Champ Kitchen

I got to know about Champ Kitchen few months back. Having to see the price of their menu, I was a bit skeptical to try as it was relatively pricey in Ipoh and was doubtful was it any lackluster attempts which could not live up to expectations. After I did some research online, I discovered that they have an outlet in Kepong and was featured in Ho Chiak before, thus explaining the relatively “out of Ipoh price range”

Having twice Kenny Rogers meal in the gap of 3 days, I tried to avoid chicken and at the same time would prefer some porky goodness which I usually find my solitude in places like gastrobar like Berlin’s, Marganfield’s or Korean restaurant such as Doma, Daorae and Da Ohn Da to name a few. I was thinking; why not I just give this new place a try for dinner? 

The decor here is kept to the classic Chinese dining places back in the olden days - marble tables, wooden stools, "oil lamp" lights which resembles setting like an inn in those Chinese movies. And now, to the food review below!

The Pork Knuckle Rice Bowl (RM14.80) is slightly meatier but also comes with quite substantial layers of fat. The fat layer is almost melt-in-your-mouth degree, evidence of its acclaimed 72 hours preparation process. According to the description from the portraits and also the media coverage repeatedly highlighted on the TV screen, the slow cooking involves braising it under pressure with a recipe passed on for more than half a century old. The taste is more delicate rather than fully intensed stewed pork trotters version you find in Bak Kut Teh stalls whereby the latter uses heavier dosage of dark soya sauce, garlic, dried chili and seasoning like five spice powder. The one served in Champ Version boast of its tender and unique texture of both the lean layer and the fat layer, without an overpowering gravy.  

You would've noticed by now that almost all the individual rice bowl has an egg, a serving of mui choy (preserved vegetable) and a serving of ham choy (pickled/salted vegetable). The egg is not the hardboiled type as you would find in most other places but it has a runny molten yolk. The egg did not score the points by some who preferred the conventional type. To me the runny centre will be ideal if the rice is piping hot with lard - recreating the rustic recipe of artery-clogging "zhu yau lou fan" but alas the rice here is not hot enough when served. The second item, Pork Hind Rice Bowl (RM12.80 on its own) has lesser meat and its compensated with more gelatinous skin. Unless you opt for the RM15.80 version with additional portion of leaner pork slices as shown in this photo above.

The Pork Chop With Japanese Curry (RM15.80) was not so in place. The already tender stewed pork slices in herbal and soya taste did not really complement the additional gravy of the Japanese curry. The onshen egg is a standard accompaniment, but the pickled preserved vegetables is absent from this version.

If you need more carbohydrate, the White Rice is mildly transformed into revamped add-ons with the sprinkling of crispy fried pork lard and drizzled with lard oil. At RM3 per serving, the price is doubled compared to that of bowl of ordinary white rice; I feel that they could be a bit more generous in the crispy pork lard. After all, those who have done marketing often will clearly know that the cost of pork lard is very much low as it is an unwanted “by-product”.

The Plain Noodles (RM2.80) was indeed good, infused with a good fragrance of lard oil used while tossing the egg noodles. The texture was spot-on as it was neither overcooked not undercook and alkaline aftertaste was practically absent in every bite. However, if they could hold back a little from the dark soya sauce used, it would be near flawless. One step up the menu is the Pork Lard Noodles which is priced at RM6.80. Considering the premium of RM4 from the plain noodles, I think that would be a bit too pricey for just a small additional topping of fried lard.

Here is a snapshot of the menu. The individual rice bowl (or noodles meal) is the cheapest proxy to dine here if you would like to try more items. Being above RM10 for every single portion, it may be slightly pricier than what you would expect. But heck, a single serving of Bak Kut Teh alone also would be RM10, and if you add in yau char kwai, rice, additional fu chok or mushroom, it would be around RM15+ already. And judging by a better dining environment which is airconditioned, well, its up to you to define worth.

The bill for all the above plus 3 drinks came to RM57+. GST is already included and there is no service charge. Here is the "dishes" menu which could cause the addition impact to your budget. A small serving of claypot knuckle starts from RM48 and the large one cost RM78. Not to mention most of the other dishes are not that cheap either. Nevertheless, yours truly might wanna return to try the ala carte dishes this time.

