Malaysia road trip - Day 18 (Malacca - Ipoh)

It was our final day in Malacca. While checking out at 11am, we bumped into the friendly staff, Syafiq, who recognised us and asked whether we would like to extend our stay for another night. He remembered us because he was the one who assisted with our previous two-night extension. It was a thoughtful gesture and a nice way to end our stay at the hotel.

Before leaving Malacca, we made one final food stop at W Chicken Rice, one of our favourite local chicken rice spots. Located in Taman Melaka Baru, away from the usual tourist areas, this has always been one of our go-to places whenever we visit Malacca. Compared to our previous visit, when they only served chicken rice, we were happy to see that they now also offered chicken rice balls. This time, we ordered a quarter roasted chicken, a small plate of Hainanese chicken breast, a small plate of chicken rice, five chicken rice balls, and two glasses of less sweet iced barley.

The iced barley was decent, but the highlight was definitely the chicken rice. The rice was fluffy and soft, with a nice texture that paired well with the chicken. The Hainanese chicken was tender and juicy, while the roasted chicken was also enjoyable. However, the dark soy sauce served with the roasted chicken had a slight bitter taste, which was not quite to our liking. The meal also came with a generous amount of cucumber slices, adding a refreshing crunch and balancing out the richness of the chicken. Overall, it was a satisfying final meal before we continued our journey to Ipoh.

(Total bill - RM 31.70)

W Chicken Rice

Soup and chili

Chicken rice balls and chicken rice (small)

1/4 roasted chicken

Hainanese chicken breast (small)

Iced barley

Address:
W Chicken Rice
2, Jalan Melaka Baru 20,

Taman Melaka Baru,

75350 Melaka

Opening hours: 10am to 6.30pm. Closed on Monday

After our meal at W Chicken Rice, we departed for Ipoh at around 12pm. My partner drove the first part of the journey before I took over the wheel for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Along the way, we decided to make a stop at Pun Chun in Bidor at around 3.25pm for a tea break. It had been a long time since we last stopped by Bidor for their famous duck noodles, so we took the opportunity to revisit this familiar spot before continuing our journey to Ipoh.

We ordered a large bowl of duck noodles, a yam puff (wu kok), a white coffee, and an iced Chinese tea. After finishing the first yam puff, we enjoyed it so much that we ordered another one. The yam puff was the highlight of the stop. It had a crispy outer layer with a savoury and flavourful filling, making it something we would gladly order again.

The noodles had a good texture, but unfortunately, the overall taste was not as memorable as we remembered. The duck came with a drumstick portion, which was tender, while the soup had the same familiar flavour that we recalled from our previous visits. However, it did not give us the same satisfaction as before. Apart from that, the green chilies did not look very fresh, which was a little disappointing. After our tea break, we left Pun Chun at around 3.55pm and continued our journey to Ipoh.

(Total bill - RM 37.70)

Pun Chun Restaurant

Yam puff (wu kok) - RM 4

Duck soup

Duck soup noodles

White coffee and iced Chinese tea

Address:

Pun Chun Restaurant

38 ~ 40, Jalan Besar,

35500 Bidor,

Perak

Tel: +605 - 434 1554

Opening hours: 7am to 8.30pm

Finally, we arrived at AC Hotel Ipoh at around 4.45pm. After checking in and taking some time to rest, we headed out again for dinner at around 8.30pm. During our previous visit to Ipoh, we discovered another place, Restaurant Long Wu, which served delicious Ipoh hor fun. We were hoping to revisit it this time, but unfortunately, the shop was not open when we arrived. As a result, we went back to our old favourite, Lou Wong, instead.

During our previous visit, we also noticed that Lou Wong had moved from its old location to a new premises along Jalan Yau Tet Shin, just a short distance from its original shop. The new location was more spacious and comfortable compared to the old place, while still maintaining the familiar atmosphere of this well-known Ipoh bean sprout chicken restaurant.

We ordered chicken for two people, a single portion of bean sprouts, rice, noodles, and iced water. This time, we requested chicken breast, but they did not allow customers to choose only breast meat, so we ended up with a mix of chicken breast and upper thigh. The chicken was still enjoyable, although we would have preferred having the option to choose our preferred cut. The restaurant stopped taking orders at 9.30pm, so we managed to place our order just before the kitchen closed.

(Total bill - RM 40.80)

Restaurant Tauge Ayam Lou Wong

Ipoh hor fun - RM 3

Chicken rice - RM 3

Chicken for 2 person - RM 27

Bean sprouts (tauge) - RM 5

Chili

Iced water - RM 0.50

Address:

Restaurant Tauge Ayam Lou Wong

29～31, Jalan Yau Tet Shin,

Taman Jubilee,

30300 Ipoh,

Perak

Tel: +6012 - 767 7927

Opening hours: 11am to 9pm

We ended the night with dessert at Dong Cheng Dessert House, another dessert spot that we discovered during our previous trip to Ipoh. This was our third visit, and I was excited to have their red bean coconut sago with mochi again, as it has become one of my favourite desserts here. The red bean coconut sago with mochi came with red bean, sago, milk mochi paste, coconut milk, and osmanthus. The dessert was not overly sweet, with a smooth and creamy texture from the combination of coconut milk and mochi paste. The red bean added a gentle sweetness, while the osmanthus brought a subtle floral aroma that balanced the richness of the dessert. The mochi paste had a soft and silky texture, making each spoonful even more enjoyable. Overall, it was a refreshing and satisfying way to end our first night in Ipoh.

Dong Cheng Dessert House

 Red bean coconut sago with mochi - RM 8.80

Address:

Dong Cheng Dessert House

18, Jalan Medan Ipoh 9,

Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh,

31400 Ipoh,

Perak

Tel: +6011 - 5413 1323

Opening hours: 1pm to 1am