Kok Beng Chicken Rice @ Taiping, Perak

Purpotedly one of the Top 10 BEST Chicken Rice in Malaysia (featured exclusively on a ntv7 and Guang Ming Daily's joint hunt for the best in Malaysia, back in 2007), Kok Beng Chicken Rice has been gracing the grounds and gourmet scene in Taiping for a good 16 years.

Sinful, caramelized goodness on the hangers

Previously operating from another lot, Kok Beng has since relocated to this new outlet on Jalan Kota in Taiping in 2000, and has been doing rather brisk business on a daily basis.

Ong Kok Beng is the proprietor of the chicken rice, a friendly chap probably in his late 30's, or 40's. An estimation of course, but given his cheerful demeanour and approachable aura, he could well be in his 50's without people realising it. :)

Prove of their worth - Kok Beng being featured on several media portals

A simple coffee shop without much glitz nor glamour, Kok Beng is easily noticable from the streets, thanks to its bright orange-yellow coloured signboard with a chicken as its mascot. The place can easily seat a capacity of 50 or so customers, though the time we were there, most preferred the take-away option.

The traditional, homemade blended chilli sauce with ginger and garlic

Serving poached chicken, roasted chicken and barbecued marinated pork (Char Siew) with rice and soup of the day, one never needs a menu at Kok Beng's.

The roasted chicken, the smooth poached chicken and Char Siew, and the chicken rice

The fluffy grains of rice had a mild hint of oil from the chicken (not that gross, trust me), not too oily and suits those healthy-minded ones. The chilli sauce deserves a mention, for staying true to its Hainanese moniker, using only fresh chillies, and ginger, grinded to a pulp-ish yet smooth concoction, with a slightly spicier kick than the usual watered-down version from the bottles.

The poached chicken was a little disappointing in my opinion, though firm and tender, but not the pleasantly smooth type. Of course, I'm not suggesting that one must go all out for raw, smooth and slithering down one's throat version sometimes served by some of the big names in Ipoh (Lou Wong comes to mind).

The roasted chicken fared better, though the skin was not of the crispy kind. But the star of the show was undoubtedly, and surprisingly, the Char Siew. The homemade variety, without the artificial reddish hues, and served with a sweet and salty caramelized dark sauce.

The chicken rice is priced at RM3 per plate, though ours which came in a combination of two meats came to about RM5 per plate. A meal for two including drinks and soup came to RM12.80.

Location : Kedai Kopi Kok Beng Chicken Rice @ 38, Jalan Kota, 34000 Taiping, Perak.

Tel No : 6012-505 6697 or 6012-522 6697.

Opens daily from about 11am until 2 or 3pm, or until the food's finished for the day.

Closed on every other Monday, hence call in advance before arriving.

Want some other views on Kok Beng Chicken Rice? Here goes :

cynthia's a gal who had been frequenting the shop since her younger days.

foodbuddy.net loved the Char Siew as much as we did.

the list of the Top 10 Chicken Rice in M'sia from tourmalaysia.com.

A Day's Out in Taiping (Kum Loong Dimsum & Mr.BBQ)

After a long hiatus, I was back to Taiping, TODAY! Last visit was the time when we went for buffet at Tao, and the Ansari Famous Cendol. That's .... like milleniums ago.

People jog, picnic, and relax by the famous Lake Garden. Yup, under the scorching sun.

Char Siew Pau and Nam Yu Pau with Chinese Tea

Arriving rather early today, we went for dim sum at Kum Loong Restaurant on Jalan Kota, the main road of Taiping, running parallel to Jalan Taming Sari. The restaurant has been around for almost 70 years (a whisper-in-the-wind of sorts, courtesy of a friend working in Taiping who dropped by for lunch at the same place with us, later).

It was barely 10am. And most items have been sold out. WHAT?! But even Foh San serves their dimsum until afternoon. Not fair! So we were left with minimal options, a few plates (they serve theirs on sauce plates, those old, tainted ones) of fishballs and dumplings, and a some 'pau' were all that's available. So we made the best of the situation and ordered accordingly.

Such ... simple presentation. Without the usual rattan basket.

The buns were fluffy and soft, without sticking to the teeth kind. But fillings lean more towards the stingy side. But the Nam Yu Pau (fermented bean paste?) was OK, the thick slice of FAT pork managed to satisfied our lust for something porky.

