Musing about life...: 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.