Food trippin' in Singapore and Malaysia

A friend and I are visiting Singapore (3 nights), Penang (3 or 4 nights), Ipoh (1 night), Tanah Rata (2 nights), Kuala Lumpur (1 or 2 nights) the end of September.

My google maps is littered with pins and suggestions, and must-try’s for food in the respective cities many of which from @klyeoh on several topics on these boards and from older posts on Chowhound. There was a wonderful thread where he compared Singapore vs. Penang as far as food, culture, and its modern appeals (https://www.chowhound.com/post/singapore-penang-990746).

I pulled a ton of suggestions from last year’s thread as well: Trip to KL, Penang, Singapore, and BKK

We’re going to start in Singapore, fly to Penang, and rent a car in Penang and drive the rest of the trip until we fly out in Kuala Lumpur.

Anything in particular we should know or tips for the trip, places we must stop at since we have a car, or suggestions for must-sees or must-try’s for restaurants in Tanah Rata or otherwise? (a pancake shop Yong Teng Cafe posted in MFW just caught my eye)

On this trip, we’re most likely going to try to spend most time eating in hawker centers, kopi shops, street food stalls, etc.

Is the rainy weather that much of a factor this time of year or is it manageable, as far as hikes around Tanah Rata or Penang Hill?

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If you’re driving from Penang to Ipoh then I would recommend a stop in Taiping. It’s a sleepy but very charming town. I spent a couple of days there in 2017. There’s a lovely old market with a few food stalls but I only ate there once. For food I would recommend Kakak. I went there for breakfast and had some great chicken noodle soup. You can pick your own toppings. You probably wouldn’t be there for breakfast though I’m assuming.

https://goo.gl/maps/6RZ7kMoNhTwWRVNi8

My favourite lunch spot was Yut Sun. I really enjoyed their chicken chop. I’d been in Asia for 18 months by this point and the chips, gravy and marrowfat were such a nice reminder of home.

https://goo.gl/maps/HeZVRKqHyYSLrCiB6

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Awesome! Thank you. I was definitely looking at a stop in Taiping cause I heard about the nocturnal zoo, and that’s just the type of place we’re looking for - sleepy and charming. I’ll mark those down, all that looks amazing.

For Kuala Lumpur , -Peter @klyeoh is far better placed than me to advise & you may already have some of these but for Chinatown I very much liked the congee at Hon Kee

https://goo.gl/maps/ir3iHAGikvTwaVoD6

Also in Chinatown is Shin Kee Beef Noodle. 新九如新记牛肉粉. I used KL as a hub while travelling in Asia and must have been there half a dozen times at least. I would advise going with the dry version of the dish (i.e soup on the side) as you get the fantastic umami packed mince on top of noodles rather than being diluted in the soup. I prefer the yellow noodles but they run out really early so usually had the flat noodles.

!

https://goo.gl/maps/Z89wYm4VdqsCab8NA

If you happen to be anywhere near the Berjaya Times Square mall then Wong Mei Kee is worth a visit. The service is terrible and the rice is even worse, however the pork is some of the best I’ve ever eaten. The layers are beautifully defined and it is so moist and the fat sweet. The skin on top is very thin and shatters like the coating of a toffee apple. I would advise just getting the pork to take away.

https://goo.gl/maps/jQswycu3riwHqZn4A

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You won’t need to worry about the rain much in Sep. The monsoon rains come in Nov/Dec.
I’m on a food trip in Macao at the moment, but will be back in Penang next week - I’ll share with you an updated list of places to explore in Singapore, Penang, Ipoh, etc. then. :blush:

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Great list of places you’ve got there, Chris!

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Sorry, OP, don’t meant to interupt your thread. Just want to quickly jump in to ask Kleyeoh something.

:persevere::dizzy_face: Thanks to this site now we can continue to live vicariously through you.

Have you been here? I’m going make a post for this place soon. Notice the 2 stickers? Didn’t even see them until I looked at the photos on my laptop later.

No sweat, grab some egg tarts for me :stuck_out_tongue:

No, I’ve not gotten the opportunity.

Whats on your list to try in Singapore @goodparmesan?

I’ll be visiting for a few days in November. @klyeoh 's posts have turned me onto Folklore and/or Charlie’s peranakan food. And I can’t miss Heng Kee after he described it as his all time favourite hawker stall anywhere, that’s a real stamp of approval.

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:joy::joy::joy:
For me, a bowl of Heng Kee’s chicken curry noodles is my choice as my last meal on Earth! A mix of yellow Hokkien noodles and thin “bee hoon” rice noodles, in a spicy curry broth, garnished with bone-on chicken pieces, potatoes, tofu puffs, beansprouts and sliced fish cake.

But I often wondered if it’s just me. Anyway, I brought some visiting Chowhounds there last year. Look at Alpha Hound, Jim Leff’s bowl - before and after. :grin:

Stamp of approval indeed! :joy::+1:

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My list is all over the place, I have a million spots bookmarked on google maps.
Definitely Heng Kee is on my list… I’m staying in River Valley area, so I’ll likely be split between that area with hawker centers like Chinatown/Hong Lim/Maxwell/Amoy Street, and also hope to head out to Tiong Bahru (Hainanese chicken rice, porridge, oyster omelettes etc etc) or Tekka Centre/Arab St or out to Geylang.
Subject to change depending where I am, but some possible spots I may check out:
Mr and Mrs Mohgans Super Crispy Roti Prata
Killiney Kopitiam
Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken
JB Ah Meng for zichar
Maybe Ghim moh market for chicken/duck rice.
Sari Ratu Indonesian
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee
Sungei Road Laksa or The Original Katong Laksa

image

And this is just for Singapore haha, not counting the other days in Penang, Ipoh, KL.

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It’s a pretty good list you have there!

Mr & Mrs Mohgan’s gets a mention in my Sunday paper. The monthly food supplement includes an article of assorted British food people - chefs, restaurateurs, etc - giving their view on “the best thing they ate all year”.

This mention comes from Elizabeth Haigh, founder of Kaizen House pop-ups, about their roti prata. “Th eroti came with an amazingly rich mutton curry dish, perfect for waking you up. But the roti itself was the star: it was so crispy and buttery and flaky.”

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