Klang's Food Adventure

In Klang.

In the last 12 months alone, I had made a total of 5 drive trips to Klang on my own. The more recent 3 trips were made with Sue and one of the 3 together with Deb. The first 2 drive trips on my own were very stressful because of my unfamiliarity with the roads and places in Klang, and also not knowing where to eat. Furthermore, the frequent news that I have read about crimes, robberies, carjackings, etc., happening in Klang, were unhelpful. But, for each of the drive trips, we made an effort to explore a little more of Klang, in particular, food and shopping areas around Bukit Tinggi, as well as understand a little more about Klang.

So, my most recent drive trip to Klang with Sue on 18 December to visit Ma, Ah Ching and Susan was a relaxing and enjoyable one. This was despite that my left leg was in pain. We were able to enjoy the drive tremendously even though we missed our exit (Exit 502A) along Kesas Highway when we were on our way to Bukit Tinggi. We ended up in Port Klang but made our way back to Bukit Tinggi effortlessly. Our original plan was to rest a night in Klang after seeing Ma, Ah Ching and Susan, before returning back to Singapore the next afternoon. But, the next morning, my leg condition did not improve. So, we extended our stay by another night to allow my leg to recover before driving back to Singapore. With the extra day, we decided to explore further up North of Bukit Tinggi where the Old Klang is - near River Klang, Klang's Bus Interchange and the Railway Station.

Upon arrival on the first day, we brought Ma, Ah Ching and Susan for Dim Sum Lunch at our now regular restoran at Jalan Langat - Imperial Restoran. Ah Ching gave us a treat instead. It was a good early Christmas Lunch. From the receipt, it seems that the 2 expensive bowls of Hashima Dessert ordered by Ah Ching were on the house - not reflected in the receipt!

A Glimpse of Our Dim Sum Dishes at Imperial

In Klang, it is quite hard to spot any yummy looking, moist, tender Hainanese White Chicken around. Everywhere, in Coffee Shops, Aeon Shopping Centre or Restorans, the chickens on display were mostly quite dry. But we managed to find one opposite Aeon that looked sufficiently appetising. It is a small, clean eating house selling Melaka Chicken Rice Ball. The staff there told me that the eating house was opened a year ago.

We ordered the Chicken Rice Balls, White Chicken, Char Siew, Chicken Innards and Ipoh's Beansprouts. The chilli was super hot. The dishes were acceptable and the price came up to RM 26 (S$10.15). Reasonably cheap. Their best was the cold Sour Plum & Lemon drink - this one is a must try!

Melaka Chicken Rice Ball

Chicken Rice Balls, Chicken Innards, Char Siew, Ipoh's Beansprouts and Chicken.

While we were at Aeon, we had Penang's Prawn Noodles Soup and 'Kueh Pie Ti' for our afternoon Tea, together with an Ice Teh-Si. Both dishes were very flavorful and delicious. It is authentic Penang's food here in Klang.

Penang's Food at Aeon - Prawn Noodles Soup and Kueh Pie Ti - Sedap!

However, our best discovery on this trip was this little Dim Sum Tea House at Hotel Sea Lion located at Jalan Bayu Tinggi 2A, which is just opposite Premiere Hotel, where we were staying. And, it was here that we had our best breakfast in Klang, so far. The ambience was to our liking - clean, quiet, peaceful, comfortable, polite staff, and great Dim Sum at an amazingly good price. The Dim Sum here is definitely better and more consistent than Imperial. For 2 persons, the price came up to RM 29 (S$11.30) - with Century Egg, Salted Egg & Minced Pork Porridge, Lor Mai Kai, Mushroom Siew Mai, Seafood Dumplings, Beancurd Rolls, a big plate of Fried Carrot Cake and free flow of hot 'Pu-er' tea to go along with. We enjoyed our breakfast.

Looking Out From Our Table.

Looking Out To The Open Terrace.

It was so good that we went back there for breakfast again the next morning before we returned to Singapore. This time round, we ordered the Prawn Rolls, Pork Ribs, Chicken Feet, Prawns Chee Cheong Fun, Har Kow, plus our new favourite Fried Carrot Cake, Century Egg Porridge, and a free flow of hot 'Tier Kuan Yin' Tea. The Prawn Rolls were really fresh and good. Ah Ching would definitely enjoy the Fried Carrot Cake, which was fried using their in-house sambal prawn chilli plus Beansprouts. It was really nice because it had plenty of 'Wok Hei'.

