wordspics.com Of Foods and Travels

This post is about fishball noodles. Yes, that’s right. The unassumingly simple yet comforting bowl of noodles with flavourful fish broth and simple ingredients has its fair share of fan base. While some might not like it due its clear / “fishy” taste, others love it due its simple, light characteristic.

However, despite its simplicity, not many stalls that I know of can execute a good bowl of fishball noodles properly. As they say, the simplest form of food is probably the hardest to produce. The broth (soup) and the fishballs are the core parts that can either make or break a good bowl of fishballs noodles.

But lucky for me, there is one stall nearby my housing area that serve a pretty good bowl of noodles for a reasonable price (RM4.50 for small portion). Despite it being my least favourite when it comes to noodles, I like it somehow due to the clear yet flavourful broth and its fresh firm bouncy fishballs.

Apart from the noodles, they serve really good fishcakes (RM6) too. And the fact that they only fry the fishcake upon receiving customer’s orders makes it pipping hot when it arrives to the table. With the same feel / texture and golden crisp skin on the outside, it’s a delight to eat it on its own… without any sauce.

So… do you like fishball noodles?

Address :
Jalan Lazat 1,
58200 Kuala Lumpur.

GPS Coordinates : 3.077331, 101.680816

It has become some sort of ‘ritual’ to have dim sum for breakfast in Ipoh whenever we stopped by before resuming our trip to up north (Penang). After all, we’d usually depart from KL early in the morning, right before the sun rise. And it happened too frequently that we didn’t need to ask each other what we’re having for breakfast. It’s either the famous Foh San or its arch-rival; Ming Court, and Funny Mountain tau fu fa right after as dessert.

I think I got bored after the second or third time till the point that I need to ask an old friend of mine, whose hometown is none other than Ipoh, on food recommendation in Ipoh. And to ask such question will probably get you greeted with one simple answer ‘”Plenty. What do you like?”

One of those recommendations I got was this quaint little coffee shop which is located along Jalan Raja Ekram, a couple blocks away from Restoran Cowan Street Ayam Tauge & Koitiau. Finding a car park was a b*tch and knowing how efficient the authorities are (compared the ones in KL), we had to round the area for quite a number of times before we found one… which was quite a walk away from the coffee shop.

Choices were limited but good enough to fill one’s tummy. Part of the main reason why I chose this place was because of its famous pulut kaya. Unfortunately, they were sold out (at 930AM on a weekday!) when we arrived. Disappointed I was but nevertheless, there were other stalls to try since it was our first time there.

These two dishes were chosen simply because the stalls were located outside and they were recommended by my friend. Besides, as one said (or from what I heard), you have got to try the curry laksa when you are in Ipoh.

They were really good recommendations, if you ask me. The broth of the curry laksa was perfect; adequately thick and flavourful yet packed with punch. The chee cheong fun was sliky smooth while the mushroom broth was light yet savoury, something different compared to the usual sweet brown sauce. A dash of chilli sauce was to provide some heat into the dish.

Oh… you should try their Iced Coffee too! Sorry, there’s no photo of it but rest assured that it was pretty good although it was not the famed white coffee. I couldn’t remember the price of those dishes but it should linger around RM3 to RM4 each.

Address :
127, Jalan Raja Ekram,
30300 Ipoh,
Perak.

GPS Coordinates : 4.599504, 101.086664

Once the ever famous, likeable movie came out on silver screen years ago, anything that got to do with either a clown fish or the word ’Nemo’ or ’Dory’ will automatically be associated with the movie, Finding Nemo. And to have a restaurant with such well-known name is a smart, quirky move especially when you are serving some serious fish-based food… just like this newly opened cafe.

Located in Plaza Mont Kiara (beside McDonald’s), Nemo Cafe caters a very niche crowd with its specialisation in fish and chips. However, what sets them apart from the rest is the way they serve your meal.

Instead of big white fancy plates, they serve their fish and chips “the authentic way”; that is on pieces of (tracing) papers. A novelty way or not, I think it’s a brilliant idea especially for takeaways and it somehow reminds me of the times in UK.

The menu is simple and straightforward with fish and chips being one of their main course. In order to cater larger crowd, there are other dishes such as “wok of the day”, sandwiches and light snacks for those who do not like fish.

Fish and Chips (RM10.90)

For a RM10.90 lunch meal, you get decent size main course meal. The chips are replaceable (with salads) if you do not fancy fried carbs / potatoes.

Fish and Chips (RM10.90)

Lightly coated in batter, the piece of dory fish was fried to perfection. It was still moist inside whilst the batter was crisp crackling. Their special (tartar) sauce was a delish as it was nicely seasoned with bits of jerkins in it.

However, the quantity wasn’t sufficient, for me at least. A piece of lemon wedge was provided for extra lemon zest but I prefer it to be simple. I’m not sure if they have a bottle of vinegar (at the counter) but there is no harm asking if you like to eat it the British way.

The only pet peeve I have is their inconsistency in portion size. The first photo was taken last month when they were a few days old while the second photo was taken a couple days back. As you can see, the portion difference between those two is significant (the fish and the chips). Furthermore, the second photo somehow looked lil like a sloppy job although there were not many people at that time. That said, I do hope this is just one off incident.

Iced Lemon Tea (RM5)

Overall, I kinda like this place. The ambiance is great especially during sunny day / weather as you get to dine outside. I have not tried their other dishes but based on the fish and chips alone, the price is pretty reasonable based on the location. They do serve breakfast (omelette, toast and etc.) in the morning but due to their erratic opening hours, I never get to try them… yet.

Note : As of writing this, they are closed for business on Sundays. However, they might consider opening in near future. It’s best to ask them for more info.

Address :
D-0G-05, Plaza Mont Kiara,
No. 2, Jalan Kiara,
Mont Kiara,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Business hours : 8AM - 10PM (weekdays), 930AM - 730PM (Saturdays) and closed on Sundays