Food - Modern Cafes

Patisserie Boutique

Cafes have been sprang up in the in the Ipoh Oldtown lately and Pâtisserie BoutiQue has recently joined the ranks of trendy cafes.The interior design of the cafe is sophisticated, with black frames and white walls. There is a huge "Gateaux" written on one of the walls to remind you of their speciality which is Cakes in French. 

This is the signature version of their Chocolate Cheese Cake. It features a traditional oreo crust, rich creamy filling and a thick layer of chocolate ganache all baked to perfection! It is rare that we could get such high quality Chocolate toppings for cake anywhere.

A combination of  subtle green tea flavor and sweet strawberries made this Matcha(greentea) strawberry trifle the all time favorite dessert in the cafe! The trifle looks pretty as it is arranged into picture-perfect layers and most importantly, it taste incredibly great! 

Burps & Giggles

Burps & Giggles, a new venture by the people behind Indulgence, has now become the first choice cafe, strongly recommended by Ipoh people. The cafe is famous for its crepes, burgers and cakes. The decor and ambiance is really vintage. It is a cage with lots of personalities and stories to tell.

Chicken & Mushroom Pasta, it is a dish combining cooked spaghetti with chopped cooked chicken, fresh tomato and onion. It may sound like a simple dish, but it is definitely a  classic! 

The Banana Cake which serves perfectly as a dessert came with such a beautiful presentation. The Banana cake owes everything it has to the thick and creamy cream cheese icing. Without it, the banana cake is nothing. With it the banana cake is everything!!!

The classic Fish & Chips also taste amazing! Crispy on the outside, tender and delicious on the inside, served with deep fried potatoes and tartar sauce. Every bite of the fish melts in the mouth and makes everyone demand for more.

Ipoh People

     Historically, Malays are known to be the early settler in the Ipoh Old town area in early 1800s. After the arrival of British in the rich tin valley in 1878, the scenario changed and Malays no longer dominated the place. There were large number of Chinese immigrants migrated to Ipoh during the tin rush in the late 1890s.

 

Crowded traditional coffee shop in the early morning. Ipoh folks wake up early even on weekends. They have to wait beside the occupied table if they are not early enough.

      Today, Ipoh Old town residents are mainly from Chinese ethics such as Hakka, Teo Chew and other. Chinese in Ipoh Old Town is predominantly cantonese speaking but it is different from Hong Kong cantonese. They include some Malays words into their sentence which make their language unique.Standard of living in Ipoh Old Town is moderate . Most of the resident in Ipoh Old town are old .
       Malays and Indians and  are considered the minority group.Residents in the old town wear casually , mainly a t-shirt , short pants and slipper. 
       

 Teenage boys were playing basketball under the sun with bear feet. Their happiness even spread to the restaurants situated opposite the basketball court. Old town's children are free to walk around without their parent because the crime rate is low.

 

Bicycles and trishaws are mode of transportation for residents in Ipoh Old town. They use trishaws to carry goods from place to place.

 

A hardworking satay uncle carrying a tray of marinated satays from a back lane to his stall .

 Old barber shop uncle staring at the clock on the wall, waiting for his customer .

     

  They get their income by doing traditional business such as kopitiam, Rattan shop, book shop, tea shop and so on. Their pace of life are slow, they are warm, simply and laid back. 

 Lovely old couple walking on the street. The old man holding his wife who has difficulty to walk.

  Despite having such diverse races and cultures, Ipoh Old Town residents had lived in peace and harmony for more than hundred years. The existence of multi-races and cultural differences has become an asset to tourism industry in Ipoh.

Nine Emperor Gods Festival

Nine Emperor Gods Festival

 In Chinese, 九皇爺, the festival is a 9-day Taoist celebration. Beginning on the eve of the 9th month of the lunar calendar, temples of the deities all around Malaysia hold a ceremony to welcome the Nine Emperor Gods. It is believed that the Nine Emperor Gods will possess the devotees. Most devotees will stay in the temple throughout the nine days and have vegetarian meals.

An idol of one of the Nine Emperor Gods

Lion and Dragon dances throughout the walk 

A beautifully adorned truck, shaped to be like a grand boat, carrying idols. Processions are held like this because the arrival of the gods is believed to be through the waterways. Therefore, processions are held from temples to the sea shore or river to symbolize this belief.

Devotees dress in traditional plain white during the 9-day festival, usually carrying incense and candles, awaiting the Nine Emperor Gods.

A devotee, in a trance-state, having his cheeks pierced. Devotees practice such acts of impaling their body parts as a traditional veneration  for their gods and ancestors.

Devotees on the first day of the festival, preparing for ceremony which is adorned with flags and banners. Devotees of all ages participate in the event, even those young at heart.

Mural Hunting

Mural Hunting

People have been travelling around Old Town of Ipoh, not just in searching of great food but also the new murals. Since 2012, murals starting popping out walls situated in certain back lanes, some painted by a Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharevic and our local artist, Eric Lai.

Zacharevic painted a total of 7 murals in the project known as 'Art of OldTown' which is commissioned by OldTown White Coffee.

Along Jalan Sheikh Adam is a Paper plane mural by Ernest Zacharevic painted on a wall of 5-storey shop lot. It is located nearby the mural of the old man drinking coffee.

Located on Jalan Dato Maharajalela is a portrait of an old uncle drinking coffee. This large mural is located nearby the first franchise OldTown White Coffee eatery facing the Ipoh field.

Evolution, a tin mining mural by Ernest Zacharevic is located on Jalan Bijeh Timah. In English, bijih timah means tin ores and the mural shows a Chinese-styled painted mural which shows the evolution of tin mining back in the colonial days.

This hummingbird mural by Ernest Zacharevic shows the bird finding for food from trees. He drew it in a way where it is hovering close to a real tree for food.

Trishaw Mural by Ernest Zacharevic is the final mural drawn by him which depicts some people in Old Town that earns a living through selling recyclable products. This mural shows a man stacking plastic onto his trishaw which is filled with other plastic bags.