Located at the same road as Good Times steamboat, Vnam Kitchen , Soon Fatt and Overseas restaurant in Greenhill, you either love it or loathe it (the slightly above Ipoh average pricing versus the love for pork). Hope this review will shed some light for those who have yet to try. Happy pigging :) oink~

Da Ohn Da Korean Cuisine, Ipoh

Da Ohn Da has been in business for more than 2 years in an “ripe-for-harvest” environment whereby Korean cuisine is now accepted and gaining much popularity after all foundation works laid by Korean dramas and K-pop culture, not to mention the boom in the tourism industry.  While they have just opened their branch in the mainland of Penang, yours truly only sampled this place just last weekend after getting some positive comments from a friend or two.

The Bibimbap (RM17) comes with a well fried egg on top, unlike most version whereby a raw egg is broken on top of the steaming content beneath. So for those who went to Korea, I guess the raw egg “Cabonara-like” version seems to be the authentic one which requires one to mix it well before eating. Could the fully fried egg dished on top upon serving is improvised to cater to local taste buds which cannot accept the raw egg version? At Da Ohn Da, you are provided with the soya sauce and also the sweetish Bibimbap chilli sauce to add it according to your own preferred taste. Oh ya, there have the one with meat (chicken, beef or pork)at RM19 which I would recommend it. the meat sauce with gravy do enhance the overall dish a bit. Imagine the minced meat topping like u find in Hakka noodles.

There are six variants of banchans offered here. And from the photos posted on Facebook by other customers, it seems that they do not rotate their side dishes selection. You have the iconic kimchi, pickled zucchini, pickled beansprouts, fried anchovies, fried beancurd skin and spinach. The spinach and beansprout side dish is similar ingredients found inside your bowl of bibimbap

Same like the rules of most Korean BBQ chains around the neighbourhood, the minimum order for the BBQ meat on the grill is 2 portions. Here at Da Ohn Da, they tweaked the menu a little by displaying the price of 400g (which is already two portions). For RM56, one can choose or mix and match from the pork neck, pork belly, soya sauce marinaded pork belly and spicy chicken fillets. Lamb and beef are also available at a different price tag. 

They are using an electric grill just like most Korean BBQ in Ipoh. Unlike other places which use those thick 'stone' grill, the one here uses a thin grill plate there are open vents on the grill resulting into slightly charred and aromatic bits from the direct heat of the heating element. For the record, only Daorae is using a charcoal pit to barbecue the meat which gives it distinctive aroma. Overall, I find the dining experience acceptable, especially knowing the fact that it does not impose GST or service charge. And just like how a proper Korean restaurant operates, the rice tea is free flow and so are the side dishes. The bill comes up to RM75 for all these above and its good to feed 3 adults for lunch. And I will definitely come back to try their other stuffs :)

Padi House, Greentown Ipoh

Wow, seems like Ipoh has attracted a lot of new food and beverages chain of urban caliber in the last 2 years. From Doma Modern Korean to Three Little Pigs to Morganfield's, the business area of Greentown is again revitalized with the addition of the 10th outlet of Padi House. If I am not mistaken, this is their first venture out of Klang Valley. Strategically located facing the main road, this corner lot is directly opposite Sushi Mentai, having the same row as Maxis service centre. The signboard is not very obvious though but you wont miss the well lit cream colour building with alot of bamboo trees as its natural perimeter fencing.

Yours truly visited this pork free franchise in Sri Petaling earlier this year. Having tried their cakes, I was not really amazed by the quality of the cakes.  After getting to know that they revised their pricing lower and omitting service charge, I decided to give this "new toilet" a try. When I arrived, I was greeted with additional bonus with complimentary drinking water. To make up for all these, you need to walk up to the counter and pass your order chit and make the payment on the spot. Well fair enough, I don't mind doing this as I save much from the omission of 10% service charge which works out to be almost RM10 for an average family dine out!

