Breakfast in Kampar, Tapah or Tanjung Malim?

Happy Merdeka everyone !!! A little late, but better be late than never, right? A rather eventful journey back from KL moments ago, with a 10 cars pile-up on the highway heading north, creating a helluva ruckus, mainly from the slowed down vehicles no thanks to the over-eager and caring crowd (read : nosy), and the traffic on the opposite side that's heading south snaking from Ipoh all the way to the accident scene at around Tapah.

Goes to show how united we Malaysians are, especially in such dire situations (or interesting, depends on which side of the fence you're on), as people from all walks of life, from the young 'rempits' to the old-timers, we never failed to come to a halt on the roads, and express our 'concern' towards such unfortunate incidents befalling others. 1Malaysia indeed ....

Breakfast @ Medan Selera Kampar, beside Kampar's morning wet market

Shivering from the inevitable 'balik kampung' exodus yet? No fret, as if you're not fond of the highways, go for the trunk roads instead. Not that I'm giving my words suggesting there won't be any traffic jams on the significantly longer and tedious journey on the one-lane roads from Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur, but at least one can stop over for a leisurely breakfast in various smaller towns, and be amazed by the sheer quality of the simpler, hawker food, aside from the possibly more fruitful and entertaining journey along the way.

Just be sure to endure the incessant "Are we there yet?" nonsense from the young ones, as the rural outlook of the towns and whatever else sandwiched in the middle between the towns may get to a child's nerve pretty fast. Especially if one's tailing a lorry or roadhog at 40km/h.

Kampar is a developing town about 30km south of Ipoh. Previously only famous for the 'Chicken Biscuits' (Kai Jai Peng), Claypot chicken Rice (coincidentally, I wrote about the origin of claypot chicken rice HERE before) and Curry Chicken Bread, Kampar has been transformed to a bustling town complete with a hypermarket, a university, and new residential areas sprouting to cater to the growing population.

For breakfast, hop over to Medan Selera Kampar adjacent to Kampar's wet market that houses an impressive number of stalls selling a delicious array of hawker fare, from the hearty pork porridge and famous glutinous rice to Kampar famous 'Lou Shu Fan' and Char Kuey Teow.

The Char Kuey Teow (fried noodles with eggs, prawns, and waxed sausages) was served on a sheet of banana leaf, and a welcoming half a calamansi lime for extra zing. A respectable portion, enough to feed a big eater (Mr Z had them, not me ... LOL), the noodles was fried with enough 'wok hei' or fire from the wok, hence ensuring a satisfying plate of greasy noodles for breakfast. At RM3.30 per plate, considered a steal if you ask me.

The Nasi Pulut or Glutinous Rice (Stall No 42) was ever so satisfying, with the usual slices of Char Siew, and peanuts, with optional curry gravy, and garnished with chopped spring onions. At a mere RM1.70, one pack or plate may not be enough. Just be sure to arrive early as they finish rather fast especially on weekends and public holidays.

Skip the Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun though, for the taste was a little off, with an evidently pungent taste emitting from somewhere (probably the steamed rice noodles was soaked in some foul liquid).

Location : Medan Selera Kampar @ Jalan Pasar, Kampar, Perak.

Thick, fragrant Roti Telur with a piping hot cup of teh susu @ Anjung Ria in Tapah

Not fond of the crowd? Don't fret. Make your way further down south (from Ipoh's direction) to Tapah, for a fulfilling breakfast of Roti Telur and Teh tarik from Anjung Ria Restaurant, facing the Tapah bus station on Jalan Raja.

Previously, I blogged about Roti Telur at Restoran Haji before, the two-lots mamak restaurant next to Restoran Anjung Ria. But once I've tasted the crisp on the outside, warm and perfectly-cooked egg omelette on the inside Roti Telur from Anjung Ria, I was hooked. They also serve Roti Sardin, albeit in a different manner. The chunks of sardine is served at the side, instead of in between the layers of dough (roti canai).

Location : Restoran Anjung Ria @ 16, Jalan Raja, Tapah, Perak. Opposite the bus station in Tapah. Jalan Raja is the road parallel to Jalan Stesen, which leads to Tapah Road, and subsequently Teluk Intan.

A little commercialization never hurts ... their pockets. But ours did.

Okay, so if you're heading northbound, and breakfast in Kampar or Tapah sounds like a far-fetched idea, why not stop over in Tanjung Malim instead, for a taste of the traditional Yik Mun Pau?

Coincidentally (again), I blogged about them HERE. In a short span of few months, they're renovated, giving the shop a modernized, cleaner look. But in exchange, the old school, authentic kopitiam decor from the olden days is lost.

The quality of the pau remained mediocre, with highly-processed minced meat (chicken or beef) dominating, with a rather run of the mill curry paste. At RM1.60 per piece, a little exorbitant in a small town like this. The thick toast with kaya and butter (Roti Kahwin) @ RM3.00 per portion fared much better, as the sides remained crispy while the bread was soft, and warm, sandwiching blocks of butter and kaya. The beverages were nothing to shout about though, bordering on being diluted, tasteless liquids.

Still wondering where the charm from the yesteryears has disappeared to? Sigh ....

