malika saba’ ipoh. there’s also clear direction to the place.

do try, it’s like the real thing!

Football Match : Who Wins Atuk Cup?

my boys are at my dad’s place in ipoh – and that means they get to get rough and tough with their cousins abg haiqal and abg haqeem in a game of football!

the boys wore matching outfit – the very recognizable yellow harimau malaya (malaysian tigers) football jersey. i love the colors so much! black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow…

atuk’s cucu (minus icha and nuna) from left : kahfi (eyes closed), sufya in red, haqeem holding adam’s shoulder, haiqal holding kazim’s shoulder, and khaleef in the far right.

eldest cousin abg haiqal is currently under rigourous training to be a football player representing his school. he’s really passionate, and khaleef had fun ‘interviewing’ him as he put on his elaborate protection gears.

this is how the game ended…haha. if you notice kahfi didn’t join the match. he was just sitting around plucking out the grass, or sitting on the swing – he really doesn’t fancy football!

kazim and best-cuz adam rolling around on the grass

the pompom girls, from left : icha, nuna & cuya

atuk podin’s harimau malaya! the really were TIGERS waiting to be unleashed…especially the dubai tigers! haha!

Cool Artwork & Stuff @ Gerbang Malam, Ipoh

‘gerbang malam’ is literally translated as ‘gateway of the night’. nama macam night club dalam citer p. ramlee je kan haha. this name refers to a ‘night market’ in the ipoh town, which is like our usual pasar malam, only without the food. the stalls there offer clothing, shoes, phone accessories, and even a massage service in a small makeshift.

apart from the dramatic name, it all sounds so regular and mundane, right? but one of the stalls really captured our attention – in a really *artful* way!

 

 

the ‘gerbang malam’ night market in ipoh is located at jalan tahwil azhar, along the bank simpanan nasional. you’ll recognize the stretch by its rather ‘grand’ entrance on each side, that says ‘gerbang malam’. it opens from 7pm to 2am.

 

 

i was there at ‘gerbang malam’, ipoh the night after my sister’s wedding reception. i actually tagged along with my youngest sister’s buddies who came and spent the night to attend the wedding. my kiddos were with my in-laws and my husband went out with my uncles – so i was feeling rather ‘young’ and very ‘free’! *wink wink*

it was an odd mixed-feeling of relief, freedom, excitement and at the same time ‘incomplete’ – being able to just stay out very late, walking around town with a bunch of youngsters, without pushing a stroller or screaming my kids’ name every 12 seconds!

azot, dylla, bell, dot, and faiz – appreciate you guys including this 32 year old in that night outing! 

 

me and my youngest sis azot looking at cheap, beautiful brooches. we got two big-big ones each to put on the front of our kebaya. nice, huh?

 

no food stalls, but i noticed this supermarket trolley filled with buns, egg tarts, and some other pastries for sale. there’s even a loud-hailer on the side for the seller to welcome customers to his trolley-stall!

 

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now THIS is the stall that captured our attention. it’s a stall that sells art – in the form of sketch portraits drawn in pencil. the ‘artist’s name is hamid if i’m not mistaken, and he’s been opening the stall in ‘gerbang malam’, ipoh for quite some time.

his portraits are bold, and beautiful in its simplicity, with attention to details – in just a pencil sketch! i know there must be tons of artists like him trying their luck at central market, KL but i was surprised to see such a unique stall in ipoh. and his drawings are really good!

from the first moment i laid eyes on his sketch of a very recognizable picture of the legendary p. ramlee playing the violin, i knew i had to buy some of his sketches for my home in dubai.

 

 

his sketches range from popular entertainment icons like p. ramlee, kurt cobain and audrey hepburn to historical buildings in perak like the menara condong (leaning tower – yes we have a leaning tower too in perak! haha) of teluk intan to kampung houses too! all drawn in such beautiful strong strokes of the pencil.

and yes, i ended up buying ONLY two framed sketches – the ipoh railway station (which is this really gorgeous old colonial building) and a rumah kampung (village house) with coconut tree and all. i would’ve bought more but i was thinking of the weight when i want to bring it back to dubai.

