Moving forward to 2023, Imbi Kuih Bakul Fried Nian Gao is the place to visit if you are craving for kuih bakul (they called it golden cake) or also known as nian gao in Chinese, simply means new year cake.
There is so much to eat at ICC Pudu that it would take multiple trips to try everything – but that’s also one of its draws, as no two trips will be the same. Food is affordably priced for the area.
♥Verdict: Like what I said on the beginning of the post, my dining experience at ICC Pudu was torturing due the stuffy environment of the food court. I already told hubby that no matter how good the food is, I will never go back again and the fact is the food that I tried this time, nothing really wowed me too. ◔_◔
We recommend Ann Nasi Lemak and the crispy popiah here, if you’re looking for something else besides the usual popular dishes at ICC Pudu.
Each bowl costs RM9 and comes with a large portion of rice noodles, swimming in a cloudy broth topped with egg that has been fried with minced ginger, as well as tender pork slices and fresh prawns. The broth is definitely the star – after simmering for hours, the ginger, rice wine and pork bone create a deep and complex flavour, and a warmth blossoms in your belly with each sip. Comforting is the best word I can think of to describe the taste. The proportion of the wine has to be done right in order to achieve this effect, and although Madam Wong doesn’t make it in-house, she gets it from old folks from Perak who mix it at home. Basically everything that you’re eating is homemade, rather than commercially produced.
Ginger Wine Mee Hoon - MYR 8.50 nett. The broth tastes of Shaoxing wine or Hua Tiao Chiew, 花雕酒 so it is nice.
We only managed to buy deep fried nian gao at MYR 1.80 nett each. The "Nian Gao" - 年糕 (chinese new year sticky cake) which is made from glutinous rice flour and brown sugar is sandwiched between a slice of sweet potatoes and a slice of yam, coated in batter and then deep fried. Best eaten hot or warm before it has cooled down.
Mini Rice wine buns/baos. Tasty with chicken and ginger fillings that taste of rice wine. I will definitely buy them again.
Among the dishes available, Porkskin Curry is their signature as many regulars rave about it. Sotong Sambal is also said to be one of the better side dish here however it wasn’t available during our visit so we had to replace it with Siham(cockles) Sambal instead. While the Porkskin Curry was unique, we personally found the Sambal Siham, Fried Chicken, and Shrimp & Minced Pork Fried Petai to taste just as good.
In Chong Gong Guan, their ingredients are mainly imported from China and you can definitely enjoying the bursting spiciness soup base which come rich and fragrant. For those who are fans of Si Chuan Delights, one can choose their own spiciness base whether mild, spicy or super spicy!
That (unfortunately) pretty much sums up what happens to a lot of stalls in general. We would find a good one, blog about it and the next thing we know, the stall has moved to some other coffee shop. Worst still, most times another stall selling the same type of noodles would have taken over at the previous stall. And when our readers (who read about that particular good eat) go and try, they find that it isn't as good as claimed but that's because they are not aware that another stall has taken over from the good one. I had even experienced the same stall moving from place A to place B and then finding them back at place A again. That's the ongoing problem we have with stalls (unlike restaurants, I guess) who can just pack up (at their whim and fancy) and relocate to another place with a cheaper rental or which they think will bring them more customers.
It's an ok egg sponge cake but I don't know if it tastes any different for different franchise outlets since there's an insane amount of outlets nationwide. Plus I can't say much until I've had the chance to try the other two and compare them. From their Facebook, apart from the original and cheese flavoured ones, they also have chocolate and pandan flavours. I'm not sure if the one in ICC Pudu is there on a permanent basis coz, on a different Sunday, there was another egg sponge cake stall there (you can check out their Facebook page for an outlet nearest to you if you wish to try).
Other than to update the whereabouts of a terrific (and my favourite) curry laksa after its relocation, I have to say I'm not thrilled with the food court that just didn't have the charm of the old place (perhaps that's the reason why I didn't see any tourists here that were apparent in the old market). The place was also stuffy and hot (more so inside the Medan Selera than the two kopitiams on the right and left) but so was the old market...but then I expected better ventilation here. Having said that, I'm attracted to try the promising new stalls...so I shall be back! ^_~