The Dim Sum Tea House at Hotel Sea Lion

Sea Lion Tea House's Menu

Half Way Through Our Breakfast - What that is left on the Table.

Fried Carrot Cake with Beansprouts, Eggs and Sambal Prawn Chilli.

Prawns Chee Cheong Fun.

My All Time Favourite - Fresh & Crispy Prawn Rolls.

Klang is actually quite a foodie's place. Plenty of good food from everywhere (Penang, Ipoh, Melaka, etc.,), and at a really cheap price. In fact, one of our all-time favourites is Klang's KFC - very moist, meaty, tasty and much cheaper than Singapore. Another of my favourite is Nasi Lemak with Sotong Merah from Aeon.

In our next trip up Klang, we are going to try the famous Lontong Klang at Jalan Remia 2. We read that they serve one of the best Lontong and Nasi Lemak with Sotong Hitam and Sotong Merah.

A drive Trip To Klang

Entrance to Taman Sentosa, Klang from Jalan Kebun Nanas

A few days ago, we drove up  to Klang to visit Ma, Susan and Aunty Lee Mee. We decided to drive in even though we had just visited them about 2 months ago. This is because both Sue and I will be very busy in the next few months.

This time round, we were more confident to try a new route from E5 (Shah Alam Highway) to Ma's place by exiting at Exit 504, and then driving along the small roads at Jalan Kebun. The new route is straight forward, faster and shorter. Furthermore, the roads along Jalan Kebun and Jalan Kebun Nanas, which lead to Ma's house appear to be newly paved, and so, much easier to drive. We went there with a spirit of goodwill, adventure and discovery. So, even when one of the small roads that we planned to take was suddenly closed off for cars, which can happen once in a while in Malaysia, we did not panic as in the past, we just hugged along the road and made a diversion to get to where we wanted to go.

Restoran Imperial - A Hong Kong Tim Sum Restaurant

Upon arrival, we brought Ma and Susan for a Dim Sum lunch at Imperial Restoran. The Restoran is located prominently at the junction of Jalan Langat and Jalan Gambus. We discovered this Restoran by chance on our previous drive trip up to Klang in July 2013.

The Dim Sum dishes were generally good and the price reasonably cheap. For 4 persons, the total price came up to RM $88.80 (S $35.52) inclusive of government taxes and service charges, with plenty of leftover to 'Da Pao' back. The price also included a free flow of Chinese tea. The dishes we had included - Har Kow (Shrimp Dumpling), Siew Mai (Chinese Pork Truffle), Prawns & Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun, 2 trays of Prawn Rolls (Shrimp Rolls), Woo Kok (Yam Puff), Stuffed Red Chilli Yong Tau Foo, Scallop Dumpling, Fried Mixed Tong Fen with Bee Hoon. Other than the Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun, I was very satisfied with all my orders. Among all the dishes, Ma's favourite was the appetiser - Thai Style Seasoned Lotus Roots. Susan's favourite was the Woo Kok.

What We had at Imperial Restoran - 17 Items.

So far, whenever I drive into Malaysia, I would avoid the small roads as much as I can. My previous bad experience taught me that, for small roads, once you are lost, you are trapped. This is because some small roads are not shown in the street directory. Furthermore, street names are sometimes not shown, and for some that are shown, they may be hidden from view. Take for example, during my first self-drive trip to Klang, I was lost on a small road near Ma's place. So, I looked around for the name of the street to assess where I was. But, the signboard that showed the street name was placed at about a metre high from the ground. And, so, I could not see the street name from my car. In the end, I had to stop my car on the roadside, got out of my car and walked towards the signboard to see the street name.

So, the route (all big roads) I took from Ma' house to Imperial Restoran was actually a big loop - from Taman Sentosa to Shah Alam Highway, and then to Imperial Restoran at Jalan Langat. A very long route. Susan told me that she believes that there is definitely a shorter route or shortcut from Ma's place to Imperial Restoran. So, the next morning, Sue and I decided to be adventurous and try out the route as suggested by Susan. Yes, Susan is right about it. It was only a third of the distance of my original route. Furthermore, the shorter route is smoother, less congested, and required less than 10 minutes of travelling time – all small roads – from Imperial Restoran (Jalan Gambus) to Jalan Serunai 59 to Jalan Raja Nong to Ma's place at Jalan Kebun Nanas. What a pleasant discovery.

