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!
To those who loves a good bowl of Loh Mee, Ulu Yam is undoubtedly what springs in mind. For those who has never heard about Ulu Yam, it is sort of a half way point between KL and Fraser Hill, within Batang Kali.
You can also go to Genting via Ulu Yam if you’re the sort who enjoys a bit of spirited driving on winding roads with good scenery, though the journey takes quite a bit longer (and further) compared to the standard toll way.
Swee Yen restaurant at Ulu Yam Lama
A couple weekends ago Haze and I had a little getaway at Fraser’s Hill, and since I have yet to try the famous loh mee, we decided to do just that on a pit stop before heading back to KL.
The only problem about finding Loh Mee in Ulu Yam is that.. which one?! It is almost like the case of Klang bak kut teh or Ampang yong tau foo where a relatively small area is littered with several outlets offering essentially the same thing, you have to know which one to choose.
There were different recommendations from Garmin GPS, Google Maps, and blogs. I settled on Kim’s blog entry. If it’s good enough for her mom, it will be good enough for me.
glorious lor mee, look at the lard!
Since there were just two of us, we ordered a bowl of Loh Mee for two and a lala with superior soup as side order.
The Loh Mee were huge (I think people Ulu Yam must eat only 1 meal a day or something), and true to the reputation, it was fantastic!
There’s a pretty strong taste of vinegar in the thick soup but in a good way. There were also bits of fried lard, some prawns, and meat to complete the dish. It’s easily one of the best Central style Loh Mee I’ve tried.
lala in superior soup
Then there’s the lala in superior soup. This too didn’t come in a small dish, and would probably be a serving for 4 in KL. The shellfish were quite big and juicy, with the superior soup carrying a kick thanks to the addition of chili padi and a healthy dose of ginger with plenty of coriander.
Good stuff.
check out the huge portion of lor mee
It was definitely a very satisfying lunch and we didn’t even manage to finish everything, the servings were just too big.
The bill came to RM 33 for everything, including drinks too. Glad that crazy inflation hasn’t hit small town as bad yet. I’m gonna go there again next time and order terrapin! 😀
Address: Swee Yen Restaurant No 38, Jalan Besar, Ulu Yam Lama, 43300 Batang Kali, Selangor Darul Ehsan GPS: 3.4546, 101.64073 Tel: 03-6075 1123, 012-360 4837
Did you know that Karak highway isn’t the only route going from KL to Genting Highland? Long before the shiny toll way was built, there was an older road from just behind Batu Caves going to Genting via a little town called Ulu Yam. That road is still there, and remain my favorite way to go up to the highland retreat if time is on my side.
There are a few reasons:
The scenery is beautiful, especially when you drive by Batu Dam lake.
the winding road makes driving a pleasure
coconut shrimps at ulu yam!
Okay, maybe mostly about the coconut shrimps..
Sammy liked it!
The first time I went there was on the new year eve of 2006 with the MR2 club. Wait, I just realized that’s more than 2.5 years ago… Anyway, I went there again a few months ago with Sammy (her account) and of course, we ordered the coconut shrimps, and a plate vegetable to go with rice.
We had actually ordered the lala as well but I must applaud the honesty of the shop keeper in informing us that lala wasn’t very fresh that day and advised us against ordering it.
prawns, slurps slurps
Coconut Shrimps is basically a curry dish where by they stuff a lot of prawns cooked much like the asam prawn style into a fresh coconut. The curry mixed with coconut creates a unique taste that is both spicy, sour, and slightly sweet of coconut taste; very unique and rather tasty. Onion, garlic and chili padi makes up part of the ingredients too.
Ulu Yam is some 27 kilometers from batu caves
There was plenty of prawns in that one single coconut and we thoroughly it. The ingredients were fresh and curry flavorful. Even the simple fried vegetable dish was rather delightful too.
If I remember correctly, that meal was less than RM 35 for the two of us. Value for money, and great tasting too. Give it a try if you’re up for an alternate way to Genting. GPS coordinate might not be spot on, but it won’t be far off.
Address: 14, Kampung Baru,
Ulu Yam Baru, 44300
Ulu Selangor, Selangor GPS:3.427212, 101.659948 Tel:03-6075 1826, 012-228 2546
Less than 2 weeks ago, Suan organized a day trip for us, and specifically for the hot chick to the Chiling Falls. This waterfall that is sitauted less than an hour’s drive away from PJ is listed as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Selangor. Together with ST, Kim, and FA, we had a great time two Thursdays ago.
We engaged a guide for this tour, which turned out to be an excellent decision as our guide, Yen, turned out to be very good at what he is doing. After meeting at PJ, we drove to Rawang and first stopped by a Buddhist temple for some prayers and photography opportunity.
Buddhist Temple
After that we stopped by the small town of Kuala Kubu Bharu for a heavier breakfast before proceeding with the journey. The small town reminded me of the Penang of yesteryears, very peaceful and simple. We had some really good wantan mee there.
Just before heading to the waterfalls, we also stopped by the Selangor Dam.
stopped by Kuala Kubu Bharu for breakfast
The Chiling Falls is actually located quite deep inside the jungle. To reach there, we had to track the jungle for over an hour through pretty thick growth in the jungle.
jungle tracking for over an hour
The trail was pretty challenging, we had to cross the river on 5 occasions and the water could be up to chest high. Luckily our guide is very experienced and came prepared with safety ropes. I had to pack the camera in waterproof plastic bag, and hence denied the opportunity to captured some of the more interesting moments whilst crossing the river. It was quite an experience.
hot chick crossing the river
The river falls under government protection and absolutely no fishing is allowed. The river is actually packed with a lot of native fresh water fish that are absolutely fearless to human. We fed them with some bread Yen brought with him.
The guide was a lot more prepared than I thought, he actually had a stove set and made some hot drinks for us from boiling the water from Chiling river. I made a joke that it would be perfect if he had a hammock as well, and to my utter disbelieve, he ACTUALLY have a hammock with him (sans the ropes to tie it around the trees)!
feeding the fish with FA
After hanging out at the main waterfall for over an hour, it was time to make the return journey. On the way back FA actually lost her shoes in the rapids and had to walk over half an hour barefoot. The guide also picked up some trash (such as broken shoes) that were left from the other irresponsible tourists. We then had a very late lunch at Ulu Yam before returning home dead tired.
The magnificent chiling falls
It was quite an adventurous trip and certainly a very enjoyable one. Perfect for a weekend getaway that does not involve going to the shopping malls. Yen can be contacted at happyyen at gmail.com or 017369 7831. He charges RM180 for a group of 2 to 8 person and will supply more guide if you have a bigger group.
