Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Around Ipoh Old Town

Walking around Ipoh Town might be like going through a maze for the first timer here. However, a proper study on the town map, the walk will be a breeze as the town is mainly made of parallel and one way streets.

Yau Tet Shin Road is a good place for food hunting. Some even call this street "Dim Sum Street" with a few establishments here especially Fok Shan which sells Dim Sum. Fok Shan is so famous that the place is always jam packed with people (either take away or dine in).

The famous Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken Rice is also located at Yau Tet Shin Road. Lou Wong and Onn Kee Restaurant are the two famous outlets in the town. Strangely, they are just located side by side. Its very hard to dine here as the places are always full. It's a shame we don't have the opportunity to try their signature dishes.

Along Yau Tet Shin Road, there are many stores selling tempting looking biscuits and the famous pomelo

Another local delicacies here are the salted chicken where the chicken is baked in salt. There are a few shops around Theatre Street, Yau Tet Shin Road and its surrounding (you just need to explore on foot to find out) that sell salted chicken.

An antique shop at the town

A shop selling Chinses Lanterns (probably for the mid autumn festival). I reckon I saw the shop along Jalan Onn Jaafar

Pasar Besar Ipoh at Jalan Onn Jaafar is the main wet market for the town folks.

For the best shopping experience within the walking distance in the town, head to Ipoh Parade (just opposite Syuen Hotel). This place is pretty huge.

The bridge along Jalan Sultan Iskandar which cross over Kinta River had been demolished and been replaced with a temporarily bridge (which is not pedestrian friendly) for the time being.

The buildings and the shop houses nearby the Ipoh Padang and State Mosque (which is what they called the Ipoh Old Town) still able to maintain their original architecture which were established around the pre war era.

The once famous Mercantile Bank building (now house Elken office) also can be found around the area. The building was built in 1931 with interesting art deco designs of swags and cartouches

The banks here are pretty lucky to be able to operate from buildings with such architecture beauty. The now OCBC Bank branch was once The Straits Trading Building in 1907 which boast Italian Renaissance architecture.

11 comments:

Ken Wooi said...

a nice trip to Ipoh..recognising all those places that u mentioned..

foongpc said...

I must make note of all the places you mentioned so I can visit them next time I go Ipoh! : )

SJB aka SUELYN J-B. said...

Interesting...

M-Knight said...

Indeed a nice place... will make note to visit the place u mention on my next visit to Ipoh next time

Superman said...

Ipoh is sure a town of foods. cheap but nice foods.

ChrisAu said...

haha...I was actually an Ipoh town boy when I was young, staying at those shophouses near yau teck shin road. Btw, this part is actually called Ipoh new town. The Old town is around and behind the area of Ipoh Padang or the elken building.
Btw, you're well informed of the attractions. Not bad for a foreigner.

Reanaclaire said...

hey BF..i have to guess where the places are, some look familiar and yet, I have to think where the place actually is.. your pics are beautiful, u make Ipoh look so heritage like, authentic... i was asking myself, "hey, not bad huh.. the buildings in Ipoh looks like that eh.." (the old town buildings, i havent admire them before till now)

Borneo Falcon said...

Chrisau: Thanks for the information. There are contrasting information about the old town and new town. I guess I have some idea now.

Reanaclaire: I believe the shophouses in Old Town are comparable to those in Penang with proper maintenance and facelift

Bengbeng said...

ref yr comment on the reporters night at Garden Hotel, some of us were looking for you.

eunice said...

wow so much about Ipoh! I really couldn't recall if I've been to those eateries that you mentioned here. Perhaps not at all. There are really lot of nice food in Ipoh! As for shopping, usually we go to Jusco. You been there before? It's nearer to our relative's house in the "east zone".

Johnny Ong said...

ipoh, no doubt has a lot of good food to offer. i have friends who will drive up to ipoh just to have a meal and drive back to kl on the same day