Short Cut From Imperial Restoran to Taman Sentosa - Credit to Susan

Turn Right to Taman Sentosa

Now, when Sau Ching comes back from Canada, Susan can bring her there for a good Dim Sum lunch.

After the good lunch, four of us (me, Sue, Susan & Ma) drove to Aunty Lee Mee's house in PJ. The roads and sights in PJ are completely alien and totally unfamiliar to me and Sue. And so, driving on the roads there – was quite like driving blindfold. And you get the “Where am I?” or "Blur like Sotong" kind of feeling. Luckily, Sue is quite good with maps. But, in the case of Malaysia, the actual roads you drive on, may not tally with what you see on the map or street directory. So, it took us about 40 minutes, following a street map, to drive from Jalan Langat (Imperial Restoran) to Aunty Lee Mee's house at Bandar Utama. The time included 5 minutes of lost time when we were off track for a while after making a wrong turn.

Our visit to Aunty Lee Mee's house is particularly meaningful to me. It is not something that all of us usually do – for Ma to visit her sister; for me and Sue to visit one of Ma's closest relative; for me, Sue, Susan and Ma to come together on a road trip to visit Aunty Lee Mee and Uncle Lin.

The drive back from PJ to Ma's place in Klang was a confidence-building and map reading exercise for me and Sue. It was a challenge. Just getting out of Aunty Lee Mee's house to the main road was itself a big challenge because of numerous road diversions and the unusual design and layout of the roads. Uncle Lin was a little kind enough to sketch a map to show us how to get out of his place, and onto the main road.

Uncle Lin's Sketch

We were able to reach the Klang's River completely based on our sense of direction. In the end, we conceded to have lost our way when we realised that we were off track by about a km from our planned route. We decided to stop at a BHP Petrol Kiosk along Jalan Raja Muda Musa to re-orientate ourselves and reassess our next course of action. Luckily, a kind soul came along and led us back to our original planned route. This incident reminds me of a similar incident which happened in July 2013 - I was searching for my childhood's house in Ayer Tawar which I had not visited in the last 50 years. I was completely lost, but a kind soul came along and guided me to my old house.

And, so, we were able to reach Ma's place at about 5.30 pm. The total time taken was one and a half hours, including lost time, and time spent in circling around one of the Toll Plaza twice. For Ma and Susan, it was Nap Time in the car.

How We Ended Up Losing Our Way

In our last visit to Klang in July, we wanted to try out the very famous and frequently talk about Klang's Wanton Mee at Wah Chai Restoran. But the restoran was closed when we were there. This time, we were lucky. It was opened. We tried the Wanton Mee. It was a typical Malaysian Wanton Mee version – plenty of lard, sesame oil and black sauce. Very different from the more complex version in Singapore. Wah Chai is also famous in Klang for all kind of noodles and several other dishes – Prawn Noodles, Pork Ribs Rice, Yam Rice, Yong Tau Hoo, Curry Noodles, etc., It is located within sight from our Hotel Room at Premiere (see my previous sketch).

Restoran Wah Chai at Bukit Tinggi

The Famous Klang's Wah Chai Wanton Mee

On our way back to Singapore, we visited GM Klang Wholesale Centre, a new shopping area. As we were just passing by, so, we did not really spend much time there - Just a quick walk around to see what they have there. We will find time to visit the place properly on our next trip.

GM Klang Wholesale Centre

It was a meaningful and adventurous trip, or rather, my best and most enjoyable drive trip to Klang.

A Night View of Klang from the 17th Floor of Premiere Hotel

A Visit To Ayer Tawar, Sitiawan,... After 50 Years

On the E1 Highway to Sitiawan

Soon after my retirement more than 12 years ago, I had frequently talked about visiting my hometown, Sitiawan, one more time. I was born there 57 years ago and had spent the first 8 years of my childhood there.

Even though more than 49 years have passed, I still have very clear memories of the house where I was brought up. I remember there was a huge prayer and ancestral altar facing the main door; there was a chicken coop behind the house; the arrangement of the rooms in the house; and the room where I was once locked up by my Ma for being naughty. I can also remember clearly where I used to play, and the neighbours whom I played with.

