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For those who stays outside of Klang and Shah Alam, Klang seems like a destination that seems to be quite.. far. However, there are two sides of Klang, before and after the Klang River, for destination before the river, it is actually just 15 minutes from Subang, so if you were to drive to places such as Medan Selera 128, it doesn’t really require planning ahead for 3 weeks and getting visa approved by your home minister.

And the best part is, you can find some unique dishes not easily found in other parts of Greater KL.

128 food court, Klang

For example, one of these unique dishes is Hailam Rice, as offered by one of the stalls located at the rear part of Medan Selera 128.

Yeap, you read it right, Hailam rice, and not Hailam chicken rice.

Hailam rice turns out to be a dish consists of the following different ingredients:

• braised 3-layer pork
• hard boiled egg
• braised tofu skin
• pork blood + intestine in soup
• rice
• sticky curry sauce

Hailam Rice @ Klang

The braised meat/egg/tofu skin side is quite a familiar taste that you’ll be able to find at any good teow chew porridge shop, and the intestine + pork blood soup not too different from a good pork stomach soup. Both these dishes were executed quite on point at this particular stall, with proper seasoning, and pork cuts that was perfect and well cooked.

The sticky curry sauce though, was something quite unique, it’s almost like a cross between Japanese curry and Loh Mee’s “loh” soup, something that I haven’t really acquired the taste on just yet. If you’re new to this dish like me, I’d suggest asking for this sauce to be served separately and pace it out. Good thing is, their sambal is hot and really adds to the whole experience.

egg, pork, tofu, blood, intestine, curry rice

For RM 10, this was a rather sumptuous and satisfying meal, and it won’t be the last time I order a serving of Hailam Rice.

Address:
Medan Selera 128
Jalan Mantin, Kawasan 18,
41400 Klang, Selangor
GPS: 3.053676, 101.448358

Several weeks ago when my family was in town, we decided to meet up my cousin & extended family for a bit of a catch up session, and when you stay near Klang, the obvious option is bak kut teh, so that’s how we ended up at Ki Heong bak kut teh.

Ki Heong Bak Kut Teh, Bukit Tinggi Klang

Ki Heong (not to be confused by Kee Heong at Taman Eng Ann) is located at Bukit Tinggi, occupying two shop lots with one side fully air conditioned.

This is perhaps one of the best things anyone’s done to bak kut the – having it served in climate controlled environment! I mean, hot soup and hot weather doesn’t work so well together otherwise, right? Perhaps this is why bkt is often preferred as breakfast when it isn’t sweaty hot out.

The bak kut teh here comes in either soup or dry versions with a variety of different cuts to choose from. For those who loves pork fat, “pua pui chiak” (half fat, half lean), “tua kut” (big pone), and “seh kut” (small bones) are some of the cuts you should go for.

Additionally, you can also order innards such as stomach and intestine here. You can have these on a separate bowl in case some may not want them next to their meat, which is a bit of a shame, really!

dry bkt, soup bkt, and innards

The dry bkt here is certainly competent, rich in flavor and as usual, comes with a bit of dry chili and some okra slices to gives it a bit of character. Soup version is pretty decent here as well, while it isn’t the thickest, there’s still good herbal note, and they are happy to refill the clay pot as much and as often as you like.

As for the meat, I thought they are just slightly firmer than some of the best ones in Klang, though by no means anywhere close to “tough” territory. Overall this is a pretty decent bkt outlet that’s made better by having air conditioned dining area and unlimited soup. Not a bad choice really.

Bak Kut Teh is always best with a big group

Address:
Ki Heong Bak Kut Teh
Bukit Tinggi No. 28,
Jalan Bayu Tinggi 2A,
Batu Unjur, Klang
41200 Selangor
GPS: 3.011611, 101.439157

Quite a few moons ago I went up to Cameron Highland for the second time in my life, and as with the last time, I was not entirely prepared by how long the winding road was, and how tiring a drive that can be, not to mention how frustrating it can get when you’re stuck being a vegetable laden lorry going at 30 km/h.

So, Cameron isn’t as much about the journey as it is about the destination, and one of the destinations to check out would be Water Cress Valley Farm & Restaurant.

Water Cress Valley Steamboat

Water Cress Valley, like the menu stated, is both a farm and a restaurant. Right beneath the semi-alfresco (the only way to dine in Cameron Highland) is a beautiful water cress farm. I suppose the water cress served here at this restaurant is right from the farm, and other vegetables most likely from the highland as well, but I’m just guessing.

Since Cameron Highland is many hours away from the closest fishing village, ordering seafood at this part of Malaysia would be a pretty silly thing to do. Hence we went with their  vegetarian charcoal steamboat set to complete the farm to table experience.

They do offer chicken, deer meat, lamb, and seafood options, I believe this establishment is pork free.

Cameron Highland is famous for vege so..

