Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan - Teluk Intan, Perak

This small town is synonymous with the most famous clock tower in Malaysia, the Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan. Of course, being the place where the latest by-election was held, Teluk Intan got its fair shares of publicity nationwide. Being my ancestors resting place, I visited Teluk Intan at least once a year, basically during the Chinese Ching Ming festival (Tomb Sweeping Day). Approximately 2 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur, it is pretty accessible & often made a stopover for visitors on the way to Pangkor island. Unlike Penang or Ipoh, there's not much publicity given on the town's famous food & delicacies, which I said were underrated.

The most famous export from Teluk Intan is its chee cheong fun, a kind of rice noodle roll made of rice flour. Unlike the ones found in any other places, Teluk Intan chee cheong fun was a different version whereby the roll was wrapped with slices of lard meats & green chillies. When you think of Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun, you think of Liew Kee, widely known as the founder of chee cheong fun, Teluk Intan style. The store is open almost 24 hours daily, except between 2pm - 5pm where they are closed for break. Reason is they also supply their specialties to KL & other places besides the locals. Costing MYR 2.10 per roll & insistence of freshness, people from far & wide take orders & willing to wait for the rolls made fresh, by custom made machines. Our usual purchase costs MYR 100.00 plus for 10 packs, consists of 5 rolls each.

Chee Cheong Fun - Best eaten fresh after made on the spot

Customs made machine to cater for the ever increasing demands

Another local favourite & a must-visit for me each time I'm in Teluk Intan is Mee Rebus Mastan Ghani with 80 years history, located along Jalan Selat in town centre. Almost the same version as other mee rebus you can find across the states in Malaysia, this noodle has a distinct not too spicy flavor, allowing people from all walks of life & all ages to enjoy it. There are a few outlets around the town actually but food prepared are not fresh enough, relying on the origin store for the main dishes and still, the origin store serves the best quality. Currently, managed by the 3rd generation, the other sibling branched out and opened Mee Rebus Abdullah Mastan Ghani opposite The Store departmental store at Jalan Ah Cheong. Also popular with the locals, the latter served slightly spicier sauce. Drinks worth trying at both outlets are Ais Batu Campur (ABC) & Ais Bandung.

Mee Rebus Mastan Ghani - One plate is not enuff !!

Situated along the main road Jalan Changkat Jong going towards Teluk Intan town, it's hard not to miss out the M.Gulam Rasul restaurant. Looked like a typical mamak restaurant, the fried chicken served here are the best in town. Always a hot-seller, as soon as they been put on the big tray, the chickens will be quickly snapped up. Together with its specialty Nasi Briyani available all day long, the meal is made complete.



M.Gulam Rasul Fried Chicken - Hot seller. Juicy & always freshly fried at any times of the day

The Signature Briyani Rice. A must try

GPS Coordinates:
Liew Kee Chee Cheong Fun
N2 43.824 E101 56.197

Mee Rebus Mastan Ghani
N4 01.563 E101 01.198

Mee Rebus Abdullah Mastan Ghani
N4 02.477 E101 02.124

Restoran M Gulam Rasul
N4 10.389 E100 56.835



Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan - Seremban

Seremban city, being 1 hour drive away from Kuala Lumpur has always been a favourite stopover for the south-bound drivers. And here am I, dragging along some Seremban-based colleagues for a gastronomic trip in the city.

A must-eat food in Seremban has to be the famous Yee Kee beef noodles for breakfast. The original stall no 748 is located at the food court on top floor of the Seremban wet market. Coming here on normal weekend, you will need to wait at least 30 minutes for a bowl of beef noodles. That too, if you're lucky to get to find a place to sit. Best is to have this meal, dry type. The beef slices were tender, the machine-made noodles were smooth. The sauce? Hmmm...They just knew the right amount of special sauce to be put into the bowl. After u stir all all of them together in the bowl, u can see everything in the bowl were perfectly mixed. Not too dry, not too wet either. You need 2 bowls to be really enjoying this food. First bowl to get the first-hand taste of it. The second one is to enjoy the smoothness of the noodles, with its special sauce & the tenderness of the meat. It's no wonder even customers from Singapore dropped by here for it.


