I've never been a fan of desserts and honestly, I'd rather have fries than have something sweet after a meal. It's just never my thing even though my family enjoys having dessert at the end.

Yet when we were in Ipoh, I pestered them to get some Tao Fu Faa after brunch and made sure we went to one in town that I've been told is pretty good. A friend of mine is a local so he knows the best places to get good food and recommended Woong Kee - so it wasn't surprising to see people queueing up for their bowl of soybean curd.I LOVED IT! The bowl was small but felt so traditional and in it was super soft Tao Fu Faa with some simple syrup. Every spoonful of this was so comforting and made me happier each time - so much so that we all got an extra bowl just to indulge in.

Must try this whenever you're in Ipoh town. Just got slightly earlier to avoid the crowd and also be prepared to eat this standing up since they do not provide tables for you. It's kind of like an eat & go system. 

To be honest, no trip to Penang is truly complete unless we splurge on a dinner at Bali Hai. Although most of the locals would say tht it is overrated and also somewhat overpriced, it just feels rather incomplete if we do not dine here. So what's a seafood dinner without crabs. Not just any kind of crab but Chilli Crab with it's sweet and spicy sauce which is perfect when dipped with fried mantao, which was pretty good when it arrived at our table. Everybody loved this dish especially since the crab is very fresh and the sauce was super good, nothing was left behind at the end of the night. Then we got the Steamed Tiger prawns. THIS WAS SO SO SOOOO GOOD! The prawns were super fresh cause minutes before they were still happily swimming in the tank, so the meat is super succulent & juicy. Plus it had a hint of chinese wine kind of taste to it so that just amplifies the sweetness of the prawns even more. I had so much of this. Because we just can't seem to get enough of seafood, we also ordered steamed tilapia in sweet soya sauce. Since the fish was super fresh there was no need to cover up it's nice sweetness with any kind of other sauce and that was a good decision that night - we all loved this dish so much. By the end of our meal all that was left on the plate was the bones of the fish. Since we need some vegetables to counteract our guilt for eating so much seafood, we also ordered a plate of the four heavenly kings stir-fried in belacan. I don't know why but they gave so much petai on this plate that it felt almost like a petai dish which I kind of turned away from. Though the petai-lovers at the table enjoyed this like crazy. 

For lunch after running errands with my friend, we decided to grab something to eat nearby Nu Sentral since we were already there. Plus we wanted to re-visit Brickfields area since it's been a year or two since we had been around there after we were done with college. We saw Chilli Espresso which was very new to us so we decided to give it a try.For me, I got the ulam fried rice with sambal chicken. I actually really liked this because thr rice was very fragrant and also a very substantial portion, not just for a normal eater like me but also a big eater. Then the chicken tasted super good especially with the sambal which was spicy but there's also a subtle sweetness to it which I liked a lot. My friend ordered the grilled chicken with black pepper sauce. Actually this was pretty good too because I tried some of it and wished I had ordered this instead. The only thing is that I'm not a super fan of chicken so that's why I opted for the rice instead. Though this made me change my mind for a second. 

Although I was a little apprehensive about this place upon entry, but I was pleasantly surprised. Which explained why there was quite a few people already eating there even though it wasn't quite lunch time yet. Will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu and perhaps have some of that chicken again.

A friend of my mom's recently got registered and as a treat, the happy couple decided to bring us to lunch. It was my first time at Noble House and I could sort of understand why they chose to have lunch there. This was the four season starter. There was deep fried shrimp with mayo and something else which I currently can't remember anymore. Although the decoration of it looked rather exciting, the food was merely mediocre at best. Which explains why I could not remember what the rest of the other four things were.They also ordered one whole steamed chicken. Now this I remembered it being pretty good because the meat was succulent without being dry, plus it has super good flavour. Most people at the table said it had a 'chicken' taste which I really didn't understand. But everyone really enjoyed this dish and finished it all up. Then there's this super decadent and luxurious beancurd dish. Usually I wouldn't be too interested in anything beancurd related because it's just not my favourite. But this dish changed my mind and I believe it had everything to do with the thick & slightly heavy-bodied sauce. I could eat this with a bowl of rice and be very happy the end of the meal. Everyone loved this dish too and not a single drop of sauce was left behind. And then there's the fish dish. This was pretty amazing too because the Soon Hock was succulent, crunchy and very juicy which proves how fresh it was before being served to our table. However I think what made it even more amazing was the sweet soya sauce that had been steamed with the fish. I loved it a lot especially when poured over my portion of fish and eaten with a little bit of rice.Finally, no proper chinese meal is considered complete until this dish arrives, braised mushroom with assorted seafood. There are abalone slices, fish maw, mushrooms and also dried oysters braised in a very decadent sauce which reminded me a lot of the sauce that came with the beancurd. I really liked this dish too and mopped up most of the sweet but also very heavily flavoured golden liquid of a sauce. Everyone at the table loved it too.

Will we return on a regular occasion, we probably will however I am not too sure when. Can't wait till we do.

Before heading into Ipoh town, a favourite place that my family loves to stop by for an afternoon meal is Pun Chun. This is a restaurant which we have frequented quite a number of times over the years and whenever we get the chance, it's definitely a place that we will go to for lunch when we're on a roadtrip.

This afternoon, we stopped by there and immediately I was taken back to my childhood days where my mom would order food for me then try to feed me. Unsuccessfully might I add because I am always determined to feed myself. Without fail we have to order the double-boiled chicken leg soup. I remember this tasting stronger back then but today, it was somewhat lighter in essence. However it is still good because the flavour of the meat and vegetables has seeped into the liqud which gives it this beautiful aroma. This, I finished it all myself without any effort. Then I had the Dried Wantan Noodles with Char Siew. This is my absolute favourite because the noodles are springy with a bite to it, perfectly coated in the savoury but also sweet sauce. The taste hasn't changed very much which is a good thing and neither did the portions. The wantans are nicely filled with meat and tasted nice especially when eaten hot. 

I really enjoyed my first meal in Ipoh. I only wish I could eat this more often.