Foodie Tour of Malaysia (Day 2)

Day 2 of the trip started with us leaving Malacca and heading for Genting. Before we left Malacca, we stopped for our first meal of the day - Beef Noodles at Jalan Bachang, Malacca. This place serves one of the best Beef Noodles that I have eaten. The combination of a rich-flavored spicy soup (apparently they have toned down their level of spiciness) and the soft flat noodles makes a perfect start to a day. The fried pork chop is also a must-order with its succulent meat that is fried to perfection. Order a separate bowl of salted vegetable and mix in for a better blend. This meal would not be complete without their signature chili paste. The chili itself is not overly spicy and goes very well with both the fried pork chop and the noodles.

Exterior of the Restaurant

Kitchen

The Famous Chili Paste

The Superstar - Beef Noodles

Never Leave Without the Fried Pork Chop

Good Start to a Good Day

Menu For Your Reference

After the main course, we had fruits for desserts. What Fruits? Obviously, we had durians and mangosteens (its Malaysia!). We headed to the stall opposite the Pork Chop Noodles place and ordered ourselves a load of durians. The rich creamy meat of the Mao Shang Wang durian was more than enough to cause a mini-orgasm in my mouth. The mangosteen balanced the "heaty-ness" of the durians nicely. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Mao Shang Wang Durians

More Durians

The Price is Fantabulous!

Rich Creamy Meat

Meet the King and Queen of Fruits

Irresistible Desserts 

After a fantastic meal, we headed to up the mountain to the Highlands of Genting. Food isn't one of that place's forte so there isn't much to share when it comes to eating. A small surprise came when we ordered the Asam Laksa, Penang Prawn Noodles and Thick French Toast at the Old Town Coffee Shop. They were actually quite nice (maybe its the low expectation) and had us craving for more. It's worth a try when you are at Genting. Nevertheless, we had a ball of a time, going around casino-hopping, beer drinking and even shopping. Genting still hasn't lost its charm after all these years.

Its Christmas Celebrations in Genting 

Asam Laksa at Old Town

Thick French Toast

Hello Genting

Goodbye Genting

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 

Home Sweet Home

Claypot Bak Kut Teh in Geylang

The Leong Kee Bah Kut Teh, which came all the way from Klang, is located on Geylang Road and is one of the few Singapore places that serves its meat in a claypot. I decided to head down there to satisfy my Bah Kut Teh cravings after all my examinations are over.

There was a huge variety of food to choose from - almost every part of the pig is part of the menu and other than rice, there is other carbohydrates (like vermicelli or mee sue) that you can choose. Since I was alone, I decided to order the Bah Kut Teh and the salted vegetables.

For any Bah Kut Teh, the two most important components of this dish is the soup and the meat (anything else they put in there is secondary). The soup plays an integral role in blending all the taste of the ingredients that is placed inside - it gives the dish its character. It can be peppery or herbal in nature but its the other ingredients and the skills of the cook that gives each soup (and the dish) its unique character. For this Bah Kut Teh, there is an overwhelming "vegetable" taste within the soup. This is in no small part due to the Tau Kee that they put inside when boiling the soup. Usually there is a large portion of Tau Kee inside the soup but I told them not to include that in my portion. Other than the strong "vegetable" taste, this soup is not as herbal-tasting as its counterparts in Malaysia. It lacks the "strength" that other herbal-type Bah Kut Teh offers (maybe its the extra vegetables that affects the taste).

My Bah Kut Teh with vegetables swimming around

The second most important component of this dish is the meat (for obvious reasons). The meat is a huge positive in this dish. Firstly, the portions are generous. My pot had a hefty five chunks of meat and they weren't very small individually. The meat itself weren't hard and came off the bone easily. On top of that, they were very "meaty" meaning that it was 90% meat and just 10% bone. Bravo for the meat!

Good chunky meat

The salted vegetables was a disappointment. It was cooked with quite a bit of chili (spicy haters beware) and it really showed in the taste. Besides the spiciness, the dish was blend and cold when it came to me. This is not something that I am likely to try again.