Location : Yik Mun Famous Tanjung Malim Pau @ 6043, Jalan Slim River, Tanjung Malim, Perak. Tel No : 05-4596380.

Bangkok - Of Temples (Wat Pho/Wat Arun) & Giant Baguettes ?!!

Continuation from Bangkok - Floating Market & Death Railway ....

The pier where the passengers are waiting for their "water taxis" to arrive

A lighter post for the weekend (Read : More pictures, less words. Happy?). Late in the afternoon, we took the water taxi to Wat Arun, a famous Buddhist temple also known as Temple of Dawn. Since this temple, and Wat Pho (another famous temple in the vicinity - across the river from Wat Arun. Wat Pho houses the gigantic reclining Buddha statue) are only few stops away from the Chao Phraya Express' Phra Arthit (Banglumpoo) stop, which in return, is within walking distance from Khao San Road.

Rocky ride side, the boat ride is a tad cheaper than your cabs, and tuk-tuks

For a mere 13baht/RM1.30 per person, we took the water taxi from Phra Arthit to Tha Tien, where Wat Pho is located. Do bear in mind that the boats can be a little uncomfortable, and it's not uncommon to see people standing around without seats. So if you're one who experiences seasickness easily, refrain from pushing your luck. The Thai people may not appreciate your vomits on their clothes, for sure.

Wat Pho aka The Temple of Reclining Buddha - Count them spikes!

Selling pork sausages by the road, and scenes around Wat Pho

To enter the hall with the reclining buddha, a fee of 50baht/RM5 per person is required. Since we've been there before, we abstained from viewing the large statue, and instead snapped pictures around the vicinity. There are more than enough shrines, halls, statues, etc for you to shoot, really.

Towering structures, golden statues, and a generally serene environment around Wat Pho

Wat Pho, also known as Wat Phra Chetuphon, is in fact a stone's throw away from that famous Grand Palace. A must-see attraction if it's your first time to Bangkok. Entrance fee back then (three years ago) was 250baht/RM25, but has since been increased to 350baht/RM35 this year. Source : Tourism Thailand.

Colourful wishes on a 'tree', Wat Arun from a distance, and the shrine nearby.

From Wat Pho, we took a connecting boat ride across the Chao Phraya river to the other side of the bank, a very short 5 minutes ride for 3baht/RM0.30 per person.

Wat Arun - The Temple of Dawn. Before the lighting up and all .....

Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of Dawn, is opened to the public for free. Except if one decides to enter the inner-gated area of the Temple, with the Prangs (the pyramid-like towers), whereby a minimal fee of 50baht/RM5 will be charged. Opens daily from 7.30am until 5.30pm.

Wat Arun come sundown .... Wait for this. By 7pm, the sky will be dark enough for memorable shots of the grand structures (Prang)

Highly recommended to come here late in the afternoon, and stay until nightfall. To get the best of both worlds, so to speak. A remarkable sight to behold, especially at the speck of dawn. Or dusk, since coming here before sunrise sounds rather absurd. =)

Spoilt for choice - Breakfast @ Soi Rambuttri, near Khao San Road

This post contains the bits and pieces, or remnants if you will, of our 2 days stay in Lamphu House on Soi Rambuttri, near to Khao San Road. On the last day, we decided to join the foreigners/backpackers (trust me, there were hundreds, or probably thousands of Westerners there!) for a hearty breakfast by the streets. You know, those stalls that serve a little bit of everything, from Pad Thai and Curry Rice to Pancakes, Muesli and Sandwiches.

Banana Pancake with Chocolate Sauce - 45baht/RM4.50

Delightful stuff! Decadent, with sweet yet not overly-cloying chocolate syrup, and a whole sliced banana, the surprisingly fluffy pancake was whipped up NOT by any Caucasians, but two petite Thai girls themselves!

Omelette Chamni Style - Bacons, Cheees and Vegetables @ 55baht/RM5.50

The appearance may be deceiving, but the thin crepe-like omelette was oozing with melted cheese, and topped with pork bacons and julienned vegetables. Light, yet hearty and filling enough for breakfast.

Baguette Sandwich with Ham & Cheese (top) and fillings of pan-fried chicken meat (bottom)

Since this was a make-shift stall of sorts (doubtful they ever move away though, given the rather amicable number of customers patronizing), the 'kitchen' space is certainly limiting, and the wait for one's food may be slightly longer than expected. Of course, you don't expect 3 Michelin stars type of service, or dining comfort.

The baguette came in shocking portions, and we were thankful we shared amongst the four of us. With generous filling of meat and vegetables, highly doubtful a small eater can stuff the whole sandwich by herself.

Wanna know how BIG exactly was the baguette?

BIG enough to cover half of their faces. No joke.

Breakfast for four came to 255 baht/RM25.50. And there are stalls such as these strewn everywhere on Soi Rambuttri. Alternatives include cafes at every corner of the Soi, as well as Khao San road, usually belonging to the same owner of the respective guesthouse/hotel. You won't miss them, trust me.

And with that, we parted ways with Khao San Road, felt almost like old friends bidding each other goodbyes.

So where to NEXT? =)