Hock Chew-ness, Part 3 - Kong Piang-ing

Kong Piang, my ultimate reason visiting the Hock Chew town of Setiawan.

Sitiawan Cheong Cia Gong Pian, one of the two outlets selling, this one is in Setiawan, the other in Kampung Koh, 2-3km away.

Kong Piang is basically a pastry with onion fillings. They used to sell with char siew filling but no longer.
Reached the shop at 1.15pm, batch will be ready at 1.45pm.

Left..the fillings, onion and lard, on the right, the dough for the biscuit/pastry

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The clay wood coal oven for baking the biskuit. Not unlike baking naan. Metal sheet is used to direct air into the oven to flame the fire.

Hard at work. Its just a small cornet shop house outlet. 

One of the three oven of the shop.

 After filling, flattening, and making some indentation with the other end of the roller.

The way to bake. Paste it on the oven's wall. 

Metal plates are placed on top of the burning charcoal, so that hands can use to stick the Kong Piang on the oven wall.

 Cant work here if you cant stand the heat.

 Removing the metal plates after filling the oven.

Sweet fragrance of onion and lard in the air.

Fresh out from the oven. 

The 'kha chang' to remove' 

Ready to sell. RM0.80 each.

 The other type of Kong Piang, the original, without the fillings. I read they are real chewy.

The queue is already long half an hour before the first batch is ready. One aunty asked for priority since she is from out of town. The staff replied "all here queuing is from out of town, locals wont come during a holiday, so please queue!!!" Cool reply :)
The first batch from the three oven not enough to cater for the queue. So most customer would have to wait for the next batch.

See the onion fillings.

Verdict : nice and tasty pastry biscuit. Crunchy and sweet. But the filling is a bland and tasteless. 

Would I be back??

Yes for novelty, no for the taste.

PS : did try to get from the other outlet, Sin Lay.. but they are closed when I am there at around 2.00pm.

Hock Chew-ness, Part 2

 After the seafood lunch, headed to the top tourist attraction in Setiawan.

The Tua Pek Kong Temple is located at the end of Jalan Pasir Panjang, with more than adequate signage, even from Kampung Koh.

Whats impresive about this temple, which I ve read cost RM7.8million, is the gigantic and not so gigantic statues on the temple ground. Was told the temple will be thronged by worshippers during any chinese 'tua jit chi'.

Huge granite statues. Up to 70 feet. 

 The temple is by the seaside. Thats Pangkor in front.

 The smaller statues.

 Its really a hot day, that was why I planned my time to be here when the sun is lower.

  Some of the other smaller statues.

The Seven Immortals playing chess.

This is a thriving local tourist attraction after all, thus stalls selling local products are abundance on the temple ground. Another attraction is the Monkey Garden, where there is a walkway looping the mangrove swamp nearby, with supposedly wild monkey. 

After much praying (to huat chye among others), and more buying, left the temple ground around 4.30pm, heading back to Kampung Koh for some Paus and 'mou mou'

 Vintage shop houses along the road at Kampung Koh. Make no mistakes though, this is a busy road.

Restoran Yee Si, besides Maybank just at the Kampung Koh crossroad. Another old time outlet here.
Reached there at 4.45pm, and was told everything were sold out. Speechless since they only started selling at 3.00pm everyday.

After that, need to waste some time, so drove to Teluk Batik. The beach is full with beach goer (since its a Saturday), with people picnicking there. Has been ages since I see people 'berkelah'.

Drove back to Setiawan, reaching Bei King at around 7.00pm. Bei King is one of the foremost name here in serving Hock Chew (Foochow) dishes. They have been in business for more than two decades. They are so successful that they are now at a much much larger outlet and is also now operating a hotel cum restaurant.

Directions.. from Setiawan traffic light, head toward Kampung Koh. Look out for Alliance Bank on your left. Turn in after Alliance bank. Drive for about 1km and you wont miss it on your left.

 Just ask for Foochow dishes and the 'lansi' lady captain (or owner, i wont know la) will recommend to you.

Ang jiu meesua. The quintessential foochow dish. With chicken, or else the soup would not taste sweet.

