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Motormouth From Ipoh

Friday, May 23, 2008

Ah Wong Thai Food

Ah Wong. Doesn't the name ring a bell? Something from TV(B) land, perhaps? (Roger Kwok, anyone?) Or could be the moniker given to my cousin's neighbour's long lost, loyal man's best friend. But the Ah Wong in this story, is an affectionate recognition, a nick for a lucky chap, who married a Thai lady whose culinary skills is on par with some of the best chef in renowned Thai restaurants .......
Well, OK. Probably slightly exaggerated. But for the price you pay, plus the quality/authenticity of the food, you WILL walk out, fully satiated and possibly vowing to return for more of the value-for-money dishes cooked with such fiery passion .....

Notice Hoy Tin Lau at the background? Another noteworthy outlet ...

This particular stall serving Thai delights had been around for years, previously dishing them out at the late Restoran KK on Laluan Perajurit 1, Ipoh Garden East, VERY near to my house and transformed into a frequent haunt for my family and relatives. Then a few months ago, Ah Wong and wife moved somewhere, and suffice to say, we were devastated, losing a gem of an outlet renowned for its Nakhon Pathom Special Thai Food.

So what if I've a blemish? Bite me?!

Then Mum heard whispers in the wind, indicating probable new location of Ah Wong's stall. A skip and a hop away, they moved to Restoran Soon Hoong, on the way to Bercham. Still VERY near to my place. How convenient. All's not lost in the end.

Their omelette with prawns and onions is a simple home cooked dish, but she (Ah Wong doesn't cook, he takes care of everything else) fries them just the way we love our eggs. Crispy at the sides, while the centre is filled with lots of prawns, onions, and melting egg. Yummy.

Stir-Fried Kailan with salted Fish

Bro's not a fan of vege, probably a reincarnation of sabre tooth tiger (or something) in past life. But he insisted on ordering the kailan with salted fish, and told us that he used to 'ta-pau' this dish often last time. The greens certainly did not disappoint, crunchy and fresh, without any bitter undertones. But may be a tad salty for those not accustomed to salted fish.

Red hot fiery goodness

We would rotate most of the dishes whenever we dined, but one dish remained our perennial favourite, the Tom Yum Seafood. Mum however, would personally request for reduction in spiciness, for she sobs (uncontrollably,) when it comes to ultra spicy food. Nevertheless, throw caution to the wind, and relish every spoonful of hot, spicy and sour goodness. Plentiful of squids, prawns, abalone mushrooms, and tomatoes, the soup's taste resembles authentic tom yum (at least those I've tasted). Must-have. Just look at the size of the prawn below ....


Green Curry Chicken

Their fried chicken is one of the best, served with their own concoction of sweet chilli sauce. But as luck would have it, they ran out of fried chicken tonight. Hmmm ...... Back up plan? Green curry chicken. Can't go wrong with mild green curry, with strips of deboned chicken meat, long beans, and brinjals. Creamy, and delightful when paired with white fluffy rice.

The green curry strangely reminded me of 'lui cha' , complete with the mint-y fragrance, and almost alike gravy texture and color. Haha .....

Total for 4? RM40, including rice, excluding drinks. Cheap or what? But brace yourself for a long wait on a weekend evening, as the chef does all the chopping/slicing/frying/cooking herself, without any assistance, bar some 'help' from Ah Wong, who himself has to 'warp' everywhere to take orders/settle bills/serve customers. On this particular evening, we waited for ONE whole hour. Bring a magazine, manicure set, PSP, pillow (?) or something, just in case .....

Location : A bit tough, as I didn't manage to locate the road sign. Think it's Lebuh Bercham Selatan, will clarify if the need arises. Coming from Ipoh Garden East towards Bercham, there is a shortcut that utilizes Laluan Perajurit 1, passing by some flats on the right. Go further and you'll reach a T-junction. Restoran Soon Hoong is directly opposite, right across the erm, field?