The fancy charcoal pot did take a while to heat up, but once it got going that thing was ferocious. There’s no such thing as “turning down the heat, aunty” option. In a way, this sorta forced you to eat at a pace dictated by dead wood.

The watercress based soup was quite interesting in its taste, it was light, subtle, and perhaps lack sophistication. To be honest I thought we could also use a bit more leafy vegetables than what was provided, but there’s plenty of mushroom though so that’s a plus.

vegetarian steamboat set

Overall, the experience of dining in at Cameron Highland climate and freshness of produce makes up for the lack of fancy flavor and different condiments. If you’re already on the highland, this would be a place to visit, I wouldn’t suggest a 4 hour drive from KL just for this though.

Address:
Watercress Valley
Lot UT/KF/F 160, 159,
Batu 44, Jalan Besar, Tringkap,
39100 Tanah Rata, Pahang
GPS: 4.508113, 101.416869
Tel: 012-506 3252

For those who’re into Ipoh food, Nam Heong is surely a name that’s familiar.

Over the years, they’ve been expanding and bringing some of the most popular dishes from the city of Ipoh and spread it all around Klang Valley and more, good for us who loves a good meal of authentic dish from the area while enjoying the comfort of air conditioned dining area and all that convenience that comes with it.

challenge yourself to these games at Nam Heong Roadshow

A couple weeks ago, along with others, I was invited to their roadshow at IOI City Mall to check out what it is all about. They’re running the road show across different outlets happening now until mid November, 2019. Check graphic below for dates.

But first, during this period, do use MLINGKY discount code to get 10% off when you dine in during roadshow dates.

I was pretty good at the shooting game

So, what about the roadshow and what do you do there?

Well, for one, you get to meet the mascot – Madam Ling 玲姐. You’re right, I did not know they had a mascot before meeting her, but Madam Ling is pretty cute. 😀

More importantly, you get to win prizes after you’ve enjoy your good old fashion Ipoh dishes at Nam Heong by playing the different games they have:

1. Clawing machine 1- eligible for Grand Prizes
2. Clawing machine 2- eligible for Nam Heong merchandises
3. Throw the ball into cup – Nam Heong Signature Menu and Retail Items
4. Shoot the gun – Nam Heong Signature Menu and Retail Items

Some of the dishes we sampled at Nam Heong

The prizes are super attractive too:

yes, we did have an absolute feast

So if you haven’t try Nam Heong yet, it’ll be a good opportunity to do so during one of their roadshow dates and win yourself some merchandise, or who knows, you may walk away with one of those big prizes!

Madam Ling Roadshow dates across all locations

When you do so, don’t forget to use the MLINGKY discount code for 10% off!

Here’s their store locator.

Earlier this year, mom, brother, and I decided to head to Thailand for Chinese New Year. Our first stop was Hat Yai, the Southern town that has been a pretty popular spot for Penangites since way back when Penang Bridge wasn’t even a thing.

Tanatip Restaurant, Hat Yai, Thailand

Our overall plan was to take KTM Komuter from Sungai Petani, switch over to Thai railway at Padang Besar station, spend a night at Hat Yai, and then fly to Bangkok the next day.

The primary reason was that flight from Hat Yai to Bangkok was 3 times cheaper than Penang to Bangkok at the same time period. Plus you get an extra meal or three in Hat Yai, win-win the way I see it!

fried roasted pork with basil

We arrived at late morning, the stalls at the market has already mostly stopped selling at the time, while walking around we chanced upon this restaurant with some beautiful roast pork displayed outside, which was a sign that we as a family couldn’t ignore. That’s how we ended up at Tanatip Restaurant (sign board only in Thai..)

shrimp tomyam, fried century egg with ginger

We ordered three dishes to go with steamed rice for lunch, and naturally the first dish was to fried roasted pork with basil (80 baht), and it was as you would imagine, roast pork, fried with Thai basil, fish sauce, and the all important chili padi. It was spicy, fragrant, and so delicious I wonder why nobody serves this in Malaysia, simply love this dish.

Naturally, our first Thai meal must include tomyam, the shrimp tomyam (120 baht), it was of course freshly made from scratch, spicy, sour, and tastes as strong as you’d expect. The prawns was quite fresh too.

sumptuous lunch for the three of us at Tanatip Restaurant

Our third dish was something I’ve never tried before – fried century egg with ginger (70 baht). Yeap, if you love century egg, they are actually even better deep fried (what isn’t?). There’s generous amount of cashew nuts with this dish to probably make it a whole meal by itself if you’re on keto diet.

The random chanced upon restaurant Tanatip turned out to be more than satisfying, while the restaurant itself can perhaps be cleaner and more organized, we have nothing to complain when it comes the food itself.

Address:
Tanatip Restaurant
Thanon Niphatuthit 3, Tambon Hat Yai,
Amphoe Hat Yai,
Chang Wat Songkhla 90110, Thailand
GPS: 7.008262, 100.470211
Tel: +66 74 350 922