TASTY AND AFFORDABLE FOOD FARE UNDER A BIG TREE.

From Wednesday to Sunday, a tricycle stall can be found under a big tree at Lorong Taman 11, Taman Pertama, Ipoh. By 12.30 pm, the stall will be under the big tree with a display of delicious food from fried noodles to curry wild boar or rendang ayam. And there is also dessert e.g. red bean sweet drink (tong sui). There will be people coming to buy food, some will eat there where there is a table or two with some chairs. Some will pack the food home.

Once in a while, I will buy home some of the food for lunch or to be warmed up for dinner especially on days when I am too lazy to cook and when we do not intend to eat out. The dishes are tasty and the price very reasonable.

On this particular day, I bought a pair of drumstick, cooked the rendang style for our dinner. This cost MYR 6 (1.69 USD) for 2 drumsticks.

A bowl of vegetarian curry. Cost MYR 3 (0.84 USD).

I cooked some dried pumpkin flat noodle to go with the drumstick rendang and vegetarian curry. This was our simple and easy dinner.

Sometimes, I will just buy some vegetable acar for my lunch.
A plate of vegetable acar. Cost MYR 3 (0.84 USD).

A wide array of delicious dishes to choose from.

Steamed herbal chicken and sweet sour pork dishes.

Mixed vegetarian dish, chicken with wood ear and stinking beans sambal.

Chicken rendang, chicken curry and stir fried clams with ginger.

Fish curry, fried noodle and fried rice.

When you beat the olives from your trees,

do not go over the branches a second time.

Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow.

(Deuteronomy 24:20, New International Version-NIV)

DINNER @ UP & UP RESTAURANT, IPOH GARDEN, IPOH.

On Thursday we received good news that our friends were blessed with a new additional member to their family, a new born baby grandson. It was initially planned that we will visit the mother and child in hospital on a Friday afternoon. But on Friday, the time was changed to evening. Our friends suggested that after hospital visitation, we will all go for dinner.

After spending some time in the hospital, it was time for dinner. We were brought to Restoran Up & Up. According to our friends, the place will be packed during weekends and public holidays. We noticed that the place started to fill up while we were half way through our dinner. Even though this place has started business for some time, it was a first visit for hubby and I.

This is Fish Head Curry in a clay pot with ladies finger or okra, tomato, etc. This curry is not very spicy, suitable for those who cannot take too spicy food.

My friend purposely raised up the fish head just for my camera! Ha ha.

Stinking beans with dried shrimp sambal paste. This is also not the spicy type.

A plate of cuttlefish strip with julienned Chinese turnip (sengkuang).

Pieces of fresh glass lettuce to wrap the cuttlefish and turnip.

Prawn and onion omelette.

6 pieces of steamed fish balls, specially ordered for the grandchildren.

Unlimited helpings to white rich. With plentiful curry gravy, I went for an extra few spoonful of white rice.

Restoran Up & Up, Jalan Medan Ipoh 10, Taman Ipoh Timur, 31400 Ipoh.

Snapped this photo from my seat.

Another photo inside the restaurant...and the menu...

And when you look up to the sky and see the sun,

the moon and the stars - all the heavenly array -

do not be enticed into bowing down to them and

worshiping things the LORD your God

has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.

(Deuteronomy 4:19, New International Version-NIV)

HEARTY BREAKFAST AT PUSAT MAKANAN SUN HOR LOK, IPOH.

My colleagues and I used to frequent this eatery in town for many years. Now that I have retired, I still come here once in a while for a hearty breakfast with my hubby. The special item that draws us back to this eatery is the bowl of piping hot pork noodle.

When we first ate this noodle, it was MYR 4.50 (1.26 USD) for a bowl, if I am not mistaken. Then the price steadily increased to MYR 6 (1.68 USD) per bowl. The price is still the same and currently is not affected by the implementation of Goods and Services Tax recently.

This was my bowl of piping hot pork noodle for my breakfast this morning. The noodle I have chosen was the wheat flour noodle (meesua in Chinese). Besides wheat flour noodle, one can choose vermicelli, flat rice noodle, yellow noodle and etc. I do not eat the entrails, so I ordered minced pork and pork slices only. Sometimes, I will add an egg to the noodle.

During our most recent visit, for a change I ordered from the western food stall. I ordered chicken chop, sausages, egg and spaghetti. I think this is called "Morning Glory" or something like it.

I rearranged the food items on the plate, first for my camera and second, easier for me to attack the food..Lol!

This is hubby's plate of omelette, sausages, ham, etc.

From this angle, the omelette looks bigger. See the biscuit stick?

