Ipoh - Cameron Highlands - Kuala Lumpur [5 Days 4 Nights Trip] - Summarised Itinerary

I am back from my hols! 

As part of the agreement with a very dear friend (yes Kon, that's you), i would post a summarised itinerary of this trip before diving into the details, which would likely take months! I would link this post accordingly once i am done with the individual entries. 

Day One 

- Singapore to Ipoh

[10.00 pm the previous day] 

Took the crappy coach from Golden Mile Complex.

[5.00 am]

Reached Ipoh at an ungodly, inhumane hour; i slept for at most two hours! Loitered a while in the Amanjaya Bus Terminal before deciding to take the RM30 cab to the hotel. As expected, hotel would not allow THAT early a check-in.

[6.50 am]

Proceeded to have dim sum in the nearby Ming Court and walked to Nam Heong for white coffee. Toured the Old Town area, including the historical Ipoh Railway Station.

[12.00 noon] 

We finally checked in to the cozy French Hotel! Had a great rest for three hours before a shopping / dinner session in Ipoh Parade shopping centre.

[6.00 pm] 

Went back to the boutique hotel; mom was mesmerised with the Taiwanese dramas spoken in Hokkien.

Day Two 

- Ipoh

[6.00 am] 

Time to wake up! Not willingly though. Had dim sum at another highly acclaimed restaurant; Foh San.

[8.30 am] 

Start of our 8-hour day tour that brought us to the haunted Kellie's Castle, five impressive cave-temples that included Sam Poh Tong (Cavern of Triple Gems), Kek Lok Tong (Cavern of Ultimate Bliss), Ling Sen Tong (Cavern of the Immortals), Nan Tian Tong (Cavern of the Southern Heaven) and Kwan Yin Tong (Cavern of Guanyin).

The tour contained food elements, as usual, which are considered as main draws for the small city. Lunch was at a famous roast duck restaurant (Sun Yeong Wai) and there were visits to the super nice Funny Mountain (for the soya milk and beancurd) and Sin Eng Heong (kaya puffs).

[6.00 pm]

Dinner at the well-known Lou Wang for their signature beansprouts and steamed chicken! 

[8.00 pm] 

Chilled out with the parents in Jose & Deli Eatery (located in French Hotel).

Day Three 

- Ipoh to Cameron Highlands

[7.30 am] 

Out of the hotel. Breakfast was at Sin Yoon Loong for a serving of toast and a cup of unsatisfying white coffee.

[10.00 am] 

Departed Ipoh via a private transport to Cameron Highlands!

[12.00 noon] 

Reached Brinchang and proceeded to check in to Rosa Passadena Hotel, successfully. A simple lunch followed by a self visit to Big Red Strawberry Farm.

[2.30 pm] 

Left for our Agro Delight Tour (part 1, part 2, part 3) where we were brought to a number of farms like watercress, vegetables, cactus, hydroponics and even chrysanthemums! The screw-loose guide from Titiwangsa Tours even took us to a restricted area with a spectacular view of the town! A Halal steamboat dinner concluded the tour.

[8.00 pm] 

Visited Brinchang's bustling night market before retiring for the night.

Day Four 

- Cameron Highlands to Kuala Lumpur

[6.00 am] 

Woke up early for the hotel buffet breakfast! It was okay but i thought it would be more relaxing to have a serving of hot roti canai from the roadside restaurant in that cool highland weather.

[8.00 am] 

A mini van from Kang Tours and Travel picked us up from the hotel where we shall travel to Kuala Lumpur! 

[11.15 am] 

Arrived in the capital of Malaysia! Despite a few hiccups, we managed to check in to Times Square Service Suites. As usual, reviews of the three accommodations i stayed in the past few days would be posted in due course.

[12 noon] 

Stopovers in Kenaga Wholesale City, Petaling Street and Bukit Bintang and finally had a most fantastic hokkien mee in KL.

[10.30 pm] 

Finally done with shopping! 

Day Five

- Kuala Lumpur to Singapore

[6.00 am] 

Unsurprisingly, i was once again pulled out from bed as both parents were already awake! Filled up our tummies with fish soup for mom and roti canai for dad and myself.