I can also remember my Primary School, Methodist English School. I attended Standard 1 and 2 there. My classroom then was on the ground floor of a 2 or 3-storey building. It was the first classroom near to the school gate. I can still recall the scene during my first day of school there – constantly looking out of the louvre windows to see whether my Ma is still there or not. I can remember the school playground and the tuckshop. Even the image of the road where I walked along to school everyday then is still clearly etched in my mind.

Then, I was only a little boy, and everything had appeared very huge. My house, my school, the school playground, and most things, had all appeared very big to me. Along the road where I had walked to school, I remember there was a coffin shop among a row of shops. The coffins appeared huge and frightening to me then. And, each time when I walked past the shop, I would keep a wide berth from the shop front, and kept my eyes away from the frightening huge brown wooden coffins.

I often tell Sue and Deb about this old hometown of mine that I still have fond memories of. I had wanted to bring them to see this little old hometown of mine. It was something that I had hoped to do. Somehow, for many years, I never get to do it for one reason or another. One of the main reasons was – the address as indicated on my birth certificate, cannot be located by Google Maps. Even my primary school, Methodist English School, also cannot be found. Another reason was my fear of getting lost. I was not prepared to drive around in a small town in Malaysia without knowing exactly where I was heading.

The opportunity came unexpectedly. I was planning to bring Sue and Deb to see Ma in Klang. But Sue persuaded me to take the opportunity to drive up to Sitiawan, as Deb would be with us on this particular drive trip. I was initially reluctant to do so because I was not confident that my problematic leg condition could take the long distance drive. On further thought, I realised that Sue's suggestion on extending my drive up North to Sitiawan was actually a great idea. The opportunity presented itself  to be  the best – all 3 of us will be together on the driving trip; Deb can take over the wheel when my leg cannot take it; with Deb as my pilot, there is no way we can get lost in Malaysia.

So, after almost 50 years, I am going to see Sitiawan again! And, it was with Sue and Deb!

That important date was 24 July 2013. We started our journey from Klang (Premiere Hotel) to Sitiawan. I decided to take the longest route – from Klang to the North-South Highway (E1), and exit at Gopeng to Sitiawan, instead of the much shorter coastal route. The reasons being that – it is the highway, and so, a lot easier to drive, as well as to estimate my driving time, especially, since it is my first drive to Sitiawan; we could stop by Kellie's Castle along the way; catch a glimpse of the one and only waterfall that is visible from the E1 Highway; take a look at my Primary School – Methodist English School, along the way; and, do a recce of New Village Ayer Tawar, my hometown, which I had left 50 years ago.

After leaving the state of Selangor, the North- South Highway in Perak is generally more hilly and picturesque, with distance mountains on the far horizon. Despite the slight haze, we managed to catch a pretty good view of the waterfall from the highway. It was a lovely, scenic and relaxing drive.

Along the way, as planned, we stopped at Kellie's Castle, or as it is, an unfinished ruin, for some photos. The castle seems much smaller than I had imagined. Perched majestically on a low hill, with a meandering stream flowing through the front of the Castle, it is accessible through a bridge running across the stream. As I walked through the rooms and the corridors of the ruins, I could not help, but felt the goose bumps. Maybe, because I had read a little too much about this castle being a dedication of love for Kellie's sweetheart, Agnes and their newborn son, Anthony. That dedication was never realised, because of Kellie's sudden death in 1926. Maybe, it was the light breeze along the corridors that cause a little chill on my wet humid skin. Or, maybe, as rumoured, the spirit of William Kellie Smith still wander in the castle, guarding the uncompleted mansion.

View of Kellie's Castle from the Bridge

Kellie's Castle

As I Walked Along The Corridors of the Castle, I Could Feel...

It was a good visit. I prayed for Kellie's spirit to rest in peace if indeed he is still wandering around the castle and its corridors, guarding it.

We moved on to Ayer Tawar. Found my primary school – Methodist English School, easily. The school is still there, and my classroom is still where it was, on the ground floor. But, the school looked a lot smaller now, with a new 2-storey addition at where the playground was supposed to be. It faintly looked like the school that I had remembered.

Methodist English School, Ayer Tawar

Walking Along The Corridors of Methodist English School

I wonder what is this desire of mine to see my old primary school about? Am I still living in the past?

After a good lunch at Red Ruby, a Foochow restaurant in Ayer Tawar, we set off in search of my childhood home – at New village, Ayer Tawar, Sitiawan. Even though I had not visited the house in the last 50 years, I still have clear memories of the house and the spaces. In my mind, I was already expecting a hard time finding the house during, because the address did not show up in Google Maps.

