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.

Kampar-Tapah-Bidor-Teluk Intan in 8 hours

Over-travelled. Is there such a word? For if there is, I'm certainly on the brink of achieving nirvana this week, imagine waking up in 3 different places in a week, covering from North to South of Perak, and then some ...

Relaxing with a cuppa during working hours ...

A short post first, more detailed posts later. We, the original Food Gang (me, KYT, TallGal & FCOE) embarked on a journey down south, covering 4 towns, in hopes of finishing the job within a day's worth of work. Initially thinking of skipping breakfast due to time constraints, though I was hoping to pay the Kampar morning market food court a visit. =(

When it was Tall Gal and KYT's turn to do some work, me and FCOE stole some precious time and in a flash, parked our car, and subsequently our butts (hehe) at a mamak restaurant in Tapah, right opposite the bus station, named Restoran Haji.

Roti Telur with Dhal Curry (RM1.80)

The shop covers 2 lots, with a small crowd chatting over breakfast (typical of residents in smaller towns to take things easy and enjoy life as we all should?). I requested for murtabak. None. Capati? None as well, though their menu stated otherwise on the wall. Only roti canai and telur. Oh well ... Talk about options. Roti telur dua then.

Wrapped in a thin roti canai, the omelette was good enough, though paled in comparison to Penang's Argyll Road's version. The addition of green chillies added some kick, though not spicy at all. =P Their dhal and curry was good, not of the diluted kind. By the time Tall Gal and KYT came over, we were nearly finished, thus they only managed a glass of Milo each. Muahaha ........

Location : Restoran Haji opposite Tapah bus station, on a road parallel to Jalan Stesen where we had the Cendol Pulut previously.

This restaurant holds wedding functions way back then ...

Then work took us to Bidor, a bigger town some 15km away. This time we did not visit Pun Chun, for every previous visit to Bidor, Pun Chun (famed for duck noodles, yam puffs) would be our spot for lunch. We went to a restaurant on the way to Sungkai, a famous name every Bidoran should recognize. Tien Tien Lai Seafood Restaurant.

Braised Yee Mee (RM4.50)

I practically grew up visiting Sungkai very often, as my late grandpa was from there. Therefore, the old trunk road from Ipoh to Sungkai has become quite a routine route for our family. Back then, whenever there is any wedding ceremony, or grandpa feels like treating the whole family, we would head to this restaurant in Bidor.

They serve economy rice during lunch, in addition to dai-chow style dishes, and individual meals. Still feeling bloated from breakfast in Tapah, we chose to order lightly, hehe, at least I think we did. I picked the yee mee (egg noodles) while all 3 of them chose Ginger and Onion Chicken Rice. Komplot ah?!

Ginger and Onion Chicken with rice (RM5)

The food was acceptable, and the portion was humongous. They do not skimp on the ingredients, that's for sure. You can choose to sit inside with air-conditioning, OR outside and bask in the sun. The choice, was obvious for us, the spoiled lot. Haha ....

Location : Restoran Makanan Laut Tien Tien Lai @ No 1, Taman Kandiah, Jalan Sungkai, 35500 Bidor, Perak. Tel : 05-4342819

Til then .... wait for my Taiping post later 2nite, ya?

Tapah Mini Food Crawl

Departing a bit late, resulting in spoiled initial plan of having breakfast/lunch/teatime along the old trunk road from Ipoh-Tapah. ;) Team? Me and KYT only. Chose the highway instead, and travelling was a chore as it was a very, very hot day.

Work started smoothly, right until some arrogant b*st*rd completely ruined my day (or rather, the 1st half of my day) No intention to elaborate further, to prevent re-ignition of "internal fire"

Let's move on to something joyful .... FOOD! :)

Cendol Pulut (RM1.50)

Located at a side lane off Jalan Stesen, this stall's signboard caught our eyes (my fury eyes), as I've never tasted Cendol Pulut in my life, but astonishingly, KYT had!! How wrong was I to think he would avoid anything with santan. =P

Pathetic & empty looking arrangement huh?

The stall sells Nasi Lemak and Burgers as well. We ordered a bowl each of their signature dessert, Cendol Pulut, and they came in 2 BIG bowls, enough to be shared among 3 or 4. Not expecting much from such an empty stall, surprisingly the cendol tasted quite good, not too sweet, and not too much santan (coconut milk). And the inclusion of pulut (glutinous rice) into the mixture added texture, taste, and of course, pretty much filling. Hmm, but at only RM1.50/bowl, you do NOT get red beans, and the gula melaka is not as fragrant/tasty as the one used by Penang's or Melaka's cendol. But who's complaining? ;)

We searched high and low, but could not find the name of the shop

We picked up another kaki makan in Tapah, Miss Skoon, who works somewhere at the outskirts, on the way to Bidor. She drove us to a place she fondly refers to as "Riverfront", right beside a mosque, by the riverside. (The water is murky, be thankful the stall is located a distance away from the bank)

Nasi Daging Merah (RM4.00)

They served economy rice,with plentiful of dishes, including ulam (raw vegetables) and grilled fish, as well as various masakan kampung. We chose to eat freshly cooked dishes, as from the menu on the wall, there were at least 10 types of Nasi Goreng and the likes, available for order.

Nasi Goreng USA (RM5.00)

KYT's Nasi Daging Merah (beef in sweet and spicy sauce) came in quite a portion (rice and dish alike), but he commented the lack of taste, and the chewiness of the chunks of beef kind of spoiled the dish for him. My Nasi Goreng USA came with a fried egg on top, small prawns, LOTS of onions (yummy), and Daging Merah as well. On the contrary, I found the beef to be well marinated and cooked, and though some pieces were slightly chewy due to the veins, overall the portion was HUGE, and the rice was fried til fragrant and delicious. Or probably I LOVE caramelized onions no matter what they're served with. ;)

Nasi Goreng Paprik (RM5.50)

Skoon had some scares as the waiter/waitress kept serving the aforementioned beef dishes and claimed those were Nasi Paprik, when what Skoon ordered was in fact a CHICKEN dish. Luckily hers arrived just the way she wanted, Fried Rice with Ayam Paprik (Chicken, Prawns and Vegetables in spicy/sour sauce). Tried a piece, and the dish was tasty.

The price was pretty reasonable for the portion served, but be prepared for some wait in case you decide to order from the kitchen. The place was designed 'half al fresco', therefore brave the heat if you're seated on the outer ends.

Location : Coming from the North-South Highway, towards Tapah town, you will pass by a bridge (Jambatan Batang Padang if I'm not mistaken), after turning left at the traffic lights at Shell petrol station. This shop/stall is located on the left, immediately after the bridge, beside the mosque.

Location : Cendol Pulut @ a side lane beside Hotel Utara on Jalan Stesen. To get to Jalan Stesen, drive further down the road after the bridge, and you will reach a traffic lights with a shop named Restoran Kai Fan on your right. Turn right into Jalan Stesen, and once you see Klinik Sentosa on your left, and Hotel Utara on your right, turn right into the small lane beside the hotel. The stall is situated at the lane itself.