8 EPIC Malaysian food trips (that took WAY more than 5 hours!)
If you were to ask any Malaysian what they love most about Malaysia, we can pretty much guarantee that “Food” will be among the top 5 answers – if not the top answer itself. Heck, we’ve been ranked ranked #6 in CNN’s open Facebook survey for the country with the best food in the world in 2015!
No, none of these is Singaporean yo… Image from Lipstiq.
With tourists from all over the world flocking to our country to enjoy our food, we wondered – How far are Malaysians willing to travel to enjoy Malaysian food? Well, when we asked 350 people how long they’d be willing to travel or wait for food as part of a survey for the first ever CILISOS gameshow, we found out that…
- 52 Malaysians are daaaaamn impatient cos they would only wait 0-3 minutes.
- 198 people others ok la quite reasonable, they’d wait 4-30 minutes.
- The other 100 Malaysians would go beyond that time frame (even up to 4 hours), with 32 of them saying they’d “go as long as it takes because awesome food is worth it”. \m/
So since our readers so rajin to go look for food, we thought HEY… there must be some truly epic stories there. But first, here’s the good news for all you not-so-rajin people.
Now you don’t have to go so far (for laksa at least)!
Fun fact: Our lil’ country is home to at least 7 different types of laksa! In fact, Penang Assam Laksa has been ranked #7 in CNN’s list of the world’s 50 best foods in 2011; beating the famous Singapore Chili Crab (#35), so eat that, Singapore.
And now you can enjoy two types of laksa in the comfort of your own home because Maggi (Yes, this be Sponsored Content, yay!) has crafted two pretty darn local varieties from Sarawak and Johor.
The Sarawak Sambal Laksa is made with 8 herbs and spices, a hint of lime and a spicy chilli sambal infused with prawns, whereas the Johor Seafood Laksa has the signature fishy, busuk-y (the good kind, belacan) flavour in a thick, rich gravy. Please excuse us while we wipe the drool off our keyboards.
OK. Ready? Here are Malaysia’s most EPIC foodie trip stories.
We wanna thank everyone for submitting their entries but unfortunately we could only choose eight winning ones (ugaiz win 2 jumbo packs of Royale laksa each) based on their epic-ness and time spent on the road. And you know they’re trulywe’re ranking them from SHORTEST trip to the LONGEST and the first one is already 5 FRICKIN HOURS!
8. The super anti-climax Penang Char Kuey Teow trip
One example of Penang char kuey teow. Unedited image from VKeong.com
While deciding on where to go for a quick dinner, Kagilnes‘s uncle started talking about the tastiest char kuey teow he’s ever had in Penang. However, there’s a problem – they were in Sungai Petani, Kedah. Thankfully, Kagilnes’ uncle must have been the best salesman ever, convincing Kagilnes and twenty-four other family members decided to make a rombongan to Penang Island to have this char kuey teow for dinner.
“On the way to Penang he kept describing how tasty that Char Kuey Teow is.” – Kagilnes
Unfortunately things didn’t go according to plan cause they got lost on the way and, after many twists and turns of the steering wheel, finally arrived at the shop….
To find that it was closed.
Image from Funny Junk.
Since they were already on the island, they went on a char kuey teow hunt only to be told by each shop they went to that “Char kuey teow habis” 🙁
But there’s a happy ending to this story because they did eventually manage to get some char kuey teow…
“The real funny thing is the shop we [eventually] ate Char Kuey Teow is just stone throw away distance from my parents house in Sungai Petani.” – Kagilnes
Yup, they went all the way to Penang only to end up eating char kuey teow near their house. In Sungai Petani. #DunnoShouldLaughOrCry
Total trip time: 5 hours
7. And the Most Epic Company Food Outing Award goes to…
Unedited image screencapped from Google Maps.
The people at Anuradha‘s company kinda took the concept of a company lunch a little further when the staff from the KL and Singapore offices arranged to meet up in Melaka over a weekend for food:
“We found out one of our colleagues in IT has a father who is a chef. And not just any chef. A Baba chef that serves up homecooked food on his front porch where you can feast on authentic Peranakan food while enjoying the cool breeze from the surrounding paddy fields. Giler.” – Anuradha
There were about 11 of them in total, with half of them driving down from KL and the other half taking a bus up from Singapore. Chef Ee (that’s his name) didn’t disappoint too-
We couldn’t bring ourselves to make this picture smaller. Really couldn’t. Picture sent by Anuradha.