This is addictive. The soup is fragrant from the wine and slices of ginger. The chicken pieces real tender. The locally made mee suah smooth and firm. Still wondering, did I got slightly drunk from this or its just because i was tired.

Was recommended Foochow fishball or fish maw. Since the missus does not take fish maw so fishball it is. Foochow fishball has pork in the middle.

 Foochow or chien. Err, where's the oyster?? Dont really enjoy this. At least got something to dip the Kampung Koh chili sauce with.

 Foochow mixed fried vegetables (with tanghoon)

The dishes cost around RM70, including a pot of kekwa.. cant remember exactly.

 Another view of the Tua Pek Kong statues at night, with the lights on.

By 830pm, driving back using the same road, the trunk road are pitch black. Not really advisable. Just dont be afraid if any lady in long hair and white dress stands in front of the road.

Alternatively, head towards Ayer Tawar to Ipoh, to PLUS.

Hock Chew-ness, Part 1

Another day trip.. 06 October 2012, Setiawan... via PLUS going out at the Changkat Jering exit, then another hour or so of trunk road, longer if you are stuck behind a heavy vehicle.

Reached Setiawan around 1.15pm. A hot day, was told it hasnt rained there for quite some time.

First stop, Kong Piang.. at the Sitiawan Cheong Cia Gong Pian. Just shortly after the Setiawan crossroad, the stall at the backlane is just behind Public Bank on the road heading to Kampung Koh. There is a yellow building besides, which I have read used to house Courts Mammoth, but is now used for bird nest rearing.

I still remember, first time I have heard about Kong Piang or Gong Pian, depending on your dialects, from the in flight Magazine on board Airasia. Since then, I have been yearning to taste the delicacies of the Hock Chew people. At 1.15pm, the store has just opened, we are asked to come back at 1.45pm. We being such nice people were offered from the first batch from the oven without the need to queue up, if we are back at 1.30pm.

So, with time to kill and the sun scorching, Setiawan's famous James Cendol is our next destination. Its just a short drive away.

Location, in front of an Indian temple near The Store supermart (on the road heading to Lumut). Was looking foward to James's wife in her uniform and bright red bowtie, but the stall was manned by two teenages in t-shirt. There goes my photo ops.

Anyway, back to the food. The stall, I note sells Ais Kacang and Cendol. James has been selling here since 1974.  We are there for the cendol. You can ask with or without pulut.

The cendol is so fragrant. You can taste that the coconut milk (santan) is very fresh as well the flavourful gula melaka. Sadly, the portion is pitiful.

 The famous royal advertisement at the stall, James serving the Sultan of Perak. 

Was told James has branched out and is now operating a stall in KL at Old Klang road.

For RM4.00 for one bowl each with and without pulut, I will say its expensive, especially here in Setiawan. Nevertheless, it is good chendol.

Then back to Cheong Chia for our Kong Piang. Will write about the Kong Piang-ing in another blog.

After that it is almost 2.00pm. Went for a drive to Kampung Koh, to look for the other famous Kong Piang outlet there. Found it but its closed.

Nothing else to do, decide its lunch time. Researching about Setiawan pointed out that this place is quite a seafood paradise. Drove towards Kampung Cina, where at least 10 seafood outlet lines the whole road.

We went to Restoran Ah Pek Lee Hou Hock. I have read the dishes here are more special.

Ordered the Sar Jiau Yee, aka Garfish, deep fried in batter.

Marmite stone crab

And Siong Tong Lala (Lala in supreme soup)

Ordered only 3 dishes, since there s only the two of us and to check out the price here too.

Kampung Koh garlic chilli sauce is a must here.

The Sar Jiau Yee, with its white flesh are so fresh. Not fishy at all.

Nice soup, with decent size lala.

The marmite crab on my plate of rice. Check out the roe. 

We were told that this style of cooking will result in the dish taste somewhat bitter. That we can accept, however, the crabs were slightly under-cook, making the flesh not firm enough.

The 3 dishes, with white rices and 2 glass of keatla peng, cost us RM74.00. The seafood are definitely fresh.

Read this outlet is famous for its gigantic scallop. Must and will try that the next time.