Sitiawan - Here We Come!

We drove around, whatever the road names, looking for the #481. We were confused by the haphazard system of numbering the houses there. For, when we saw #472, we thought #481 should be nearby, but, the nearby houses were in the #700 series! Further on, we were met with houses of the #100 series, and then abruptly, the #1000 series houses suddenly appeared. So, searching for house #481, was like searching for a needle in a haystack, or rather, more like 'Ti-Kum'.

Finding #481 was tedious. We tried to comb through every road systematically. Throughout the search, Deb had always been most encouraging. Always urging me on whenever I was on the verge of giving up.

In this Vast Land of Ayer Tawar, Where is #481?

But, Where is #481?

As I drove on, we passed a house #751. We saw a kindly old gentleman, who was without his shirt, on his front porch. Sue and Deb instinctively asked me to stop the car and to ask the man whether he knew where #481 is. To our surprise, he offered to help us to locate the house. He told us that his sister is staying at #490 (his previous home), and he thought #481 should be somewhere near there. He rode his scooter led the way, and we drove our car behind him, turning from one road to another, and another to another. When we were all about to give up,... suddenly, the old gentleman found house #481. Wait. #481 is directly opposite #490, his parents' house, where he had previously stayed, but now occupied by his sister. Despite having stayed there all his lifetime, the old gentleman had actually forgotten that #481 is actually directly opposite his old house!

This Gentleman Led Us to #481!

We stopped in front of #481. As I shook the hands of the old gentleman excitedly and thanking him for his help, he curiously turned his gaze at me. He said he thought I looked like Ah Hua, my elder brother. He asked about Teck Aun, my late father. I told him that my father had passed away in 2004. He asked about Lea Ting, my mother; Hee Boon, my 1st Uncle, and the other 3 uncles. My! He actually knows my whole family and every member of my Grandma's family.

This Kind Gentleman Brought Us to #481 - He Knows Everyone in #481!!!

From among ten of a thousand of houses in Ayer Tawar, I had chosen to stop my car only in front of this gentleman house to ask him for help, and to find out that he was my old neighbour, and he knows all my family members and everyone who had stayed in #481. It was such an amazing coincident. Much like hitting the Toto jackpot.

After 50 years, I could see that the house that I spent my first 8 years of life had changed completely, structurally. The physical layout of the nearby houses is still the same, the drain that I remembered, is still there. But some of the nearby houses and lands had gone through major structural changes. Several houses nearby remained the same as I remembered them. My next door neighbour, the Ross' family - their house, #482, is still there, and still in the most original condition.

481, New Village, Ayer Tawar, Sitiawan

#482, My Next Door Neighbour's House, Still in its Original Condition, after 50 Years!

With the permission of the tenant, I went into the compound of house #481. I wanted to take a look and feel the land space. I walked to the backyard, and there, covered in dust and cobwebs was a broken old larder, which I believed, belongs to my late Grandmother.

The Broken Larder Covered in Dust and Cobwebs at the Back of #481

I am very happy to be able to see my childhood home one more time. The sights and images seemed to have jolted my old memory, and patches of it that I have long put to rest had begun to surface again. I remembered running around the front of the house, playing at the nearby drain, and hearing familiar voices and sounds. It was surreal.

On the whole, despite the changes brought by new developments, Ayer Tawar remains very much as it was, 50 years ago. I am glad that I can still see some part of my memories appearing physically. For, if Ayer Tawar is to be in Singapore, it would have been completely wiped clean, and transformed into something completely new, with no hint of what was there before.

The next morning, 25 July, we drove back to #481 again. We wanted to retrace the road leading to the house and to take one more last farewell glance of the house and the surrounding and said my final goodbye to Ayer Tawar. And, also, have the chance to show my respect, at the very least, by doing a Drive Pass at the Gutien Cemetry, where my late Grandmother was buried.

(Afternote: A video documentation of my Search for 481 New Village can be found in the following youtube address - http://youtu.be/PtUrkhfjlCU )

While here, we took the opportunity to visit the Sitiawan Settlement Musuem, to find out more about my ancestors, and the reason why they had landed in Ayer Tawar in 1905. At least, now I know more about myself. Deb & Sue have also learnt a little about my past and the Gutien people in Sitiawan, and my ancestry.

