How to order Breakfast (and Chocolate) in Ipoh, Malaysia
and why you should! Plus a mini book update.
Selamat pagi!
I’ve just finished going through the third pass of the manuscript! It is exciting to see it come along. As soon as I know more about the launch date, cover etc, I’ll let you know!
This week, we are doing one last little trip through Malaysia before we move onto another country. Enjoy!
Only a couple of hours by train from Penang, Ipoh makes an easy and rewarding stop. In the 19th century, the city boomed thanks to the tin mining industry and earned the nickname City of Millionaires. It isn’t quite as opulent today, but still shinning in its own way.
In the morning, that shine is found in its kopitiams, traditional Malaysian coffee shops. Ceiling fans spin slowly, spoons click against thick ceramic cups, the radio up on the wall broadcasts out the latest news and regulars greet one another over seeming mugs of coffee.
1. Start with breakfast. Choose from dozens of kopitiams around town, many clustered along Jalan Bandar Timah, especially towards Kinta River. Two famous ones, conveniently located right across the street from each other, are Kedai Makanan Nam Heong and Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong. We tried, and loved, both.
2. Find a seat if there’s one free, or join the line outside; it moves quickly. Locals treat these kopitiams like their dining room at home: a quick breakfast, a chat with a neighbour or two, and then off to work, school, or shopping.
3. Order your drinks. A server will come by to take your drink order. You basically have three choices. The must-try drink in Ipoh is white coffee, or kopi, the Malay word for coffee. According to local lore, Hainanese migrants arriving during the late Qing dynasty were introduced to bitter Western coffee during business meetings with colonial traders. To make it more palatable, they began roasting the beans in palm-oil margarine and serving the brew with condensed milk, creating Ipoh’s famous white coffee.
Your other options is teh, or tea, also served with condensed milk.
Chocolate isn’t the drink of choice here. While cacao grows around Ipoh, it is not sipped. The best you will find to satisfy a chocolate craving is a mug of Milo, a sweet cocoa powder-based drink from Australia that is hugely popular here.
4. Start with the typical Malaysian breakfast: kaya toast. Two slices of white bread are lightly toasted and spread with butter and kaya, a rich jam made with coconut milk, eggs, sugar and pandan leaves, which give it a greenish colour. This is served alongside two soft boiled eggs, cracked into a bowl, seasoned with a bit of pepper and a splash of soy sauce. Dip the toast into the egg, or the teh, and enjoy.
5. Order more food. Many kopitiams share space with one or two small food stalls, each run by a different vendor specialising in a particular dish. You can buy foods directly from them which you can enjoy at your seat (or take away). Each has a different selection. Kedai makanan Nam Heong has incredible dumplings for example, while Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong had curry buns and delicious noodles. Order at the stall and pay when the dish arrives at your table.
6. Take it all in. Kopitiams are modest, but full of small details: historic photos on the walls, regulars greeting one another, and the ritual of toast being dipped into eggs. It’s hard to eavesdrop on the latest neighbourhood gossip if you don’t understand the language, but you can imagine.
7. Come back later. Kopitiams aren’t just for breakfast. They are open all day. Come back for lunch, a mid afternoon snack. Try something different each time. Several kopitiams sell jars of homemade kaya or sambal, to take home.
Explore Ipoh
Ipoh is a beautiful city to walk around. A few things to include in your to do list.
Buy a pomelo. If they are in season, they are everywhere, sold in various sizes and colours. Think of them as a giant grapefruit, but sweeter. They’re a bit tricky to peel, but once opened can be eaten like an orange.
Visit Cameron Highlands. Only a few hours away, the cool highlands are very popular with Malaysian tourists. While there are plenty of tourist traps, some more interesting than others, the area is also famous for growing strawberries and tea.
Explore the cave temples. They are truly impressive, even if you aren’t one to visit temples. There are many around the city, easily accessible by taxi (use the GRAB app). For example, Perak Tong and Ken Lok Tong.
Eat a lot. Ipoh is one of Malaysia’s food capitals and good food is everywhere. We especially loved Cowan Street Chicken by Ann Xin and the terraces around Jalan Yau Tea Shin and Jalan Dato Tahwil Azar.
Between the kopitiams, the cave temples, and the endless food stalls, Ipoh rewards anyone willing to slow down and wander. Start with breakfast, and see where the day takes you.
And what about chocolate?
Cacao grows around Ipoh in some of the Indigenous communities. In Kuala Lumpur, you will find this turned into chocolate by Chocolate Concierge. Around Ipoh itself, you are more likely to see cacao pods sold at the local market. If you do, grab a few. They have generous amounts of really fragrant pulp, very lively citrus and lychee notes.
We had a pretty tasty chocolate icecream at Four Beans Soy Desserts which was served in a small ceramic toilet, with a shovel shaped spoon. Questionable presentation, excellent ice cream.
For more hot chocolates from this trip visit A Chocolate Tour of Kuala Lumpur, A Chocolate Tour of Penang, read this interview about Chocolate Concierge or learn more about Malaysian cocoa stamps. There is also the hot chocolate page over at Ultimate Hot Chocolate.
Thanks for reading!
Giselle
Chief Chocolate Sipper
at www.ultimatehotchocolate.com and on insta @ultimatehotchoc