The Original Claypot Chicken Rice - Heng Kee @ Kampar, Perak

Sorry folks, for the lack of updates these past few days. I was down in KL for the weekend, and just got back to Ipoh a moment ago. But departing to Penang in about 12 hours, and will be staying put until the weekend. Time's really tight, hence I'll rattle off fewer words than usual. (A blessing in disguise, eh?)

Heng Kee Claypot Chicken Rice in Kampar - THE Original?

Since Kampar's in the news recently for being 'crowned' with the district accolades (previously Daerah Kinta Selatan, now Daerah Kampar), and highly probable to be in the limelight for months and years to come, I'll post a short review of one of Kampar's most recognisable food; The claypot chicken rice.

I wasn't lying, was I? Told ya they're THE original ....

With a history spanning over 50 years, Heng Kee has been dishing out thousands, or probably millions of those delectable claypots of goodness.

Claypot Chicken Rice with Chinese Waxed Sausages & Salted Fish @ RM12

Opens from 5pm onwards for dinner and supper only, the stall is located in Wing Lok Yuen Coffee Shop on Jalan Idris in Kampar town. Remember it's for DINNER only, hence don't come knocking during lunch hour and lodge complaints!

Mix them up REAL good ......

Ordering's simple enough. Either you opt for a small, medium or big pot, correlating to the number of people (or barbarians) on the table. For choice of ingredients, you can have waxed sausages (lap cheong) or/and salted fish together with your serving of chicken rice in claypot, or you can even have the Heng Kee Special with an additional egg. I saw this option on the signboard hanging above the stall rather late, thus I omitted the egg, unwillingly. Shucks ....

The Best part is at the Bottom; The Crackly Crust.

Fluffy grains of rice cooked in claypots fuelled by charcoal-fire, served with liberate amount of dark sauce (combination of soy sauce, dark soy sauce, probably a dash of wine, etc), chopped scallions, and cuts of marinated chicken meat, slices of wax sausages as well as blocks and bits of salted fish for that extra oomph.

Unlike amateur-ish version of claypot chicken rice out there, some with sticky/lumpy, overcooked rice or some with undercooked, tough-as-nails grains, Heng Kee's claypot chicken rice is really commendable, and worth the visit as the texture of the rice is just perfect. Eaten without chopped bird's eye chillies, or even an extra dash of soy sauce, the fluffy rice was a joy to be relished on its own, and when complemented with the meats, needless to say, the excitement was heightened by a few notches.

Selling confectioneries from CB (that famous Kampar confectioneries specializing in chicken biscuits), as well as some products from Teluk Intan as well

But the BEST part about Heng Kee's claypot chicken rice is the layer of hardened, crusted, & burnt rice at the bottom of the pot. Ask any claypot chicken rice lovers out there, and guaranteed most (if not all) would attest to the fact that the layer of crust at the bottom = Heavenly Treasures! Or something. But truth is, that layer of crust can only be achieved with certain level of technique, to avoid an overly-burnt aroma that mars the whole experience.

Wing Lok Yuen - Housing the Heng Kee Claypot Chicken Rice Stall

Verdict : Certainly earned its stripes as one of the BEST claypot chicken rice out there, even trumping that other one in Ipoh (K10). Minor gripe : Several more pieces of salted fish would do nicely, and the sauces may be a little underwhelming (read : bland) for some who prefer their rice with more flavours.

Location : Heng Kee Claypot Chicken Rice @ Wing Lok Yuen Restaurant, 123, Jalan Idris, Kampar, Perak. Opens from 5pm - 1am. Got MAP !!!

Grand Kampar Hotel (www) - From RM128 nett onwards.

Wondering where to stay, in case you're up for a food hunt in southern Perak, and dodgy guesthouses/motels not your preference? Grand Kampar Hotel opened its door for business about 2 years ago, and the exterior would probably blow your socks off. A figure of speech, of course. Do visit their site @ http://www.grandkamparhotel.com/en/aboutroom.html for promotions, room rates, contact and location.

With that, Motormouth's out on an excursion again ..... from the south, to the north this time !!!