I have never been much of a pub person and if there is one pub in Ipoh that I have been to most often would be Healy Mac’s in Greentown. And the reason is not because it’s across the road from the Echo office but because their pub food is among the tastiest and creative in town.
I recently had the pleasure to taste the latest offerings in their new lunch promotion beginning on November 1. And escorted by a coterie of staff from the office, we descended on Healy Mac’s to sample and gorge our way through 10 new items on the lunch promotion menu.
Priced very reasonably from RM11.90-RM16 per meal depending on which main course is ordered, the lunch set comes with a complimentary mushroom soup as starter and iced lemon tea to go with the meal.
Chef Litha Letchumanan came out from the kitchen after the meal to update me on the menu items and the latest news on Healy Mac’s. Currently the Assistant Manager and Chef at Healy Mac’s Ipoh, I congratulated her on her new promotion which will see her travelling around the country as Executive Head Chef for all the Healy Mac’s pub in Malaysia; a ‘heady’ job indeed and with loads of responsibility.
We started with the Smoked Duck Quesadilla, a Mexican derivative consisting of sliced smoked duck with cheese, spread on a flour tortilla, and grilled till the cheese melts, the tortilla slightly charred and the cheese oozing around the edges. Served with a mint and sour cream sauce, it was yummilicious at RM16.
Who doesn’t like Bacon and Eggs but the next dish came with a twist as a burger with the egg and bacon served on a crispy sesame bun. I loved the crunch of the lettuce and the bun contrasting with the softness of the fried egg, the mild sweetness of the fried onion and the bacon which lent its umami saltiness to the whole combination. Served with French Fries and salad. This is not for the genteel fork and knife nibbling crowd but for the “lets-roll-up-sleeves-and-eat with-your-hands” sector. In other words…foodies like me. Real comfort food – RM14.
The Penne with Salmon and lemon was creamy, the Penne al dente and the portion was generous. Served with garlic bread and salad – RM16.50. This was followed by my favourite comfort food, an omelette, this one with Ham, cheese and onion. Wholesome and heartwarming. And this too was served with garlic bread and salad – RM13.
Even though we were nine of us, we were all starting to feel full as the portions were all very generous. And we still had a few more dishes to sample. The Fish and Chips served with a homemade red cabbage slaw (loved this one) and homemade tarter sauce was crispy and fresh – RM15, and the Chicken Chop served with a choice of three sauces was a departure from the norm. This arrived with the chicken nicely charred and the choice of sauces are the Black Pepper, robust with enough pepper for heat; the Hainanese, slight sweet and sour and which brought back for me the nostalgia of good old Hainanese cooking with its liberal use of Worcestershire sauce which this had; and the fresh button mushroom cream sauce – RM16.
This was followed by Litha’s famous Nasi Lemak which came with a fried egg, ikan bilis and peanuts, cucumber, lovely vegetarian sambal and well-cooked coconut rice. So for the vegetarian, all you have to do is to ask for them not to serve the ikan bilis. And no egg if you’re vegan – RM13.
Just as we were groaning with surfeit a final dish showed up which were the barbecued spare ribs, tender fall-off-the-bone pork ribs glistening with barbecue sauce that were hard to resist. Served with mashed potatoes – RM16.
So if you’re ever in the Greentown area and in search of a quiet place for lunch, check out Healy Mac’s. Not only is the food quality high but it is great value for your money.