The same can't be said about the fishballs though. Chewy and artificial, they were best downed with a gulp of Chinese tea, and never to be seen again. The Har Kau (prawn dumpling) look-alike earned top marks at masquerading as the REAL stuff. They contained pork, and chives. No prawns, but yet was tasty. The skin was VERY thick and far from translucent though.

But what surprised us most was the price. RM9.20 for 5 pau, 2 plates of dimsum, and Tit Kuan Yin chinese tea for 3 pax. Yup, and we thought Betong's dimsum were the cheapest in the world.

They're open for breakfast until dinner. Serving not only dimsum, but noodles, rice and dishes as well. All DARN cheap at that. Attracts mostly the older folks of Taiping, hence we were rather appealing, at most. Hehehe .....

Location : KUM LOONG RESTAURANT @ 45-47, Jalan Kota, 34000 Taiping.

So, after breakfast, we were stumped on where for lunch. As the breakfast did not even dent our wallets. Hahaha ....

Mr BBQ @ Jalan Maharajalela

Read about this place from Backstreetgluttons, those bull-dozer of a foodie. Curious to know whether they're a Malay stall selling BBQ stuff? Or a Western cafe with BBQ chicken wings and such? Read on ....

Onion Egg Omelette with Prawns (RM7)

Crispy sides, savoury egg omelette with chopped onions, carrots, and shrimps, the Fu Yong Tan never failed to satisfy. A simple dish easily replicated at home, yet one of my favourite (and safest) order in restaurants.

Bei Jing Roll (RM6)

Batter-fried spring roll with ham, chicken and salted egg filling. Dip into the accompanying sweet chilli sauce, who can say no to this?

Golden Squids (RM8)

Springy and fresh squids cooked in a not-too-thick yet very aromatic and perfect complement to white rice curry gravy, the dish had me spooning the sauce into my mouth. There's something deeply attractive about the heavy curry flavour. Yummy stuff.

The BBQ/Grilled Sting Ray (RM12)

Squeeze half a lime all over, the stingray was grilled to perfection. With the spicy sambal sauce drenching the fish, and the tangy chilli sauce with chopped raw onions, we finally realised the BBQ-moniker on their signboard. Also available : Tilapia, Chicken Drumstick Fish (wth?!!), Silver Pomfret Fish, and Kampung Fish.

They serve SOOO many types of dishes, browsing through their menu had me salivating tonnes, before the food was served. Everything from Guinness Stout Chicken, to Sambal Petai (!!!!), and Fatt Put (Yam Ring with Vegetables and Chicken) as well as Curry Prawns in Bread. SLurp ... I'll definitely be back for more.

Location : Mr BBQ @ 16 & 17, Jalan Maharajalela, 34000 Taiping, perak. Tel : 05-807 9998.

No maps yet, rushing off to a movie now .... Drop a comment if anyone need one.

Bye Bye .... and the weekend's BREATHING at my neck. =P

Ansari's Famous Cendol in Taiping, Perak

Come come .... a mirage on a scorching hot day? Refreshing, over-flowing with those short, squiggly green worms .... ;)

They sell Pasembor (Indian Rojak) and Cendol ... a cool respite from the sweltering heat

Completely forgot about this place. This was the day after the Tao Autocity's Japanese Buffet experience. Ages ago. So, pardon the missing minor details.

Cendol with Santan (Coconut Milk) & Gula Melaka (Brown Sugar Syrup) with Red Beans/Pulut (Glutinous Rice)

Taiping has TWO very popular cendol stall. Bismillah Cendol (previous experience HERE), and Ansari Famous Cendol. Located VERY near to each other on Barrack's Road though. Stiff competition always bring out the BEST in everyone?

Thick, luscious and creamy concoction of sweet and milky broth, drizzled liberately with brown sugar syrup, and over-flowing (really!) with those cendol strips (green bean flour paste scented with pandan) and a choice of red beans or pulut, or both.

RM1.oo for a plain bowl. RM1.10 for one with red beans. RM1.30 for a bowl with pulut. And the grand daddy of them all ... RM1.40 for a bowl of everything. The refreshing experience? Priceless.