Dry beef noodles after being stirred

10 minutes away, is Restoran Yi Poh at Jalan Seng Meng Lee off Jalan Temiang to take its famous Dry Lou Shi Fun for lunch. Unlike the usual shorter version, this lou shi fun is longer, with smoother texture similar to the ones used for assam laksa. Except for the smooth texture of the noodles, nothing much special on this. Still, worth a try for the experience.

Yi Poh Lou Shi Fun

If you didn't pack siew pao (pastry filled with lard/chicken pieces) to be brought home, it's as if you never visit Seremban. This is Seremban most famous export, spreading far & wide to Singapore & even to China I heard and causing many imitation brands sprouted all over Klang Valley. Mind you, if you're looking for original Seremban brand siew pao in Klang Valley, only Kee Mei brand has actually expanded to other states. Here, I was brought to this Kedai Siew Pau Asia, situated just opposite Restoran Yi Poh. Here, u see freshly baked breads/pastries been taken immediately after being brought out from oven. Siew Pao is one of those pastries best taken while it's hot. Unlike many in KL, when you took it at first bite, you got to eat more of its meat fillings than its puffy layer and that hit the bull's eyes. Besides, it was not too sweet & clearly the best siew pao I've tasted.

One of many types of freshly made buns sold

Siew Pao, fresh from the oven

Lastly, got to stop at Kedai Makanan Seremban at Jalan Tuanku Munawir. At 4.30pm, you got to see people queuing up & looking for empty tables. Unsure if this is their late lunch or early dinner. Here, practically all tables have its famous baked crabs. The crabs baked with a sticky, special marmite-like sauce. Although slightly pricey at RM 48/kg then (unsure about the price now), the meat was fresh & baked at the right time, giving it a tenderly hot taste. It could have been better if they used a bigger-sized crabs. Probably due to longer time to bake bigger-sized crabs, they used medium sized ones instead.

Baked crabs

GPS Coordinates:
Stall 748, Yee Kee Beef Noodles
N2 43.824 E101 56.197

Restoran Yi Poh
N2 44.044 E101 56.421

Kedai Siew Pau Asia
N2 44.044 E101 56.421

Kedai Makanan Seremban
N2 43.977 E101 56.058

Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan - Penang II (And Perak too)

Following up from my previous post of proposed crash course, makan-makan program to Penang under Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan - Penang. OK, maybe parts of Perak as well, since this is a road trip up north. Sharing with all on the food photos & my views of them



Char Siew Pau: Restoran Foh San, Ipoh - Fluffy, freshly made with chunky meats. There's feels of satisfaction already after seeing smokes out from the pau upon opening of one side.



Nasi Kandar: Line Clear Nasi Kandar - Talking about brand awareness, this is one name in everyone's mind whenever u mention Penang Nasi Kandar. Always fresh at any time of the day u want it. I really mean ANYTIME...

 

 

Durian ABC: Restoran Kek Seng - The best in Penang, a desert that I ate since my childhood days. Although the durian ice cream is no longer that pulpy as compared to yesteryears, still worthwhile to have it...

 

 

Fried Oyster: Restoran Seng Thor - This is fried oyster with eggs. Read me, Fried Oyster with Eggs & not Fried Eggs with Oyster. Enough said. Without doubt, the best in Penang

 

 

BBQ Drumsticks: New Lane hawker centre - Tastes better than wings and its a wonder why cant those be available in KL

 

 

Sar Hor Fun: New Lane hawker centre - Its that broth...Not too watery, not too dry either. By the time u finish eating the kueh teow, nothing is left on the plate, really.

