Kuala Kangsar in a Whirlwind

Kuala Kangsar - The Royal Town of Perak, Malaysia. Not a destination listed in a common tourist's itinerary. Easily accessible from the highway, though not necessarily translates to higher traffic. A simple town in general, it was only my third visit to the comparatively serene town.

Yut Loy Coffee Shop (read about them from rasarasa.net) has been in existence for more than 50 years now, spanning three generations of the Chong family. A 'MUST' stopover for outsiders in town, for a taste of their traditional (and immensely popular) Hainanese pau, coffee/tea, and even Hainanese chicken chop, steak, or fried rice.

Opens for breakfast and lunch, but their signature HALAL pau (comes in different fillings, namely chicken, beef, kaya and 'tau sar' - green beans) are only available from 2.30pm onwards. Truth be told, this place reminded me of Yik Mun in Tanjung Malim a lot. From the pau, to the Hainanese fare, as well as the mixed crowd (truly 1Malaysia?) and the HALAL certification.

Coming here early for breakfast, only simple fares such as toasts with kaya and margarine, and egg toasts were being served. Paired with their brand of milk tea and coffee, a complete Hainanese breakfast-package.

The thick and fluffy bread used was of the Benggali bread variety, a plus point compared to the usual Gardenia and Hi5 modernized/over-processed white breads. The coffee was sadly a bit lacking in terms of roasted, smokey aroma; A notch below the highly sought after Ipoh's white coffee. (Okay, not ALL outlets in Ipoh serve good white coffee, hence take heed!)

Location : Yut Loy Coffee Shop @ 51, Main Road/Jalan Kangsar, 33000 Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

Tel No : 05- 776 6369. (Number taken from rasarasa.net article, not confirmed)

Lunch was a hearty affair at Sudut Nyonya Restaurant, at Taman Suria, Kuala Kangsar. No prize for guessing what type of cuisine they specialize in!

A Halal outlet (it's definitely pork-free, but I did not notice the Jakim's certification anywhere. But several Malay patrons, including the police officers were chowing down their curry fish heads this afternoon, hence it has to be Halal, no?) on the main road of Jalan Taiping (the road where you exit the highway, and travel on heading towards town centre), this gem of a restaurant has definitely stood the test of time, given the worn-out decor, and constant patronage from the locals.

Signature dishes were all listed on the whiteboard at the entrance, hence choosing your dishes is a breeze. Or you can just walk over to the counter, for some economy rice fare.

Notable dishes include the curry fish fillet, rendang chicken and sambal belacan kangkung. HT - The Bulldozer made her picks, being a regular and all, while my mouth was agape, staring in disbelief at how her small frame can fit in the seemingly unbelievable amount of food. And yet she cried hunger after the session.

The curry being dark, thick and redolent with spices, reminiscing a wholesome Indian curry in claypot, with ample ingredients thrown in for good measure. Tomatoes, eggplants, ladies' fingers, and chunks of 'tenggiri' (doubtful, as I'm not good with my fishes) elevated the dish from a decent dish to an above average rating.

My personal favourite was the Sambal Belacan Kangkung, which was a little too strong for Mr Z, but the pungent belacan (fermented spicy shrimp paste)was definitely right up my alley. The young shoots was crunchy as well.

The meal for 5 came to RM61, including drinks of sea coconut with shaved ice. Reasonable, given the rather clean and comfortable ambience, with air-conditioning and free parking.

Location : Sudut Nyonya Restaurant @ No 6, Ground Floor, Taman Suria, 33000 Kuala Kangsar, Perak. Tel No : 05-776 6410.

Coming from the highway towards Kuala Kangsar town, This restaurant is on your right, before reaching the traffic lights with Hospital Kuala Kangsar on your left. In the middle of a row of double-storey shophouses.

And since we're on the subject of parking, I was slapped with a summons for not displaying my parking coupon on the dashboard. I was only a mere 5 minutes late and on the receiving end of the enforcer's wrath. Some guys may have all the luck, but poor me being far, far away from being one. Sigh...... (Thankfully, it's only a RM10 compound. HAH! Puny fellas .....)

P/S : What irony, as boo got hers as well, and coincidentally during her getaway to another small town, for some Hainanese fare. Geez, how uncanny!

Freshwater Fish,Fishballs & Frogs (?!) @ Restoran Baru Lau Kai, Sauk

continuation from Motormouth in Betong ....

If you've absolutely NO idea where Lenggong or Gerik is, then I highly doubt you're familiar with the town named Sauk in the district of Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

It so happened the night market was in full swing that rainy evening.

On the way back from Betong, we stopped over in Gerik for a fruit feast, walloping durians, rambutans, pulasan, and longans. All thanks to mboy's landlord, who was being more than generous and enthusiastic in sharing his treasure stash of tropical fruits in his house, mostly given by friends/relatives and those who own farms around Hulu Perak.

Talk about some guys have all the luck. Here in Ipoh, to be given a 'Mau San Wong' (a rather highly-prized species of the durian) for FOC sounds like a typical scratch-n-win contest. You know there's a catch somewhere.

China Press came before, and the list of almost every species of freshwater fish there is, and the respective price per 100g. Make DOUBLY sure you know the price, and the estimated weight of your fish before placing your order, to avoid a heart attack.

On the way back from Gerik to Ipoh, you'll pass by a lot of villages, with funny, funny names. More notable towns include Lenggong (About 40km+ from Gerik), and Sauk (nearer to Kuala Kangsar).

