This taiping oyster omelette has a bit of a personal back story. About ten years ago, the then gf of mine and I went on a trip up north, and on the way back to KL we stopped by Taiping for a bit of touristy sightseeing, night safari at the Taiping Zoo (definitely worth it even at 2019), and of course, dinner.
Taman Tasik Food Centre, Taiping
With Taman Tasik Food Centre located a very short distance away from the entrance of Taiping Zoo, it made for a perfect refuel stop for the night.
So that was the last time I had a taste of this version of oyster omelette, until a couple weeks ago when I re-visit, 10 years after the first time.
Needless to stay, I was pretty excited to be able to rekindle with this long lost taste.
prawn omelette or oyster omelette, take your pick
Oyster omelette in Taiping (or maybe just this particular stall?) is quite different from the version served in Penang or KL. The version on the Pearl of the Orient is usually a little more oily and more runny, while this particular Taiping version has a firmer consistency, almost in 30% prawn fritter, 70% usual oyster omelette.
bitter gourd soup to go with our fried dish
If you enjoy a less runny texture, this version should satisfy. While it does not top my favorite oyster omelette in Penang, the different experience it brings definitely makes it a worthy candidate should you look for dinner/supper spot at Taiping.
love its crispy texture, even better if bigger oysters!
Oh, we also supplement the oh chien with a bowl of bitter gourd soup, supposed to make the whole thing just a tad healthier, no?
Address: Taman Tasik Food Centre 22, Jalan Maharajalela, Taman Tasik Taiping, 34000 Taiping, Perak GPS: 4.850994, 100.745754
To be fair, Nomad Adventure does offer food after the whole ordeal, but if you want something slightly more exciting, the closest option would be Mee Kari Ami, just minutes of drive away.
Mee Kari, with home-made sauce
Mee Kari Ami is probably the most happening place in this otherwise sleepy kampung. The old fashion restaurant offers mee kicap, mee sup, and laksa in addition to mee kari. Each bowl costs RM 4, but if you go for “special”, it’ll be RM 5.50, and “besar” is RM 6.50.
with crackers and fish cake
We went for their ordinary version of Mee Kari which comes with crackers, fish cakes, and some sort of homemade chili sauce which gives it a bit of a kick, but not overly so. To be fair, it wasn’t the absolute best curry mee I’ve ever had, but it was one hell of a satisfying meal after a day at the river.
If you had a chance at Gopeng for some white water rafting or other activities, give this place a try.
Several weeks ago when the sky in KL was enveloped with haze, we decided to take a short trip to Fraser’s hill. On the way back down, we took the long route and somehow ended up near the exit of Tanjung Malim, and since we were already there, I thought we might as well stop by Fu Man restaurant for dinner before heading back to the city.
Fu Man restaurant, book ahead if you’re going on weekends
Fu Man is located just a few minutes away from the Tanjung Malim highway exit. If you’re heading there on a weekends, be sure to call ahead and book your table. We didn’t, but was lucky enough to get a table located at the alleyway by the side of the restaurant, everything indoor was already fully booked.
signature fried salted pork belly
We let the server recommend us a few signature dishes for the two of us, and I’m glad to report that all three dishes were spot on.
The first dish was the fried salted pork belly (RM 18), served with home-made chilli sauce as well as a sweetish sauce with raw garlic. The pork was crispy on the outside and soft within, full of flavour and definitely a delight to eat. I reckon it’ll make excellent beer food too.
fried vegetable, and home-made steamed stuffed tofu
Next up was the home-made steamed stuffed tofu (RM 6). The combination of minced pork and that extra soft tofu went very well with steamed rice. I wish someone would make yong tau foo that tastes exactly like this.
Naturally, our final dish was green, and it came in the form of “choi sum flower”, or basically a crunchier and juicier version of your normal “choi sum”, we enjoyed this too. They’re a lot less fibery and much easier to munch.
RM 39 for the two of us, great value
Dinner costs us RM 39 in total for two person, a great value you won’t likely find in the city. If you’re looking for a great meal and won’t mind driving some 70-80 KM up north, be sure to check out this place.
Address: Restoran Fu Man No. 39, Jalan U1, Taman Universiti, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak GPS: 3.683572, 101.530057 Tel: 05-4597 620 Hours: 11:30 pm – 2:30 pm, 5:30 pm – 22:30 pm daily
Having spent most of my time in KL and Penang, it is easy to have a false sense of perception on how much street food costs. A “standard” plate of hawker dish is supposed to be around RM 4.50 or RM 5.00, no?