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

hello! wanna say you should blog about hoy tin lau also...love their chicken...forgot what name it is. It's salty and it's rarely served...

J2Kfm said...

hi wen xuan! yeah, i think it's the Sar Kiong Kai (Chicken served with fresh ginger, with jellyfish pickles), right? will get to the shop soon. Love their kangkung, plain stir-fried style, WITHOUT sambal.

New Kid on the Blog said...

am not really a fan of thai food. but then i would love to see you blog about Bercham 'Tong Fun Crab' glass noodle crab.

Hulk said...

Trying to figure out the direction as I stay near to "Citrus". If I'm not mistaken that restaurant was just newly open right?? It was few shops away from one Electronic Gate specialist shop, right?? A near distance to the new Bercham Condo/Apartment. Will try out the place also...as I hardly cook & eat out most of the time.

Since u r nearby...have u try out the chee-chau operate at the Large Bercham Food court , opposite a western food stall(Emas...something by Glamour Heights developer- sorry bad with names). Reasonable & the food is home cook stlye. My wife do the ordering (he is canto)..my favourite Clayport Tauhu, Mixed vege sambal slye, Steam fish (RM8-10)etc. Just recommendation.

J2Kfm said...

NKOTB : OH that ... OK, someday I will get my hands on them. :)
just that my Mum's not a crabs fanatic.

hulk : yeah! it's right next to the condo. bout the dai chow at Bercham Emas, we often frequent the place, and mum normally pack food from there when nobody's cooking. the food's good, but on weekends, the wait is also unbearable!
btw, what's your blog URL, Hulk?

Anonymous said...

yup yup...it's the sar keong kai...do try their fishes also...their fishes are caught near kuala kurau i thk...good stuff..

J2Kfm said...

wen xuan : yeah, we normally go for the tilapia steamed with gravy, good stuff. Kuala Kurau? hehe, brings back memories of routine work last 2 wks, when we journeyed to kuala kurau and tg piandang ...sigh ...

hotrakyat said...

we like thai food too and usually never miss the seafood tomyam and the kerabu chicken leg skins. Most Thai restaurants in KL/PJ seem pricey and we infact have noticed many nyonya outlets serving similarly spicy sourish dishes !

Your this shop here is not expensive so if freshly lemony( not vinegally )sour, freshly chili padi( not chilli paste ) hot then shud be a winner !

backStreetGluttons said...

hot above is another bsg fler !

Hulk said...

Sorry Hulk no Blog..Hulk Chomp every food. Hulk tummy goes big & GREEN!!
HULK was introduced to this blog by fellow puny fren the Friendly Neighbourhood...Spidey-man.

J2Kfm said...

hot/team bsg : wow, you guys sure post under various monikers? how many of you are there anyway? hehe ... the tomyum is spicy/sour enough for our tastebuds, though some may find them milder than ideal. but definitely not from tomyum stock paste.

hulk : oh ok. Hulk loves to refer self as third party persona? ;) be sure to catch 'your' new film then!

古墓街第7号當鋪 said...

Wow..!All the Thai foods so AwesomE! Especially the prawn pic.
Good snap in it =)

J2Kfm said...

thanks, jerome. you'll be glad once you sink your teeth into one too. ;)

Anonymous said...

afternoon open ?

J2Kfm said...

sorry anonymous for the late reply.
nope, they're closed in the afternoons. only in the evenings.

Hulk said...

Been there for almost every week. Take note it ussually close on Weds/Thurs.
Food is good & price is reasonably. Try out its oster eggs,its pork speciality, tomyam, its mixed vegetable etc.
One the best fried glass noodle in town.

J2Kfm said...

hi hulk, been so long since I've heard from you. :)
almost every week? wah ... TRUE fan eh? me too. but I've notbeen visiting since so long ago.
fine time to revisit!

belz said...

was searching for good tom yum. in case u didnt know, it seems ah wong shifted again.