Here is the snapshot of the crowd at around 7:30pm on a Thursday evening. The decor is more on the minimalist with bright lighting, possibly a slightly different theme compared to their Klang Valley outlets. There are just around 5 tables which fit a group of four. while the other row caters to larger crowds of 8 and 10, but requiring them to sit on stools. On a rainy evening, the outside seats seems quite nice too with lighting bamboo trees backdrop. Okay, now off to review the food :)

Padi House Chicken Chop Rice (RM14) comes with a smaller portion of chicken thigh grilled and served with their brown onion sauce and topped with what I believed is herbed garlic butter. There is a scoop of rice underneath the sunny side up egg. To complete the meal, two spring rolls and a serving of coleslaw is served along. This serve as a cheaper (and more filling alternative to hardcore typical Asians who cannot survive without rice) proxy compared to the grilled chicken chop at RM20

Bearing a similar resemblance is the Vietnamese Chicken Chop Rice. The slight difference would be the grilled chicken is served dry with a sweetish and slightly sourish dipping sauce, midly flavoured with fish sauce. To get a more Asian touch, coleslaw is replaced with a Vietnamese salad consisting of onions, beansprouts, coriander and chilies. This comes at RM15 with the staples of sunny side up and spring rolls.

They have quite a good choice of pasta and western chops and steaks. I opted for the Lamb Chops with Pasta (RM26). One can opt for the Tomato Puree or the Aglio Olio. Presentation was really simple though, it looked even more plain if its not because yours truly crushed some fresh ground pepper on the aglio olio. The pasta was a bit too oily to my liking, but if its is really pure olive oil then I wouldn't mind. The fragrance of garlic is there while the dried chillies just managed to give a mild hint of aroma without any effects on the tongue. For those who wanted a tongue numbing experience, do add in more chilli flakes. The portion of the pasta is quite substantial, and being cooked to near al dente, I really like this texture, just like how pasta should be cooked. The lamb chops (or shoulders) are grilled to perfection. The cuts were very lean with practically no fats visible. Grilled to lightly charred, it was evident that the meat was substantially marinaded with some herbs. The brown onion sauce was served but I enjoyed eating the lamb just on its own. It may not be the best lamb chops yet it is better than most substandard cafes to say the least.

From the wok, they have choices from fried noodles to rice ranging from RM10-RM12. This is the Beef Fried Kuay Teow (RM10) which came with tender beef slices and eggs. I did not put high expectation on this as to recreate a similar taste as their benchmark primary outlet, stir fry dish depends very much on the skill of the cook rather than duplicating it from Standard Procedures or recipe. I was surprised that it tasted quite okay as the presence of "wok hei" is there though it is slightly on the oily and salty side. Of course it cannot replicate the taste from those renowned hawker stalls but certainly this attempt put many cafes to shame.

The same can be sad with the Singapore Fried Beehoon. There were 2 medium sized prawns, some fish cakes, an egg and most importantly, generous amount of wok hei put together. The older folks who do not prefer western dishes will nod their head in agreement with this. The portion is quite substantial and this bear a price tag of RM12. 

Going up the stairs house a much cosier seating ideal for a drink, snacks and a slice of cake perhaps. The setting is definitely not meant for a main meal. It will be great to sip good coffee after a heavy downpour and cooling night. But definitely not DURING a downpour as I see minimal shelter was constructed to protect patrons at the side balcony area upstairs.

A glimpse of their cake counter which yours truly feel is slightly below par. Perhaps I will just share two photos below which I did not even be bothered to purposely write a blog post solely for it earlier this year.

Their Classic Tiramisu which I had at their Sri Petaling outlet. As its a pork free outlet, I guess they skipped the coffee liquor too. Need I say more? I was disappointed again as its hard to get authentic Tiramisu taste nowadays with premium mascarpone cheese with strong espresso and coffee liquor. 

This is their Macadamia Cheesecake. It looks great in terms of presentation but taste-wise is just so-so. After eating the top layer which has a butterscoth-like caramal drizzle later, there was no punch from the cream cheese layer. You might beg to differ but considering I am paying RM10+ for this, some Secret Recipe variants taste much better than theirs.

Average spending is around RM15-25 per person depending on the dishes you order and whether would you want to order drinks (hot beverages to cold juices from RM3.50-RM7.90). As mentioned, this outlet is a non-service charged outlet and GST have not kicked in yet. They are currently having a opening promo of every RM100 spent, you will get a RM10 cash discount voucher on your next meal. Concurrently, ask them to give you an application form as they have limited amount of FREE membership cards to be given out. Member card bearers are entitled to 10% discount from their bill. So, take action and happy weekend!

For more photos and a full menu, please click on this link which leads to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NeelianCorporation/posts/1546757815366722?hc_location=ufi