Sitiawan Settlement Musuem

I am extremely happy that Sue and Deb were with me in retracing my childhood memories, as well as  sharing my roots and Foochow heritage, in particular, Foochow food. I have now seen almost the whole of Sitiawan – from Ayer Tawar to Kampong Koh, and all the way to Lumut. Savoured all the Foochow food from the best restaurants there - Hong Zhao Mee Suah, Kampua Noodles, Lor Mee, Kon Lou Mian, Fish Maw Soup, Oyster Omelette, Kon Pian, and all. With Deb's help, we even managed to find Jia Fatt, the best Hong Zhao maker and handmade Mee Suah. And I had brought back with me a whole boxful of Hong Zhao and handmade Mee Suah to Singapore. Not in my wildest dream, did I ever thought that I could achieve all these in 2 days!

 A Tasty Plate of Kon Lou Mian From Kampong Koh Wet Market

The Best Handmade Mee Suah In Sitiawan

Now I can tick off another item from my “Wish List” - which is - to visit my hometown. Without Deb and Sue's help, I could not have done it.

A Food Journey Through Ayer Tawar, Sitiawan

On The Way To Sitiawan - Cruising Along The E1 Highway

On my recent 4 days (23 to 26 July 2013), 1400 km, drive trip to Klang and Sitiawan with Sue and Deb, one of the things that were included in my itinerary had been to savour famous Sitiawan's Foochow food and other good & popular local dishes. These dishes have often been talked and bragged about by travellers, famous food bloggers and travel advisors. So, before the trip, I did my research by trawling through numerous food blogs, travel sites, local food guides/reviews/recommendations, etc., to look for food stops along my planned route, taking careful note of the recommendations, operating hours etc.,

For my Klang stopover, I was hoping to try popular recommendations such as that of Hok Seng Restoran at Bukit Tinggi, I-Dragon at Aeon, and the famous Wanton Noodles at Wah Chai Restoran. And, if the opportunity presents itself, I might also try out the very famous Seng Huat's Bak Kut Teh located near to the lower Klang River. As my stopover in Klang was only for one night, I had planned to have lunch at Hok Seng upon arrival in the afternoon, dinner at Aeon's I-Dragon, and then breakfast at Wah Chai Restoran the next morning before leaving Klang for Sitiawan. So, I have it all planned, I thought.

We arrived in Klang just before noon on 23 July and drove straight to Hok Seng Restoran as planned. To our disappointment, it was not opened for lunch. So, we decided to drive over to the nearby cluster of eating houses and restaurants just across the road from Aeon. This cluster of eating houses was featured regularly in numerous food blogs. Unfortunately, on that day, none of those recommended was opened. That day was not a declared public holiday. Maybe, this cluster of eating houses and restaurants operates only during dinner hours, we thought. I had the same exact experiences in my previous 2 drive trips to Klang – I went to a highly recommended cluster of eating houses and restaurants across Premiere Hotel, but upon arrival there for dinner, none was opened! It was also not a public holiday. At that time, I thought, maybe they operate only during lunch hours. How strange.

By then, all of us were very hungry, especially after the long 6 hours journey from Singapore. We decided to stop at Imperial Restoran along Jalan Langat, which Sue had spotted when we drove past. The Restoran, serving Hong Kong Dim Sum, was not in our plan. To our pleasant surprise, the Dim Sum dishes served here were really good. The standard of  Dim Sum here must have been one of the best I have tried so far in Malaysia! I had eaten at a couple of famous Dim Sum restaurants - one in KL at Berjaya Times Square and the other at Klang's Premiere Hotel - but, both were nowhere near the standard at Imperial Restoran. Maybe, because we were all too hungry.

Imperial Restoran - Serving Hong Kong Dim Sum

Great Dim Sum Meal!

For dinner, we decided to settle for the I-Dragon at Aeon - which was in our plan. We had Deep Fried Silver Fish, White Cabbage in Superior Stock, Black Pepper Chicken Lamien and Stir Fried Seafood Lamien. Generally, the food was good, but not the price.

