Sitiawan, Revisited
May 22, 2008 | 7,762 views
Gong Pian with Onions (60 cents/each)
However, yesterday’s journey to Tg Tualang/Kampung Gajah was another taxing crawl, burdened with workload + ultra hot weather (+ no NONHALAL food, get it?) = 8.5 hours of torture !!! (Help, FCOE!!! Where are you?)
Don’t worry, the guy’s not using the stick for homicidal intentions …
Anyway, fast fwd to today. Aaahhh …. finally a decent mini food tour, and WORK done, of course, accordingly to our schedule, without pressure from the upper management. Me, KYT and Tall Gal ventured to Sitiawan and Seri Manjung. I skipped breakfast, so they were kind enough (after much persuasion, anyway) to drop me at Sitiawan Cheong Cia Gong Pian. Tried our luck to get the much sought after onion-filled biscuits, NOT the plain ones we had the previous visit (refer older post HERE). We were in luck, as the biscuits were freshly baked, and being ‘scooped’ out from the ovens resembling wells.
Hot, fresh, crispy Gong Pian with lots of chopped onions guarantees bad breath. LOL, but we couldn’t care less. Miles better than the ones we had last time. In fact, the aroma permeated the Tall Gal’s Vios, and we could not resist digging into one (OK, me and KYT the culprits). Fragrant, crispy, and extremely addictive. But I love anything with onions anyway. At 60 cents per piece, you can afford to stuff 10 without much guilt. OK, probably slight guilt. =)
One of the more famous Foo Chow restaurant in Sitiawan is Bei King, situated on the main road itself (Jalan Raja Omar, I believe?), and easily tracked. Right opposite a signboard on the other side that says “Taman Setia.”
Bloody Red Wine Chicken
Being the gluttons threesome, we ordered 4 dishes to be shared among 3, expecting smaller portions, but the dishes can easily fed 4-5 pax. (Where are you AGAIN, FCOE??!!) We omit the rice noodles (mee suah) as we were evils, planning to deplete the current rice stocks even more. But keen on trying their famed red wine soup, we agreed to the Tau Ke Nia’s recommendation of Red Wine Chicken. The chicken was stewed/cooked til tender, and the soup had a mild hint of wine, not unlike the Chicken in Wine commonly cooked for post delivery women. (=P) Goes well with white rice. Just don’t let the blood red colour deceive or deter you.
Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs with Char Choy (preserved vege)
The ribs were soft, mostly boneless, and cooked with yams, potatoes (I presumed) and char choy, a type of preserved vegetable. Sweet and sour, the ribs were full of flavour, but I find them too soft/mashed for my liking.
4 Heavenly Kings (literally)
The Four Heavenly Kings served here is slightly different, incorporating brinjals, ladies’ fingers, asparagus and stink beans (petai). The gravy was addictive, unlike the common sambal belacan used to cook this dish. But I couldn’t help but detected a slight tinge of sweetish/sourish taste in this dish, yet again, proving that the Foo Chows really love their sweet and sour dishes.
Signature Beancurd with Broccoli and Abalone Mushrooms
Not sure if those were abalone mushrooms, for I’m not expert on the fungal family. But the tofu was homemade, and really soft and velvety, and bursting with egg-y flavour. Very nice.
One funny moment though. When we ordered the drinks, Tall Gal accidentally ordered Chrysanthemum tea (Kuk Pou) for all 3 of us, when her intention was having sweet chrysanthemum herbal tea (Kuk Fah) herself. But Kuk Pou sounds OK to us, nevertheless. However, they MIXED the tea (Luk Pou) and SWEET chrysanthemum tea in this one, resulting in a hybrid of flavours, fragrant from the tea leaves, and sweet from the sugar added. Imagine a sweet kuk pou *_* …. But still, quite soothing and refreshing.
Total damage = RM54 including 4 bowls of rice and drinks. Though not dirt cheap, (it is an air-conditioned restaurant with years of history anyway), it was reasonable enough for us, to probably warrant a next visit. But we’ll be sure to drag FCOE along, so that she can mop up all unwanted leftovers ….muahahha ….
Location : Coming from Ipoh towards Lumut using the Lumut Highway, turn into Sitiawan town. When you reach a crossroad with traffic lights, you will notice KFC is on your right. Turn left into Jalan Raja Omar, and you will notice this restaurant after a minute or 2 on your left.
eh, no ang chiew mee suah ah?? are these authentic hock chew food?
