'It's meat meat meat... just different size, different shape, different color...' says YP's mum flatly (accompanied by circular hand signs). Her daughter however, regards otherwise. We went down for a half day trip to Ipoh last Saturday to satisfy her 'thing' for these tiny blobs of sticky nourishment called Dim Sum.

The day started at 7 AM when I was awoken by YP's phone call. (I was supposed to have reached her house at 7 so I tried to sound very awake when I picked up the phone) (but failed). Washed up and jumped in my 10 sec car (4 sec *masuk gear*, 2 sec *eh sangkut*, another 4 sec *re-masuk*). Reached her place at 730. It was raining seals and dolphins that morning, but, berlandaskan kegigihan dan berjiwa rempit, we pulled through, arriving at Ipoh at 9 AM.

By this time, the tables of the infamous Fushan would undoubtedly be strewn with dim sum carcasses and pots of refilled-for-the-10th-time-chinese-tea, with wrinkly nippled pagoda singlet wearing cross-legged one-slipper-dangling uncles (Benson clipped in left hand and Kwong Wah Yit Poh on right... is the image complete?). So we went instead to Kao Lee (just 10 minutes away from the Ipoh Selatan exit).

What next, we ordered lo. First came the pot of chinese tea. Strong yet delicate, drinking this really makes you realize that those chinese tea that's served in economy rice stalls during them student days really sia sui.

"Relaxing by the window seat"

Then, almost simultaneously, came the flurry of hakau, char siu pau, lobak kueh, fish maw soup, chee cheong fan... (dan lagi dan lagi).

"Lobak Kueh"

"Chee Cheong Fun"

"Char Siu Pau"

"Dunno what"

"Loh Mai Kai"

"Fish maw soup"

The little wolverine (which she believes is a wolf despite my earnest attempts at convincing her that its a ferocious little animal the size of a rat with razor sharp claws native to New Zealand) pausing just long enough for a photo.

This babi obviously couldn't pause long enough.

Why doesn't Penang serve good dim sum ha?