Walking the Pasar Malam with My parents… 30+ Years Later

It’s been decades since I last visited the pasar malam in my childhood neighbourhood of Ipoh Garden East. Tonight, I came back with my parents — now both in their 80s.

The pasar malam felt so long, with endless stalls selling all kinds of delicious food… not exactly the healthy kind 😄 but so nostalgic.

After a long walk, we finally settled on something simple and comforting — Look Look in hot pot. We even brought our own stainless steel containers to tapau the skewers and peanut sauce.

Dad chose assam laksa, and I added some steamed fried fish balls too.

It really brought back memories of walking the pasar malam with my parents when I was young… and now, here we are again, almost four decades later.

We’ll definitely be back to try more next time!

If you like, you can watch the video of our pasar malam evening here > https://www.facebook.com/reel/1610456133405828

Wide array of fried stuff.

Baked crabs

Aro Restaurant, Ipoh (South Indian Cuisine)

If you’re exploring Ipoh Old Town and craving something different from the usual local fare, we recently discovered a hidden gem — Aro Restaurant, located just a few minutes’ walk from the famous Concubine Lane.

This cozy South Indian restaurant serves up hearty, traditional meals that truly hit the spot.

We ordered their mutton nasi briyani, special fish thali, and non-vegetarian thali — and every dish was full of rich, comforting flavors.

The highlight for us was definitely the mutton briyani. The meat was incredibly tender and well-marinated. In fact, my 80-year-old mum, who has gum issues, had no trouble enjoying it at all — that’s how soft it was!

The thali sets were equally impressive. For those unfamiliar, a thali is a complete, balanced meal served on a single plate, featuring a variety of dishes — from vegetables and lentils to flavorful curries and accompaniments. It’s a wonderful way to experience different tastes and textures all in one sitting.

What made it even more special was the little dessert that came with the thali — a comforting bowl of red bean, black glutinous rice, and coconut milk “tong sui”. Such a delightful surprise!

As for drinks, we kept it simple and traditional:

A refreshing mango lassi (we requested it without sugar)

A fragrant masala tea with strong notes of cloves and spices

And a cup of aromatic bru coffee made with fresh cow’s milk

Everything complemented the meal beautifully.

Now, just a small heads-up — the only downside during our visit was the air conditioning. It was a very hot afternoon, and only one unit was running, so we ended up… quite literally drenched in sweat by the end of lunch 😅

Also, parking around the Concubine Lane area can be quite challenging, especially during peak tourist hours.

But overall? The food, the authenticity, and the experience made it absolutely worth the visit.

📍 Aro Restaurant

Jln Sultan Yussof, No. 134, Ground Floor

30000 Ipoh

(A short walk from Concubine Lane, Ipoh Old Town)

Watch the video here > https://youtube.com/shorts/PB46TSSdKuI?feature=share

A Simple Food Day in Ipoh

Today, Mum and I made a quick trip to Beacon Mart in Ipoh Garden South to stock up on a few of our usual favourites. Into our basket went marinated chicken chops, saba fish, Beacon sprouted beans & gains bread, Beacon wantons, and Beacon chicken soup.

One reason we like buying chicken from Beacon is that their chickens are free from antibiotics and hormones, which makes them suitable for cancer patients and those who prefer cleaner, healthier food choices. 

After grocery shopping, we headed nearby to look for lunch. I noticed an eatery named Cong Yin Noodles, and since the stall was set up outside the shop, I could clearly see the noodle seller preparing the noodles. The bowl looked very tempting, topped with big chunks of minced pork and pieces of dried bamboo fungus.

I ordered one packet with added pork slices to share with Mum. The noodles were comforting and flavourful, perfect for a simple lunch.

Later, Dad went out to tapau his favourite Nasi Kandar from Ipoh Garden East. When he came home, we were shocked at the size of the rice portion in the packet. It was huge — honestly enough to feed four small eaters!

Dad chose a big serving of turmeric cabbage and generously asked for kurma chicken gravy to banjir (flood) his rice. On top of that, he ordered a large fish head cooked with lady’s fingers.

The total bill? Only RM16 — RM12 for the huge fish head and RM4 for the packet of rice with cabbage. What a steal!

That’s one of the little perks of living in Ipoh. Food here is still so much cheaper compared to Kuala Lumpur.

The nasi kandar packet will easily last Dad for both lunch and dinner. Mum and I shared the noodles earlier, and tonight Dad will air-fry the saba fish we bought from Beacon Mart.

Simple, everyday food for the three of us.

Nothing fancy — but honestly, that’s perfectly okay. 🍽️💛

Cong Ying Noodles in Ipoh Garden South serves up hearty pork noodles with chunks of minced pork patty, sliced pork, dried bamboo fungus and bits of pork lard fritters, cooked in a brownish pork and 'toong choy' (preserved veggie) soup. This will surely keep you going back for more. 

Dad's nasi banjir with turmeric cabbage and chicken kurma sauce and a huge fish head curry.

What we bought from Beacon Mart today:

Beacon wanton, Beacon seaweed chicken soup, frozen saba fish and Beacon sprouted beans & grains bread.

Green curry and lavender marinated frozen chicken chops.

Indonesian herb and spiced marinated chicken chops.

Green curry marinated chicken chop 

Famous Pau in Bercham - A Visit to Restoran Loke Yuen

It’s a Saturday morning in Bercham, and we stopped by a humble coffee shop that many locals swear by for their pau.

Restoran Loke Yuen may look unassuming, but by 11:30am there was already a long queue for their famous steamed paus.

The coffee shop sits on the same row as the well-known K10 Claypot Chicken Rice.

While waiting, we also tapau some yong tau fu and stuffed “liu” from the stall next door.

From the pau stall, we managed to grab a few char siu paus, ma lai ko, and black sesame mantou — the other fillings were already sold out.

First impression?

The pau skin was soft, fluffy, and pillowy — not soggy or starchy.

The char siu filling was flavorful without being overly salty or sweet, and thankfully there was no strong ammonia smell.

At RM4 each, the char siu pau isn’t cheap — but it’s definitely delicious.

The ma lai ko was also wonderfully soft and worth getting again.

As for the yong tau fu — it’s the solid tofu type, while we personally prefer the softer version. The fried savory turnip cakes were quite good though, and the other stuffed “liu” were decent.

Next time we’re craving char siu pau again, this little coffee shop in Bercham will definitely be our go-to place to stock up.

Address 

Restoran Loke Yuen

632, Lorong Bercham 6, Kampung Bercham, 

31400 Ipoh, Perak

You can watch the video here - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uTLZQPu9XRk