Ansari's Famous Cendol @ Jalan Chung Thye Phin, Taiping, Perak (Address updated 15/3/09 - Sorry for previous mistake)

So how does this fare, compared to Bismillah, and Penang Road's Cendol? I'd rate this as an in-betweener. Better than the former, but a notch below by Penang Road's Teochew Cendol (click HERE and gulp!).

What do YOU think?

Taiping Getaway (Finale)

After a good night's sleep, what better way to start the day, than with a hearty breakfast, not at some posh cafe serving "All-Day Breakfast Menu" at premium price, but instead where the locals throng for their coffee fix ...

The signboard reads "Pusat Hiburan Larut Matang" .... erm, entertained by your meal?

Right in the middle of town, a few blocks away from The Store supermarket, is this hawker food centre, housing at least 80+ stalls, dishing out 'halal' food, as well as an array of Chinese hawker fare.

Peace Hotel ... aptly named?

This colonial building is in fact, a premium-priced hotel by the name of Peace Hotel, serving 5 stars dishes, with a posh spa, gym facilities, and a swank pool to boot. Yeah ... right. (Hehe, me and my sarcastic thoughts. Blame it on the weather)

In case you missed the food centre, which I highly doubt, you can look for The Store supermarket (the orange building at the background of the photo above, OR you can look for this Jurassic of a building). It is facing the food centre.

Surprisingly, hygiene is maintained quite well. Just don't look into every nook and corner ...

With so many stalls to choose from, and typical us who woke up later than expected (",) we could not scout the whole area, skipping the Malay and Indian stalls. The drinks are pretty cheap, by Ipoh's standards.

Til now, I've no idea what this lady is selling. Yeah, me and my battered tastebuds.

Deep-fried Radish Cake? Rice Cake? (Rm0.40 per piece)

While waiting for the auntie to scoop the sweet sauce for the deep-fried blocks of artery-clogging snacks, my motormouth babbled and chatted her up. (NOT for the wrong reason, mind you =P). She explained the nature and name of the kuih, but my bad command of Mandarin got me nowhere, and with my tails between my legs, paid for them and scurried away to oblivion.

The texture and tasteless nature of the snacks suspiciously resembled Lor Bak Kou (radish cake) commonly served in dim sum outlets. But with a twist. They were served with a type of sweet sauce, with a hint of chilli in them. In fact, the sauce reminded me of the gravy for chee cheong fun (flat, rolled rice noodles), which brings me to ......

Chee Cheong Fun (RM1.80)

This plate of smooth Chee Cheong Fun (CCF), served with a type of sweet gravy and chilli sauce, sprinkled generously with sesame seeds, dried shrimps, and fried shallots, was very much alike Ipoh's version, BUT with another twist. (Anymore twist, and you'll figure this might be a plot in M.Night Shyamalan's upcoming movie) You can request for additional yam cake to be served with your plate of CCF. Yup, sounds strange, but the bland yam block provided a powdery, chewable texture to the noodles. Interesting.

Peanut Pancakes (RM0.50 each)

We Ipohans call them 'Dai Kow Meen'. Penangites recognize them as 'Ban Chang Kuih'. Some call them Apom. Whatever they're known as, rest assured all towns with a sizeable Chinese community would have stalls selling these snacks.

Char Kuey Teow with Eggs (RM2.20)

Ah Leng Char Kuey Teow. Translation? The Pretty One's fried kuey teow. Portion was big, enough 'wok hei' and with lots of ingredients thrown in. Without prawns or cockles, as KYT avoids seafood like the plague. Hehe ....

Location : Chee Cheong Fun @ Stall 71, Ah Leng Char Kuey Teow @ Stall 83. The rest easily located. Pusat Makanan Larut Matang @ Jalan Iskandar, Taiping.

The confectionery/factory churning out 'halal' biscuits

Mum was raving about some famous Aulong Heong Piah (a type of biscuits with malt sugar filling, and crunchy outer layer sprinkled with sesame). But Aulong is another area nearby to town, but with mazes of housing area. We were lost on the 1st day, unsuccessfully tracking the confectionery. But all's not lost.

On the 2nd day, a local girl was with us (praise be to her?), and hey! She knows the way around Aulong, and even suggested a few shops famed for their biscuits. We managed to crawl our way to Eng Huat Food Mfg & Trading, in Taman Bersatu. I highly doubt I can re-locate this shop, but help's always available (right, Ms NWN? =P)

They bake a whole range of products, for sale, and displayed a 'halal' certificate. Normally, Chinese confectioneries do not cater to the Malay crowd. So, one-up for Eng Huat. I bought a packet each of Heong Piah (RM3), Kaya Puffs (RM5), and Hup Toh Soh (RM2.70) (a crispy biscuit made from wheat flour, sugar, eggs).

