Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog

Our pride and joy? Menara Condong (Leaning Tower) of Teluk Intan (Diamond Bay) in Perak

After the lunch at Kam Ling Restaurant in Kampar, we proceeded to Teluk Intan in a most leisurely fashion. Usually rushing for time (due to the nature of our job) owing to the hectic/chaotic daily routines, this time around the journey to Teluk Intan was smooth as silk. Travelling on a Saturday afternoon has its pros, due to the lack of traffic congestion and lorries plying the trunk roads.

The calm before the storm – Liew Kee’s unbelievably famous Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun ONLY operates at night.

Thankfully the weather was not too bad that afternoon; None of the dreadful sweltering heat & scorching sun, yet without a drop of rain. Well, until much later in the evening anyway. This almost-impromptu trip rendered us somewhat incapacitated from meticulous planning and proper time management. Hence, we squeezed in every possible opportunity to eat all of most of Teluk Intan’s signature street food, ranging from the famous Ah Chai Rojak to drinking fresh soy bean milk from a stall that has been operating since the 50′s, and not forgetting taking away a few packets of Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun back home for dinner-supper.

Pretty witty ladies in their 60′s exchanging banters with the likes of us, without the slightest hint of arrogance. Yes, all this amidst the fact that they have been there for half a century!

The town of Teluk Intan was surprisingly congested with traffic; both contributed from the vehicles on the roads and the people running all over the place. Especially when Saturday night’s scheduled for the weekly ‘pasar malam‘ (night market) in town. To imagine we escaped the jams in Ipoh, but instead got caught up in the labyrinth of one-way streets in Teluk Intan (TI for short).

But it was all good, for the unexpected burst of camaraderie debunked the misconceptions of TI being a lifeless town in southern Perak (which is very far from the truth, even on weekdays).

Passing by Jalan Ah Cheong in town centre, where the road meets Jalan Maharani (I hope I remember all the details correctly here) is the stretch of hawker stalls that open every morning for breakfast. Arriving at about 2pm, the only stall that still breathed life to the “Food Street” was Gerai Soya Bean Maharani; a stall operated by two friendly ladies selling soy milk and soy bean curd (tau fu fah). But the latter was all sold off, hence we quenched our thirst with a glass of soy milk each. RM0.70/USD0.20 for a refreshing serving of soy milk with a choice of the usual sugar syrup (without the gingery aroma), or black syrup (from gula melaka aka palm sugar syrup).

GERAI SOYA BEAN MAHARANI @ intersection of Jalan Maharani-Jalan Ah Cheong
Opens from morning until late afternoon.
Map to come at the end of the post.

Don’t belittle the exterior of this ‘rojak’ specialist of Teluk Intan; the media coverage and swarms of customers from all walks of life will change your perception the instant you walk up to the stall

Rojak Ah Chai – Not sure which generation is handling the business now, but for sure this was around since my mother’s schooling days in Teluk Intan !!!

Since we were in-between meals, the most logical option would be to go for a light snack, instead of a full-blown seafood extravaganza. Which by the way, is what Teluk Intan-Hutan Melintang are famous for, owing to the fresh supplies of seafood daily from Hutan Melintang.

The name of Rojak Ah Chai can’t escape the list of must-eats in any itinerary of a foodie’s excursion to Teluk Intan. Rojak of course, is the ubiquitous Asian salad commonly found in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia (where they call it ‘Rujak’ instead). Ah Chai’s rojak sauce ain’t the usual extra thick, robust and pungent from the excessive prawn paste added, and liberally tossed with chopped peanuts version, but slightly diluted and tasted suspiciously like the sweet sauce served with Chee Cheong Fun (tim cheong). The bite-sized ingredients thrown into the ensemble include cuttlefish (yau yue), crispy prawn fritters, water convolvulus (kangkung), turnip, cucumber and chopped pineapples. However, I still prefer the conventional Penang/Ipoh’s version of Rojak with a darker sauce, and stronger taste. A serving at RM2.50/USD0.80, unless you ask for extra ingredients or such.

ROJAK AH CHAI
Jalan Woo Saik Hong,
36000 Teluk Intan,
Perak, Malaysia.
Next to the wet market on the same road, opposite of San Min School. MAP to come at the end of the post.
Telephone : 6012-462 1782
Opens : 10.30am – 5.00pm daily. Closed on Wednesday and Thursday fortnightly.
(Information from RasaRasa.net)

Scrambling for the Rojak @ Ah Chai’s still-humble-looking stall on Jalan Woo Saik Hong, Teluk Intan

The BIG Cinemas @ No 6, Jalan Sithamparam Pillay, 36000, Teluk Intan. Tel:05-6227677

And this was followed by a hopeful detour to the only cinema in town; the spanking new BIG cinema (maybe a year’s old, but the warehouse like structure sure looked rather new). Both Iron Man 2 and Ip Man 2 were all sold off, and the next shows were scheduled 3 hours apart. So we had to forgo this idea and ventured to Ta Sin Guan Tin Confectioneries to purchase some biscuits home.

Kedai Biskut Ta Sin Guan Tin – Famous for Tau Sar Pneah, Heong Pneah, and other confectioneries.

