Slim River Fresh Water Fish @ Double Happiness

Slim River is a small town in Perak which is about 20 km north of Tanjung Malim. On a road trip from north back to KL, sister insisted to stop by this place for steamed fish. I thought it was like another mundane little town, apparently I was wrong and I must thank my sister, if not her, I would remain ignorant as ever. ;-P

It was about 4p.m. by the time we reached Slim River. My tummy was roaring, Moon hastily grabbed a young shopkeeper for advice, he told us to check out either Double Happiness or Fook Seng. We headed to Double Happiness since the direction sounds less complicated with self-evident land mark (next to a school).

Thanks God it's open! A very earthy restaurant likes one that typically found in kampung. We sat at the open area. There is also air-conditioned session where I believe major banquets are held.

Photos of fishermen taken with their catch were noticeable scrambling up the restaurant's bulletin board.Over the years, fresh water fish gradually becomes an attraction promoting the Malaysia tourism especially since a number of HK food programs made vast broadcast about the hefty ikan Empurau. Of course, we have yet reached the level splurging tens of hundreds bucks for just ONE fish (no kidding, market is selling more than RM500 per kilo), yes, that’s way too ritzy (unless I strike lottery 1st prize, then I might sound differently.) !

The waitress recommended their local specialty Ikan Tapah (wallago), if not mistaken, it's around RM80 per Kilo. Wallago is a gigantic creature, no way for the 5 of us to gorge ourselves with the whole Wallago, hence we order to steam a portion of it, the best part of a fish for steaming would be the fish's belly, and my 5 words for the fish are moist, fatty,gelatinous,odorless and unsurpassed.

Another highlight would be the steamed giant river prawn. At the size of human palm, it was sold RM20 per prawn. The waitress suggested to slit into half, steam with wine & egg white. The dish was further enhanced by the fragrance of coriander. Orangey prawn’s roe was sinfully gooey & yummy!Fried rice vermicelli with wild paddy frog was a bit dried.Fried Kangkung Belacan
I lost the receipt ! Anyhow, no one complained about the price , so I presume it’s pretty reasonable. ;-)

Kedai Kopi Kong Heng 光兴茶室

We decided to stop by Ipoh for lunch while on the way to Penang….....

There are only few main streets in Ipoh, called a Ipoh Mari friend to get advice and he recommended Kong Heng.

Since we were getting late, in order not to waste time, we asked an uncle working at the patrol station for direction. After some detailed briefing, uncle gave us a tip. He said the shop next to Kong Heng serves the best Hor Fun in town.

It’s already 2pm when we arrived. Both Kong Heng and the shop next to it were full. In Ipoh, this is rather common phenomena, as long as famous it’s always packed throughout the whole business hours.

This Ipoh Chee Cheong Fun (RM2.50 per plate) reminds me an ex-uni mate from Ipoh. His family runs the Chee Cheong Fun ( flat rice noodle)'s business. During one of the semester break, someone hand-carried some Chee Cheong Fun back from his hometown. He was so generous to treat us a Chee Cheong Fun Feast in the dorm and until now, I still think that is the best Chee Cheong Fun I had ever eaten, exactly the same red and dark sauce, pickled chili , fried shallots and sesame, so nostalgic when I gotta relish this silky Chee Cheong Fun again. Ipoh's Hor Fun (flat rice noodle) is famous, we wanted to try the best one next door but the boss rejected to send it over ( uncle from patrol station said we could actually request to do so but obviously they do not provide such service during peak hours). The one selling sliced chicken Hor Fun at Kong Heng seemed not so busy, our Hor Fun soup was sent to us pretty fast. The broth was not bad though not many Hor Fun given. The price is RM3.50 per bowl if I'm not mistaken. Rojak (local fruit salad) served here is way different from what I used to have. Instead of mixing with the fruit, dressing was served as separate dip in a small bowl. Beside peanut, I believe the dip contents sesame which makes it pretty aromatic. The presentation of kangkung sotong (water spinach aka water morning glory and cuttelfish) is quite unique as well, the gravy looks more like a satay dip !? RM6 per small plate. By the time we left Kong Heng, had a peep at the shop next door which claimed to be the best Ipoh Hor Fun seller, it was still cramped with diners waiting for seats......According to The Star, it's best in the country....So, next time you go to Ipoh, you should know where to look for the best sliced chicken Ipoh Hor Fun soup by now. ;-)

Address : Jalan Sultan Yusuf, Ipoh, Perak.