Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Either you’re salivating in front of your screen (certified carnivore) or you’re looking away in disgust (sorry my vegetarian / Muslim friends). Klang Bak Kut Teh ‘almost’ at its purest (tell you why later), Chow Kiat Restaurant is one of the more popular BKT places in Klang; even among the locals, apparently.

Ahhh … heaving a sigh of relief to be back home in Malaysia (this was last weekend though), juggling my time eating around Ipoh and Klang Valley has left me very focused in prioritizing my meals. Or rather, how to maximize the food run to quench the homesickness.

Not to say that I am giving up on writing about Singapore food (don’t worry, the entire saga will continue soon, I promise), but when opportunities come, I will choose to return home for good old Malaysian street food. Hands down. Maybe it’s the flavours that I grew up with. Or the priceless experience of being seated on plastic stools laid out on the tarred roads or by the walkways, with barely a pair of dim lights to illuminate your piece of drumstick or bowl of noodles.

And so, one fine morning, we ended up driving over to Klang for a taste of Bak Kut Teh. Read the rest of this entry »

Fried Porridge (RM12/USD4) – Just when you can’t have the best of both worlds, ie; eating healthy food (porridge) yet not bland and character-less, try “Bubur Goreng”.

I know. I should not have gone all out and walloped everything in sight when nursing a sore throat, terrible cough and giddiness.

But then again, that’s just the rebellious nature in me.

To lessen the guilt, so to speak, I have decided to go against all my principles and went all out to hunt for porridge for dinner. And knowing me, you would have laughed at the thought of dear Motormouth seated obediently on a stool while scooping plain old, boring porridge into his dropped jaw; wet towel on the forehead and thermometer under his tongue.

Heck, I can’t imagine the atrocity of it all myself. *shudder*

And hence, off I ventured to territories unchartered; this residential area named Berkeley garden in Klang for something unlike the version of a poor man’s food laden with sinful bits of fried pork lard, cubes of mushy yam and tofu, and fine strips of dried cuttlefish …..  Read the rest of this entry »

Klang-style of Hokkien claypot Bak Kut Teh – A pot full brimming with pork of all cuts, you can have literally the whole pig in there, save the ears (never heard of, but not impossible) and tail.

Another feather in the cap, please? Not rounding off this best-of series of Klang bak kut teh YET, but this new addition to the list is a hidden gem begging to be shared.

Although I have heard about this BKT (“bak kut teh” for short) place at the very prominent Hokkien Association building in Klang for awhile now, somehow the commercialization effect (re-branded as Yeoh’s Bah Kut Teh, complete with a website – www.bahkutteh.com) got me skeptical and giving this a miss.

You know lah … even when Mo Sang Kor and Pao Xiang expanded beyond their capacity, the QC dropped to impossible lows, and I only visit Mo Sang Kor’s Pandamaran branch, no other.

So how did this fare against the likes of Seng Huat, Mo Sang Kor and Teluk Pulai? Read on for the meaty insight …. Read the rest of this entry »

Hainanese Chicken Chop – At RM7.50/USD2.30 per portion; this is a throwback to the glory days; the colonial times when our ancestors were great cooks, whipping up lip-smacking dishes in the kitchens in the British residences.

Sin Kok Thye, or New Cathay could possibly pass off as another run-of-the-mill coffee shop in a part of Klang town that has obviously seen better days. Port Klang on a Sunday is deserted; you don’t even see the ‘foreign army‘ scrambling around, making ends meet at the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. Just before you reach the port, you will bear witness to rows of slightly dilapidated shophouses; in no way a haven for food hunters.

But wait, then there’s the almost century old Sin Kok Thye on Jalan Kem in Port Klang. A corner lot at the end of a row of double-storey shops facing a flyover (still operational?); a pork-free establishment reminiscence of the other Hainanese coffee shops like Yut Sun of Taiping and Yut Loy of Kuala Kangsar. Read on to find out more about the Hainanese cuisine served at this charming coffee shop ….. Read the rest of this entry »

And I thought I had them all. The BEST of them, so to speak. And then came the hoo-ha on a certain Klang Bak Kut Teh (bored of kept on repeating myself what Bak Kut Teh is, so read it up here on Wikipedia) that finally broke out of its mould; venturing not only out from the township of Klang with a branch in Puchong, but possibly the first Bak Kut Teh outlet to open in a food court of a major shopping complex – Hutong @ Lot 10.