The entire meal was made from scratch and his pongteh (Nyonya stewed meat with gravy) was “waay better than any of the ones recommended on food blogs”.
If this wasn’t enough, the group later went food-hunting on Jonker Street (where they were also staying) for other delicacies such as chicken rice balls, coconut shakes, and durian bombs. Speaking of durian bombs…
We learnt a valuable lesson that night. When you eat the durian bomb, please ah, put the whole pastry in your mouth like the shopkeeper tells you to. Don’t pandai-pandai nibble at the side. Or else…you’ll kena one durian-flavored bomb on your baju, and maybe someone else’s shoes too. – Anuradha
However, we gotta say that Anuradha will not be getting a prize for this entry. At least not till we get Chef Ee’s contact info 😛
Total trip time: 5 hours
6. The KL to KK trip for coconut pudding
Unedited image screencapped from Google Maps
Faris Izuan Zaini definitely had kelapa in his kepala when he decided to take a plane from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu to satisfy his craving for coconut pudding:
“You cant find a good kelapa pudding in KL. Pretty much everything sold here is kelapa jelly.“- Faris
The call of the coconut was so strong that when he encountered a problem with booking his ticket online, he went straight to the airport and bought his ticket a few minutes before the flight! Three and a half hours later, he was in KK enjoying a coconut of delicious pudding. No, really wan, it’s not a bowl or a cup… it actually comes served in a coconut!
Photo sent by Faris.
Best part is, in order to get it, Faris spent 100x more than the cost of the coconut pudding itself:
“Spent bout RM400 all in all including transport and stuff. The pudding only cost RM4 though. Weekend well spent. Haha. Best pudding ever!” – Faris
#NoRegrets.
Total trip time: 7 hours by plane
5. Four guys, tomyum fish, and a… kidnapping???! 😯
(Note: We originally published Jian’s name as “Jiam”. Sorry man. Things have been thrown at the person who compiled the entries on your behalf.)
This must have taken place a few years back since Jian Goh remarked that “petrol was cheap” when the trip took place.
As the story goes, Jian and his friends heard about this awesome place in Betong, Sarawak that served some yummy tomyum fish. Unfortunately, they were in Kuching, about 4 hours away. After one of his friends offered to drive AND sponsor the petrol cost (because petrol was cheap mah), the four of them went full YOLO and made the decision to take an impromptu 8-hour lunch trip..
On the way out, they bumped into the brother of one of his friends. We imagine the conversation went something like this:
Elder bro: Eh, where you going?
Younger bro: Going to school.
Elder bro: Hop in la, we’ll give you a ride.
Younger bro: Wow thanks! You’re the best brother ever!
(10 minutes later)
Younger bro: Uhhhh… this isn’t the way to school…..
Yup. They picked him up and drove him straight out to Betong!
“We kidnapped one of my friends’s younger brother on our way there. He thought he was going to school but instead we went out of the city and on to the country road to Bentong.” – Jian
BTW ugaiz, we should also mention that CILISOS doesn’t condone preventing someone from going to school, even if there are family…thais (cause tomyum…geddit? geddit?).
Total trip time: 8 hours
4. Hormonal cravings for Penang Nasi Kandar
Line Clear nasi kandar. Image from FoodSpotting.’
According to Evanna Devi, it was “that time of the month” and she was just sitting at home watching some online videos about popular food destinations in Malaysia when she suddenly realized that she had been watching one too many nasi kandar videos (Probably something like this one here).
Probably something like this one on YouTube. Click to watch!
Deciding that nothing in KL/Selangor would come close to the real deal, she decided to make a one day, one-woman trip down to Penang for some of dat femes Line Clear Nasi Kandar. And so from her home in KL, she set out north all alone with nothing but a vast stretch of highway for company. When she got to Penang she found herself lost, having to drive around Penang’s old buildings… some of which are said to be haunted.
The result? RM200 in toll and petrol, but only RM10 for the nasi kandar.
Total trip time: 10 hours
3. Driving from Terengganu to Kelantan for…..MAGGI… Ketam???!
This is a photo of the actual dish sent by Mohamad Azlan!
So this isn’t here because Maggi sponsored our article, okay? For those unfamiliar, Maggi Ketam is, well, Maggi Kari cooked with fresh crabs and other ingredients. Even CILISOS writer UiHua‘s sister (who’s a pharmacist) insisted that the family make their way to the East Coast for Maggi Ketam when she was stationed in Terengganu.
