Tag: nasi ganja

The Real McCoy vs The Imitation

The Real McCoy vs The Imitation.

The plate of curry rice below is real as it was eaten and captured by Ipoh resident Vasan. A sign at the original shop in Ipoh claims it has no other branches; implying all others are fake or wannabes. And there are many in Klang Valley. Famous Line Clear Nasi Kandar from Penang suffer from piracy too.

I had the counterfeit Nasi Vanggey (top pic) in Taman Permata, opposite Taman Melawati. I thought it was the real thing as they had giant wallpapers of pictures depicting the old Ipoh shop and even a write up on its history which was designed to deceive. There was another fake one in Wangsa Maju nearby. Oddly, they hate one another with the bitterness of bitter gourds.

Thank you sweet Vasanthi Mailany for going out to help establish some clarity. I must admit I did like the food from the fake one which was quite tasty, especially the coconut chutney. But I cannot go on supporting it as it is immoral. That’s the thing many Malaysians food traders don’s realise; if you can cook, build your own brand instead of ripping off others or riding on the success and hard work of others. Plus, it is cheating customers.

Not sure where to go to get the real thing? Travel to Ipoh yourself. Find a good Ipoh hotel deal here:

http://www.mycen.my/ipoh-hotel-deals-finder/

#nasikandar #nasiganja #rice #ipoh #yongsuan #nasivanggey #curry #ipoh #perak

The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot.

Yong Suan Chinese coffee shop in Ipoh is a true melting pot with okra and customers from various cultures thrown together. Ipoh resident, Vasanthi Mailany, shot this pic at my request. It is at the famous coffee shop in Ipoh with the Indian Muslim nasi kandar (rice) tenant, also known as Nasi Vanggey, or welcome or “come in” in Tamil, it seems. The curry rice and assorted dishes were reportedly so good and addictive, it gained the notorious name of “Nasi Ganja” .

I tried one in KL and and at a couple more counterfeit shops claiming to be original branches in KL. Whenever, I confront the boss to ask if it is a genuine branch, authorised offshoot or legit spinoff, I get a nervous and suspicious answer.

Friend Jugjet Singh Randhawa saw my post and warned me he remembered seeing a sign at the Ipoh shop displaying a warning stating they have NO other branches, implying all others using the same name are fake. With Vasan’s new iPhone 7 pic, I can finally confirm from the horse’s mouth that there are no branches at anywhere else.

While I like some of the imitator’s pirated food, I cannot condone the plagiarism or blatant misuse of a brand name and riding or profiting from someone else’s popularity and hard-earned success. It is also cheating customers outright.

Many people travel to Ipoh on food trips and you can find many good hotel deals at my Ipoh Hotel Deals Finder Page:

http://www.mycen.my/ipoh-hotel-deals-finder/

Find a good hotel, sleep well and get up early for breakfast in Ipoh too.

Thank you Vasanthi Mailany for capturing a beautiful image of mullti ethnicity that is truly Malaysia. First time I am seeing the shop named as “Perniagaan Nasi Kandar Ayam Merah” and the kopitiam’s signboard spelling it as “Yong Suan Coffee Shop ” and not Yong Shuan Kopitiam as seen many times.

Makes sense because “Kopitiam” is a Hokkien word and Ipoh is predominantly Cantonese. As my friend Jahabar Sadiq, an expert on Nasi Kandar, said: “The senseless copying is getting out of hand and must stop”. Will show a comparison pic of real and fake Nasi Ganja soon.

#yongsuan #nasiganja #nasikandar #ipoh #food #ayammerah #mycenhotels #coffeeshop