Salted Vegetables

One other thing I have to mention is a little incident that I have with one of the stall's server. When my food came, I asked the server for a plate of dark soy sauce without the chili on top. The server simply pointed to the table with all the sauces and told me take it myself (he had dirtied my chopstick and still gave it to me like nothing happened). I was alone and had my valuables on the table so I wasn't willing to leave them unattended to get the sauce. It really ticked me off when he insisted I do it myself especially after I mentioned about my valuables. Luckily the uncle (who I think is the owner) stepped in offer to do it himself. I was very pleased and felt really appreciative when he stepped in and "saved the day". Personally, top-notched service like in a hotel or restaurant is definitely not expected, but simple tasks like this can easily make customers enjoy their experience there. Full marks to the owner for saving the day!

My table

Overall, this Bah Kut Teh is different from the usual peppery ones in Singapore and definitely worth a try. My slight dislike for the soup could possibly be down to the aversion for Tau Kee, so do not take my judgement as the entire story and try it yourself. The salted vegetable may be something that can be avoided. From my other visits, I would recommend the mixed organs soup and pigs trotters, both of each are pretty decent and worth a try.

Name: Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh
Address: 251 Geylang Road (Beside Geylang Lor 11)
Opening Hours: 11.15 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Cost: $ ($6.50 for Bah Kut Teh and Salted Vegetables)

Ratings
Food Quality: 65/100
Service: 55/100
Value for Money: 75/100
Overall: 65/100

Dessert at Serangoon Gardens

This small little dessert cafe Dessert Bowl is a good place to go after a full meal at Chomp Chomp in Serangoon Gardens. Its located at a quiet area opposite the Standard Charter Bank on the second floor. This place has very limited seating so try to avoid peak hours for desserts (i.e. after 9 p.m.) or be prepared to wait.

Yi Wan Tian Ping

When you make your way up to the dessert place, the first thing that hits you is the smell of durian. There is even a sign that warns you of the king of fruits is present. So Durian haters - You have been warned!  The decor of the cafe is simple and nice. You'll see miniature mock-up of different food stalls at the entrance which you can explore while waiting for your food. There are two comfortable sofa seats and the other seatings are simple wooden chairs neatly placed around the shop. It can be quite squeezy during peak period, especially with hordes of people waiting around for their table.

You have been warned

Mininature Shops for your enjoyment

Two Nice Comfy Sofa

The Rest of the Shop

Order Chit

Making an order is as simple as ABC - write down the code, hand it to the waitress and you're good to go. My family and I ordered three desserts - their signature Durian Mousse, Mango Pomelo Sago and Durian Crepe. The Durian Mousse is a must try in this place and its easy to understand why. Once the dish is at your table, you'll be overwhelmed by the aroma of durian. However, the taste itself is not so thick that it makes you sick of it after a few mouthful. There is also a bonus of actual durian meat right in the middle of the bowl that can be enjoyed together with the mousse. Its a little bit pricey at $5 a bowl but worth a try especially when you are in a group.

Durian Mousse with a chunk of actual Durian

Next up is the Mango Pomelo Sago. For those lovers of the desserts in Liang Seah Street, this dish here is comparable (and might even be better to some) to its counterparts there. It is a little less sweet than usual but it makes up for it with a richer and thicker than usual mango taste. The pomelo was surprisingly quite crunchy, giving a different texture to the whole dish. Everything blended well together and I'm quite I'll be back for more of this dish next time.

Mango Pomelo Sago

The last dish was the Durian Crepe, which was the least impressive among the three. I think its partially because I still had the rich and creamy Durian Mousse and the thick Mango Pomelo Sago taste in my mouth. The strong taste of the last two dishes was still lingering in my mouth and when I tried the crepe, it tasted very bland. The boring presentation of the food didn't really help its case other. However, I'll reserve my judgement for this dish until I have tried it on its own. Lesson learnt here: Eat food in the right sequence.

Durian Crepe

Overall this dessert cafe can easily rival the better dessert cafes on Liang Seah Street. It champions a rich flavor that many traditional chinese desserts fails to deliver. The portions are quite generous so consider sharing if you don't have a lot of space left in your stomach. The price is similar to those on Liang Seah Street ($4 - $6 per bowl) so its still pretty affordable even for students. So do give this dessert cafe a shot when you are around the area next time!









Name: Dessert Bowl
Address: 80A Serangoon Garden Way
Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Thursday - 12 p.m. till 10.30 p.m.
Friday to Sunday - 12 p.m. till 12 a.m.

Ratings
Food Quality: 85/100
Service: 65/100
Value for Money: 75/100
Overall: 75/100
Must trys: Durian Mousse