A view from the peak of Bukit Keluang. Image from Orebiso.
On the way to a hiking trip in Bukit Keluang, Mohamad Azlan was really, REALLY craving for some Maggi Ketam. Unfortunately, the shops in Terengganu were closed (apparently Maggi Ketam quite common in East coast? #cilisos musttry) so, on an impulse and having some of the most awesome friends ever, they abandoned their hiking plans and made a day trip to Pantai Cahaya Bulan in Kelantan! And hoooboy was it worth the trip:
“The gravy was rich and the crab was huge! Each bowl was provided with a hammer and cutting board to assist us enjoying the crab! The owner was also generous enough to add chicken and prawn into the Maggi Ketam! The gravy tasted authentic and full of love!” – Mohamad Azlan.
Wow. Not just Maggi Ketam, but Maggi Ketam Ayam Udang yo (Sponsors take note). Unfortunately for Mohamad Azlan and his friends, they made one major miscalculation:
” When arriving home from the trip, we had to find more food since the Maggi Ketam had completely digested! Ultimate regret for not tapau-ing another bowl of it sobs. I’m salivating just by describing it. Might be going back again soon!” – Mohamad Azlan.
Total trip time: 12 hours
2. Kolot roads for kolok mee!
Not actually what happened. Unedited image from Pentax Forums.
Kolok Mee comes in halal and non-halal versions! Image from Sarawak Tourism.
After his girlfriend posted a particularly delicious photo of kolok mee in Kuching, Arthur Nyelang ak Moses tried his very bestest to tahan the temptation.
This isn’t because he was trying to jaga badan or anything, but because the distance between his location in Sg. Asap and Kuching is 752km (14 hours ONE way)! As reference for you Semenanjung gaiz, this is only slightly shorter than driving from Johor to Kedah (769km) and in worse roads.
“Mind you, our “highway” road conditions here are very “good”.” – Arthur.
He was doing a pretty good job tahanning until his housemate called to tell him about this new place they discovered which served big portions of mouth-watering, springy kolok mee. At this point he caved in, packed his bags, hopped into his car, and made the 14-hour drive with rain, bad roads, and everything!
We’d imagine the trip was worth it, because the reward for his journey wasn’t just a kolok mee special with extra meat but also a wife, cause:
“As a plus, I got to meet my girlfriend’s parents which of course are now my in-laws.” – Arthur.
We assume his proposal line was “Will you marry mee?” 😉
Speaking of kolok mee, didja know Maggi also has a 2 in 1 Mi Kolo + Sup? But don’t go running to the shops just yet, cause it’s only available in Sabah and Sarawak. #SemenanjungIsSad
East M’sia friends can send to us pls?
Total trip time: 28 hours (assuming he took 14 hours to get back)
1. The Melaka food trip that ended up in Singapore
Unedited image screencapped from Google MyMaps. Click for full image.
Chicken rice ball. Image from Popular Malacca Foods.
Coming from a family of foodies, Justina Cheam and her family decided to take a trip down to Melaka. But after a satisfying lunch of chicken ball rice, nyonya food, cendol, and laksa (ohai Maggi!), her family were still strangely unsatisfied.
“Dad and mum like Foodie adventures and besides, it was the holidays and we were bored (at home and of KL food) so dad decided to make a trip to Melaka but we ended up driving all the way down to Singapore.” – Justina.
Wait… WHAT!? So anyway, from an original 3-hour lunch, they ended up with a massive 50 hour food ODYSSEY!
They stopped by for
- Laksa, otak-otak, and the famous Tangkak beef noodles in Johor;
- Then to Singapore for Hokkien mee and chili crab;
- And finally back to Johor for Cendol Bakar with a side of lembu.
“At one point we couldn’t stand it anymore (cause we bought Cendol Bakar and drank it in the car) dad decided to stop and we peed at the side of the road and so ngam, a cow crossed by us.” – Justina.
In all they spent RM2,000 – something that Justina describes at being “so totally worth it” 🙂
Total trip time: 50 (!!!) hours
Woah! Malaysians too much free time is it?
Well, we already know that good food is part of our culture, but so is lepaking with our friends and family like these guys above. So sometimes, while it’s about the yummy destination, these stories prove that the journey is just as important 😉 #CILISOSsalutesyou
AMAIGERD! Just writing this article also tummy grumbling for some good food already. Haiz. But today CILISOS got work to do la. THEN HOW!?
Shameless product placement
