Foodie Tour of Malaysia (Day 1)

After a month of non-stop activities, from celebrations to my reservist duties, I finally managed to find time to continue with this blog and share my foodie journey for the last few weeks of 2011.

The first highlight of December (which proved to be the best) was my Malaysian trip with my girlfriend's family. It was my one and only chance to go "overseas" this holidays and I was determined to make full use of it. So it was off to Malacca first, then to Genting and last stop was the capital city - Kuala Lumpur.

Our first stop was our usual breakfast haunt - Simpang Renggang Bah Kut Teh. The Bah Kut Teh here is very different from the peppery kind we find Singapore and it offers a lot more in a clay pot than most of what the Singapore ones have.

Simpang Reggang BKT

The soup itself is herb-based and you have the options of adding other food items, ranging from straw mushrooms and tau pok to intestines and liver. The entire mix makes the soup really tasty and irresistible. The meat itself is cut up into bite sizes and its tender and easy to eat. The portions are pretty generous so there is plenty to go around. The salted vegetables here is one of my favorite salted vegetables around. It is neither too salty or blend and has that extra special ingredient added that you can't find in Singapore. Bravo!

My Favorite "Giam Cai"

Leftovers Pig Trotters

After our hearty breakfast, we headed up to Malacca for our next meal. Some of our must-try Malacca favorites included Chicken Rice Balls and Gula Melaka Ice Kachang. We took advantage of our large group and managed to share, not just these two dishes, but also Asam Laksa (from the same stall as the Ice Kachang) and Kueh Pie Tee. All these can be found in Jonker Street.

The chicken rice itself is nothing special (besides the fact that it comes in a shape of a ball). The chicken was at most average but the rice balls were quite tasty. Its worth a try just for the novelty effect but not good enough for me to frequent this place. The Gula Melaka Ice Kachang was the real deal - the perfect dessert for the sweet-tooths. The Asam Laksa and Kueh Pie Tee was pretty good as well, making that shop the perfect place for a lunch time stop (and a revisit) in Jonker street.

Start of Jonker Street

Chicken Rice Balls

The Famous Balls

Jonker 88

Vintage Exhibitions 

Gula Melaka Ice Kachang

Asam Laksa

Kueh Pie Tee

We were obviously completely stuffed after this awesome meal, so we decided to walk it off by shopping at Mahkota Shopping Center. After nearly 3 - 4 hours of non stop walking, it was time to head for dinner. We decided to stick to our usual dinner plans - Peranakan Cuisine. We went down to the Restoran Ole Sayang near the Mahkota Shopping Center and ordered a grand total of 8 dishes, each with its own unique flavor (though most of them are actually quite spicy). My favorite amongst all the dishes was the Ayam Ponteh. This is one of the rare few non-spicy dish that has a well balance salted tinge to the sauce. 

Ole Sayang 

Entering the Restaurant 

My Favorite - Ayam Pongteh

Fried Fish

A Grand Total of 8 Dishes

Of course, a perfect ending to this day would be the all-time favorite A&W Rootbeer Float. After all these, we dragged our full bellies and headed back the Jonker Street Boutique Hotel for a good night's rest.

The Perfect Ending 

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