Lenggong’s Loh Dee Wan Ton Mee – Never Judge a Book by Its Cover

June 1, 2009 | 137 views| 29 Comments »
Lenggong is a small town in Perak, to the north of Ipoh before reaching the towns of Gerik and Pengkalan Hulu. Sounds alien right? Fret not. Here’s a short, short geography lesson; Motormouth style.
Perak has 10 districts. Previously 9, but Kampar has been granted the status of a district recently, therefore rounding up the total to a grand total of TEN. Lenggong, Pengkalan Hulu and Gerik are all towns grouped under the administration of Hulu Perak District, the northern-most district in Perak. If any of you remember vividly (or faintly), I blogged about Pengkalan Hulu in my Betong chapters last year. (Click HERE for the Over The Border posts)

It was only about 7.30am …. and the shack was crowded in mere minutes after we arrived!

Famously renowned for the legendary/mythical Perak Cave Man, Lenggong hosts a plethora of caves and excavation opportunities for the diggin’-savvies (archaelogy-wise, not the nostrils-kind!). You can refer to the incomparable Cumi & Ciki’s discovery of the caves, journaling their experience before crossing over to the wartorn lands (hah! as if) of Betong, Thailand.

Or for a more concise history and overall impression of Lenggong, refer to the ever-reliable Wikipedia page on Lenggong HERE.

And that’s a wrap, folks! For the 1st half, of course; The History lesson. Short eh?

In all manners of preparation ….. funky?
Now to the better half of this post. The Yummy part, referring to one of Lenggong’s most famous yet hidden treasure of an eatery.
Most people would undoubtedly recognize Lenggong’s best offerings as the bouncy, fleshy Lenggong fishballs. It’s so popular, you can either eat them from the restaurants here, order them with accompanying noodles ala fishball noodles style, OR even take away the cooked & uncooked ones.
Deliciously red Char Siew atop the selfmade Wanton Noodle (RM3.00)
The main road of Lenggong runs through probably 20 shoplots on each side, at best. Or maybe slightly more, but covering the town on foot is not an impossible task.
Loh Dee Wan Ton Mee may be easily missed, had one sped across Lenggong town. The simple, unassuming shack on the opposite side of Shell petrol station had been doing brisk business come early hours in the mornings, since the olden days. OK, I’ve no idea how long they’ve been running the shop, but judging from the locals’ reactions and recommendations, it’s safe to assume the place has its history deep in the books. Or valley, as in the case of Lenggong town.
Springy, QQ egg noodles with no trace of lye water, and pork wanton/dumplings
Half-expected the wan ton noodle to be a mere pushover, being a small outlet in an obscure town, we were taken aback by the sheer quality AND quantity of the noodles! We ordered the small portion for only RM3, (single mee @ RM3, one half at RM3.70 and double at RM4.40), and the portion justified the amount paid, and more.
KYT skipped the Char Siew (a decision he probably regretted, judging from his reaction after nicking a piece of mine), and he got 10(!!!) pieces of wan ton instead, at RM2.50 only! The wanton (dumplings) comes with only pork fillings, and pleasantly marinated before wrapping them in those transluscent (though slightly thick, according to KYT) skins. Definitely not those generic, forgettable ones.
But the Char Siew is in another league altogether. One glance, and you’ll be forgiven to think that it’s just another run-of-the-mill offering, but that’s where I was wrong. The Char Siew was marinated & roasted over charcoal; the traditional way by themselves, hence the smoky flavour imparted to the juicy and lip-smacking cuts of meat. I wished I had ordered extra servings of the sumptuous barbecued pork, but a breakfast’s a breakfast. Can’t go overboard now, can we?
Finish it off with a glass of frothy milk tea

The meal costed each of us less than RM5. Worthy, satisfied, and charged for the day. Now, if only the drive to Pengkalan Hulu is not THAT taxing …… Sigh.

Location : Loh Dee Wan Ton Mee @ Main Road (Jln Baling-Kuala kangsar), Lenggong, Perak. Specifically? From the PLUS highway towards north, exit the Kuala Kangsar/Gerik Timur exit. Then proceed to Kuala Kangsar/Gerik direction. Follow the Gerik directions, and go along the trunk road, until you reach Sauk, and subsequently Lenggong. Turn right into Lenggong town at the intersection (there’ll be a signboard, no worries), and explore the town along the main road. You’ll notice this shop on your left, before you reach Shell petrol station on the right.