 

 

Brown Sugar Pancake: Pulau Tikus market stall - No one else in M'sia have pancake of tis kind. Filled with brown sugar & grinded peanuts, giving the not-too-sweet flavour to it. Perfect for the one who crave simple breakie meal without compromising the glucose level
 



Fruit Rojak: Gurney Drive - Its hard to explain why Penang fruit rojak is only available in Gurney Drive. Main difference compared to the ones in KL are the sauces and the mangoes used. Try stall no 52, "Tan Swee Hoe" and stall no 39, "GP Soon".
 

 



Duck Egg Char Kueh Teow: Pulau Tikus market stall - People say duck eggs has high cholesterol. With the tantalizing aroma that comes with it, does anyone cares?
 

 



Steamed River Prawn: Restoran Luen Fong, Tanjung Tualang - The best prawn dishes ever !! One taste, & u wouldn't wanna eat any prawn dishes anywhere else. Juicy, meaty, fresh. Eat it original style, u will understand why people travel long hours from KL just to have this

 



Kueh Teow Soup: Restoran Onn Kee, Ipoh - It so smooth that u can slurp this from your mouth into stomach without u really realize it
 

 



Ipoh Bean Sprout: Restoran Onn Kee, Ipoh - What more can I say? Ipoh people are lucky lot for having first hand supply of this wonderfully created products of nature. U have to eat it to know how I felt about this one

 

 

 

 

Heavenly Durians of the North

This is the time. The durian season is here now. Durian lovers swear by their momma's names that the best durians in Malaysia are from Penang. People have different tastebuds & naturally, different likings over different durian species. However being durian fanatic myself, fully agreed Penang durians are definitely among da best out there, if not da best.

Durian hunting trip to Penang has been made an annual pilgrimage trip for me & my buddies for the past 2 years. Due to massive publicity over its Balik Pulau durians, durians from Penang are naturally pricier compared to other local species when sold at KL. Only the King & the best of em' all, Musang King is pricier.

Penang people are known for their humorous teases on local political figures/actresses etc. The fancy names given to local Penang species explain it all. Here, we have species named after politicians Lim Guan Eng & Koh Tsu Koon, actress Lin Feng Jiao. Besides, there are also catchful names such as Xiao Hong (Little Red), Ang He (Red Prawn), Sim Kua (Heart/Jantung), Sultan, Che Sin (Green Skin) & many others.

Why the name of the persons? This is da best part. Lin Feng Jiao durian species have beautiful features outside but rather bittersweet in taste, reflecting the life of a woman behind the Asia's most popular Chinese actor, Jackie Chan. Being politically sarcastic & funny at the same time, there's Lim Guan Eng durian breed, which has big sized seeds while Koh Tsu Koon durian breeds have small sized seeds. Seed is pronounced as "hoot" in Hokkien, which also carries meaning of gut in English, or rather the laymen term, the "balls" to do stuffs. Those who understand Hokkien always ended up laughing loudly whenever I tell this. Showcasing below the best of my conquests:-

Hong Har (Cantonese) / Ang He (Hokkien) / Udang Merah (Malay) / Red Prawn

 

Khun Poh

 

Che Sin (Hokkien) / Green Skin

Bak Yu (Hokkien) / Pork Oil

 

IOI

Kapri

Sultan

Lin Feng Jiao

Basically, durian season in Penang starts from end of May till August. However, the demand is so great that farmers has started to expand their plantations to have another durian season at end of October till December. Pricing differs according to breeds n demands. Naturally, highly demanded durians such as Musang King can fetch high price till RM 30.00/kg in Penang (still cheaper than the ones in Klang Valley). Others like Red Prawn, Hor Lor fetch price till RM 20.00/kg.

During the season, its being sold all over the island. No way u can miss any corner without sighting anyone selling durians. Best place to go is of course back to the origin, Balik Pulau. I frequent this place called Anjung Indah (a sort of lookout point on the hill of Balik Pulau). Coordinate: 5°21'0"N 100°15'7"E which is more of a one stop centre for u to have a taste of Penang's best known durians. Slightly pricier than other places but plenty of varieties to choose from if ur not keen on travelling all over the places.