(Though some might beg to differ, as Pao Xiang Bak Kut Teh have branches in One Utama, Pavilion, Centro Mall etc, and in Penang, there is a branch of BKT in shopping malls named Rou Gu Cha King or something)

Mo Sang Kor Bak Kut Teh @ Pandamaran – Hokkien-style Bak Kut Teh that is thicker, darker in colour, and with a punchy, robust flavour you can’t forget after the first sip. Take that in a positive light, or vice versa.

I spied Mo Sang Kor at their Berkeley Garden branch, back when we went for a sample of Pao Xiang’s novelty of a BKT, with the pork cuts all tied up in the cooking process. I lost all hopes in BKT served in bowls (which by the way, happens to be the most traditional way of serving them, NOT in claypot … or so the die-hard, true-blue fanboys would say). Only Seng Huat; the one under the Klang bridge managed to impress, but the others have faltered.

Ah Xian said it’s good, the auntie could not care less in the presence of Motormouth, and wondering how the BKT feast fared? Read on …….

Read the rest of this entry »

Darting across the jam-packed restaurant spanning a few lots, this ‘macha’ clearly threw all caution to the wind, oblivious to the snapping camera, daggering stares, and erm ….. matter of hygiene.

Since I was ranting on a strong contender for Ipoh’s best chapati in my previous post, kindly allow me to follow up with this restaurant tucked in the midst of a residential area in Pandamaran of Klang. I.V. Restaurant is the name of the restaurant, and there is no doubt as to what they’re famous for.

The words ‘Roti Canai Pandamaran‘ was emblazoned on the apple green signboard, proudly/patriotically flagged (literally) with our beloved Malaysia’s and the state of Selangor’s flags in an alternating manner.

Good thing was, the Teh Tarik (Frothy Pulled Milk Tea – A Malaysia’s favourite beverage) was never earth-shatteringly sweet nor reeking of condensed milk. Rather, all the beverages at I.V. Restaurant were of reasonable level of sweetness. Possibly thanks to the largely Chinese clienteles?

I first read about this comparatively-obscure Halal Indian restaurant from Criz Lai’s blog. I did not think much of it, but after a good many extravagant Klang Bak Kut Teh meal for breakfasts, one can’t help but to seek for a simpler, fuss-free (preferably meat-less) breakfast.

And was I grateful enough for reading that post from Criz …. !! Read the rest of this entry »

Friday is HERE !!! Darn those cravings for anything porky, the meatier/fatter the better !!! Why can’t I find a worthy Bak Kut Teh here in Ipoh? So for today, let’s drool over some of Klang’s (hands down, the CAPITAL of delicious Bak Kut Teh in Malaysia!) signature BKT outlets, strewn all over the town. Last I heard there are HUNDREDS of them in Klang alone. Almost at every nook and corner, every turn of the junction; you know you won’t be deprived of one of Malaysia’s MOST prolific breakfast of choice.

Big Bones, Small Bones. No Bones? The various cuts of porky goodness one can pick from a myriad of cuts. If you’re not sure, just ask for recommendations. Or walk over to the counter at the front portion of the shop, and pick your meats.

One of the oldest outlet serving BKT in Klang has to be Seng Huat, fondly referred to as the “Bak Kut Teh Under the Bridge“. Widely acknowledged as THE origin of Bak Kut Teh by many, this restaurant has been around for more than 60 years! Astounding right? It’s probably the essence of the remnants encrusted at the bottom of the huge pots since decades ago that provides the dark-coloured soup with the much-revered strong herbal tinge, something rarely found in the other diluted copycats. Ask the locals, and chances are, you’d be promptly told that REAL BKT are served in small porcelain bowls, not in claypots.

Seng Huat – The Timeless Classic Under the Pedestrian Bridge @ Klang

But truth is, I adore claypot BKT as much as the one served in bowls. Or wait, probably more than the latter. For I have grown up eating my BKT served in claypots, and only recently (not as recent actually, about 2 years ago) introduced to its much thicker, darker and robust cousin without any beancurd sheets (foo chook), mushrooms or lettuce. And some do not even serve minced garlic with chopped cili padi (bird’s eye chillies) in soy sauce on the side, as they believe this will only ruin the taste.

Personally, I could not imagine having BKT without the bells and whistles (you tiao/Chinese crullers, lots of enoki mushrooms, maybe a few pieces of gelatinous, soft chicken feet, and the almost-compulsory soy sauce+cili padi dip). But to each his own, in this case.

So, wanna know where else for Klang’s famous Bak Kut Teh? Read on …

Read the rest of this entry »