Buku Tiga Lima @ Ipoh Old Town, Malaysia

Buku Tiga Lima is the most unassuming cafe among the Burps & Giggles group of cafes if you look at the facade. The facade is overgrown with climbing plants, looking a bit neglected and it’s not exactly the easiest to get to.

There’s hardly an entrance to enter the cafe from the front. You can enter cafe from any direction except the front where the front door has an arrow that points to Burps & Giggles on the right.

You can enter it from Plan B that’s right behind it, or through holes on the walls in both Burps & Giggles that’s on the right of it or from Missing Marbles that’s on the left of it.

Well I guess all that makes it more adventurous getting to Buku Tiga Lima, where you discover other places along the way. Buku Tiga Lima literally means “Book Three Five” in Malay, referring to the little notebooks with triple 5’s, which were used for jotting down “I Owe You’s ” before the age of the digital era, some 30, 40 years ago.

The little books along with Marilyn Monroe, outdated power switches, old motorbikes, etc, the cafe oozes an aura of yesteryear from every corner.

Intentionally kept shabby with frayed walls and uncovered ceilings, Buku Tiga Lima is shabby in chic, accentuated by the ingenious lamps draped in rainbows of ribbons or clustered with eclectic lamps.

The cafe is small, not seating more than 10 tables so when it gets too packed, you might need to look out for the corner benches to squeeze in, which can be obscured by the tables.

The cafe has some private dining areas; one is at the back section of the cafe with cushioned backrest and one is on the 1 1/2 floor because it is mid way between first and second floor with a hanging bicycle in mid air.

I like the cafe’s menu with crepes, bagels and hot spud – with the crepes and bagels being relatively much less common among cafes in Ipoh.

You can design your meals to0, choosing your own ingredients “as you like”. The drinks menu was too zigzagged I found it tiring to read and decided not to order a drink.

I only had the mushu lamb savory crepe. When I tore it open, it had enough steam piping out I thought I could have done a mini facial with the steam.

The mushu lamb has been adapted to be much more westernized with the use of raw crisp red peppers and mushed green peas. A vibrant dish indeed with tender lamb although it was a bit gamy and too sweet it can almost be categorized under “sweet crepes”.

The bagels from other tables looked really good – looking more like bagel burgers I think I am going to try that next time ! Enjoy more photos below 🙂

More Info on Buku Tiga Lima
Address: 93 & 95 Jalan Sultan Yussuf, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening Hours : 8 am – 8 pm, closed on Tuesdays.
Tel : +605 242 6188