Which one is the best of the best in Penang?? My pick is Red Prawn/Ang Heh anytime. It has that distinctive fragrant aroma of pandan when u have the first taste of it. Only Penang's Red Prawn breeds has this aroma, probably due to the soil factor in Balik Pulau, not the ones planted anywhere else. Creamy & big flesh for a seed. Those who dislike bitter-tasted durians will love this one for its sweet taste. Don't be fooled by sellers bringing Red Prawns from other states.

So, pack your bags to have a feast up north during the coming season. Doubters will be converted into lovers. My succession rate of converting non-durian lovers to one are almost 100% after bringing people to Penang for a try....:)

Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan - Penang

Being a foodie, it must be a sin to the Food God (if there's any) for not writing a post about Penang food. I always become a food tour guide for friends, probably due to my knowledge of local roads & local foods. Below is my usual program for a weekend crash course 2D1N Penang food tour for beginners, to have a taste of Penang food.

SATURDAY

• Departs from Subang
• Arrives Ipoh for dim sum breakfast at Restoran Foh San / Restoran Ming Kok
• Departs Ipoh for Penang
• Stops at Restoran Kek Seng for lunch
• Must Try: Durian ABC, Kueh Teow Soup, Popiah
• Recommended: Lor-Bak, Mee Jawa
• Check into hotel (preferably near to town)
• Stops at Restoran Seng Thor for tea time
• Must Try: Fried Oyster
• Recommended: Lor-Bak
• OR alternative stop at Toh Soon Cafe
• Must Try: Hainanese toast, Hainanese coffee
• Walkabout at nearby shopping malls (Prangin Mall, 1st Avenue Mall)
• Stops at New Lane hawker centre for dinner
• Must Try: Fried Kueh Teow, BBQ Chicken Wings/drumsticks, Fried Oyster
• Recommended: Sar Hor Fun, Ee Foo Mee
• Walkabout at Ferringhi night market / Straights Quay
• Stops at Gurney Drive hawker centre
• Must Try: Fruit Rojak, Pasembur (Mamak rojak)
• Recommended: Desserts (Ling Chee Kang, Bubur Cha Cha)
• Walkabout along Gurney Drive
• Stops at Restoran Old Green House for supper
• Must Try: Prawn Mee
• Go back hotel to recuperate

SUNDAY

• Check out early from hotel
• Stops at Pulau Tikus market for breakfast
• Must Try: Duck-egg Fried Kueh Teow, Chee Cheong Fun, Charcoal Indian apom
• Recommended: Brown sugar chinese pancakes, Kueh Teow Soup, Sar Hor Fun
• Stops at Ghee Hiang / Him Heang / Ban Heang to buy biscuits
• Recommended: Tambun biscuits, brown sugar biscuits
• Go up to Kek Lok Si temple, using the old pedestrian walkway
• Stops at stall besides Ayer Itam market for light meal
• Must Try: Assam Laksa
• Stops at Line Clear Nasi Kandar / Nasi Kandar Kassim Mustafa for lunch
• OR alternative stop at Restoran Sin Kheng Aun
• Must Try: Hainanese chicken chop, Fish Gulai, Fried Assam Prawns
• Recommended: Foo Yong Egg, Cabbage Soup with Fishballs & Meatballs
• Departs to mainland via ferry
• Stops at Restoran Luen Fong / Restoran Lung Seng, Tanjung Tualang for seafood dinner
• Must Try: Steamed river prawns, pan-fried river prawns with soy sauce
• Recommended: Steamed Soon Hock fish with soy sauce, fried squids
• OR alternative stopover at Restoran Lou Wong / Restoran Onn Kee, Ipoh
• Must Try: Chicken rice, Ipoh bean sprouts
• Recommended: Meatballs soup

Note: For participants with health problems, doctor's approval letter must be given to the organiser prior to the trip. The writer would not held responsibility for any health issues that may happened during & after the trip.