Then we went to Sitiawan.
hawker center at Sitiawan wet market
This was a day trip I took earlier this year with Suanie via Kuala Selangor (where we stumbled upon the famous Cendol Bakar).
Not knowing where to eat at Sitiawan, we stopped by the wet marker in the afternoon and was happy to see the food stall in operation. A closer look revealed that most dishes are priced at RM 2.80 per serving!
loh mee & “kan lau” mee
I ordered the loh mee while Suan had a plate of their “kan lau” mee. They also serve asam laksa, wantan mee, and clear soup noodle at the same price.
My loh mee was actually rather delicious. It came with a lot of bamboo shoots which I love, and the starchy soup base was flavorful. Suan’s kan lau mee came with a few slices of charsiu, while they’re not exactly very good quality charsiu, it still made a decent plate of brunch.
Suan and KY enjoying tea time
If you’re around Lumut or Sitiawan looking for a place for late lunch/tea time snack, this is one of the places to check out and stay within budget. 😀
Address: Kg. Koh Wet Market Jalan Lumut, Sitiawan, Perak GPS: 4.216096, 100.697822
Tua Pek Kong temple at Sitiawan
Oh, we also went to perhaps one of the only tourist attractions at Sitiawan – the Tua Pek Kong temple at Jalan Psasir Panjang.
The temple is located by the coast and spots some pretty impressive statues facing the Melaccan straits. There’s also a path where you can walk into the swamp area, a koi pond with loads of fish, and a beautiful garden there.
Like most temple in Malaysia, you don’t have to be a Buddhist to visit.
Address: Tua Pek Kong Temple
Jalan Pasir Panjang,
Sitiawan, Perak GPS: 4.163129, 100.688397
There’s a new diver in town! Haze just did her PADI Open Water certification at Pulau Sembilan, which is a cluster of small islands half an hour’s boat ride away from Lumut. The underwater condition, and thus diving, was subpar at best. Visibility was quite poor except for one of the dives, and there wasn’t exactly a lot of exotic creatures to spot either.
However, for whatever that is lack in diving, the couple dinners we had at the area more than made up for it.
Hai Tien Di Seafood Restaurant, Sitiawan
On the second night of our stay at Lumut, Haze and I joined our fatty dive master James, together with fellow dive buddy Alan to Hai Tien Di seafood restaurant at Sitiawan with the promise of awesome fresh oysters and yummy seafood.
It was about a 20 minutes drive away from where we stayed at Marina Island Pangkor, and we were not disappointed.
check out the size of fresh oyster there
We ordered 10 big oysters as appetizer (RM 5 a piece), and just check out their size! They fleshy part of the oysters were as big as my palm, easily the biggest oysters I had.
Coupled with the fact that these creatures were actually alive in the tank prior to being served, they were absolutely delicious. A dash of lime or some Tabasco sauce was all it takes, and try not to make the mistake of putting it in with one mouthful lest you wanna make a full of yourself having oysters spilling out at the corner of your mouth.
Positively tasty.
steamed prawns, they were alive moments ago
Our biggest main dish was the steamed live prawns. At Hai Tien Di, you get to choose between the “normal” frozen prawns, or the live prawns from the tank. We of course, went for broke and chose the later.
With live seafood, the simplest cooking method is usually the best. This is to preserve the essence of the taste, so for this dish, we have it steamed, as recommended by the operator.
The prawns sliced in halves, and steamed with a bit of ginger, fried garlic, spring onion, light soya sauce, and Chinese wine. It was delightful, packed with that seafood sweetness. At RM 65 this was definitely not cheap, but worth it nonetheless.
fresh oyster, fried vegetable, steamed grouper
A seafood meal is not complete without fish, so we ordered a live grouper, steamed teow chew style (RM 35). It was of course, absolutely fresh and went well with steamed rice.
We also had a plate of vegetable (RM8) to satisfy the vitamin c/fiber requirements. You must always have a serving of vegetable at every meal, no?
we sure did have our stomachs stuffed
The service at Hai Tien Di was pretty good, food came quite fast as well. I can’t say that this is a place that is economical (for a small town), but the quality of fresh/live seafood here was stunning, and those oysters were absolutely delicious.
If you find yourself at Lumut/Sitiawan, this would be a place worth visiting.
