Coco Z Kr

LG001-1A Lower Ground Floor Sungei Wang Plaza

Jalan Sultan Ismail

50250 Kuala Lumpur

Coordinates: 3.145468, 101.711388

After the excellent lunch at Vinh City we did some window shopping around Sungei Wang Plaza and ended up on the lower ground floor.

Cat immediately asked me to try the Korean shaved ice shop located at the entrance to the Plaza. Its website proclaimed: “First in Malaysia! An exciting Korean integrated lifestyle concept combining food and fashion under one outlet at the main entrance of Sungei Wang Plaza!”

We learnt later that they longer operated the Korean Jewellery and INCOCO Nail products here, and will mainly focus on authentic Korean food in the future.

at the entrance to Sungei Wang Plaza

serving Korean shaved ice

 

bingsu king?

limited but appealing choices

I tried the Mango Bingsu while Brendan ordered the Chocolate Chips Bingsu. Cat abstained since she was still full from the lunch we had earlier.

mango

chocolate chip

let's have us some bingsu

After the fiery meal at Vinh City the shaved ice provided us with a welcomed relief. However with each bowl of shaved ice costing us more than RM10 this relief came at a pretty hefty price in our opinions. 

Vinh City

TC.035 Third Floor Sungei Wang Plaza

Jalan Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Coordinates: 3.144643, 101.710798

Situated very close to the food court we used to come to before it closed down, Vinh City has been a more than worthy alternative to Big Food Street for lunch at Sungei Wang Plaza.

east corner of the 3rd floor?

not our first time

we love the vibe it gives off

Despite being diminutive in square feet Vinh City feels warm and welcoming. Tastefully decorated it makes no bones about the cuisine to be expected here.

traditional fish crackers

wall of memories

while celebrating all things Vietnamese

Cat opted for the Chicken Pho; I tried the Beef Fried Rice while Brendan had the signature Beef Pho.

Cat's chicken pho

with accompanying bean sprouts

she's delighted

my beef fried rice

and lovely iced coffee

Cat's beef pho

he can hardly wait

What can we say? A big thumbs up for their authentic Vietnamese cuisine. In fact from what we've read online everyone has been raving about the authenticity of Vinh City's dishes.

And with the entire meal costing us almost RM50 Vinh City barely manages to squeeze within the classification of the everyday food for the everyday person.

Bentong Coffee House (文冬杂雪屋)

No.52 Jalan Ah Peng

28700 Bentong

Coordinates: 2.239256, 102.257933

Our little walkabout around Bentong town left Brendan hungry again, and for good reason. Starting our walk at approximately 8:45pm we were engrossed with the sights of Bentong town that before you knew it two hours had passed.

We’ve been coming here off and on since my parents moved away from Kuala Terengganu to Bentong all those years ago. I think it’s been ten years since they settled down in Bentong, and whenever we’re here during any festive season be it Christmas or Chinese Lunar New Year Bentong Coffee House has been our default suppertime coffee shop.

right across the Bentong wet market

a rare late night eatery in Bentong

Since only Brendan was hungry Cat and I ordered drinks. Cat had a glass of freshly squeezed orange while in my case a small bottle of Tiger beer since I did not drive, and our budget hotel is barely five hundred metres away. Brendan ordered his customary Lamb Chop and as always found it well done, in more ways than one.

our beverages

Brendan's lamp chop

he can hardly wait!

If you’re looking for a place to hang out or have a hankering for some Western food do give Bentong Coffee House a try.

Bentong Walk(about)

(general vicinity of)

Jalan Chui Yin

28700 Bentong

Coordinates: 3.523448, 101.906744

After our excellent dinner, we decided to take a walk around Bentong town. Being a Sunday night, the town was pretty quiet save for the usual traffic heading to and from Gua Musang.

Heading north west along Jalan Chui Yin we passed an old Chinese school that recently celebrated its centenary. Despite being an old school with presumably lots of history SJK (C) Khai Mun Pagi did not have much of an account when we looked it up online.

an old school, literally

Each Saturday night this stretch of road will be cordoned off to accommodate ‘Bentong Walk’ that, in the words of gobentong.com was supposed to “boost the economy in this place. Hoping that through the joined efforts of people there, can create a unique night market in Bentong, let Bentong to be more lively. In the early stage, they have already recruited 20 to 25 stalls. The vendors can sell their own unique products and snacks there. We believe that this project can unite the citizens in Bentong to build and create a different Bentong culture, to give a surprise to the tourist.”

site of the Bentong Walk

I love the font!

