Kuala Kangsar Delicacy | Teratak Warisan Kampung

When it comes to traditional Kuala Kangsar delicacy, no one knows it better than the husband and wife team Saidi Othman and Zaliah Ibrahim, the lovely owner of Teratak Warisan Kampung; operating for the last 15 years. With their 30 types of dishes serves daily, it is no wonder that repeated guest and those whom came from afar seek for Saidi and Zaliah ‘air tangan’- authentic-‘Kuale’-dishes.

Fascinated with how his grandmother cooks ikan loma (without choking its small niddle like bones), Saidi begins to learn the art of cooking ikan loma or Thynnichthys thynnoides/white carp (upon googling); a fresh water fish that is found aplenty in Perak. The famous ikan loma dish is ‘ikan masak pindang’ or fish in brine style; a clear soupy type of dish using ginger, chili, galangal and etc wrap in seniar leaf and boil for 2 nights.

Because of their passion for food and his love for his heritage, in 1999 marks the birth of Teratak Warisan Kampung . Said manning the restaurant while Zaliah manages the kitchen, a perfect combination and match made in heaven.

Few Kuale dishes that is popular amongst the near and far are Gulai Kemahang, Nasi Lemuni/Legundi, Kebebe, Betik Muda masak air, Ikan Bakar dalam tanah liat and Siput Sedut campur pucuk paku, these are usually paired with ulam (local salad) such as paku rawan, daun asam jawa, pegaga and etc eaten with sambal belacan and kerabu kelapa. Not to forget Ikan pekasam, the legendary Lenggong delicacy.

Located just behind the Kuala Kangsar bus station, this corner lot restaurant is able to fit in minimal 50 patrons in one go, ideal for group (only upon reservation) and family get-together meal.

Saidi’s aim is to introduce and educated the younger generation to authentic local delicacy as much as possible, preserving Kuala Kangsar heritage and signature dish. Hoping that one day, Kuala Kangsar dishes will famous at international level.

Teratak Warisan Kampung

Add: 43, Bandar Baru, 33000 Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

Tel: 016-5584955 (Saidi) / 016-4434955 (Zaliah)

Business hours

Mon – Sat : 7.30am – 4.30pm

Sunday : closed

An event organised by Tourism Malaysia with KTMB as main transportation partner.

Lenggong charm | Suka-Suka Lake Retreat

Celebrating Raya in Suka-Suka Lake Retreat.

Came as a surprise to me as well.

You heard me right alright. This place reminds me of Terrapuri in Terengganu and Pasir Belanda in Kelantan. To know one that is so near is definitely exciting.

Located in Kampong Kelantan, Lenggong, Suka-Suka Lake Retreat is the brainchild of En. Aziz, a family-owned resort managed by both husband and wife, together with their son (and of course their domestic workers). A kampong style resort nestled by the morning mist of Tasik Raban, surrounded by the sound of mother nature. Its stream strokes ever so gently on the resort’s shoulders,  migration birds singing as if there’s no tomorrow and the chilly breeze caressing one’s face along with the morning sun. That’s how calm Suka-Suka Lake Retreat is and why guest kept coming back. And also why I fell in love with Suka-Suka at the first sight, and I bet you will too.

Consist of a rumah ibu (or what I would like to call it, if name has yet been given that is) where guest register, meet with the owner, have their meal, read books and mingle (a common room so to speak), with a few other houses catering for 2 – 6pax; each with its own unique view. Reminds me of home away from home.

With such setting, I begin to wonder on activities they have instore for guests. Well well well… Not that it took me off guard but knowing the fact that some valuable thoughts were put into it does deserve some brownies points I would say. Fishing, for one is its biggest attraction, then there’s sunrise boating and cruising excursion (which is just my type of activities) at Tasik Raban, for those history geek (UNESCO hunter), you can always head to Lenggong Archeological Museum and learn about Perak Man. Worry not food lovers, aside from the famous ikan pekasam or fermented sour fish that you can check out and try, you can also venture into their town and sample local delicacy such as Kebebe, Masak Lemak Pekasam Loma, Gulai Umbut Pisang Hutan, Belotak, Kerabu Umbut Tepus Gajah and Rendang Daging Masak Hitam.

