Eating out for under 30 ringgit
IPOH - Sample new things, even when an irresistible local favourite is nearby. When in Ipoh, you shouldn’t feel guilty that you had something else aside from the famous Ipoh kuey teow. While there is nothing quite like it anywhere else in the country, Ip
Coffeetag is one of the many non-chain coffee shops opening around the city. There was trend for such shops popping in the mid 90s to the early 2000s but many of those enterprises didn’t quite work out.
Of late, there seems to be a resurgence and plucky new cafes are seen again around the city. Coffeetag has a modern minimalist feel to it, with a simple “#tag” in a bold white font as its signage. The interior has a very fashionable, Instagram-friendly, concrete and steel decor.
The breakfast menu is available from 10am to 12.30pm and they offer some nice items on the menu.
I picked the Big Breakfast (RM22), a set that comes with a free flow of hot black coffee or tea.
If you have been to Ipoh, you would know how warm the mornings can get, and I asked for an iced coffee.
My server was a tad reluctant to give me ice cubes and had to ask his boss for the OK.
“The coffee, I can make it into ice,” he tells me after talking to his boss. “But this is for you only today, other people cannot.”
I must have been wearing my best tee.
My meal came and the presentation was really impressive. It is true what they say, we first eat with our eyes, and the plateful of yellows, reds and greens was visually inviting.
Scrambled eggs, baked beans, franks, slices of ham, a portion of cubed roast potatoes, two large slices of bread and a nice garden salad drizzled with a light vinaigrette on the side, it all looked delicious.
The eggs were nice and fluffy and the rest was good too. Nothing too fancy, but adequate and satisfying for a lazy morning.
Good enough, I thought, to come back the next day and try another item on the menu.
The next morning’s breakfast was even better.
To not put the poor waiter in the same predicament, I ordered an iced latte to go with my Mushroom Toast (RM15).
features mid-range restaurants where one can eat well within this budget. It’s usually a meal for one – but when we’re lucky, we find places where two or three can eat for that price.
The plate looked delicious when it came. Sandwiched between two thick slices of savoury toast was a hearty filling. Nearly bursting out of the bread was a nice stuffing of roasted mushrooms, scrambled eggs and greens. Served on the side was a garden salad, this time with cut olives and candied cherries.
The different shrooms paired well with each other – aromatic with a hint of garlic and butter. The eggs finished the sandwich nicely and very soon I couldn’t take another bite.
In the end, I just picked at my salad, sipped my latte and wondered if I should return the next day for breakfast.
