TAIPING in Perak, has always been known for its excellent food, with Malaysians from all over the country often visiting the town for its street food from cendol, char kuey teow, chicken rice to mee rebus.
But the opening of Novotel Hotel Taiping on April 28 last year has changed the food scene and upped the food game in the region for the better.
Located strategically in the heart of the town, the 197-room hotel caters to both business and leisure travellers.
The four-star international hotel managed by Accorhotel is already drawing rave reviews for its delicious yet affordable international and Asian cuisine.
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The Lamb Shepherd’s Pie, a traditional English favourite, is specially made with seasoned cubes of lamb.
The meaty, savoury, comfort-food classic is enhanced with mixed vegetables, buttery mashed pumpkin, and a traditional gravy.
Seafood and burger lovers will definitely want to try the Fish Burger, which consists of a lightly crumbed tilapia fish fillet, a slice of cheddar cheese and a house coleslaw of lettuce, onion and tomato.
The burger comes with a side of potato chips and tartar sauce.
No set meal would be complete without a pasta dish and this menu consists of two options.
The first is the spicy Seafood Spaghetti Aglio Olio, made with a seafood medley of prawns, mussels, squid and mushrooms and seasoned with garlic and chilli flakes. The second is the Asian inspired Spicy Salted Egg Spaghetti with Smoked Duck.
The freshly cooked spaghetti is tossed in a salted egg yolk sauce infused with curry leaves, chopped chilli and other seasonings.
The dish is then topped with delicious slices of smoked duck.
For a town famous for its chicken rice, it stands to reason that this would also be on the menu.
The Char Siew BBQ Chicken Rice has steamed rice served with slices of marinated chicken baked with an Asian barbecue sauce and garnished with chopped spring onions.
The dish is accompanied by bok choy cooked in soy sauce and topped with fried shallots.
The Teow Chew Braised Duck with Rice is another value-for-money dish that is comforting and delicious.
Slices of traditional braised duck, boiled eggs and cubed bean curd are served in soy sauce accompanied with steamed rice and bok choy. If you love fried rice, then you have to try the Salted Fish Fried Rice.
The seafood-inspired dish consists of rice fried with salted fish, prawns, eggs, kailan and beansprouts, topped with enoki mushroom tempura and served with pieces of fried chicken, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, salad leaves and prawn crackers.
Two noodle dishes round up the Asian inspired section of the menu.
Fans of beef noodles should try the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup.
Slow-cooked tender beef brisket is infused in spicy beef broth, served with egg noodles, mushrooms and sliced radish and carrots.
The second noodle dish is the Crispy Egg Noodle with Seafood.
An egg-based broth of prawns, squid, fish cakes, Chinese cabbage, carrots, mushrooms and broccoli is poured over crispy fried egg noodles and served immediately.
A special inclusion is the popular Mexican dish Chicken Quesadillas.
Flour Tortillas are stuffed with shredded chicken, onions and cheese and served with a house salad, potato chips and a fresh tomato salsa.
All set meals come with a sago gula Melaka dessert and a chilled drink.
The set meal is priced at RM25 nett and is available for lunch and dinner throughout the year.
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