Tag: teluk anson

Into A Top Secret Military Operation

After all, the building was rickety and at the verge of collapse. LOL. Inside, I was surprised to see her using big stainless steel steamers, shiny new stainless steel containers and even a conveyor belt system for automation. A crew of Indonesian women were deployed and they worked with military precision. Wow. Looks from outside can be deceiving. Mei Ling, an auditor by profession, scolded me for being naive. Surely they make money, she noted.

Now I am wondering if Teluk Intan had some techno clubs that justified such late closing hours (until morning). I like techno music but hate the loss of neck control induced by the pills. This was nine years ago when ‘feng thou’ clubs dominated many Chinese communities.

We were late because we spent the whole night looking for an elusive hotel room. There was a Hindu Festival the next day and every hotel in town was booked. Saw a sign advertising ‘Homestay’ hanging by the roadside and decided to call the number out of desperation. It was already 4am.

A lady came on a motorcycle and led u to a corner terrace house somewhere. Paid her, she handed over the keys and whispered where the towels were hidden. This was my first experience with the weird and bizarre world of independent Homestay.

#telukintan #telukanson #perak #liewkee #cheecheongfun #ricerolls #smalltown #kitchen #homestay

Liew Kee Of Teluk Intan

It is so famous that it spawned so many imitations in Klang Valley’s pasar malam stalls or the night markets. The imitations tasted lousy, having tried the original. The iconic stall, Liew Kee is as famous as the Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan.

If it is your first time, you may be surprised to discover the restaurant to be a shack or a crumbling wooden house. There are maybe a couple of rickety tables outside for dine in. The main door is always locked and customers order takeaway packets through a gap. Things may have changed. This is based on my experience one late night, 9 years ago

The queue is always very long and I saw one guy buy 250 packs! Pity the hungry folks queuing behind him. The business started in the 1920’s when Port Anson was a thriving hub serving the whole of Perak. As with the old days, plain old newspapers (including the obituary sections) are still used as wrap.

The rice flour rolls are pockmarked with strange patterns because they are steamed with turnip, dried shrimp and fried onion crisps.

The delicacy is eaten plain or with pickled green chilies (instead of drowning it with yucky sweet sauce). I was there one night at 3 am. Since everything was so secretive, I was surprised the lady proprietor invited me in to photograph the kitchen from inside. Pics coming up next. No. It was not my charms. Maybe it was because I was with the MP’s special assistant. In a small town, people look up to the MP and will call him when there is a power failure or if a rubber slipper or flip flop was stolen. Life is such.

Are the CCF really that good? Yes and consistently so. Yumz.

#telukintan #telukanson #perak #liewkee #cheecheongfun #ricerolls #smalltown

Mastan Ghani

Mastan Ghani.

I’ll take a brief break from Chinese New Year programming to share a few remaining pictures and thoughts from my Teluk Intan trip last week.

Mastan Ghani’s Mee Rebus is a must-try for any first time or even repeat visitors to the town. Their rojak is equally delicious and both the dishes look deceivingly similar when served. According to the boss, the ingredients for each gravy are indeed quite different.

The drink seen at the back is an iced rose syrup with black jelly (cincau). Not that I mind; they added the cincau without asking. It is a Teluk Intan thing it seems and, by that, I mean the cincau thing and not the choice thing. This is from one of two outlets near the famous Leaning Tower, at the unique and rustic tailor’s row. Yumz.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 200, f11, 1/80 sec.