A little short in Taiping, Perak

A last minute short trip to Taiping. I have never known that I have never been to Taiping until now. It just never crossed my mind. We just have enough time to hop around 3 places.

Restaurant Aun Loke 安乐居茶餐食

This place is famous for its curry fish head, steam salted chicken, assam prawn and otak-otak. Every table will order their famous dishes, including us. Just except that we didn't order assam prawn.

Location:
Lot 160, Jalan Pokok Assam,
34000 Taiping, Perak

Tel: +605 807 9660 or +6016 536 2657

Hours: 12:00 - 20:30

Curry Fish Head (RM26)

It's not too spicy for my taste but thick enough to pour over rice or dip with fried bun. It's only the fish head with some brinjals and lady's fingers.

Steam Salted Chicken (RM25)

It's fragrance with herbal and salt. The salty herbal taste is marinated into the tender meat. Most importantly, it's not too salty. It will make you crave for more meat. Nice!

Otak Otak (RM2.50 per piece)

This is the first time I ate a Otak Otak with diced prawn. The green stuffs are edible leaves which does not cover the fragrant Otak fish paste taste. Something different.

Salted fish bean sprout (RM5)

Bean sprout is a special vegetable in Perak. Its shape is short and fat which you don't normally find in other bean sprouts. Taste? To me it's quite the same but fresh.







Restaurant Yut Sun 日新茶餐食

A well-known classic pork-free Hainanese restaurant. We only have enough stomach space for just a little "testing" right after our lunch!

Location:
78 & 80, Jalan Pasar,
34000 Taiping, Perak

Tel: +605 808 3250

Hours:
08:00 - 17:00 (Morning)
18:30 - 24:00 (Night)




This is their menu...

Roti Sayur (RM4.50)

Something I had to order that's different from other Hainanese restaurant. The usual on the menu is Roti Babi but because this is a pork-free restaurant, it's replaced with Roti Sayur. A toasted bread covered with fried vegetables with tender chicken and topped with a sunny side up. It's delicious and it won't taste weird with the toast at all.

Chicken chop (RM8.50)

Although the chicken fillet is soaked in the sauce, it still has a little crispiness on some sides and it is fragrant on its own and with the sauce. It is a special sauce that is thick and fragrantly good. Potato goes very well with the sauce. I love this. If you have this first before the Roti Sayur, the later will feel a little tasteless.

Tea (RM1.30)

Is it me or it's the tea? Although milk is added, the milk does not cover the tea taste. You can still taste the tea's fragrant. If you don't have a sweet tooth, order it less sweet.

Try the coffee if you're a coffee lover.

Antong Cafe 安东

A famous local coffee company in Taiping.

Location:
8A, Jalan Assam Kumbang,
34000 Taiping, Perak.

Tel: +605 807 5189

Hours: 08:30 - 17:30

Website: www.antong.my




You can taste all type of drinks from white coffee, kopi O kao, honey lemon, etc. whatever they sell. White coffee is not so sweet and quite fragrant but after the kopi O kao, I think white coffee is second grade. ^_^ The kopi O kao can be a nice perfume! *hhhmmmm~~~~*

They even sell "heong peah" 香饼. I love it because it's crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. *yum~!*

There are a few more places that we didn't have time to go. Another trip... maybe?

1) Restaurant Air Kacang Taiping - famous for popiah and soya bean
2) Kuala Sepetang - famous for seafood with a nice view (ok, I don't know about the view 'coz I haven't been there before)

Kluang makan makan aje~~

Kluang Rail Cafe

The long heard Kluang station kopitiam. We didn't go to the original shop because we didn't do our homework before coming and got ourselves landed at their new shop.

Location:
20 & 21, 1st floor & ground floor, Jalan Tasik 1, Taman Perniagaan Tasik, 86000 Kluang, Johor.

Tel: +607 773 8391










There are more locations. For the original shop, just go straight to the Kluang KTM station (Red bullet point 1).

Their coffee and kaya butter toast bread are suppose to be the famous items. We are so hungry that we just randomly ordered by simply pointing to pictures. Hiah~~!

Iced Cham (RM2.10)

Not coffee fan but the coffee is suppose to be famous here, so alternatively ordered Cham. It's fragrantly coffee and not too sweet. Not bad.

Mee Siam Special (ayam rendang) (RM5.30)

I thought the Mee siam would be the watery type. Oh well, the mee siam does not have much taste. You will need to eat with the chicken or sambal. The sambal is not bad, though. Ayam rendang taste more like normal curry chicken rather than rendang. Sad.

Nasi lemak Special (ayam goreng) (RM5.30)

The rice is not very fragrant. Just very normal, nothing special. Ayam goreng is like fried very long time ago, it's not crispy and the skin has soften and the meat is a little dry.