Only the Hup Toh Soh managed to impress me, and had me chomping on them with delight. The Heong Piah are OK, but fell short of expectation. The Kaya Puffs are best avoided altogether.

Union of the Sweet and the Crumbly ... Aww ...

Location : Eng Huat Food Mfg Trading @ 261-262, Jalan Pak Cik Ahmad, Taman Bersatu, 34000 Taiping. Tel : 05-8076148.

Nothing beats curry-drenched white fluffy rice with meat & vegetables (RM4.90)

Final meal of the day in Taiping was at A.Rahman Nasi Kandar Restaurant, somewhere in Medan Taiping. Sorry, no exact address. The fried chicken was delicious, fried to perfection but still manage to retain the moisture of the meat. "Kuah campur" (mixed curry/gravy) is what I normally order whenever I have nasi kandar, since my days in Penang. Plus point is the curry here is spicier than the ones in Kayu, Khaleel, Pelita etc, providing much-needed kick.

With that, the 2 Days, 1 Night Taiping Getaway came to a halt. Still a lot of undiscovered gems in this town, definitely. Pledge to return in near future (supposedly end of this month, but major changes in government's policies forces us to be prudent, and .... well, let's just wait for my post at the end of June. You'll see).

Taiping Getaway (Part 2)

( .... continued from Part 1)

Legend Inn, Taiping - Where we crashed for the night ...

Just got back from KL. Needless to say, the trip automatically "transformed" into a mini food tour, though my real intention of the journey involved formal duty. Hehe ... Really one .... =P

Back to my Taiping post, there are a few hotels in Taiping worth a stay, and they charge reasonably as well. Few weeks back, we stayed at Kama Lodge, near Lake Garden and Maxwell Hill, a chalet type of resort, but slightly pricier. (pics of the place later). This time around, we chose Legend Inn, in town area, which is cheaper (Deluxe = RM93, Superior = RM113, Jr Suite = RM155). We tried our luck with the suite, but unfortunately, they were fully booked. Hmm ... And who says nobody holidays in Taiping?!!

The room was clean, (not the carpet though) and fully furnished, with cable TV available. I got the double bed, while poor KYT managed to grasp a single one. Muahaha ... Ratio proportionate to body size ma .... Advantage of a glutton? LOL.

View from our room ...

Though situated facing a mosque, we were spared of our worries of early morning awakenings by prayers, as we believe the mosque is only used during Friday prayers. After we were done with our work for the day, we took a well-deserved nap (hehe, typical of us) right until .... DINNERTIME !!!! Slurp ....... =P

Location : Legend Inn @ No 2, Jalan Long Jaafar, 34000 Taiping, Perak, Malaysia. Tel : 605-8060000. For more information, click HERE.

Fancy dining, al fresco style?

We drove to a food court situated near Lake Garden (Taman Tasik); a popular spot for joggers, family outings, lovers' embraces (oopps ...) etc.

Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun (RM2.50)

In order to fully utilise our bowel space, we scanned the whole area, and estimated the amount of food to be ordered, so we could try as much as possible, without wasting a single strand of noodle. Hehehe ....

I had the Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun (Rice Noodle Rolls) with Char Siew and Shrimp. Simple, but forgettable. Definitely not on par with some of Ipoh's superb offerings. But the sambal was spicy enough to warrant for attention.

Pork Meat Noodle in Salted Vegetable Soup (RM4)

KYT picked something even lighter, minced pork meat noodles in salted vegetable soup. The stall also offers other choices such as bitter gourd soup, etc. Strangely, though I was half-expecting him to whine and criticize his bowl of unassuming noodles, he was throwing praises, and seemed to enjoy his meal very much. Erm, don't judge the bowl by its colour? ;)

Seafood Char Koay Kak (RM4)

Still hungering for more, we eyed the Seafood Char Koay Kak stall, whereby the uncle was frying non-stop, indicator of flourishing business, equivalent to good food?