Jalan Jalan Cari Makan - Nasi Lemak Cikgu

It's Malaysian favourite breakfast. It's used to be available only in the housing areas / villages in the morning where u see those aunties (or mak cik in Malay) sells them in roadside stalls. Coming to the present time, now it is sold almost everywhere at 24/7; kopitiam's, mamak's, market stalls's and even some posh restaurants.

But still, how to judge & diffenciate the best from the best? Some people say it's the coconut rice. Some say it's the sambal. The answer is up to u actually. Who else can judge our own tastebuds? Get what I meant? Went to these 2 places recently which in my opinion, serve among the best nasi lemak in town. Talked about Nasi Lemak Cikgu first, located in SS3, Kelana Jaya.

Opens daily till dinner

U need to wait for a while, especially in the morning

Ordered with fried chicken & squid. Reasonably price at RM 8.00

The sambal is pretty mild, suitable for those who love nasi lemak but cant take too spicy food. Rice has that distinctive coconut flavour & the difference compared to other is the cooking style of the rice. "Nasi lemak kukus" as they called it in Malay was cooked in a steaming hot wok, instead of the normal electric rice pot. This process, they say helps preserve the coconut & pandan flavour in the rice.

Pretty accessible alongside LDP highway. If ur coming from Damansara towards Sungai Way, keep left after passing Giant hypermarket. Turn left immediately on the junction after passing Customs headquarter. Drive forward till u see a row of shophouses on ur right. Turn right & the restaurant is situated at the middle. If ur driving from Puchong, Subang Jaya etc on the other side of highway, the only way is to make a U-turn after Giant & follow the path earlier.

Shall talk bout my next Nasi Lemak stop in next post...:)

Simply Durian

Durian...u just love it or hate it. I'm a self confessed fanatically crazy durian lover and very sure there are many more people out there who are willing to scream "I'M A DURIAN LOVER!!!". U will be very surprised to know what will people do in order to get the taste of the best ones.

True story: my boss actually went all the way to a Mantin durian farm in early morning to sit and wait...Wait for the durians to fall from the trees and make his picks from there. Mind u, it's BIG business out there for durian sellers. Some best ones can fetch till RM 30.00 per kilogramme. This caused some selfish and unscrupulous people who are selling the low graded ones for over-the-market prices.

Question here is how many of us actually know what type of durians are we eating. Anyone wonder what's market rate for each type. It's important so to avoid being conned. Here's the tips of the durian species available in Malaysia, taken from unknown sources..Do take note these are not list of ALL durians available. The best of em' all is not listed here. Go out there & check it out yourselves....

HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD DURIAN
A good durian must be ripe, fresh and free from larvae / worms. Do bear in mind, a durian with worms does not mean it's bad, it could be soo delicious that even worms are attracted to it...
1) Look at the tip. If it's too dry, it's no longer fresh. A little dry is fine.
2) Look at the bottom. If it's cracked, it maybe over-ripe or not so fresh. Some sellers will use rubberband to tie it to prevent from cracking. It could still be delicious but since we're paying for the best, why bother taking the risk?
3) Smell the durian. If it has strong smell, it's most likely to be good. If no smell, it's probably not ripe.
4) Put the durian close to your ear and shake it. If there's a moving sound inside, it's most likely to be good.
5) Look for holes around the durian. If there is, most likely it has been infested with worms.

Bear in mind, these are not SOP (standard procedures) for choosing durians. It's only a basic guideline for us to know and not necessarily will get us the best tastes of durians. Like what people used to say, dont judge the book by its cover. Same applies to durians. Will post more on this subject later. Meanwhile, Happy Eating !!!

