Today, I was made aware that as long as my marriage is not blessed by the Roman Catholic Church, I am living in mortal sin and can no longer receive the Holy Communion. The civil marriage that I went through is not acceptable in the eyes of the Church.

Restoran Wong Koh Kee, Lorong Panglima, Ipoh.
GPS: N4 35.778 E101 04.684
Photo by Wuan.

The first taste of Ipoh food that I remembered to this day is at a restaurant tucked in an nondescript lane in the Old Town called Lorong Panglima. Restoran Wong Koh Kee may look like any other Chinese restaurants but this is where the similarities end. The dishes that they proffer are commonly served in Chinese households but they are delicious. The lunch time queues outside the shop is testament to that.

Steamed eggs.

Lorong Panglima is also known in Cantonese as “Yee Lai Hong” meaning Concubine Lane. This unsavoury name came about a long time ago when Ipoh was a boom town awashed with rich towkays who made their fortune from tin mining industry. These rich men would then keep a mistress or two and put them up at the two rows of houses in this infamous place.

Stir-fried watercress with roasted pork in belacan.

I still remember vividly the three dishes that Wuan ordered at the restaurant for Peter, Mum and me at Wong Koh Kee many years ago. They were nga choy chau hum yee (stir-fried bean sprouts with anchovies), sai yong choy chau ngau yuk (stir-fried watercress with beef slices in belacan) and sam wong tan (steamed chicken egg, century egg and salted egg). Since then, whenever Wuan and I were in Ipoh, we would make it a point to drop by for lunch.

Braised pig trotter in preserved soya bean gravy.

Our trip to Penang via Ipoh last Sunday was no different. We had lunch with Wuan’s parents at the restaurant. The first dish we ordered was sam wong tan. It was nicely steamed and smooth in the mouth. As I no longer eat beef, the second dish we ordered was sai yong choy chau siu yuk (stir-fried watercress with roasted pork in belacan) instead. The watercress was tender. We had yau cheong chee sau (braised pig trotter in preserved soya bean gravy) for the third dish. The pork was tender and the gravy delicious. The bill came to RM29, rice and Chinese tea included – a very reasonable price for a hearty meal for four. Restoran Wong Koh Kee is the place to go in Ipoh Old Town for some delicious home-cooked style dishes. Highly recommended.

Penang char koay teow.

Wuan and I would patronize restaurants serving Penang hawker food whenever we come across any in the Klang Valley. We were at 1 Utama last weekend and were undecided on what we wanted to eat after we finished watching ASIMO in action. We wandered around and came across a restaurant tucked in a corner and remembered that we had eaten there once a few months before. I also recalled that I had a rice set dish which I thought was too bland in taste.

To play safe, I decided to order something else. The last time I had char koay teow was many many months ago. I have yet to taste a plate of nice Penang char koay teow in the Klang Valley. I ordered that anyway hoping that it would appease my appetite at the very least. I also ordered cincau. Cincau or leong fun is a black grass jelly. It is served thinly sliced in a glass of simple syrup and ice cubes. It is one of my favourite drinks. Cincau is especially refreshing on hot days.

It took a while before the dish was served. The moment it was laid on on the table, I already knew I would not like it. First, it did not have that unique aroma common in a good plate of char koay teow. First and foremost, the koay teow must be stir-friend on a kuali that is well heated which I believed was not the case. The heat is to remove the raw smell of the taugeh (bean sprouts) and bring out the aroma of the other ingredients, especially the egg.

The dish had the usual ingredients like ku chai (chives), si hum (cockles), shelled prawns, taugeh, crab meat and egg. What it did not have were bak eu pok (crispy pork lard) and sliced lap cheong (Chinese waxed sausage). The omission of the last two ingredients kind of contributed to the lack of aroma. Penang char koay teow without the bak eu pok is just not Penang char koay teow.

Sauces also play an important role in making a good plate of char koay teow. I guess it was not well blended. The dish was rather bland and not as spicy as it should be. Char koay teow should be a little on the salty side which is somewhat complimented by the sweetness of the lap cheong slices. This dish was none of those. All said, I would rather forget that I had char koay teow that day. It was a total disappointment and I promised myself that I will never return to eat at that restaurant again.