Bun Sambal Special (RM2.50)

The "special" means with an egg. Not bad.

Roti Bun Bakar (RM1.40)

Kaya butter toast. It's quite nice. Soft bread with a little toasted on the inside but the kaya it not fragrant enough.

Roti Keping Bakar (RM1.40)

I'm not sure if we left it alone for too long. It's not nice. The bread is dry and a little hard to chew.








I wonder how the original shop taste like. I'll try next time and see...

Restoran Tan Ching Hing (also known as 阿福 Satay)



Location:
Jalan Cantik,
Kluang, Johor.
(near Chong Hwa High School)

You can search the restaurant name in the GPS.

Hours: 18:30 - late






A place I recommend having fried noodles, satay, fried chicken. Yumm~~ (^_^)

Hokkien mee (RM8)

It's good. If they add a little more fried pork crisp, it's perfect!

Yuan Yang (RM8)

If I didn't eat this, I didn't realise I missed this food alot! It's good here too. It has enough "wok heat" 锅气.

Salted fish fried rice (RM8)

Although it looks very plain but because it's salted fish fried rice, it has alot of salted fish! Not bad too!

Satay (Pork, Mutton, Chicken) (RM0.60 per stick)

The meat is quite tender for both chicken and pork. As for the mutton is a bit too hard to chew but at least it does not have the "mutton smell". The sauce is more of a peanut sauce and it's not very spicy.






CRAP! I just realised I didn't take a photo of the fried chicken! MUST ORDER! It's crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Good!

Sting ray fish (RM24)

Not my recommended dish. The fish is topped with chilli powder but the chilli does not enter the meat leaving the fish meat with a "water" taste.

Oyster egg

The egg is quite delicious without too much of the starch but the oyster is horrible. It's very fishy smell. Not recommended unless you can be sure the oyster is fresh.

Sea coconut ai yu ping (RM3)

The ai yu ping has only artificial colouring taste. The sea coconut is chewy but not sweet. You need to squeeze the lime to get some taste.

Food flashback~~!

How long have you not ate food that you have not eaten since young?

Kedai Makanan Yut Kee

I went to this kopitiam that my dad said he brought me there at age 4? Seriously cannot recall anything. To me, it's my first. ^_^

Location: 
35, Jalan Dang Wangi, 50200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: +603 2698 8108















There's alot you can order here.

Here are some that were ordered.

Half boiled egg

Pale beige egg shell? A rare colour but it tastes the same! ^_^

French toast

It's fried till a little crispy at the corner which is yummy. Topping with their homemade kaya that is not too sweet while fragrant with coconut, it's double yummy!

Meehoon Mee fried hokkien style

It's rather tasty but it's not the heavy fried pork crisp fragrant. It's the black soya plus meat taste. :)

Roti Babi

Stir fried pork and onion wrapped with bread to fry. It's delicious. You won't taste that it's oily. It's like pork patty.

Sea Park push cart noodle (a.k.a "tok tok noodle" to my family)

I have not known any place having an uncle pushing or cycling the noodle stall around the neighbourhood except Sea Park. Uncle used to sell during midnights. Nowadays, only Sunday lunch? Not sure... That's when we manage to catch uncle.

Uncle only sells 2 types of noodle. Fishball noodle soup or Prawn noodle. Both simple noodles with tasty soup at RM4.50 each.

S.Wine Cafe

I recommendation by my brother and yes! I also recommend it! It's a place like "home", back to my piggy world. Eating them is not horrible, it's appreciating it's richness and saluting it's great sacrifice for mankind! :D

Location:
Lot 1A, 83-95, Level UG1
(Inside Ben's Independent Grocer)
Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603-6209 1716

Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00 - 22:00, Sat-Sun 09:00 - 22:00









The place is small (a reason to go early or wait for the long queue) but ambience is cosy. Entering the place is so welcoming for me, seeing all my "relatives".

A few delicious dished that I have tried and would also recommend. Yummy!

Spaghetti Carbonara (RM26)


Traditional carbonara with pancetta chunks and roughly torn prosciutto (simply to me, pork bacon) and raw egg yolk. A mixture with egg yolk should smooth the spaghetti but the carbonara taste covers the egg yolk but it's not disappointing because the carbonara it's not too creamy and the taste is boosted with the little salty bacons.

Warm Pork Confit, Watermelon & Lychee Salad (RM24)

Salad with watermelon, lychee are ok but warm pork confit? Oh yes! It's simply pork belly chunk cooked like fried pork knuckle. Seriously crunchy and delicious. I can have the pork confit like having popcorn! Just one this I dislike about this salad is the peppermint leaves. If you wouldn't mind, order this!!