Sauk is a rather obscure town, not easily accessible by those not familiar with the coastal road (Gerik highway), but certainly not without its charm. Do not write this town off yet, if you've never paid this town a visit. There are several gems around the Kampung Baru Sauk area, mainly Chinese seafood/'dai chow' restaurants that pride on their fresh supplies of freshwater fish/river fish/ikan sungai.

Claypot Frogs with Ginger @ RM25 (1/2 kg)

The night market (dominated by Malay stalls, obviously catering to the Malay community in and around Sauk and Kuala Kangsar, I presume) was in full swing that evening, hence parking was a bit troublesome. But of course, in small towns, the ultimate/universally-embraced rule of parking comes into play ; "Thou Shalt Park One's Car Haphazardly, while No Parking Tickets shalt be Issued"

We picked a restaurant named (you ready for this?): Restoran Baru Lau Kai Ikan Sungai (a mouthful, no less, so let's call it Lau Kai), situated next to the mosque in Sauk town. Rather easy to locate, as this is on the main road itself.

The famous fishballs. AGAIN. RM5 for 10 pcs.

The board on the wall clearly proved that their recipe for success (ahem) lies in their astounding array of freshwater fishes, from the common ones to the more exotic-sounding species (read : PRICEY). Basically, ranging from RM2.50/100g, to RM10/100g. And don't be shy to ask how much your fish weigh, for a rough idea of how much damage you can absorb.

Clearly you wouldn't wanna be cleaning plates at the end of your meal. At Sauk, no less.

We started off with that famous fishballs again, and it seems that Sauk's fishballs are equally as popular as Lenggong's. Just that in Lenggong, the many restaurants garnered sufficient publicity to render their fishballs a notch more attention than Sauk's. Comparing the homemade fishballs at Lau Kai's, and Lenggong's Khen Pang's, our votes unanimously went to Lau Kai's. Hands down. First and foremost, they're not deep-fried, not oily like Khen Pang's, and most importantly, the texture was equally as bouncy/QQ. Very original, very homemade. The shapes and colours may seem unappealing, but I'd rather take the less processed ones, any day.

A touch of royalty? Steamed Sultan Fish @ RM7 per 100g

Since the weather was a grim, cloudy one that evening, the piping hot claypot filled with delicate frogs' meat cooked with mashed ginger was a most warming and inviting dish. Snowy white meat, smooth and tender (to the point of almost jelly-like), it's been some time since I've tasted good quality frogs, commonly cooked in porridge or 'Kung Pou' (with dried chillies) style, hence overwhelming the delicate texture and flavour of the meat.

What in the world was the lady doing to our FISH?!!! Arghh!!!

For our fish, we chose the Ikan Sultan (Sultan fish), priced at RM7 per 100g. Since the fish is of a rather large breed, the four of us were served with one half of the fish. Weighing at 1.1kg, no less. Steamed in a variety of ways, we wanted ours to be steamed plain, with soy sauce to fully savour the freshness and natural flavours of the fish.

The fish was steamed with scales in tact, to preserve the freshness, and sweet flavours from seeping away during the process of steaming. But the lady boss was accomodating enough, (PR skills at work here, top notch) walked over to our table and scrapped the outer layer of the fish with scales, and cheerfully explained the whys and the nots of cooking the fishes.

I can't cook for the life of me. So I feigned interest. =P

Oh, so there. Gee, thanks for de-scaling the fish in a flash, lady!

Even half of the fish proved to be too much for our little tummies, as towards the end of our meal, we struggled to polish off the whole fish. To a respectable degree of success, I might add. The flesh was firm, moist and sweet, as expected. No seasonings or condiments required.

Absolutely delightful salted egg squids (Ham Dan Sotong) @ RM10

But to our surprise, although the other dishes were good enough to warrant repeated visits, it was the Salted Egg Squids that grabbed our attention. And it was because of this dish alone, that we were there in the first place. mboy heard whispers in the wind before, of this famous dish at Lau Kai's in Sauk, and glad to say, the squids did not disappoint one bit.

The springy squids was coated with a crispy outer layer of batter with heavy nuances of salted egg yolk, yet remained crisp (not soggy), and not overly-salty, unlike some Ham Dan dishes elsewhere. The curry leaves added zing to the savoury pieces of squids, and we polished these off with no laments.

The meal came to RM123 for the 4 of us, including drinks and rice. The Sultan Fish alone costed RM77, but reasonable if one compares the price per 100g head to head with other restaurants in bigger towns/cities.

Location : Restoran Baru Lau Kai Ikan Sungai @ No S-22, Kampung Baru Sauk, 33500 Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

Handset Number : 012-793 9670 or 012-527 1319.

Opens daily from 10.30am until 10.00 pm. Off days not fixed, but 2 days per month. Call before arriving to confirm.

For your information, this restaurant is located next to the huge arch written "Kampung Baru Sauk" (refer to the first picture). A few shops away, there is another famous restaurant, named Kedai Makanan Dan Minuman Sauk, with a reputable following, judging from the number of patrons that evening.

NOT the one from Betong, but the clock tower in Kuala Kangsar town (covered in cobwebs?)

And that ended our day trip, from Ipoh to Betong, and back within 12 hours. Not bad eh? A bit rushed, if you're hoping for lots of sight-seeing, massage and food hunts, but sufficient for us as we were rather aimless, and commenced the journey for the sake of .... well, fully utilizing the weekends !!! :)