A few weeks ago, we decided to venture up north (still within the state of Selangor) for a hike to Bukit Batu Pahat. This was partly due to Suan not being able to go back to her home town Batu Pahat due to MCO so .. the bukit as replacement, or something like that. It was a fairly easy hike that ended with a great view, would recommend.
at the peak of bukit batu pahat
If you’re the hiking type, one of easier starting locations for this trail is from Taman Tasik Millenium, Kuala Kubu Baru. There’s also paragliding from the same bukit too!
Anyway, the more important thing about hiking is always the meal after, for this, we first headed to the sleepy town of Kuala Kubu Bharu. A short chat with the uncle at KKB bakery then led us to driving some 10 minutes to Ulu Yam for Teo Kee Restuarant.
Teo Kee at Ulu Yam, with the old chef
The baker told us that Teo Kee was his favorite restaurant in town when we asked for a recommendation, and suggested that we should skip the offerings in KKB and make a (very slight) detour to Ulu Yam for Teo Kee, for they serve the best stewed pork with mui choy (preserved mustard green).
So we did.
Teo Kee is located within a housing area (thank you, GPS), with the restaurant itself located at the side of a single level corner house, semi-alfresco dining, with a purpose built small kitchen as well.
The menu is simple yet comprehensive (see below), it is in Chinese, however, there are also photos and helpful servers.
chef’s signature dishes
To make it simple, we decided to go with all four of their recommended dishes, plus an additional bitter gourd with roast pork dish. You then either opt for rice or porridge to go with them.
Food took about 10 minutes to arrive, and they arrived all at once!
The stewed pork with mui choy (潮州卤肉) was indeed quite special, tender fatty pork with tofu, hard boiled eggs, and mustard green that gave it a very balanced taste, sour/salty + savory & sweet.
Braised tofu fish (豆腐焖鱼) is another one of our favorite dishes, it was soft, well flavored, and had just enough ginger without overpowering the seafood.
we added bitter gourd with roast pork
Steamed salted fish with minced pork (咸鱼蒸猪肉) here is as good as the version I’ve had from any restaurant, and I do like the addition of soft tofu to give it a softer texture.
Then there’s the pulpy mess of fried spicy brinjal (香辣茄子), a dish that won’t win any beauty contest, but the spiciness within those mushy sweetness was quite a good mix.
The last dish we had, bitter gourd with roast pork, was competent as well, even if it lacks the uniqueness of those signature dishes.
The five dishes, 2 rice, a porridge, and a big bottle of herbal tea cost us RM 67.60 (year 2021). A very good value and certainly an awesome meal, will be back again!
When it comes to Klang, almost everyone will talk about bak kut teh, but if you look beyond the whole “I MUST HAVE PORK” mentality while exploring this part of town, there are actually other options that can be very appealing.
Today, we’re going to look at one of the old establishments that is the antithesis of the image of Klang many of us perceive – Cathay Hailam Kopitiam, for this place is actually pork free.
Cathay Hailam Kopitiam, Port Klang
Cathay Hailam kopitiam is located at the far end of Klang, if you are from PJ/Subang on Federal Highway, it is basically just one straight road until basically the end of the road, the very last junction. Take a left and the kopitiam is just a few shops on your left. You’re walking distance from the Pulau Ketam Jetty and Port Klang KTM.
The place is as old school as it gets, with vibe very similar to that of Chong Kok kopitiam, another one of my favorites. The menu is quite extensive and conveniently displayed on an LCD TV on the wall. If you’re like me and not sure what to order, the server can suggest as well.
For the 4 of us, we’ve decided to go for a chicken chop, some bread, 3 noodle dishes, and a tofu bakar. I also had their black iced coffee (it was too hot) but regrettably did not have their classic Hainanese hot coffee.
steamed/toast bread, Hainanese chicken chop
The steamed & toast bread came first, a bit into these revealed the reasons why these bread were stacked high by the side of the counter. They were superb, with generous amount of kaya & butter. If I have only one choice of breakfast for the rest of my life, this would be in the short list.
The Hainanese chicken chop had a visual only the chef could love… however, it hits all the right spots when it comes to taste. A blind person would score this 10/10, and he/she will be absolutely right, the sauce, the crispiness of the chicken, even those potato, they were all perfect.
yin yeong, Singapore meehun, Hailam mee, tofu bakar
The three noodle dishes – Yin Yeong, Singapore Meehun, and Hainanese mee were all very competent dish on their own. They were properly seasoned and executed properly, I thought the person was quite generous as well, tho perhaps I’d have wanted pork in them instead of chicken.. but those chicken thigh meat did a good job as substitute.
For those who loves a slight kick to the sense, the tofu bakar here is as good as any, not overly spicy but with a strong dose of sweet and sourness, it is a side dish that offers a good change up to the noodle dishes.
Way back in 2010, I wrote an entry about Safegg, introducing the whole concept of egg pasteurization and its benefit.