The next morning, we were happily looking forward to a good Wanton Mee breakfast at Wah Chai Restoran, before heading North to Sitiawan. I have read many fantastic reviews and recommendations from various food blogs about how good the Wanton noodles (done Malaysian style - more dark soya sauce), Curry Noodles, and other breakfast food that can be found at Wah Chai Restoran. We arrived there but saw that the shuttle is still down. Disappointed, we drove around looking for other alternatives and were lucky to spot a roadside food shack with a few patrons in there. We have to eat something before we hit the highway. It was an ordinary breakfast – fried noodles, bee hoon, egg and Teh Si – with a couple of  early risers, cats, dogs, and crows accompanying us -  at the roadside food shack.

Breakfast at a Roadside Food Shack

Fried Beehoon, Noodles and Egg in Klang's Style

We arrived in Ayer Tawar at about 2.30 pm, after having stopped along the way for a photo session at Kellie's Castle, and a quick look at my primary school - the Methodist English School, as well as done a preliminary recce of our target, New Village Ayer Tawar. We intended to continue our search for my childhood's home - at New Village Ayer Tawar, after our lunch.

Our lunch plan was Red Ruby Restoran, a famous restoran in Ayer Tawar, specialising in Foochow food. I had read good reviews and write-ups on their signature dishes – Fermented Red Wine Chicken Mee Suah, San Mei Kai (3 flavours chicken) and their special in-house Fried Toufoo. It is a restoran not to be missed when one is in or near Ayer Tawar.

Red Ruby Restoran at Ayer Tawar

After parking my car, we headed straight for the restoran entrance. As we walked into the restoran, the lady staff courteously told us that they had closed early for the day because they are in the midst of preparing for a wedding banquet for the night. The boss, who must have noticed that I was driving a Singapore's registered car, decided without hesitation, telling the staff to let us in and serve us. We were very grateful to him.

We had a fantastic Foochow meal. The huge serving of Fermented Red Wine Mee Suah must have been the best I have tasted. The restoran's special Fried Toufoo and San Mei Kai were just as good. It was RM40 (S$16) for 3 hungry persons! Very very cheap, indeed. All three of us were very happy and contented after the meal.

Fermented Red Wine Chicken Mee Suah

Fried Toufoo - Their In-house Speciality

We headed for Best Western Marina Island Resort at Lumut after having filled our stomach.

For dinner, Bei King Restoran, a very popular and famous Foochow's restaurant with a long history in Sitiawan, was on our itinerary. We were not able to find the restoran initially. But luckily, Deb had with her all the tools and resources – GPS, google maps and all – to locate the restoran, which had moved to a new building.

Bei King Restoran - at their new Building and location

The reviews and write-ups by the many food bloggers and travel advisors about Bei King's food have been very glorifying and mouth watering, especially the Chef's recommendations – Sweet and Sour Fish Maw Soup, Lor Mee, Crispy Oyster Omelette and Fried Chicken with Salted Egg – all being traditional Sitiawan's Foochow dishes. As a former Foochow boy from Sitiawan, I have been looking forward to tasting some of these traditional dishes in my very own hometown.

Crispy Oyster Omelette

Lor Mee and Sweet & Sour Fish Maw Soup

Having tasted the famous Foochow dishes in Sitiawan, my conclusion is that – they are no gourmet food, but ordinary great tasting home-cooked food that has not changed over the years. I was very happy and felt nostalgic to be able to have a taste of Foochow dishes, especially the Fermented Red Wine Mee Suah at Red Ruby, which tasted almost exactly like what I can remember. I think, all of us have a special place in our heart for the food we had with our family when we were young. The type of food, the taste, the smell and the ways they were cooked, stay in a person's memory forever. In a way, these foods gave me great comfort and memory. More importantly, I was able to share my food memories with Sue and Deb.

In my epic Sitiawan's food journey, I have also eaten Kon Pian, a traditional Foochow's biscuit, which I believe can only be found in Sitiawan. I also have a taste of the very famous Kampua Mee (Kon Lou Mee and Lor Mee) at the Kampong Koh's wet market. All these added up to form my most memorable food journey. In addition to the food, through Deb, I was able to locate and visit the maker of one of the best Foochow's Fermented Red Wine Lees and handmade Mee Suah, and we brought some back to Singapore with us.

Kon Pian

Lor Mee at Kampong Koh's Wet Market

Kan Lou Mian at Kampong Koh's Wet Market

Fifty years had passed, and finally, I have realised my wish of tasting Sitiawan's Foochow food again.

Fermented Red Wine Chicken Mee Suah
 Cooked
Using The Best Red Wine Lees And Handmade Mee Suah From Sitiawan