IPOH, Oct 19 — Well, it looks like last Sunday’s story on the halal food hunt in Ipoh — focusing only on several eateries around Ipoh Garden and Canning Garden area — was just the start.
Although my initial intention was to compile all the recommended outlets into one article, the sheer number of noteworthy halal food stalls exceeded my expectations, and thus, requires a second chapter.
This week, let us go beyond the neighbourhood and discover tantalizing halal meals around Ipoh city and even deep within the outskirts of the city.
For the first recommendation, it actually took me more than one try to locate the stall, and when I finally did, it was not a cause for celebration as they were closed for a lengthy period — the Raya celebrations. Tough luck.
The odd business hours aside, Laksa Perlis is one stall worth your time and effort navigating the labyrinths of Manjoi. If you are armed with a navigation app, then you should be safe.
Started in 2008, Puan Rubi and her husband took a chance of kick-starting their venture right from the doorsteps of their home in Manjoi. She hails from Perlis while her husband is from Kedah, and the main reason for the startup according to them was the lack of a really good Malay laksa in Ipoh.
While Kuala Kangsar is also renowned for the brand Pak Ngah Laksa — even selling from trucks around Ipoh, the taste of Laksa Perlis is indeed very distinct from the northern Perak version; using fresh sardines from the market to produce the creamy broth spiced up with condiments (that come separately) of chopped onions, julienned cucumber, bird’s eye chillies and a halved calamansi lime.
To maintain the authentic taste of Laksa Perlis, they source for laksa noodles all the way from Perlis. Don’t forget to order a piece or two of their homemade cucur udang; prawn fritters mixed with onions and bean sprouts then deep fried to a nice crunch without being greasy.
The cucur is served with kuah kacang, a nutty, sweet and spicy sauce that will definitely remind you of a good satay sauce.
From the challenging maze of Manjoi, let’s move to a famed chicken rice establishment nearer to the city centre; Fuziah Nasi Ayam Pasar Bulat.
The proprietors first started selling their popular halal chicken rice at the now-demolished Pasar Bulat or Yau Tet Shin Market, sometimes referred to as the octagon market owing to its distinctive structure, back in 1980.
Ever since the ground has been slated for future development (been a good decade or more now), Fuziah Nasi Ayam moved to a premise within a stone’s throw away.
They serve only ONE item from lunch until late dinner. This is understandable, given the strong track record of their roasted chicken with a light drizzle of their “secret” sauce; savoury and sweet without overwhelming the delicate taste of the chicken.
The chicken at Fuziah’s is roasted to a crispy finish then served on a bed of lettuce and garnished with scallions. However, the meat tends to be a tad too dry, especially if you pick the breast portion.
The chicken rice here comes in individual servings inclusive of fragrant oil rice with a faint, buttery nuance, a bowl of chicken soup and two sauces; their version of a sweet chili sauce and a more punchy finely-chopped bird’s eye chillies with soy sauce.
The third halal food place in Ipoh that I want to recommend is this impressive Mee Goreng from Cathay Mee Stall (CMS) located near the traffic lights of Jalan Yang Kalsom.
This stall has escaped the radar of most travellers, possibly due to its location; ie. parking can be a horror, due to the incredibly popular Nasi Ganja at Yong Suan coffee shop at the other end of the same road.
But do not dismiss this stall as being just another generic Indian-style fried noodle stall please.
Although the wait for your noodles can be a stretch during peak lunch hours, especially on unlucky days (for you, not for the owner) when you can see a queue forming in front of the stall, and people planning to take away a dozen packets or so.
What makes their mee goreng so special is the excellent mastery of the cook in controlling the fire and tossing in just the right amount of ingredients, ie: bean sprouts, chopped scallions, eggs, prawn fritters, tau kua (dried beancurd) and potatoes coated in a most devilishly-irresistible gravy stir-fried until thickened.
Cathay Mee Stall serves an equally noteworthy pasembur (Indian rojak) as well in a ferociously-red sauce that belies its sweet and savoury nature, but feel free to request for an added fiery kick if you are game for a sweating good time.
The servings here are pretty generous, and definitely enough to be shared if you’re not keen on polishing off a mountain of noodles during lunch. But trust me; one slurp of the sumptuous fried noodles was all it took to convert me into a fan.
I sure hope that you are more confident now to bring your Muslim friends around Ipoh for a good meal or two. There are a few other outlets that I would like to share with you, but let us take it one step at a time. Stay tuned, and have a fabulous makan adventure ahead.
LAKSA PERLIS (HALAL)
35, Jalan Tok Pegoh,
Manjoi, 30020 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel No: +6013–520 1217
Business Hours: Monday – Saturday: 2.30pm – 7.30pm.
Closed on Sundays.
RESTORAN FUZIAH NASI AYAM PASAR BULAT (HALAL)
78, Jalan Mustapha al-Bakri
30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Tel No: +6012-550 4556
Business Hours: 11.30am – 10.30pm daily.
CATHAY MEE STALL (HALAL)
97, Jalan Yang Kalsom,
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Opens from 11am – 8pm daily.
Closed on Sundays.
