Tasked
with the responsibility to source for a suitable site for our annual church
retreat, the search finally ended with a choice of a container hotel experience.
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Our we-fie taken in the car which HJ enhanced
with an App and then it went viral! |
After
considering the various options, the organising committee agreed that it will
be fun to stay in a hotel designed in recycled containers for the 4-day 3-night
retreat in September.
So I joined
members of the committee on a day trip to Muar recently for them to recce the
hotel facilities and get acquainted with the town for more ideas to plan an
exciting retreat programme.
Muar has
its local attractions and street food must be one of them!
With
an appointment fixed with the hotel at 12 noon, our group enjoyed a leisurely
drive from Johor Baru to Muar. As we
whizzed our way along the North-South Highway, the conversation inevitably moved
to plans for brunch before the appointment.
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| Delicious bak-kut-teh, Kh'ng Kee restaurant, Jalan Salleh |
I
was ready to be surprised by what they proposed to eat and as I listened to the
chit-chat, I learnt that we were going to have bak-kut-teh or pork ribs in herbal soup. While I’m not a fan of rice for brunch (rice
is a staple item with this meal), I know I can always have only half a portion. So I went along with their choice.
HJ,
whose dad’s hometown is Muar, was the appointed leader for our food trail – as
recommended by his dad – and I saw him sweating a bit because he was rather unsure
of where this bak-kut-teh place was!
With
our appetites kindled and our palates longing for a taste of this highly
recommended meal, HJ was probably feeling the pressure of getting us to this
place without delay.
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| All the tables set out in front were occupied! |
He’s been there
with his parents but was unsure of where it’s exact location. We quizzed him to jog his memory for any
landmarks so that we could also keep a look-out and help to find this place.
HJ
described it as a shop within a row of shops by the road with a church
opposite. This was as much info as he
could offer so with stomachs growling, we kept a keen look-out for these
landmarks.
We
were driving towards Muar along Jalan Salleh and suddenly HJ let out a yell
when he spotted the Church of St Andrew.
We rarely ever hear a raised voice from HJ so our attention was totally
riveted once we heard that sound!
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| Our steaming portion of bak-kut-teh served in a claypot |
Only
one stall was serving food and there was a crowd eating around tables set in
front of the row of shops opposite that church. So this must be it!
This
was indeed the place. The discoloured
signboard read: Kh’ng Kee Restoran, and the vendor at the stall in front, was
busy serving a throng of customers. At a
glance, I saw all the tables occupied so we had to patiently wait until a group
left before the table was cleaned for us.
The
space in front of the shops was cast in the shadow of the rising sun and
provided enough light with plenty of shade for the bustling business.
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| Enjoying our Muar bak-kut-teh brunch! |
While
waiting, I made a quick survey of the stall and spotted a variety of meat cuts heaped
in big bowls and a row of claypots simmering with meat and soup, on flaming stoves. As far as I could see, the items to choose
from were chunks of pork belly, ribs and tripe among other innards like liver
and intestines.
Diners
here seemed to be regulars who knew exactly what was on the menu and what they
wanted to order. By the time the busy
waiter came to take our order, HJ knew what to order and just said the portion
was for a certain number of people. By
this, the vendor should know how to serve the claypot in a small, medium or
large portion.
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| We-fie over coffee and kaya toast at Sai Kee 434 kopitiam |
The
serving staff also seemed to know their duties, clearing tables, serving tea
and plates of dough stick slices.
Customers were just coming in non-stop, probably because this was a
popular stall and weekenders simply had to have some bak-kut-teh to kick-start
their day!
I
was glad we had already placed our orders because the tantalising aromas was
making me feel rather hungry. It didn’t
take long for our claypot order to be served, bubbling and steaming hot from
the stove.
The
waiter was back to ask for the number of bowls of rice we wanted and I quickly
said that I only wanted half a bowl. All
conversation ceased as we hungrily tucked into this delicious bubbling broth.
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| Facade of Sai Kee 434 kopitiam |
We
had agreed that this was to be the first in several small meals on this trip
but I guess the taste was so good that everyone finished all their rice and
soup rather quickly!