Then En. Aziz said something that caught me by surprise, apparently there are families who found home in this quaint secluded place that it has been their yearly event to celebrate Raya (Eid Fitr) here; and the works. From bakar lemang, anyam ketupat, right to main mercun… Suka-Suka Resort happily welcomes and entertains them.

It is hard to not like this beautiful place, serene, captivating and full of warm that hours and days passed by ever so quickly.

Doubt?

Go and experience it yourself *wink*.

Suka-Suka Lake Retreat

PKK 19/27 Kampong Kelantan

33040 Lenggong

Perak, Malaysia

Mobile : +60 16-531 2021

An event organised by Tourism Malaysia with KTMB as main transportation partner.

Keris | The Art of Malay Weapon

A good keris is one that is well-balanced and is able to stand on its own.

Little that we know.

According to En. Abdul Mazin, a highly skilled Empu or keris-maker/master craftsman on keris-making, one can validate how good a keris is by testing its ability to ‘stand’ on its own. A fit that reflects how skillful is the empu himself. It proves that the empu is experience in making sure a balance mix of metal composition, shape, the right hilt size, weight and carved (lekuk), which plays a major role in ensuring the centre of gravity is at the central point.

The Malay asymmetrical dagger (keris or kris) is made and achieved through alternating laminations of irons. A keris is divided into three parts: bilah (blade), hulu (hilt), and warangka (sheath). As a weapon and a piece of Malay Nusantara art, it is often carved and designed in great intricacy with aesthetic value. Precious and rare types of wood, gold or ivory are being used to decorate its sheath and hilt. A distinctive keris known today is the Keris Taming Sari, Laksamana Hang Tuah’s dagger. It is said that the sheath is covered with gold leaf and that the hilt is in green with red studs. There are folklore/legend stating that Keris Taming Sari has mystical powers as the opponents are unable to defeat the owner, making him invulnerable. It is also said to be capable of hovering in the air when pursuing the enemy.

Pak Mazin, hails from Kampung Padang Changkat in Kuala Kangsar is a very experience empu. He started experimenting his interest and skill at the age of 12, back in the 1960s, was entrusted by Istana Negara to produce the ‘keris hukum’, part of the royal regalia for the installation of Tuanku Abdul Halim as the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong. His talent comes as no surprise, as he inherited his skill and knowledge from Pandak Lam; his grandfather, who is also the son of Tukang Mamat, who is the royal craftsman of Kuala Kangsar. Started by learning about the metal types such as soft iron, tempered steel and undascened steel, once this is mastered, one can then learn to heat up and forge the metal.

This mixed metal will be heated up and thinned out with seven pieces of metal tied together with a wire, then repeating the process of heating up, merging and thinning out. It is noted that the process of merging the metal must be done in great care as this is to ensure a high quality keris is being produced. We were told that a real bilah (blade) will have 15 layers of metal; seven each in the front and back, while a layer of steel in being alternated in the middle, between soft iron and undascened steel.

Pak Mazin once said that the keris symbolises the power and the valour of the Malay people, upholding our heritage and culture is our utmost priority. And I agree.

An event organised by Tourism Malaysia with KTMB as main transportation partner.

Tasik Raban of Lenggong Valley

Remember the Petronas Raya advert, the one with the kids that went out to buy beef and got a cow instead. This is where they shot the scene lah - at Tasik Raban.

It is like a dream came true. A simple word informing us that we will be taking a boat ride in Tasik Raban was welcomed with joyous and enthusiastic ‘Yeay’ (with claps and leap). Kiasu being my middle name, I round up s gang (ada gang hokkay) of 8 to fit into the boat, just so that we can get the first boat. As the first boat has the best view with no other boats blocking us (kiasu me remember?!), and as planned, we were the first boat where by majority are influencers. My plan worked.

For a person who loves rides, let it be train, boat, rickshaw, plane and etc, I truly enjoyed this 1 hour trip around Tasik Raban. Despite the fact that we took the boat at around 10ish (rather hot to be on a boat ride) but since Tasik Raban is located at Lenggong Valley; surrounded by Bukit Sapi, Ulu Malau and Bukit Kempas, it was still rather chilly for 10am. 