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29 Responses to “Lenggong’s Loh Dee Wan Ton Mee – Never Judge a Book by Its Cover”

  1. mboy says:
    June 1, 2009 at 10:07 pm

    Finally u have tried the wantan mee leh…Told u it was nice… =)

    [Reply]

  2. Bangsar-bAbE says:
    June 1, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    Next time, pls pack me into your suitcase (I’m quite tiny) and bring me along when you go to Perak!!

    [Reply]

  3. YilingL says:
    June 1, 2009 at 11:06 pm

    Wow you travel to all parts of Perak huh??? Jealous nyer….

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  4. thenomadGourmand says:
    June 1, 2009 at 11:33 pm

    really looks can be deceiving..for the char siew certainly looks like the normal ones..not those shiny,caramelised version tht all floggers go ga-ga over..

    [Reply]

  5. Sugar Bean says:
    June 1, 2009 at 11:56 pm

    Wow, do have to agree with you that the price is reasonable! It’s getting hard to have a filling meal below RM5 in Msia. Aww, so many good food in Perak.

    [Reply]

  6. Life for Beginners says:
    June 2, 2009 at 1:01 am

    Oh, I can never skip the char siew with my wantan mee… but of late, I’ve been wishing I can get siew yoke with that too, esp. after visiting Penang, hehe.

    [Reply]

  7. ~Christine~Leng says:
    June 2, 2009 at 7:55 am

    sobs… i was really craving for a plate of dried wanton mee until I visited your blog. gosh… I wanna come home!!

    [Reply]

  8. J2Kfm says:
    June 2, 2009 at 8:08 am

    mboy : yeah, i was wrong to not believe in ur recommendation. haha …

    BangsarBabe : haha, no problem. but wait … i AM in Perak lah. :)

    YilingL : its in the nature of my work. call of duty.

    thenomadGourmand : how true. the moment i set eyes on them, i thought … "nah, another one of those fake reddish charsiew" … unlike the ones like Meng Kee/ Famous Seremban Favs. but surprisingly Loh Dee's version is rather good, from all the smoking/roasting.

    sugar bean : in such small town, some already complained a bit expensive for 'double' mee to be priced at RM4.40.

    life for beginners : siew yoke with wantan mee? cool. esp those crackly ones. waiting til the day we get suckling pig with noodles. wait … Tropicana got one outlet serving that even!

    Christine : still there?! til when ah? gonna be soon dunworry.

    [Reply]

  9. SimpleGirl says:
    June 2, 2009 at 8:55 am

    i would not go just for the plane of wanton mee, that is for sure…but if i happen to be there..i sure will check this out..the dry wanton mee looks good…just that the wanton is a bit too skinny!!!haha

    [Reply]

  10. New Kid on the Blog says:
    June 2, 2009 at 10:25 am

    very good geography class… :)

    [Reply]

  11. Selba says:
    June 2, 2009 at 11:04 am

    I like your new banner! So cool! ;)

    [Reply]

  12. J2Kfm says:
    June 2, 2009 at 11:08 am

    SimpleGirl : small wanton yes, but flavourful and the noodles + char siew quite good. of course, say if you’re passing by on the way to Gerik, pengkalan Hulu, betong or even Kota Bharu, kelantan, one can drop by for a hearty breakfast.

    NKOTB : thanks … all copied from elsewhere. none from my brains.

    Selba : thanks!

    [Reply]

  13. Nic (KHKL) says:
    June 2, 2009 at 1:10 pm

    it’s culinary art at its best when the wanton noodles’ bouncy and lye-less. sounds good!!

    i musta been lagging in blog-srufing cos i just realised yr new header. cool stuff.

    [Reply]

  14. bluesoule says:
    June 2, 2009 at 2:22 pm

    omg u were here?? well loh dee wanton mee is famous here. I like their char siew cos it taste different. It was marinated and BBQ style with charcoal, unlike the normal ones.

    But there is actually another wanton mee stall just at the back street. IMHO the noodles there has better texture (more spongy) and the “???“ taste better…

    So mixing the wanton mee at the back and the charsiew at the front stall will be heavenly LOL

    [Reply]

  15. kevin_chungx says:
    June 2, 2009 at 3:13 pm

    Wan tan mee can’t go without the springy egg noodles, wow, the char siew looks very nice :p

    selfmade noodles, not using machines?

