BEYOND KL: EAST COAST (TRENGGANU - Hai Peng / Madam Bee's / Golden Dragon / Tappers / On The Way Cafe / Kuantan Hai Peng)

SG foodie has been gone for a long while because she was on the move looking out for good food beyond KL! So here's the lowdown on some of the places she visited in KUALA TRENGGANU and KUANTAN:


HAI PENG KOPITIAM - DEFINITE MUST TRY!

 A charming and quaint shop located at the corner of KT town that was recommended by DH's friends from KT... SG foodie couldn't find the place initially then realised the name of the place is at the top of the building! Silly SG foodie!Now SG foodie enjoys her kopi kau kosong (black, rich coffee/double shot espresso) with that bitterness and found it in Hai Peng in KT. Even though SG foodie tried the Kopi (with condensed milk) at Hai Peng, the taste of the coffee wasn't diluted in any ways by the sweet milky taste so that was a BIG thumbs up! K1 and K2 enjoyed the Japanese curry rice and curry spaghetti that were not too spicy while DH and SG foodie went for the famous Hai Peng Toasted Kaya Buns that has that nice crunch on the outside while the bread is hot and soft on the inside with melted butter and not-too-sweet kaya.

DH bought a box of coffee bags from the shop but when it was tried at home, it just didn't taste the same... maybe we bought the wrong coffee? Anyway if you're in KT, Hai Peng kopitiam is a MUST TRY.

MADAM BEE'S - MUST TRY

Madam Bee's serves nonya food with a Trengganu twist to them, like Trengganu Laksa, Mee Jawa, Nasi Lemak, Lor Mee, Steamed Lekor, etc. Madam Bee's is a small shop, right smack in the middle of Kampung Cina, so when a big group of customers arrive, it gets a little chaotic and squeezy. The food is great, the service personable. Trengganu Laksa reminds SG foodie of Sarawak Laksa, a bit sourish and not so heavy on the coconut milk. Lor Mee here is also slightly different where the gravy is lighter and a bit more tangy tasting compared to the thick, gooey sauce that we fancy in Singapore. SG foodie remained a huge fan of the fried Keropok Lekor (fish chips/crackers) and wasn't quite impressed with the steamed version (fishcake-style) served here although she must admit the chilli sauce that came with the steamed lekor was fantastic!

GOLDEN DRAGON - NOT WORTH IT, GIVE IT A MISS

Having heard good things about Golden Dragon, SG foodie made a visit for dinner. Calling for some assistance to get our orders taken took a while as the place was rather busy at dinner time but that was ok. When the lady came to take our orders in Mandarin, we asked for some recommendations and so ended up with Fried Black Pomfret with soy sauce, Sambal Kangkong, Sweet & Sour Pork (for K1 and K2) and Old Cucumber Soup. We were contemplating adding another dish but the lady who took our order walked off and we had to get someone else's attention to add on an order of Claypot Tofu. We also ordered a pot of Tei Guan Yin chinese tea to go with our meal. Food is served fairly quickly but frankly there was nothing spectacular about the food... taste of all the dishes we ordered is akin to what you can find at those economical rice stalls in most hawker centres/food courts, nothing was outstanding. Maybe this place appeals to non-Chinese foreigners who haven't tasted better Chinese food but SG foodie just don't quite understand the raves this place received. Moreover the Chinese tea we ordered which is supposedly one of the better grades of tea... tasted really bad with a muddy, musky taste.

TAPPERS CAFE - NICE ENVIRONMENT, GOOD SERVICE, AVERAGE FOOD

SG foodie has seen Tappers Cafe around KL but not tried it so was pleasantly surprised to see a newly-opened Tappers near the KT jetty, just just behind Kampung Cina. Tapper faces the new waterfront area so it is a really nice environment to sit, have a drink and just relax. Being new, the whole place looks really clean, white and inviting too. We dropped in for dinner one day and were unfortunate enough to be faced with new staff who took our orders but forgot to enter it into the system so we were left sitting there for 15-20 minutes, wondering why our food and drinks never arrived. Upon checking, the staff soon realised our orders were missing from the system and quickly came and took our orders again.Sean whom I believe is the owner of the place came up and apologised, offering to give us the meal on the house. We indicated that we'd be glad to take the drinks on the house but will pay for the food. Our orders were Kung Pao chicken with rice, Hainanese Chicken Chop, Bangers and Mash and Chicken Parmigiana. The Kung Pao chicken was pretty good but the rice that came along with it was dry and hard. SG foodie wouldn't recommend the Bangers and Mash as the hotdogs tasted like those normal supermarket packs of hotdogs and the mashed potatoes was rough and flaky instead. The Chicken Parmigiana and Hainanese Chicken Chop were good but not great. As we asked for the bill, Sean insisted on letting us have the meal on the house so we took his offer gratefully. Would we visit the cafe again? For drinks and snacks maybe but unlikely for a full meal.

ON THE WAY CAFE - DEFINITE MUST-TRY!

When we drive past On The Way Cafe, we are always fairly amused by the name so we decided that before we leave KT, we should just try this cafe for the fun of it. The cafe is in a refurbished shoplot, those really long colonial ones. The front of the cafe faces Kampung Cina while the back of the cafe faces the new waterfront area near KT jetty. We had lunch there - Kway Teow Ratna, Bihun Goreng Tomyum, Nonya Chicken Rice, Black Pepper Chicken Chop and Keropok Goreng. Every single dish we ordered was delicious! The Kway Teow Ratna is like Cantonese Hor Fun with gravy and K1 absolutely loved it. The Nonya Chicken Rice came with fragrant Nonya-style chicken curry and soft fluffy rice. SG foodie was truly pleased with the Bihun Goreng Tomyum when it arrived - it wasn't too dry or too soggy and the lemongrass and kaffir lime taste in the tomyum is so evident in this dish. K2 enjoyed his Black Pepper Chicken Chop very much too as the chicken was tender and the sauce wasn't too overpowering. BUT the bestest thing here is the Keropok Goreng! We quickly finished the 1st basket and ordered a 2nd basket and gobbled that up too. It was just so good!

KUANTAN HAI PENG - MUST TRY 

We thought ok the KT Hai Peng was good, this Kuantan Hai Peng must be worth something and it was! These 2 places are very likely completely unaffiliated but they both serve really good grub. This was being our last stop before our drive back to KL, we made sure to fuel up our tummies - Nasi Lemak, Beef Noodles, Laksa, Kaya Toast and Kaya Buns (Roti Kahwin). The Nasi Lemak is absolutely delicious with rich, coconut taste in every bite of the rice, fragrant spices infused into the chicken curry and sweet sambal condiment... it was so good, we ordered a 2nd plate! The Beef Noodles was equally good with strong beef stock akin to Vietnamese Beef Pho and the Laksa is relatively different from those found in the West Coast, with its tangy but still some coconut milk added. The Kaya Toast and Buns and the coffee at KT Hai Peng, in SG foodie's humble opinions, are superior but Kuantan Hai Peng's selections were not too far behind.