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

End Of Life

Arrival of Autumn...

At 56, I am beginning to feel that time is running out.10 more years suddenly seem very short, and so near. I wonder, how many more '10-year' do I have left. Probably one, at best two, and a miracle if I have three.

Even though the life expectancy of Singaporeans was recently reported to be 84, I wonder how many can actually live to that age without losing out on the quality of life (to be called living). For life, when one is bedridden, unable to take care of oneself, and dependent on others, is not much of a life to speak of. My impression is  that, not many can continue to live a healthy, mobile, active, and meaningful existence after their 60s.

As I ponder about life and death at this point, I am neither going to die or suicidal. I guess it has got to do with age, couple with the fact that I have been lying down far too often, and that, it is just a momentarily passing thoughts.

Dying is part of life. It is like sleep, except that it is permanent. It happens everyday and everywhere, and you can see them in the obituaries page. You can occassionally hear about someone's death, and yet, for some, talking about death is taboo. Why?

I actually have a strange habit - I read the obituaries page in the paper everyday without fail. I have done that for more than ten years. To see whether among those whose lives have just been extinguished, are peoples I know. Every few months, there will always be someone I know whose life has been interrupted – an old neighbour, an old friend, someone from my batch of Midshipman, a course mate, an old colleague, a lecturer from the university who have taught me, or just a familiar face. And when I see one, I would be sadden, and my mood would be affected. In a way, it reminds me of my own mortality.

A few years back, on one day while I was washing my car, a neigbour who was a retired school principal in his early 60s, who lived a few doors away from me, came up to chit chat with me. He told me that my car registration number is a lucky number and had appeared in the Singapore 4D draw before. He was then in a pink of health. But, 4 months later, I heard that he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and a month later, he was gone. It was a surprise, or more like a shock to me, and I was sadden by his sudden passing.

Another incident that reminds me that end of life can come suddenly to one even when everything in life seems going very well just a day before. It happened to an old neighbour of mine. He was about my age, or there about; a very relaxed remisier, who in his own words - he trade others money – win or lose, he gets his commission; a good family man, husband to a happy housewife, and father to 2 well brought up adults; a successful man who owned other landed properties in addition to the condominium he was staying; and living a good life in every way. Even when both our families had  moved out of the condominium we were staying, occasionally I could still see him around the Katong neighbourhood. On one night in 2007, I saw him enjoying supper at Joo Chiat with his wife. I commented to him that, he and his wife, both of them look very good – healthy and happy. But tragedies suddenly strucked his family in 2009. His daughter, nearing 30, and was doing extremely well in her career, was suddenly diagnosed with cervical cancer. She passed away shortly, in the same year. Three months after his daughter tragic death, I was shocked and sadden to read of his sudden demise from the newspaper's obituaries. Very sad, but tragedy often comes in more than one.

One incident that pained me most was witnessing the death of Sue's younger sister, who was 47, in 2008. She had cervical cancer, and her cancer had gone into remission for 9 years. But, suddenly, one day in 2008, she called Sue, in pain, fear and crying. She was inconsolable. Her cancer had returned. She passed away 2 months later, leaving behind 2 teenagers and husband to grieve. In that short 2 months, I saw how she suffered in pain and struggled with her sudden approaching end of life. I saw the most cruel aspect of life

If death is part of life, then it is important to deal with it by accepting it as a normal part of our passage of life. No taboo. Lives come and go. What comes after this life – be it an eternal life or reincarnation or whatever – is a separate issue that one needs to ponder and decidely choose early in life – for a peaceful life and happy end.

For me, to find meaning in this brief 'act of life', one needs to come to terms with death in order to live well. And in one's 'act of life' one should express who he/she is, what he/she stands for, and what one's life is about – to justify one had lived.