There are a few confectioneries in Teluk Intan town, selling almost the same stuff. Most renowned has to be Sin Joo Heong (Tiger Head brand) with branches in Ipoh, and even in the other states. Another famous shop is Sin Guan Hoe, which is located on the same row as Ta Sin Guan Tin on Jalan Pasar of Teluk Intan.

The Tau Sar Pneah is not the usual 50 cents’ size variations commonly found in Penang but a larger, almost akin to a smaller piece of Heong Peng. Tasty nonetheless, a packet of about 15 pieces for RM4.50/USD1.40. The funky-looking Bamboo Charcoal Tambun Biscuits added another viable option to the omnipresent food items incorporating bamboo charcoal for its nutritional/detoxifying properties. Tastewise? Just like any other Tambun biscuits/Tau Sar Pneah. A box of 24 pieces wrapped in fours, for RM11.50/USD3.60.

TA SIN GUAN TIN FOOD INDUSTRIES (www)
No 110, Jalan Pasar,
36000 Teluk Intan,
Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 605-621 5110, 605-622 9390, 6012-313 6883

Tom Yum Seafood Soup in a Claypot (RM16/USD5) @ Lana Tea House

Still reeling from the heat (the afternoon got much hotter in a flash though), we drove ourselves for a distance away from town centre, to Lana Tea House off Jalan Sultan Abdullah. I have visited this cool cafe a few times before, as we enjoyed the comfortable surroundings, and reasonably-priced food and juices. (Read about my visit HERE)

Thai Seafood Salad (RM9.00/USD2.80) and fresh fruit juices at Lana Tea House.

LANA TEA HOUSE
No 1, Jalan Teratai J 4/8,
Taman Indah Jaya,
36000 Teluk Intan,
Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 605-621 8996
MAP to come at the end of the post.

You can literally bear witness to the whole process of making Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun, as you’re forced to stand in line and wait for your order to be taken, prepared, and served. Only available for take-away though. Liew Kee @ Jalan Hill.

And to cap off a rather fruitful day of food-hunting in Teluk Intan, we proceeded to Liew Kee Kuih Teow Manufacturer on Jalan Hill for a few packets of Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun (CCF). If you recall somehow, miraculously, I wrote about the CCF from Keng Heng Coffee Shop before, albeit not this ultra-famous version.

Liew Kee Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun is almost legendary, hands down the MOST popular Chinese food in all of Teluk Intan. Yup, if you have not tasted this before, then you had better draft a plan NOW. Strange enough, you can’t eat on the spot (although technically you CAN, if you don’t mind standing around and picking on your rice rolls). Everyone lines up for their orders to be prepared, and be warned that the wait can be relentless on most days. Especially when the people in front of you order 20, 30  or even 40 packets to be taken away!!!

The famous Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun from Liew Kee – RM3.20/USD1.00 for a packet now.

Seriously, how GOOD is this? To justify the miles travelled, hair pulled from getting constantly lost at every corner, and moisture lost from the sweltering heat, as well as time spent on the queue?

First timers might be surprised to see that Teluk Intan’s version of CCF is unlike most out there, closest ‘sibling‘ would be Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun, but this one with only preserved vegetables (cabbage? turnip?) aka the dark brown bits, aromatic shallots, dried shrimps, and served with pickled green chillies. Some may find it a little greasy, but just like any other rice noodles (kuey teow/sar hor fun),without the oil, the noodles would stick together in a lumpy mess.

Personally, I like my food steaming hot, thus I have always tried to eat the CCF while they’re still warm. You can leave the CCF overnight, and eat them the next day but the taste won’t be the same. I find them very addictive though, for I like CCF in every possible manner, be it the Ipoh’s style of Chee Cheong Fun with various gravies, Penang’s CCF with Sticky Prawn Paste, or even Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun with fillings of boiled shrimps and char siew. The pickled green chillies added a piquant kick to the savoury rolls. Delectable, you won’t stop at one packet only …… I know I did not.

LIEW KEE (AH LEK) TELUK INTAN CHEE CHEONG FUN
No 725, Jalan Hill,
36000 Teluk Intan,
Perak, Malaysia
Telephone : 605-621 6884, 6012-508 8812 (from foodbin‘s and Riceballz’s posts)
Opens from 5.30pm until late night/next morning.
Closed on Sunday and Monday nights.

>>> CLICK FOR A MAP TO ALL THE EATERIES IN THIS POST <<<

No idea where Teluk Intan is? Teluk Intan is a town to the south of Perak, in the district named Hilir Perak. If you’re from the south (eg. Kuala Lumpur) exit Bidor from the North-South Expressway, and follow the signboards to reach Teluk Intan in about 30-45 minutes. But if you’re coming from Klang, or Kuala Selangor, you can use the Kuala Selangor-Sekinchan-Sabak Bernam-Bagan Datoh route to reach Hutan Melintang and then Teluk Intan.

If you’re coming from the north (ie. Ipoh, Penang) you can either exit at Tapah toll, then follow the signboards which will lead you to Tapah Road, then all the way to Teluk Intan, OR you can go from Kampar town instead, and take the Mambang Diawan-Ayer Kuning-Kampung Gajah-Teluk Intan route.

Or you can follow the Tapah/Bidor/Langkap signboard instead, and skip Kampung Gajah. Hence you will pass by Langkap town (famous for Langkap pau) before reaching Teluk Intan.