Nothing fancy with the boat ride, but I have to admit, the serenity, calmness and beauty will mum and numb you for awhile. Absorbing god greatest gift to mankind, its wondrous nature is a bless.

#TravelTips 1 : You can hop on the boat from Dataran Tasik Raban, there’s a proper jetty situated there.

#TravelTips 2 : Bring you sunglasses, hats/caps, wear your sunblocks and bring a bottle of water as one can easily get dehydrated.

The whole ride took approximately 40 mins or so, or perhaps longer as we requested for the boatman to slow down at some places for photo opp moment. It passed by a few places such as Kg. Cherakoh,  Kg Kelantan, Kg Beng where the famous Petronas Raya advertisemet was shot, Kg. Durau and Suka-Suka Chalet amongst others. Will share more on Suka-Suka Chalet soon.

Don’t be dishearten if you think there’s not many activities for you to discover, in fact, you’ll be impress on the things for you to see and do that you might just crave for more.

The UNESCO Perak Man Cave - Gua GunungRuntuh, Lenggong (hyperlinked)

Perak Man was discovered within Gua Gunung Runtuh cave. Perak Man is South-East Asia’s oldest most complete human skeleton. It is radiocarbon dated to 10,120 BP and identified as Australomelanesoid, a hominid type occupying the western part of the Indonesia archipelago and continental South-East Asia at the end of the Pleistocene and early Holocene.

Yup. It is in Lenggong, of course you can’t visit the cave itself BUT you can drop by the gallery nearby to learn more on Perak Man.

Click here to view the video.

Lenggong's Bukit Bunuh Crater (hyperlinked)

Around 74,000 thousand years ago a colossal eruption from volcanic Lake Toba in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, plunged the earth into darkness and spread a vast dust cloud throughout the region as far as the Indian Ocean. The Lenggong Valley region was inundated with the ash, later called white sand or rock by the local inhabitants. Areas from sea level to 72 meters above were overwhelmed.

The ash was found in several other locations as far afield as the Perak River, West Pahang, Selangor, and Kedah. In 2007, a mapping survey by University Science Malaysia revealed that the ash had spread over 70km2 to a depth 7-10 meters.

Suevite Boulders -Meteorite impact (hyperlinked)

The Bukit Bunuh BBH 2007 site, in addition, bears the geological scars of a meteorite impact which has been dated to 1.83 million years ago by fission-track technique. The site is strewn with impact breccias such as suevite and other impactites.

Aside from this, you can try their famous delicacy - Ikan Pekasam or “fermented sour fish” - It is usually made from freshwater fish, and the main source of carbohydrate for the fermentation process is ground roasted rice. Before fridge was invented, food tends to get rotten real quick thus back in the olden days, the locals has develop a way to preserve their food especially fish and meat (click HERE and HERE to know more).

#TarvelTips 3 : It cost RM10 for 3 fresh water fish, it is sold in a packet.

#TravelTips 4 : A three to four days stay in Tasik Raban, away from hustle and bustle of the city would not only provide one with a sense of rejuvenation (with the help of mother nature) but gain some knowledge of our local history and heritage that we can be proud of.

Below are a few options if you plan to stay within Tasik Raban vicinity, do give them a call as the price might have changed from the date this article was written.

The Lenggong Rest House

Located in Lenggong Town at Jalan Alang Iskandar.

Rates start from RM80-RM200.

Contact: 605-7678 702 / 6019-5793 414

Tasik Raban Resort

Located along the Kulala Kangsar – Grik trunk road on the banks of Tasik Raban about 12 km from Lenggong Town.

Rates start from RM80-RM250.

Contact: 605-7512 799 / 6019-5763 414

Well, my dream is to experience a night at Kampung Beng Homestay in Tasik Raban. Well, next time I guess.

An event organised by Tourism Malaysia with KTMB as main transportation partner.

Never too BIG for #AirAsiaBIG Loyalty

Never too BIG for AirAsia BIG Loyalty when it comes to celebration.

