pianomania

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

I ACTUALLY BOUGHT RECORDS IN IPOH! @ FUJIYAMA RECORDS

Believe it or not, I actually bought some classical recordings in Ipoh! To begin, are there even record stores in Ipoh? Fortunately enough, I was directed to Fujiyama Records by Phan Ming Ruey, director of Thye Seng 105 Arts Centre at Kampar, Perak. Its located roughly midway between Ipoh old city and Weil Hotel on Jalan Sultan Idris Shah (Brewster Road).

Fujiyama Records, a hipster hangout, also doubles as an apparel store for pre-loved clothing. The record store occupies the ground floor while the clothes on the upper level. Most of the recordings are vinyl, and the classical section is pitifully small, yet I was able to find several gems - both LPs as well as CDs. Most of these were Japanese pressings, as I later found out the owner was Japanese himself and most definitely sourced his booty from the homeland which is music paradise.

The Hiroko Nakamura recital LP
was actually autographed by her!

Who would have thought you could
find Harnoncourt and Jochum in Ipoh?

This post is dedicated to my friends, the Phan brothers, Ming Ruey and Ming Yen, who would have bought these same recordings had I not grabbed them first.

FUJIYAMA RECORDS

150 Jalan Sultan Idris Shah

30300 Ipoh, Perak

Fujiyama: Not Your Average Record Store | Ipoh Echo

Monday, 13 July 2026

A STROLL THROUGH IPOH ARCHITECTURE

The city of Ipoh, Perak was built on wealth. The tin mines of Kinta Valley fueled its growth during the late 19th century and much of the first half of the 20th century. Its grand edifices and historic architecture were a legacy of its colonial past, built by the British and surviving as grand structures. My short walk starts in the old city at the grand Ipoh Railway Station, designed by Arthur Hubback (also responsible for Kuala Lumpur's even more grandiose station) and opened in 1917. Then it goes past several more historical structures before entering the centre of the old city, before winding my way to Jalan Sultan Idris Shah and ending at the Weil Hotel.

The "Taj Mahal" of Ipoh.

It's still a functioning intercity rail station.

The Cenotaph commemorating all
of Perak's war dead, from 1914 to 1960.

Ipoh Town Hall (1916),
also designed by Arthur Hubback.

The Birch Memorial Clock Tower (1909), named
after the assassinated James Birch (1826-1875),
controversial first Resident of Perak.

The old Pekan Lama Cafe on
Jalan Sultan Yussoff, part of Kong Heng Square.

Arlene House (1905), former mansion of
Kapitan Chung Thye Pin.

Entrance to the Made in Ipoh museum
in Arlene House.

Old Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co
department store, faded art deco beauty
on Jalan Maharajalela.

Historic buildings on Jalan Bandar Timah,
including the Tin House and Han Chin Pet Soo,
now a tin-mining museum.

Old Keng Chow Huay Kuan,
now Kung Fu Coffee House and museum.

The mighty HSBC Building (1931)
on Jalan Tun Sambanthan.

Malaysia's oldest restaurant and bar,
Durbar at FMS.

More faded art deco on
Jalan Sultan Idris Shah (formerly Brewster Road)

Art deco buildings on Jalan Sultan Idris Shah,
non-functional and still functional.

This neoclassical-Straits palladian-brutalist
luxury hotel building never opened its doors.

Ipoh old and new, corner of Jalan Raja Ekram
& Brewster Road, and the former Odeon Theatre.

I forgot to take a pic of my hotel,
so I got it from Google Maps!
How weil was that?

SUKA MAKAN: DURBAR @ FMS IN IPOH OLD TOWN

Durbar @ FMS is officially Malaysia's oldest restaurant / bar. Established in 1906, the historical FMS Bar named after the Federated States of Malaya was a favourite watering hole and pub of workers in Ipoh Old Town and the neighbouring financial / banking / legal / sporting establishments. It is as old school and colonial as one can possibly get in Ipoh, something like the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

A view from the upper deck private dining area.

The old bar closed down several years ago, but a new restaurant called Durbar at FMS opened in 2019, retaining all its historical features and English tearoom decor. It serves local and Hainanese Western food, which is its speciality. Back in December 2024, we tried to book a Christmas-Eve dinner but the roast beef dinner had been over-subscribed, so we had to push off to somewhere else. I made sure not to miss it this time around.

Aunty Susan is always right!

The iconic Hainanese chicken chop,
Durbar's best-selling dish.

Thanks to its most senior wait staff, the always-helpful Aunty Susan, I got to try its most famous dish, Hainanese Chicken Chop. She made sure I avoided a less successful dish I had eyed and attempted to order, because she probably knew best. Surely enough, I was not disappointed. She also gave a short history of the establishment, and we were certainly glad not to have missed out on one of Ipoh's most iconic eating institutions.

God Save The Queen.
Nobody cares about King Charles.

A view of Ipoh's Padang.

DURBAR AT FMS

2 Jalan Sultan Idris Shah

Ipoh, Perak

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Sunday, 12 July 2026

SUKA MAKAN: THEAN CHUN RESTAURANT IN IPOH OLD TOWN

There are two iconic corner coffee shops on Jalan Bandar Timah in Ipoh's Old Town. In December 2024, we descended on Ipoh Kong Heng, but this time, it was a chance to try its neighbour, the slightly smaller Thean Chun Restaurant. Both coffee shops have a slightly different stalls, and complement each other. One can order from one establishment and have it delivered to the other, and vice versa. That's called detente.

The hor fun stall (left) &
the meat ball stall (right).

Oh, I love the atmosphere of these old corner coffee shops, and this one has it all - packed tables, noisy diners, harassed servers, great food amid lots of character and attitude. The speciality is its Kai see hor fun (shredded chicken on broad rice noodles) which is the soupy version, the pork satay, and the caramel custard. A couple of tables were occupied by members of my class reunion, and all of us had a great time.