    [Reply]

  16. J2Kfm says:
    June 2, 2009 at 3:20 pm

    Nic (KHKL) : just changed the header few days ago. for the sake of renovation.

    bluesoule : if only can mix those noodles and char siew! hahaha… but really, the char siew was good.

    kevin : erm, not to say not using machine, cz I’ve no idea. =P but of course not the horrible generic version with heavy alkaline taste.

    [Reply]

  17. sc says:
    June 2, 2009 at 5:08 pm

    you must have had good discipline.. if i was there, and the char siew’s heavenly, i would have ordered another portion, even though its early in the morning! hehehe yes, greedy me :p

    [Reply]

  18. worldwindows says:
    June 2, 2009 at 7:51 pm

    Travelling and blogging – this is wonderful. Like those quaint small towns where time seems to overtake them. The Lenggong to Gerik stretch of was horrendously winding. But that was 20 years ago.

    [Reply]

  19. J2Kfm says:
    June 2, 2009 at 8:11 pm

    sc : hmm, now that you mention, i SHOULD hor? since not everyday, or even every month I’m going there.

    worldwindows : now no more! the road’s almost perfect. with fogs in the morning … ahhh, blissful.

    [Reply]

  20. Min says:
    June 2, 2009 at 9:43 pm

    I tried the wan tan mee once only, although I used to pass by Lenggong very often. I still can remember how tasty the char siu was, hehe, if got chance, I will go try again.

    [Reply]

  21. jencooks says:
    June 3, 2009 at 12:13 am

    The strands of noodles looks like new Simpson’s wife new hairdo! Yah of late I am also crazy about crackly siew yoke which I miss for a good part of my life, char siew here looks a bit red tho.

    [Reply]

  22. Big Boys Oven says:
    June 3, 2009 at 6:16 am

    wow! the best food still from a small little town, such an example like lenggong, I so envy you able to travel to all this little jewels! You are defintely a food travel King!

    [Reply]

  23. Little Inbox says:
    June 3, 2009 at 9:14 am

    Homemade wanton noodle always taste better than those machine mass production noodle.

    [Reply]

  24. J2Kfm says:
    June 3, 2009 at 3:50 pm

    Min : if got chance means you're willing to go back?> =P

    jencooks : yeah, the reddish hue is kinda misleading, but trust me it's good.

    BBO : King? hahaha … mou lah … far from it.

    Little Inbox : yeah agreed! though the noodles here is not THE very best, actually. only the char siew …

    [Reply]

  25. ahlock says:
    June 4, 2009 at 9:33 pm

    Finally, the wanton mee that I missed when I visited Lenggong appeared in your blog.

    The time was only about 12.oo noon when we arrived. The owner's response was, "Sold Out Lor. Next time come early"

    How did I find out about this place? A colleague, a local to
    Lenggong, tall and lanky girl with big smily eyes, told me so.

    Any single guys who want to find beautiful girl friends can also shop around in Lenggong :)

    [Reply]

  26. J2Kfm says:
    June 4, 2009 at 11:29 pm

    ahlock : hahahah, never noticed bout the pretty gals part though. the whole shop was full with customers frmo middle age and above. =P

    [Reply]

  27. chiabh says:
    June 9, 2009 at 10:41 pm

    agreed that this is one of the best that i have tasted… was not disappointed as we drove from klumpur to lenggong just for the wan tan mee… okay, we do stop over in kuala kangsar for halal pau (not that exciting despite all the good write-up on this) and golf…

    [Reply]

  28. J2Kfm says:
    June 10, 2009 at 9:04 am

    thanks chiabh, for that recommendation. I'm about to explore kuala kangsar soon enough. heard much bout the pau though. more like tanjung malim's yik mun?

    [Reply]

  29. chiabh says:
    June 10, 2009 at 7:58 pm

    the kk pau at restoran yat lai is very popular… it is only available after 2.00pm… during our first visit to kk, we arrive at about 12noon and the pau for the day was already sold out (even before the baking)!!! yik mun's pau has also lost its quality and it is like any other ordinary pau… i can remember that in the early 1970s, yik mun was at a corner coffee shop next to the police station… its curry chicken pau was the best and is hand made… after our last visit to yik mun sometime ago, we have now make it a miss… the pau are machine made and even frozen packed for takeaways… yuck!!!

    haven't found any good pau around the country… non-halal tai pau are still good at a coffee shop in machap baru (a small hakka village in melaka)… the tai pau in tong chuan (ayer hitam in johor) is just passable… the same can be said of the famous pau in melaka city… before i forget, the "famous" hainan pau in dengkil is also not recommended… know of any good pau that i can try???

    [Reply]

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