Beside the school was the Bentong Chinese Town Hall, there was another historical building with its year of inception clearly engraved as 1914 atop its front façade. Again, this building did not have much of an account when we looked it up online.

another old building

Heading north east along Jalan Wayang we ended up on Jalan Loke Yew which is the main road for those heading to Kuala Lumpur from Gua Musang. We then headed south east along Jalan Loke Yew, and I snapped a few photos of the things we took interest in.

feng shui shop?

relic from the past

the main trunk road in town

We turned south west along Jalan Pasar, and as the name suggests led us to the Bentong wet market.

low-light shot with a prime lens

Brendan was hungry (again) and we knew just the place that will strike his fancy and satisfy penchant for ‘Western’ food.

Kedai Makanan & Mee Aik Kee (益记饭档面餐)

Gerai MDB (along an unknown road)

28700 Bentong

Coordinates: 3.521933, 101.906984

Brendan and Cat slept on through the afternoon and awoke late in the evening. Consulting Vincent (my brother in law) through social media (since he lives in the UAE but is a local Bentong boy) at his recommendation we decided to try a restaurant nearby that served excellent ¹Hokkien Mee.

¹egg noodles and rice noodles stir-fried with egg, slices of pork, prawns and squid, and served and garnished with vegetables, small pieces of lard, sambal sauce and lime

This restaurant occupies the first lot on the left in a row of eateries called the Gerai Majlis Daerah Bentong or Gerai MDB for short. Getting here can be a little tricky since the road next to this row of eateries is unknown or unnamed. So with the coordinates we provided please use a GPS device or Waze (the mobile app) to get here.

prominent signboard 

first lot on the left

a quiet evening

mom and pop store

warming up the wok

Once seated we scanned the menu and settled on a dish of ²Yam Ring with Kung Pao Squid, Crispy Shredded Chicken in Thai Chilli Sauce and Fried Kailan (Chinese broccoli).

²a spicy stir-fry Chinese styled dish made with chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers

the kung pao squid

fried kailan

chicken in thai sauce

time to dig in!

We enjoyed our meal immensely, so much so that Brendan and Cat forgot the aches and pains they endured at the hands of Shīfu earlier this morning. However, since each dish costs RM20+ each Aik Kee sadly does not serve the everyday food for the everyday person. Having said that, Aik Kee is now our default go-to place for dinner whenever we’re in Bentong.

And the irony is that we came on Vincent’s recommendation to have the Hokkien Mee, and we ended up having everything but that!

Kopitiam Bentong Jaya

Jalan Tan Sri Chan Siang Sun

28700 Bentong

Coordinates: 3.522343, 101.907867

Brendan and Cat were exhausted after undergoing Shīfu’s treatment so we headed back to our budget hotel to rest and recuperate. I believe that we’ve not mentioned this before, but whenever we are in Bentong to visit with my parents we usually put up the night at Hotel Kristal.

Situated in the heart of Bentong town, this budget hotel is strategically placed and within walking distance to most eateries, a supermarket, a wet market and even the famous Bentong Walk which is described as a lively, Saturday-only night market featuring street food, local handicrafts & live performances.

After napping for an hour they were famished, since they were still exhausted and did not wish to expend any more energy than necessary we decided on a coffee shop just across from our budget hotel.

A simple ‘food court’ where different vendors peddle their dishes, Kopitiam Bentong Jaya seemed to be very popular among the locals.

in the heart of Bentong town

we are welcomed?

the quintessential 'food court'

To our delight, they provided the two staple food that our family enjoys: Chicken Rice and ¹Char Kueh Teow. Cat and I had the Chicken Rice with an added plate of ²Char Siu while Brendan ordered his perennial favourite, the Char Kueh Teow.

¹flat rice noodles stir-fried over very high heat with light and dark soy sauce, chili, a small quantity of belachan, whole prawns, de-shelled cockles, bean sprouts, chopped Chinese chives and egg

²a popular way to flavour and prepare barbecued pork in Cantonese cuisine; classified as a type of siu mei (燒味), Cantonese roasted meat

the chicken rice stall

the char kueh teow stall

We had no complaints about the Chicken Rice with Char Siu; Brendan enjoyed his Char Kueh Teow so much that he ordered a second helping.

Brendan's char kueh teow

roasted chicken

char siu

Barely sixty kilometres away from Kuala Lumpur we observed a noticeable drop in the prices of food. So it was a pleasant surprise that lunch for the three of us cost around RM25 only. That too after the fact that Brendan had to servings of Char Kueh Teow.

Now that’s the everyday food for the everyday person!