 

from left : dot in black tudung, bell and dylla in green T. azot’s gal pals bought some for themselves too – there are small ones drawn in color – quotes, abstract drawings and even cartoon characters; drawn on thin plywood that is perfect for a keychain or just to hang on your bagpack.

my sister and her fiance faiz negotiating a bargain. i would say i got a rather reasonable price for this wonderful artwork, and would definitely come again bringing mr. khairul so that we can buy many more drawings!

the artist is the dude in blue sitting down. i wish him all the best in his endeavour to share with the world on how he sees it – through his sketches, and his pencil.

Penang Kuey Teow @ Dataran MBI Ipoh

that day was a rare moment for me. my 3 boys were with my in-laws in puchong, and my husband went out for supper with my uncles. i was by myself! what to do? i joined my youngest sis azi, her fiance faiz who drove us, and her best buds dot, bell and dyla on an ipoh night-outing.

me without mr. khairul, without the kids – literally single and free, in the company of the girls who are funny, chatty and giggly, and faiz is just one cool dude – it made me feel young again! haha.

 

we had char kuey teow! yum!

 

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the girls were here to help out with the my sister’s kenduri kawen in whatever’s needed, and spent the night at abah’s house too. that night, after the wedding reception, i joined these young people on an outing to ipoh’s ‘gerbang malam’ – more on that in the next posting.

after that we stopped by the dataran MBI (majlis bandaran ipoh) for supper. dataran MBI is in the ipoh new town area called greentown. there are syuen hotel and ipoh parade too around the vicinity. the most distinct landmark is the clock tower right next to the MBI building, and can be seen while we enjoy our delicious local dishes, hawker-style.

these hawkers open only at night, sellling yummy local food from yong tau foo, ‘goreng-goreng’ dishes, to satay and of course, char kuey teow.

 

 

we were looking for a good plate of char kuey teow and decided to choose this stall – ‘MBI terrace – no 15 – penang char kuei tiaw special’! this stall is situated more or less opposite the textile store riamoda.

the stalls are not that many, and as you walked along the stalls looking for or still deciding what to eat, don’t be surprise if you hear many cat-calls urging you to try their food, or stop by their stall.

either these folks are a friendly lot, or because i just happened to walk together with four pretty young girls!

 

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faiz and the girls ordered char kuey teow in its ‘original’ form – wet, with gravy and few prawns. they loved it, and azi said the prawns are fresh and the taste is just right. fans of char kuey teow won’t be disappointed!

 

nyum nyum slurp slurp~ let’s just say that it was so good that it was too quite in the air. semua diam je enjoying the food!

 

i ordered kuey teow chinese style too – with an added syigim style! haha. i requested my kuey teow to be DRY, no prawns, but with CHICKEN! owh, just writing about it again is making me drooling and craving for another plate! and this was a GOOD plate of kuey teow.

my only concern is that the chicken bits are not BITS at all, but these huge cut-ups with bones still attached. usually it’s the chicken white meat cut into cubes or long strands. otherwise, perfect. still taste delicious, though. i will definitely go again whenever i’m back to ipoh!

 

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while we’re eating, these two ‘buskers’ or street performers stopped by and sang local songs while playing their own instruments. these dudes are talented! nice voice, and nice guitar works. they sang ‘aku anak kampung’ and he really sounded good. he should enter a talent contest haha. gaya pun ade. tak kisah la tak handsome sgt haha.

after they’re done, one of the guys took off his hat and passed it around to get some ringgit. i don’t mind, and it’s an honest way to earn some bucks for the night plus the crowd gets entertained as well!

 

yeap. it’s SO good that we bought back two packs. tapau dua bungkus tu! haha. the next morning, abah and my other sisters shared the packs during breakfast – that’s what we do when we find good food! SHARE!