[10.00 pm] 

Checked out from the service suite and we continued our shopping spree while dad took care of the numerous luggage we had.

[12.00 noon] 

Boarded Transtar First Class Solitaire, where i fully expected to be impressed .

[4.10 pm] 

Home sweet home! 

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Click the following for details:
Day One - Singapore > Ipoh
Day Two - Ipoh 
Day Three - Ipoh > Cameron Highlands
Day Four > Cameron Highlands > Kuala Lumpur
Day Five > Kuala Lumpur > Singapore

Another Stopover Point - Ming Ang & its Super Delicious Ma Ti Su (or Heong Peah) @ Yong Peng, Malaysia

In my many road trips to Peninsular Malaysia, there's one town the coach would definitely stop for a short 30-minute break; Yong Peng (永平). More often than not, the rest area would be scheduled at this place known as Lucky Garden.

No no no, i am not going to talk about lucky garden, for which many Singaporeans are familiar with. Topic today concentrates on another similar commercial entity just a few hundred meters; Ming Ang (明安熟食广场).

What's so special about this Ming Ang? Given its objective to serve as a comprehensive resting / toilet point for travellers (many of whom are Singaporeans); prices are in fact comparable to Lucky Garden, meaning overpriced!

But, it beats having to stopover at boring Lucky Garden every single time i travel up north to places like Kuala Lumpur, Genting Highlands etc. Plus, an alternative for food options is always welcome! 

By the way, i am loving the flavourful lor mai kai (glutinous rice chicken at RM 480 each) in Malaysia although the meat came complete with bones! The same could not be said of the big bun (RM 4.80); pathetic filling and thick with dough. 

However, the biggest draw for me is the stalls selling freshly baked sesame horse hoof pastries [also known as Ma Ti Su, Beh Teh Sor (馬蹄酥) or Heong Peah(香餅)]! I first chanced upon Ming Ang a few years ago and the aforementioned pastries were unforgettable!

There was another vendor selling pineapple cake in  and i bought a box simply because every piece cost less than S$1! A similar one would likely be in the range of S$2-3 in Singapore! 

My haul back to Singapore! Don't be mistaken; two packs of Heong Peah were missing from the picture. My record was eight packs. 

I could not remember exactly how much i paid for the Heong Peah; should be less than RM 10 a pack. In the case of the pineapple cakes, it RM 18.80 for twelve pieces. 

Personally, the pineapple cake was a total letdown! I could not accept the pastry flaking all over me as i gave a very gentle bite! Not only that, it was not buttery and the paste tasted nothing like the marvellous ones from Taiwan; strangely, the first thought that came to mind was Nonya style pineapple tarts.

Ahhh! The signature ma ti su; the appetising fragrance of freshly baked sesame seeds, those crunchy layers of paper thin crust that didn't overwhelm like many in the market and i just could not stop relishing the maltose filling that was, thankfully, not sickeningly sweet! 

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Location

lLot 1523, Batu 1/2, Jalan Muar, 

83700 Yong Peng, Johor

Directions

For motorists, just go your normal route to Lucky Garden but instead of stopping, continue driving ahead and you should see Ming Ang just two hundred meters away.

Coach-Takers

So far, i have come to the conclusion that almost all coaches under the brand name of Five Stars and Konsortium would stop at Lucky Garden. Coaches under Transtar and Grasslands seem to prefer Ming Ang more. 

Additional Information

As usual, there would be a supermarket stationed in Ming Ang where you can spend all your remaining ringgit on local foodstuffs for family, friends and colleagues back home.

Madam Kwan's Nasi Lemak - Truly Better than Grandma's @ Mid Valley Megamall [Kuala Lumpur]

When Grandma's first appeared on Singapore's competitive food scene, i clearly remember a food reviewer from The Straits Times mentioning that its signature dish was roughly 80% the standard of Madam Kwan's nasi lemak. 

To think that i was already impressed by Grandma's nasi lemak; i really could not imagine how much better Madam Kwan's version would be! For those who are still confused, the recipe for Grandma's originates from Madam Kwan. 

In my most recent trip to Malaysia, i had the pleasure to finally get a taste of the epic nasi lemak from Madam Kwan, although an overseas branch was set up in Singapore (Vivocity) just two months ago. 