By
the time our claypot was empty, the sun had risen so high that its rays was
already cutting into the shaded area. It
was getting warm and just timely that we were ready to leave and head on to
find some local coffee.
When
in Muar, we must taste Muar’s renowned Sai Kee 434 elephant bean coffee. We found our way to Jalan Maharani and parked
along that row of shops opposite the main market. I remembered that this required parking
tickets and it was very handy that the nearby provision shop also sold parking
tickets by pieces, so we bought enough to use for the day.
It
was not just the coffee connoisseurs among us who were thrilled with the
fragrance that enveloped us when we stepped into the double-shoplot café. We simply paused to enjoy the delicious aroma
of freshly ground toasted beans and fresh brews being served to customers.
It
took a moment for us to settle into a long table, which the friendly waitress
felt could accommodate all seven of us.
It was a log-like table with benches for seats and we had to slide in…
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| A serving of mee siput with a side of sambal dip |
Then
the waitress had to wait for us to figure out the list of coffee choices in the
menu before deciding on the orders. Some
preferred kopi-O while others chose the Muar 434 white coffee specialty and the
others just wanted iced-coffee because they were warm and thirsty.
The
kopitiam experience is not complete
without some kaya toast so we ordered a variety to share. I also placed an order for Muar’s mee siput
just for the others to have an experience of this local snack.
“What?
Mee siput as in snail noodles?” I was asked in a tone heavy with disbelief. “Yes,” I calmly replied. “It’s even served in a bowl with snails on
it,” I said, with a straight face.
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| Facade of the PPT Muar Hotel |
Curiosity
got the better of them because even though they were already full, they still
wanted to see and sample this Muar specialty!
When
they saw the mee siput, they sat back with a sigh and much eye-rolling because
this popular local snack was a dish of crispy noodles with a side of sambal
dip, served in a ceramic bowl designed with snails on it!
Well,
I did tell them that it was served in a bowl with snails on it! *wink-wink!
With
stomachs comfortably full, we enjoyed a short walk along the row of shops to
observe the traditional tradesmen doing business and the interesting façades of
several Chinese clan houses here.
Mindful
of the timing for the parking tickets and our appointment with the hotel, we
found our way back to the car and headed to the PPT Muar Hotel.
We
were taken on an inspection of the facilities, particularly the meeting room
and family-size bedrooms ingeniously designed within recycled containers and
saw how these would do very well for our coming retreat.
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Facade of the Muar container hotel which houses the
meeting room and bedrooms |
Since
my previous stay with the hotel, they have added more facilities like a sauna
and a gym as well as a Japanese restaurant.
After a brief discussion on the catering plans, we left the hotel with the
necessary information for the committee to agree on the final details before
making the arrangements with the hotel.
With
our mission accomplished and the scorching sun beating down on us, we agreed
that some thirst-quenching refreshments should hit the spot. So it was again up to HJ to point us to the nearest
watering-hole that served freshly made shaved ice desserts.
If
not for the iced drinks, which may have helped to cool us down for a bit, we
probably would be almost fried in the blasting heat when we walked over to our
last stop in Muar to buy home some quality otak-otak, a local spicy fish paste
specialty.
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| Last stop to buy back some A-Class otak-otak products |
A
worker was toasting the coconut-leaf-wrapped strips of otak-otak on an
electricity powered grill outside the A-Class Otak-Otak products shop, and I
couldn’t help but imagined him being roasted by the natural heat as well as the
heat from the grill!
The
staff here are well-trained and familiar with their products as they quickly promoted
the range to us and deftly wrapped up our orders in layers of old newspapers to
preserve the frozen products for our onward journey.
This
is clearly a regular stop-over for Muar visitors as the staff are familiar with
how they would usually buy sufficient stock and require it to be properly
packed.
On
our return drive, I thought that our day trip to Muar turned out to be quite
eventful and fulfilling. Not only did we
accomplish what we set out to do, we also enjoyed ourselves in good company
with a taste of some Muar local food. And
even bought back a Muar specialty, packed in its frozen form, to savour later.
A
foretaste of what Muar has to offer has given us yet another good reason to
join the church retreat later this year, where we will spend a few days
together, discovering more from our fellowship and exploring the charms of Muar.