Garlic & Arugula Pork Sausages with Sauerkraut Rosti (RM29)

Garlic sausage - not very garlicy (luckily) and pork sausage - ooohhh, I like!! o(^_^)o Sauerkraut rosti, I also like! What is sauerkraut? When you have German sausage at restaurant, there is a small portion of soury vege on the plate. That's it! :p

Pea & Ham Soup (RM14)

I think it's the ham that makes the pea soup less vege taste. I never thought I could love a pea soup.

Sloppy Piggy Burger (RM26)

Soft burger bun sandwich-ing tender pork. Accompanied by fries, coleslaw and a small portion of pickles. The burger portion is just right. If it's bigger, I think it will be too much meat.

Whole Slab of Sticky Ribs with Chips & Slaw (RM80)

Knife? shoo shoo, take it away! You just need a fork and a spoon! Fork for meat and spoon or sauce. The meat is so tender and juicy, you can just tear it with a fork nicely. It has been marinated by a little sweet sauce but you can add more with a spoon! Delicious!

Gao Ren Guan Restaurant 高人馆

One of the nice Hakka Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur and of course I went to the one nearest to home. A restaurant that my aunty calls it "Mouth drooling" 流口水 restaurant.

Location:
M-10-G, Palm Square, Jaya One,
72A, Jalan Universiti,
46200 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.

Tel : +603-7955 3266

http://www.gaorenguan.com/











A family of 6 of us had very much enjoyed the delicious food with so much temptation to keep ordering while our stomachs can no longer fill.

Char siew, Yam & dried shrimp fried rice 叉烧虾米芋头炒饭 (RM9.90)

Well fragrant rice with chey cubes of char siew and yam. The yam itself has not much taste of yam but maybe because the dried shrimp and a little of dried salted fish covered yam taste. Like all usual fried rice, it also has eggs.

 Fried glass noodle 炒冬粉 (RM9.90)

If you love char kwey teow, you will like this dish, as they are quite similar taste. I definitely do, more than towards the fried rice. Most importantly it doesn't taste too oily with prawns, chives, bean sprouts, egg and char siew.

Spare ribs with special sauce 招牌长骨  (RM30.00)

Spare ribs is one of my favourite but I'm usually very reluctant to order with the worry that it's hard to chew without eating like a barbarian. This time, no regrets, it was good. Each of us had one but was not enough, definitely! The tender juicy meat was easily peeled of from the bone. The sauce is a sweet "special" sauce. Your jaw will be happy to have it in the mouth! :)

Gao Zou Vegetable 高州心 (豆豉鲮鱼） (RM16.00)

I can't remember when was the last time I had this dish. I missed it when I saw it. It's crunchy and not overcooked with black bean dace. Truth, I miss this dish because of the black bean dace more than the vegetable itself. (^=^)/

Braised chicken with ginger & mushroom 子姜冬菇烩鸡 (RM18.00)

If you are more a "salt-tooth" person, this is a very nice dish with plain rice. The salty ginger sauce is absorbed into the mushroom and also leaving the chicken tender and juicy. Ginger is not my favourite ingredient but it's not too much on the sauce that I think it blends it well.

Tilapia fish (spicy) 金风鱼（香辣）(RM35.00)

Fried Tilapia fish that is crispy on the outside, not dried on the inside. Pour over with "nyonya" curry. I am not so sure what the curry name is but it has nyonya taste but with more santan and chilli. It is a very spicy dish not only for me (with weak spiciness tolerance level) but also for my family (with very much higher spiciness tolerance level).

Hot pepper pig stomach soup 胡椒猪肚汤 (RM18.00)

A dish that we were reluctant to order because it's so easily cook at home but did anyway. It was good spicy. The soup tasted like it has not added water and it's pure which I'm not sure how pure it is. The pig stomach looks very clean and it chewy enough that you don't need to chew too long before swallowing. I just think they should give more pig stomach. hehe :p Greedy-me!





There was one last dish that was always my favourite Hakka food and I was so indulge in it I forgot about pictures.

Braised nam yu pork belly 南乳五香焖炸肉 (RM14.00)

I think that they have put just a little more of fermented soya bean curd 南乳 because it's a little bit too salty but it's just good if you eat with plain rice. I like the overall taste and the best was how the sauce absorbs into the pork belly and you won't feel too "fat" eating the real fat.

Dessert time - Nothing much on the menu and we nearly ordered everything on the menu. Does hakka people have desserts? I don't know but I don't think these are.

Mango pudding (RM5.90)

Mango-powdered-taste pudding. A little artificial mango taste but I guess most mango pudding tastes like that. One good point is the taste tells you they don't purposely save on the mango essence.

Snow fungus with soya (RM5.90)

This dessert doesn't amze me. It's soya! Ohya, with white fungus.

Longan & sea coconut (RM5.90)

Out of the 3, I vote for this and it's what I ordered. Sweet but not too sweet and cooling but actually, it's just normal.