On closer inspection, he offers Char Koay Kak (fried rice cakes?) with a twist, ingredients such as prawns, squids and mantis prawns (!) can be added as you please. However, he ran out of mantis prawns (sigh ...) on that night, so only squids and prawns. Fried with enough 'wok hei' and fiery from chilli sauce added, the dish was delicious, and the shrimps and squids played a major role in my positive verdict.

Penang Lor Bak (RM5.20 for 4 pcs)

One stall was brightly lit, with colourful and tantalizing array of fried stuff (Lor Bak) on display, tempting even the most picky of eaters (ie : KYT .... sorry, can't help it =P). Prices are slighty steep, compared to the ones from Penang, but the pieces were bigger, and more varieties on offer. The accompanying sauce complemented the fragrant deep-fried pieces well.

After that heavy dinner, we had to skip supper. In fact, we were at lost on where else to search for good grub, forcing us to retire early, and prepare for a long, long day ahead ....

(to be continued ... )

Taiping Getaway (Part 1)

Wow, finally I'm able to journey to KL once again starting tomorrow, thus, keeping my fingers crossed for another potential glutton getaway. =P

Did not bother to ask what's the uncle selling/doing with a typewriter in front of the restaurant ....

Let me post my last blog for the week by introducing some Taiping food. In fact, this is my 2nd trip here in 2 weeks. The 1st was not memorable in terms of food, but the hotel (Kama Lodge) is worth noting. This 2nd trip required me and KYT to stay overnight, and luckily managed to get a LOT of work done in a matter of 24 hours.

Preserved salted lime juice aka 'Ham Kam Kat' (RM1.50)

Brought here by a local, as the lady boss is a relative of one of her colleague's. Situated on Jalan Kota, right smack in town area, this shop somehow managed to preserve the colonial look and feel, with wooden benches commonly found in Penang's coffee shops (eg. Kek Seng).

We saw a few jars of 'kam kat' (lime?) in preservation at the parking lot next to the shop itself. Supposedly cooling and good for HOT weather. Half-expected them to be salty/sourish and difficult to swallow, as I'm not a fan of sour drinks. But pleasantly surprised by the palatable taste.

Satay Chicken Rice (RM3.80)

They sell a variety of rice and noodles, and prices ranging from RM3 to RM6 per plate. Reasonable, I'd say. The shop was half full, eventhough it was only 12 noon. KYT had the Satay Chicken Rice, suspiciously resembling Kam Heong style. But the chicken was good, marinated well, and the ever-fussy KYT gave his seal of approval. =P

Kerabu Chicken Rice (RM3.50)

The gals (yeah, all THREE of them ... ain't we the lucky lot? hehe) ordered the same dish, Kerabu Chicken Rice, therefore I was tempted to, accordingly. To order the same dish, mind you, no other hidden agenda. LOL.

Tastewise? Moderate. Probably I was expecting too much, but the rice was tasteless though fried with egg, and fluffy enough. The strips of fried chicken, dipped in the spicy & sour sauce also did not manage to satisfy this glutton. KYT nodded in agreement.

Location : 5, Jalan Kota, 34000 Taiping. Very easy to find, at the far end of Jalan Kota if you're coming from the toll exit of southern Taiping (Taiping/Changkat Jering). Jalan Kota is one of the main roads, parallel to Jalan Taming Sari or Main Road of Taiping town.

Bismillah Cendol by the sidewalk

Still craving for more, as the portion served at Lian Thong was skimpy(nothing dirty on my mind, really!). Nearby Taiping Hospital, on Jalan Barrack, is this famous cendol stall, serving possibly Taiping's most talk-about dessert at a shack, and by the pathway.

Gal : Wah ... gaya lah 'pose' ni !! =)

There was a laksa stall by the roadside, in case you crave for something substantial, but for us, a chilled bowl of cendol would do just fine. You can sit inside the shop/shack, or by the sidewalk.

Cendol Pulut with Red Beans (RM1.40)

Possibly one-off chance to try them, we chose the one with everything, pulut (glutinous rice) and red beans. Cooling, sweet, refreshing, it was all we could ask for after torched by the merciless sun. However, the pulut was a disappointment, we detected charred ends, and they came in lumpy, tough-to-chew texture. On a positive note, the serving was generous, with BIG red beans thrown in for good measure. Just skip the pulut when you order.

Part 2 - to be posted as soon as I returned from KL .... Bon Voyage?