Without getting into too much details, egg pasteurization is a process where shell eggs go through to remove 99.9% of bacteria, including salmonella, staphylococcus aureus, escherichia coli, coliform, yeast and fungus. This extends the shelf life of eggs, and also make it much safer for consumption. The pasteurization is done with heat, time, and clean natural water.
order via website, shipped chilled straight to your home
You could already buy Safegg from major premium supermarkets here in Malaysia, but now, you can also do it with your finger tips via https://eggshipper.com.my. The shipment is done in containers that preserve it’s chilled temperature to ensure safety, they’ve even came up with a pretty unique packaging system to ensure that the eggs are secured.
Additionally, they’ve also expanded the offering from purely raw pasteurized eggs with a few more additional egg products. Let’s look at them.
Tsukimi Onsen Egg, ready to eat straight from fridge
First and most interesting for me is the Tsukimi Onsen Egg. For those who hasn’t tried this before, it is typically found in Japanese restaurants and sometimes served with their version of spaghetti.
This version comes with small packets of bonito sauce as well. You can eat it up and eat with the sauce, or if you’re like me who doesn’t mind eating them chilled, then it’s practically zero prep time! So tasty too!
onsen egg & ajitsuke egg to spice up instant noodle at home
There are also three types of marinated eggs you can get via the website.
The Ajisuke Tamago is one of my favorites, with runny yolk that carries a hint of sweetness, they’re best as is, or you can plop one into your instant noodle and immediately have it upgrade to almost restaurant quality affair (at least visually speaking, isn’t it?).
herbal tea & star anise eggs too, plus the best egg gadget!
For those who prefer to have non-runny egg yolks, the Telur Bunga Lawang & Herbal Tea Eggs maybe your calling.
The Bunga Lawang (star anise) eggs have a star anise broth that gives it a unique tasting note, while herbal tea egg is something that most of us are familiar with its cinnamon and Chinese herbal aroma.
If you’re like me and enjoy the convenience of online shopping, head over to https://eggshipper.com.my and check them out. For a limited time, you’ll get the best egg related Malaysian invention of all time, the “egg boiler” for free with a single receipt of RM 30 and above.
Chicken rice must be the one of the most commonly consumed lunch among folks in Malaysia, you can find a stall offering this dish in probably over 50% of kopitiam in the country. After all, you get a good combination of protein, some fat, vege (cucumber counts, right?), and carb all in one seating, and usually at a rather reasonable price, what’s not to like?
Restoran M-TWO, Taman Bukit Maluri
Anyway, today, we’re looking at one of the most popular chicken rice stalls in Taman Bukit Maluri, as introduced to us by Yee Hou after our Saturday long run session at Desa Park City.
The stall in question is called Fook Loong Chicken Rice, located at Restoran M-TWO, just behind the morning market at Taman Bukit Maluri. The place does get busy during lunch time, but they are quite a big operation and usually wait time isn’t too much of an issue.
For the four of us, we ordered an entire roast chicken (yah, perhaps too much), a medium portion of roast pork, and a small portion of chasiu to go with rice for lunch.
It didn’t take long for our meat and rice to be served, the soup followed a couple minutes later.
for four pax… is it too much?
The roast chicken here is chunky and packing! They’re probably twice the size of your typical KFC equivalent, meat was juicy and skin in the texture that doesn’t disappoint. As far as roast chicken goes, these are pretty decent.
The roast pork was pretty good as well, skin’s crispy, meat quite tender, but those fatty bits could perhaps be even softer than they are. Their chasiu though, to me, was the highlight of the meal. They’re one of the best chasiu anywhere with super soft fats and charred, caramelized outer layer, simply fantastic. Wish we’d ordered more of those.
roast chicken, roast pork, bbq pork
The meal cost us RM 71 overall, a pretty decent value for KL standard, and definitely worthy of a try.
Several weeks ago when I was trying to look for a particular unique dish in Klang (another story another time), we chanced upon this mysterious looking restaurant by the name of Restoran SM on Jalan Goh Hock Huat (fun fact, in Hokkien both Hock and Huat can be the same word). Since the adventurous spirit was with me, I decided to give it a peek.
SM Yong Tao Foo at Klang
As it turns out, Restoran SM is a rather old school yong tau foo outlet famous among the locals in Klang. In fact, the restaurant used to be located along Jalan Kapar before moving to this new location, which is actually the road parallel to the old location, perhaps just a stone’s throw away via bird eye’s view, if you have a really strong arm.
yong tau foo in soup or fried version, chee cheong fun
Ordering process here is similar to many other YTF places, there’s a ordering form that doubles as the menu, you’d simply note down the items you wish to have and pass it to the friendly server.
There are two types of yong tau foo, as usual, deep fried, and soup based. Additionally, you can also order noodle and chee cheong fun.
seaweed yong tau foo, tofu, brinjal yong tau foo
The service is usually pretty quick, and everything would be piping hot when served. Both fried and soup version tasted top notch with their super soft and tender filing that carries a flavor that’s not overly imposing. The seaweed yong tau foo is one of their specialty that you should try here.
And for those who loves Penang style chee cheong fun, order a plate too, you won’t be disappointed.
Address: SM Yong Tau Foo 72-74, Jalan Goh Hock Huat, Kawasan 18, 41400 Klang, Selangor GPS: 3.0544391, 101.444897 Hours: 8am to 5pm