Jalan Jalan Cari Makan - Steven's Corner

This Steven's Corner needs no introduction to foodies, being a must-visit place for whoever around OUG (Old Klang Road) or Pandan Indah (Cheras). Recently moved to a new premise at its OUG branch but food quality pretty much the same.

My favourite has to be the cheese naan which is probably the best in town, and tandoori chicken. Most restaurants in town will have cheddar cheese as ingredient for cheese naan being a cheaper option. Steven's motto is to provide the best quality with best ingredients available. Thus, staffs used mozzarella cheese. When ready to be served, u better dont wait any longer with the cheese still steaming hot. It's that good that u can eat it immediately and dont need to eat it with dhal curry or anything else. Garlic cheese naan is also highly recommended. In fact, any of its dishes with cheese are great since all of them have mozzarella cheese as ingredient.

Cheese naan

This is what we called a cheesy meal

Tandoori chicken

Jalan Jalan Cari Makan - Vishal Banana Leaf

Serving Chettinad banana leaf rice, Vishal Food & Catering is always packed with people during lunch hours. Being in KL's unofficial Little India, Brickfields, this place has to be one of it's best kept secret. It has 2 branches in Bricksfield actually. One is situated in Jalan Scott & another in Jalan Tun Sambanthan. The one in Jalan Scott is the first branch & has the chefs cooking its meals even for the 2nd branch.

Tried banana leaf rice in many places but what makes me going back there is the freshly cooked dishes, especially the side dishes that is normally served with the rice. Unlike other places which have dishes that are left for too long, leaving the food cold. U see, the place is packed & people is always queuing up waiting to have their shares of food. Naturally, the food turnover is high. Thus, we can always see the chefs are cooking non-stop & we will see new dishes coming out often. A must try is the chicken / mutton briyani rice. Other dishes are pretty tasty too such as chicken varuval, mutton varuval, chicken 65 etc. A glass of mango lassi will be refreshing after the meal.

Serving multiple dishes

Waiting to be served

My chicken briyani

Service is good even during peak hours. No need to wait long to be seated as the supervisor will arrange effectively according to no of pax. The food servers (or rather waiters) immediately attend to u whenever we call for them. Being in a secluded corner of Jalan Scott, finding this Vishal Food can be challenging. If ur coming from Jalan Istana towards Brickfields, Jalan Scott is immediately situated on the left side of the road. Restaurant is visible from the main road. As Jalan Scott is a one way street, one has to turn left after the next junction (after Petronas petrol station) to make a big U-turn to get into Jalan Scott.

Jalan Jalan Cari Makan - Yut Kee Restaurant

I had a thing for Hainanese food. Always looking to check out the old time Hainanese kopitiams in town. Some of these coffeeshops did not really changed its look & image despite the changes of trends and times. One of them is Yut Kee restaurant, situated along Jalan Dang Wangi.

Here, they serves most Hainanese fares such as chicken chops, Hainanese noodles etc besides their own home made marble cakes & kaya rolls. Service is pretty fast with food served 10 minutes after u ordered. Naturally, most popular dishes are already prepared in advance so that to cope with the orders. However, that did not affect the tastes. Dad & Mum said it still taste the same when they first eat here during the early 70s.

Pork Chop

Roti babi (Pork bun)

Fish & chips

Toasted & steamed breads

Home made marble cakes & kaya rolls
Rules here is u gotta be prepared to share tables with strangers and not to hang around too long after finishing ur dishes. The queues here are long during lunch hours & weekends. Thanks to the efficient staffs, u dont need to wait long to get ur seats. Just prepare the follow the rules.

Forgot to get the GPS coordinates for this shop but it's pretty easy to find. Along Jalan Tun Abdul Rahman, keep left when u see the old Odeon cinema on ur left & Pertama complex on ur right. Turn left after the traffic light junction. Drive forward till u see Wilayah Complex on ur right. The restaurant is on ur left. It will be quite obvious to know which lot as people will be queuing outside, waiting to be seated...:)