In conjunction with Paradigm Mall 5th Anniversary celebration held recently, I was able to witness the effort the AirAsia BIG Loyalty team poured generously in preparing, executing and giving to the participants and its members. It (almost) felt like Christmas came early this year. As if ‘failing is not an option’ is their mantra, AirAsia’s award-winning Loyalty Programme pulled off yet another thunderous event; giving away a brand-new Nissan X-Trail, 300 FREE AirAsia seats redemption, 9 FREE AirAsia Return Flight Tickets and as usual, many more attractive prizes.

And if you feel this is too small a gift from AirAsia BIG Loyalty and in ensuring everyone stand a chance to win, this ‘The Big Giveaway’ campaign is from 29^th April to 7^th July, 2017 whereby one lucky winner will get to drive home a Nissan X-Trail or prizes worth 10,000 BIG Points, not only that, we shoppers get to earn 3 BIG Points for every RM1 when we shop or dine at participating outlets in Paradigm Mall. With this exciting campaign, I foresee travellers (including myself) will frequent this mall.

As Paradigm Mall offers plenty retail outlet options, click here - Paradigm Mall site to know more, makes it easy for one to do their monthly shopping chores here and at the same time win some prizes. Or perhaps start shopping on travel luggage in preparation for AirAsia flight tickets win.

During this anniversary event, shoppers can redeem their free AirAsia seats on the spot and travel between 1^st May till 30^th June, 2017, all they need to do (or did) was be the first 100 shoppers to flash the AirAsia BIG Loyalty mobile app and share a destination from the monthly Final Call Sales. As easy as one, two, three.

Even the easy peasy fun element at the event site stands a chance to win a free seats. Paper Plane might sound kiddish and easy, but doubt not as it is pretty hard to get the paper plane to flight straight and far. In order to be fair to those who ‘flew, blew and threw’ their paper plane in the Paper Plane Tournament, free Air Asia return flights to Macau, Luang Prabang in Laos, and Visakhapatnam in India is theirs for keep. Easy game and easy wins don’t you think so. AirAsia BIG Loyalty believes that fairness are meant for all ages, while the adult busy maneuvering their plane, the kids are being entertained at the Little League corner, enjoying colouring and drawing contest where Yogood Junior goodies bags can be won.

This doesn’t stop here, freebies worth RM120,000 from AirAsia BIG Loyalty partners such as L’oreal, rokKi, Astro, Klook among others were enjoyed by event goers at Paradigm Mall.

So what are you waiting for, head to Paradigm Mall now!

Buka Puasa with a view at Bazaar 33, Pacific Regency Hotel Suites

If you’ve heard of Room with at, at Pacific Regency, you’ll get to buka puasa or break your fast this coming Ramadhan month with a view at Bazaar 33, Pacific Regency Hotel Suites located in Kuala Lumpur. This sumptuous Nusantara feast is specially catered by hotel’s culinary expert presenting guest with local authentic dishes such as Kambing Masak Hitam, Ayam Salai Masak Lemak Cili Api, Ikan Pari Asam Pedas, Sotong Lit Lit and Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Patin to name a few. As for desert, guests have the options with mouth-watering deserts ranging from cakes, local kuihs, fruits and of course dates.

Setting the stage at a ‘higher’ level this year, this Ramadhan is one of the unique experience that Pacific Regency Hotel Suites is highlighting to their beloved guest during this holy month; where the buka puasa buffet is held at the 33th floor where guests are able to enjoy Kuala Lumpur magnificent evening view. Not only that, guest will be entertained by Danny Zikry; a 2011’s Asian Youth Voice contestant whom made his solo debut in 2012.

For those that have yet to plan where to take their love ones or perhaps a buka puasa do with friends and colleagues, can certainly include Bazaar 33 as of the option. Available daily from 6:30pm to 10:00pm and from 29^th May to 23^rd  June, at RM99nett (1^st and 4^th week) and RM128nett (2^nd and 3^rd week) per /adult and RM50nett (1^st and 4^th week) and RM64nett (2^nd and 3^rd week) per /child and senior citizen. Guess what, you’ll get one free dine for every group of 11.

For enquiry and reservation, please email fnbadmin@pacific-regency.com or call +603 2332 7777 ext. 6819.