Secretly, just between us in this blog, i seriously don't see the point of paying an astronomical S$13.90 for a plate of nasi lemak when the same dish costs half that amount across the causeway! 

Anyway, to bring you back into the picture (literally), here's the nasi lemak awarded as the best in Malaysia. 

Let's begin with the miscellaneous; the acar which was burdened with too much salt and chilli. It had a slight Korean kimchi twist with the addition of cabbage. Nothing impressive in my opinion. 

The delicious stir fried onions from Grandma's continues to marvel me in my sleep and the same ones from Madam Kwan were just as good. I had a small complaint though; the chef could be less generous with the ikan bilis!

When it comes to the coconut rice of nasi lemak, some foodies see it as the main star and would discount the dish heavily for rice that lacks the distinctive coconut taste and aroma. 

Guess the one from Madam Kwan's would meet their criteria; I personally enjoyed the grain-by-grain texture of the rice and their deep infusion of coconut milk! 

Having said that, i am not very particular when it comes to rice. 

What sealed the deal eventually was the curry chicken! It was way better than Grandma's with an incredible creaminess that perfectly complemented the tender chicken meat! Even Alex, who resists spicy food, commented that it was terrific! 

Now, that's a rarity from a superbly picky person!

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Location

F-052, 1st Floor,

Mid Valley Megamall,

Kuala Lumpur

Price

Nasi Lemak - RM 16.90

[Subject to Service Charge and Govt Tax]

Marvelicious Xiaolongbao (上海小籠包) @ Dragon-i Restaurant (龍的傳人) - Mid Valley City [Kuala Lumpur]

I have been complaining for quite a few years now that i am no longer impressed with food in general from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Singapore's nearest neighbour; Malaysia.

That opinion changed slightly in my most recent visit. There were actually two occasions but i would touch on each restaurant separately so as to give my utmost concentration; Dragon-i restaurant at mid valley city.

Why we were seated in dragon-i can be attributed to one mystical force; fate. Okay, there was another force in play; bowel force! I needed a clean toilet badly after lunch and asked Alex to wait for me at the lobby of cititel hotel. That bloody ass decided to take refuge at dragon-i instead! And we had lunch less than twenty minutes ago!

He explained later that he was attracted by the signature dish of the restaurant; the Shanghainese Steamed Meat Dumplings or xiaolongbao (XLB) as we like to call them.

Xiao Long Bao 

(上海小籠包)

Boy did we not regret ordering them! The XLBs were incredibly fantastic and i could even say, at the risk of receiving brickbats from many, that they were better than Crystal Jade or Imperial Treasure in Singapore! 

The thin doughskin for the XLBs at dragon-i were surprisingly not tasteless (usually the case for other XLBs where the filling seems to take the position as the only flavour spot). Of course, i can't deny that the filling continues to be part of the dining experience; a delicious ball of minced pork shank, ginger and gelatin half submerged in a pool of flavourful meat broth! 

Steamed Egg Yolk Custard Buns

(奶皇流沙包)

I always made it a point to have a basket of these on my table whenever i see it on the menu of a new restaurant i patronised as the flavour of the savoury sweet filling is very addictive!

Hmmm...... Buttery with a strong salty egg yolk intensity that would not sit well with lovers of liu shao bao who would likely seek a perfect balance. Another issue encountered; the dough was a bit too thick for my liking. 

Winter Melon and Longan 

with Sea Coconut 

Refreshing for the throat and i thought it was quite a steal at only 5 RM for a pretty luxurious concoction of winter melon, red dates, longan and sea coconut in a restaurant! 

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Location

Cititel Hotel, Main Lobby, 

Ground Floor, Mid Valley City, 

Kuala Lumpur

Price

Xiao Long Bao - RM 9.80

Egg Yolk Custard Buns - RM 8.00

The Drink - RM 5.00

[Subject to GST and Govt Tax]

Additional Information

Too troublesome to travel all the way up to Kuala Lumpur from Singapore? There is actually a branch at Johore Bahru (not sure if quality would be consistent though). You can find it at City Square Mall, Level 3, Lot J3-36.