KY eats – Mini Food Trail at Bentong

Every once in a while, it is good to take a little half day road trip to get away from the city and explore what some of the smaller towns has to offer. A few weekends ago, when the city is again covered with haze and heat, we decided to head to Bentong for a mini food trail and to bask ourselves in the surrounding with slower pace of life.

Bentong, Pahang

Bentong is located on the West side of Pahang, and only about 33 kilometers from the exit to Genting on the Karak highway. From KL, the journey will take about an hour.

The entire district has a population of about 100 thousand, but on weekends, there are also visitors on big bikes and city dwellers looking to buy the famous Bentong ginger. In between those group, there’s yours truly looking to fill up his stomach.

Hooi Kee wantan mee at Yuen Kee kopitiam

Our first stop was Yuen Kee kopitiam, we chose this as it was the busiest breakfast outlet among the few we walked by around the wet market.

Without knowing what to eat, we again used the golden rule of “picking the  busiest stall” and ordered a couple bowls of wantan mee (RM 4.50) from Hooi Kee. As it turned out, this is actually the most famous hawker stall in Bentong.

sauce not overly sweet, and the wantan was delicious

Today's second breakfast, at Bentong's famous Hooi Ji wantan mee, just behind the market. #kyeats #breakfast #kopitiam #bentong #wantanmee #nonhalal

A post shared by KY (@kyspeaks) on May 31, 2017 at 6:33pm PDT

The texture of noodle was pretty springy but not chewy, and I particularly liked their wantan that is packed with pork. The dark sauce carries a slight bitter taste which I find myself enjoying, but the charsiu (bbq pork) was rather average compared to some of the places in KL.

Be prepared to share table and wait for at least 10-15 minutes before food arrives.

Address:  Yuen Kee restaurant, No. 57, Jalan Chui Yin, 28700, Bentong, Pahang
GPS: 3.523174, 101.907015
Tel: 012-946 8406
Hours: breakfast and brunch

the yong tau foo stall at choy kee kopitiam

After the wantan mee, we decided to try something that is a bit more special – wild boar curry.

Wild boar isn’t something that is easily attainable in Klang Valley. The meat is usually slightly tougher and more gamey, so the most poplar method of preparation is usually curry. The stronger flavour of spices and longer cooking masks the stronger pork taste while tenderises the meat.

wild boar curry with chee cheong fun and yong tau foo

We ordered a piece of chee cheong fun and two pieces yong tau foo to go with the wild boar curry (RM 4). There’s generous amount of sesame and sweet sauce covering the yong tau foo, and best of all, there’s even sambal belacan on the side.

I enjoyed this dish a lot, and discovered that wild boar curry really does go very well with chee cheong fun.

Address: Choy Kee Restaurant, Jalan Pasar & Jalan Chang Seng, 28700, Bentong, Pahang
GPS: 3.522082, 101.906792
Hours: breakfast and brunch

kedai kopi kow po, more ice cream than coffee

After two main dishes, it was natural to get some desserts in the system. For this purpose, Bentong has an old school home-made ice cream parlour by the name of Kedai Kopi Kow Po.

We shared an ice kacang with asingle scoup of  home-made pandan ice cream, the shaved ice had all the traditional ingredients going for it – the black jelly, cendol, red bean, corn, and even pineapple. The ice cream was creamy and rather delicious too. I can see why this place has been in business for decades.

ice kacang with home made ice cream, delicious

Address: Kow Po Ice Cream, No. 2, Bentong Heights, 28700 Bentong, Pahang
GPS: 3.522107, 101.910755
Tel: 09-222 1258
Hours: 10 am to 7 pm daily