Here are 3 places to eat, 1 area and 2 interesting museums you really should check out when you are next in Ipoh. We were there during our recent visit to Ipoh on the ” Dah, ke Belum” trip by Tourism Perak and Gaya Travel Magazine…

MINIATURE WONDERS ART GALLERY

The Miniature Wonders Art Gallery is a pretty unique shop or as they term themself, art gallery…

Take a step into the shoplot and you can be mesmerized as I was… how not to be when you come face to face with tiny delicately handcrafted figurines made entirely from dough and which has been painstakingly arranged in long displays depicting scenes from ancient China, something I am pretty passionate about….

The first exhibit whichis a sneak peek is located on the ground floor, so you cannot miss it… is all about life on a typical Beijing street a long long time ago….

Then head upstairs (you have to pay RM5) and feast your eyes on the ‘Tang Dynasty Banquet’, and the meticulous ‘Story of Making of Terra Cotta Warriors’ , which really attracts my attention… and ‘Along the River During the Ching Ming Festival’.

There are also little scenes and even tinier sceneries which the figurines have been crafted and created to fit into walnut shells..

It is indeed a mesmerizing display and I really love it!!! So be sure to check it out the next time you are in Ipoh…

CONCUBINE LANE AND YASMIN AT KONG HENG

Concubine Lane or Lorong Panglima is a narrow little lane in the Old Ipoh Town with run down colonial-style terraced buildings, some of these buildings have been given a new lease of life..some still in state of neglect.. but it is pretty unique…

Established in 1908, these buildings used to be a residential area where the concubines and mistresses of rich Chinese magnates and British officers lived…

Now the little lane is filled with shops and stalls selling souvenirs, cutesy items, snacks and knick knacks as well as some pretty interesting ol skool kinda
Apart from old school eateries which have been there for a while, the lots are now occupied by hipster souvenir shops and interesting cafes. There are also little stalls selling various snacks, one of which is selling the rainbow cheese toast..

Yasmin at Kong Heng is also a pretty hipster and instagrammable place with beautiful places for pictures and interesting shops selling knick knacks, jewelleries etc..  most which are really pretty reasonably priced..

RESTORAN SIMPANG TIGA

Restoran Simpang Tiga is actually part of the famous chain of Nasi Padang restaurants from Indonesia..

The restaurant is pretty welcoming with traditional, rustic feeling…

The Nasi Padang which is pretty much similar to our “Nasi Berlauk” served here, but the dishes here comes in little plates which meant to be shared among your family , friends or colleagues…

The menu ranges from the fragrant gulai to various seafoods cooked in a myriad of ways. This shop is a definite hit amongst the lunch crowd due to the strategic location of this restaurant in Greentown Ipoh…

 Restoran Simpang Tiga is opened from 11am until 11pm daily

Restoran Simpang Tiga
D-G, Greentown Square,
Jalan Dato Seri Ahmad Said,
30450 Ipoh

HAN CHIN PET SOO

I was wondering what Han Chin Pet Soo was when until we arrived at the little museum or Han Chin Villa…

Wow.. was my first reaction… The museum is after all located inside a beautifully maintained and restored late 19th-century Han Chin Tin Miner’s Club….

To be a member of this club you had to be a Hakka Mining boss and it was a place these rich men connected with their colleagues or friends, smoke opium, flirt around with the dancing girls and concubines or gamble… it was one of the places in Kinta wherr they could gamble legally…

There are exhibits and photographs all around telling the story of the rich history of Ipoh’s tin mining industry… Well-preserved artefacts and models of miners offer the chance to gain a deeper insight into regional history.

There are English-speaking guides at hand who will bring you around and tell you all about tin mining history and how the taukehs lived.. as well as on the Miner’s Club..

Han Chin Pet Soo
3, Jalan Bijeh Timah / Treacher Street, 30000 Ipoh

ROJAK N CENDOL PADANG IPOH

Many Malaysias enjoy a plate of Rojak and a bowl of Cendol… and for some of the best tasting ones in Ipoh, head over the Ipoh Padang..

The Rojak N Cendol shop sells a huge variety of Cendol including fusion cendol, Rojak, Pasembor, etc….

I was mesmerized and fascinated with the choices of cendol offered from the ones with peanuts, corn, mango, durian etc……

I could not help ordering a bowl of plain original cendol myself as well as a plate of me rebus with sotong.. and theybtastes just so delish!!!

17, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, 30000 Ipoh

LABU SAYONG SIGNATURE

For our dinner in Ipoh, we headed over to a unique restaurant which was housed in a Traditional Malay House Rumah Kutai or pre-1900 traditional Perak Malay house concept and located near Bulatan Amanjaya in Meru Raya.. yup.. it is walking distance from the Casuarina @ Meru, in case you are wondering…

It is called LABU SAYONG and it is the Malay version of fine dining…

Labu Sayong actually means or is a water container which pretty much looks like a vase… The Labu Sayong is black in colour and the unique gourd-shape give it the ability to cool its contents quickly

70% of the menu items are traditional recipes from Perak itself and the elegant decor, ambiance inside the restaurant makes me feel like I stepped in some lesser (royalty home back in the past minus air conditioning) and all…

The service here is pretty good… and we had interesting and flavorful dishes for our dinner…including one of their signature dishes, the Ikan Purba Kala Sayong, a fish which has been deboned, basted with 27 herbs and spices and deep fried and served with chilli ginger sauce…

Labu Sayong Signature
Persiaran Meru Raya 1,
Bandar Meru Raya, 30020 Ipoh