Hubby didn't want it, so I got to nimble on this biscuit stick.

3 Prawn Rolls and 1 Salted Egg roll from the dim sum stall.

This is the Western Food Stall.

There are also other noodle stalls.

The shop is Pusat Makanan Sun Hor Lok, Persiaran Greenhill, Ipoh.
It is near to the Tower Regency Hotel.

From the ends of the earth I call to You,

I call as my heart grows faint;

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been my refuge,

a strong tower against my foe.

(Psalm 61:2-3, New International Version-NIV)

GROWING RED TRUMPET LILY (AMARYLLIS/HIPPEASTRUM) IN MY GARDEN.

I remembered I bought two bulbs of the Red Trumpet Lily from the wet market many years ago. The auntie told me that the bulb will yield red flowers and I just have to trust her.

At that time I was starting my gardening hobby and I was collecting a lot of plants. I tried not to buy full grown plants from the plant nurseries because that would incur a lot of money. So I usually buy baby plants which were cheaper. I have to patiently care for the plants and have the joy of watching them grow. Sometimes I will be blessed with stem cuttings and seeds from friends.

True to the auntie's word, the bulb grew into a healthy plant and bore bright red, beautiful trumpet flowers. Now the one plant had multiplied into many plants.

Scientific name: Hippeastrum / Amaryllis

Common name: Red Trumpet Lily

Each flower stem will usually yield 4 flowers that look like red trumpets. 2 opposite flowers will bloom first and then the next 2 opposite flowers will bloom.

Some will only have 2 or 3 flowers.

Leaves: green, long strap leaves that can grow to about 20 inches (50 cm) long and the width about 1.75 inches (4.5 cm).

The flowers are held up above the leaves. It has 6 red petals and centre light green. The flower stalk grows out direct from the ground. It has 6 stamens and 1 stigma.

Red Trumpet Lily can be grown in normal garden soil and with good water drainage. It does well in full sun or partial shade.

Red Trumpet Lily brightens up the garden with its bright red trumpet flowers. It can be grown in the ground or in pots.

Propagation is through bulbs. My pot of Red Trumpet Lily is now overcrowded, and the bulbs need to re-potted. I also grow them in the ground.

A flower bud growing out from the ground, ready to bloom.

Here comes the Red Trumpet Lily emerging from the bud.

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice

 and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;

it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon

will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

(Isaiah 35:1-2, New International Version-NIV)

DINNER WITH FRIENDS AT KEDAI KOPI TAI KUNG, IPOH

Finally, we were able to bring our friends for some home cooked dishes for dinner last Sunday. From Monday to Saturdays, my friends usually finished work late and by that time the eatery that we wanted to go will be closed.

To ensure that food will not run out, we have to place our order through phone. The business starts about 5.30 pm and usually by 6 pm many of the dishes would have finished especially during the weekends. The boss only prepares limited quantity for each day. The regular customers know and will call up to book the dishes.

Hubby informed the boss that we will be arriving around 6.20 pm and by the time we arrived, the steamers were all empty and all dishes were booked and waiting for the customers to arrive. And the following dishes were our order.

Crispy deep fried black pomfret, drizzled with garlic oil and spring onion.

Steamed grouper fish tail, drizzled with garlic oil and spring onion.

Steamed yam & pork belly (kau yoke).

Steamed herbal whole chicken leg (tong kuai kai)

Blanched green veggie, drizzled with garlic oil.

Double steamed / boiled winter melon with chicken soup.

Double steamed / boiled salted mustard green, white tofu and chicken soup.
Total cost of dinner for 4 people MYR 7 (19.36 USD)
(incl. 4 plates of white rice, small portion)
The fish dishes are fixed at MYR 18 (4.98 USD).
Below are some of the other dishes that we have tasted on other days.

Steamed grouper slices, drizzled with garlic oil.

Crispy deep fried grouper slices, drizzled with garlic oil.
There are other dishes which I have not taken any photo e.g.
braised ginger duck, curry chicken, minced pork, etc.

Double steamed / boiled yellow (old) cucumber with pork rib.

Double steamed / boiled dried vegetable and pork rib soup.

Inside these steamers are many tasty, delicious home cooked dishes ready to be served to the customers.

Kedai Kopi Tai Kung (behind Ipoh Tow Boo Keong temple)

The LORD will defeat your enemies before you;

they will march out together against you

but scatter before you in seven directions!

The Lord will bless you with good crops and healthy cattle,

and prosper everything you do when you arrive in the land

the LORD your God is giving you.

(Deuteronomy 28:7-8, The Living Bible-TLB)