[Reply]
Beiking is a high end Fuzhou restaurant in Sitiawan , and most popular with outstation patrons. Try other versions of Kong(gong) Pian in Kg Koh/ayer Tawar too if you can esp the one with giant lards. One of us is actually based in Ayer Tawar and knows the A to Y ( he says ) of Fuzhou cuisine ! check a good site my lumut for the local happenings here
[Reply]
wah, u really work hard and play hard, eh?
nice post. i felt like i went to sitiawan for a short holiday already
[Reply]
NKOTB : yeah, they’re authentic I assumed, even got on Ho Chak (8tv) once. the ang chiew = red wine chicken, MINUS the mee suah cz we opt for the rice. =P
team bsg : oh really? then hope to get in touch, so that on our next visit i can ‘hire’ a tour guide?
nic : yeah, if all work no play, very mundane life ma, right?
[Reply]
I like the kong piah with onion, tried once. If not mistaken, the kong piah can be stored for months, just put into freezer and put into oven when u wanna eat….
[Reply]
Red Wine Chicken?
Lolx…first time heard of it.
The food is in Sitiawan?
Abit far from my place ><
[Reply]
Whoa…guys. Hulk here from Sitiawan but not fuchou..Hokkien Hulk. Should get direction from me buddy.
OK..there’s indeed many version of this call Fuchou Kong Piah. The rock hard version with sweet contents is one. I think u eat the vege version, should try out the meat version is priced higher at RM0.80 I think. There are several outlets producing such & u got the popular tourist frequented outlet. Just next to swift hotel…heard the busy chirping noise.
Go S’wan, must eat Fuchou food which is mainly spicy, sweety & sourish. The staple cook food of teh locals is the Red-Wine Verni.Noodle (Hong Chau Min Sin). Bare in mind..the taste (wine)also depends on season as it result quality of fermentation of rice. Blend nicely with teh super smooth local made noodle.
Other popular distinguish food is…the FuChou Mixed Vege, The fuchou tauhu soup, Fuchou sea cucumber soup etc…best of all..Kpg Chilli Sauce.
Have u try out of the local Sea-food restaurant?? Local Mangoes, local popular Cendol, local Bakutteh, local breakfast noodle (where a stall sells everything from currymee,har-mee,laksa,lohmee (Fuchow version) etc….
I was actually back home the last weekend for the holiday.
U seems to be in legal department right??
[Reply]
planning to deplete the current rice stocks Lol! Wahhhhh I want to try Gong Pian.. always see the digital version, never eat or smell
[Reply]
To add..Ang Chiew Mee Suah (hokkein) = Hong Chau Min Sin (canto) = Red Wine noodle…
Kom Piang (fuchew)= Kom Piah (Hokkien)= Rock Biscuit is a meaty version of Hong Piah (hokkien). Similar stlye.
[Reply]
min : for months?! wow, that’s new. I love anything with onions, hehe, so a bit bias. But they are indeed special, something diff from norm.
jeromefo : red wine is not the type fermented from grapes ala western style. it’s from a type of red husk rice (I think). Not strong odour, no worries!
Hulk : haha, hi there! din knw u from sitiawan! if yes, should’ve asked u for directions! yeah, we tried Amu Coconut Villa Seafood in Kg Cina the previous time. Heard that the opposite restaurant Villa is nicer, rite? thanks btw, for clarification and recommendation!
durianberry : LOL! digital version also can imagine the taste liao? I think very tough to find gong pian anywhere else than Sitiawan/Ayer tawar. Anyone?
[Reply]
Hulk : Oh ya, I work in not REALLY legal dept, more to health sector, but with a twist. hehe … why?
[Reply]
J2kfm, ur blog start to get famous eh..with all ur food post. every fortnight, I’ll b in Sitiawan, but I don’t know got so much of nice food there. Only tried kong piah b4 (vege + meat). next 2 wek i’ll b there again. mayb can contact all ur reader on direction (or urself)
[Reply]
YB : Ha? yes ah? I should be the one to ask for directions from you! hehe … better contact Hulk/ Team Bsg. They’re the experts I guess.
[Reply]
Yes..Villa is good too. Food stle is blend of local with Thai. Price little higher. My family favourite sea-food restaurant.Must have…TomYam soup, Marmite chicken etc.Best ever & tase different from the others.
U can reach me at [email protected]. However hardly open my mail due to junk mails. Just say “J2kFM recommends”.
[Reply]
[...] Happy Restaurant (Foo Chow Cuisine) Sitiawan – Bei King Restaurant (Foo Chow Cuisine) & First Visit Sitiawan – Famous Biscuits @ Cheong Cia Gong Pian & Revisit Sitiawan – Chai Chin [...]