Indulgence Ipoh

It took a lot of convincing on my part to get Hubs to drive to Indulgence in Ipoh all the way from Taiping. While planning our trip, Hubs asked what did I want to eat in Taiping. Our conversation went a little like this:

Hubs: Let's Google & see what food Taiping is famous for.
Me: Indulgence in Ipoh.
Hubs: That's like a bloody hour's drive away!
Me: Indulgence in Ipoh.
Hubs: How about that famous chicken and beansprout rice place in Ipoh then?
Me: Indulgence!

 So no prizes for guessing where we ended up driving to after our lil trip to the Taiping Zoo ;) Thankfully Bubs fell asleep through the hour's drive. This marks our 3rd trip to Indulgence and for someone that hates long distance driving with a passion, it's a lot saying that the 2 hour drive from Penang to Ipoh is worth it just to be able to dine there.

Indulgence is both a restaurant and beautiful boutique hotel located in a quiet, unassuming white bungalow. Proprietress extraordinaire and culinary magician, Julie Song, is very much hands on and can often be seen bustling around in the kitchen. I've seen customers asking to speak to the chef and she comes out to explain and make recommendations from her menu, charming, understated and humble, exactly what Indulgence is all about.

The brilliantly creative and sheer genius of the dishes offered in the ever changing menu is what makes us returning customers. Think choices like ricotta pancakes stuffed with fresh figs, open lasagne with blueberries, sardines and drizzled with truffle oil, where else can you find such gems?

Huge fan of the splashes of blue, white and greens throughout the eating area with an eclectic mix of furniture and bric brac. For a place that serve fine dining quality, we found the wait staff to be really friendly, down to earth and not a single bit snooty unlike other establishments we've been to.

The front portion is dedicated towards bring-home-gourmet-goodies such as imported paella mix, fresh cherries for sale at RM12 per 100gm, arborio rice and of course, delectables produced by Indulgence, such as lemon curd, oven dried tomatoes and hibiscus pesto. Ready made desserts ranging from lamingtons, macarons, tiramisu, creme brulee, canele, are also on display if you need to further tempt your taste buds. This place is a dieter's nightmare!

The food is nothing short of fantastic. Complimentary bread and butter are served before the main courses arrive. We ordered the lamb and onion pizza (RM39) and the wait staff was kind enough to request the kitchen to separate out the chilli flakes because Bubs can't handle anything too spicy. We also had a portion of the lamb, chestnut, bean and parmesan pasta (RM39) .

Indulgence serves an amazing array of dolci (desserts) and this where I've to stress, the sweets from the menu are purely works of art - they cost as much as mains and forget about portion sizes, this petite creations are meant to delight your senses (camera and wallet too). Hubs nearly had a heart attack when he saw the prices and the portions served ;)

Unforgiving (RM39) is a choux "tree" served with small scoops of gelato, strawberries, blueberries, and for an added touch of whimsy, sprinkled with edible flowers dusted with icing sugar. Hubs and Bubs refused to even touch the flowers so I ate all of them, muahaha. In case you were wondering, they did not taste a single bit floral at all, more of a green, leafy fresh taste.

Imagine (RM32) - I wanted to break out into the John Lennon classic, is small crepe pieces with a centre of fresh pear chunks, chestnut chocolate puree and topped with fresh figs. The chestnut chocolate sounded a bit odd but I was surprised at how the chestnuts add an almost smokey taste and its richness cut down the sweetness of the chocolate.

Since Bubs and I have an insatiable sweet tooth, we ordered MORE desserts from the ready made ones on display. Trust me, it was soooo hard to narrow our choices down to just 2 tiny morsels - a single berry macaron and a canele. The macaron (RM6.50) was out of this world, just the right amount of tartness and sweetness balanced with filled with a light cream centre studded with fresh blueberries. Canele is a French dessert (RM6.50), I was really excited to find it served at Indulgence - I love the caramelised, thick crust and the simple custard filling in it - the flavour reminded me a bit like apom, clean, simple eggs, milk and sugar with a touch of vanilla.


Can't wait for more trips to Indulgence Ipoh *hearts*

Indulgence Restaurant and Living

14, Jalan Raja Di Hilir, 30350 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

Tel No : 605-255 7051