Happy Restaurant, Sitiawan

I went to Sitiawan  last weekend to celebrate a birthday. As the birthday boy wanted to eat in the comforts of his home, we decided to pack some food for him from this place called Happy Restaurant. I was told that Happy is one of the oldest and most established restaurants in Sitiawan, having moved from its original outlet in Kampung Koh to its present location, which is more accessible to the average tourist like me.

This is mantis prawn cooked with nestum. Sugar is sprinkled on top to give it a hint of sweetness. I love the crunchy batter and found this rather unique dish excellent.

 

Pork trotter – huge in size and bursting with flavour, this was a hit amongst all of us as we chatted over lunch. We ate this with the man tou and it was simply heavenly.

 

 

Fish maw cooked with sea cucumber -  this is a rather spicy dish and is a well known Foo Chow delicacy which always makes its way to the dining table during special occasions such as Chinese New Year and birthdays.

Tofu soup – this is another dish that I have only found in Sitiawan – made with lots of tofu and choy sum , this soup did not appeal to me as far as looks were concerned. However, it was very delicious and I must admit that I had more than 3 bowls of this!

Address : 73 & 74 Taman Ria Jaya

Jalan Raja Omar

32000 Sitiawan,

Perak

Tel : +605 6913563

Cash terms only

Opens for lunch and dinner

Restoran Bei King 北京大飯店, Sitiawan

Legend has it that an elephant which was overladen with tin ore, got stuck in the Dinding River at low tide. Everyone left after all efforts to save the elephant proved to be in vain. However the elephant’s friend stayed on. It refused to budge and hung on together with its friend. In the end both the elephants drowned….Hence the name Setiakawan which means loyal friend.

I was in Sitiawan for a birthday celebration and was indeed very surprised to find out that food there was so cheap. The entire meal costs less than RM300 for 10 pax.

I was told that all Foo Chows celebrate their birthdays by eating this – mee suah cooked in red wine. I found the colour of this artificially red and was told that very little wine was used to cook this at the request of the birthday girl. Instead they have used the leftovers of what was formed  during the wone making process –mainly fermented rice (pulut).

Next up was the ‘cold plate’ what is more commonly known as the 4 seasons. I noticed that here they had more than 4 varieties in the plate – it was very appetising. The pig stomach, however, was a tad spicy – there were lots of dried chillies. The egg fried with sharks fin was superb.

Another interesting dish – foo chow fish ball and yen pi dumpling soup. Foo chow fish balls are unique because unlike normal fishballs, they are stuffed with minced pork.  

Pork trotter with man tou – when it arrived, I expected the wrapped-up foil to contain herbal chicken (just as we normally get in KL) but was astonished when it was opened up. The pork trotter was cooked until soft. The juice from the fat meat just oozes out when I bit into the meat. Love it!

Fried eggs with oyster – I was told that this was Bei King’s pride. They pride themselves as being able to cook and of course to serve the most crispy oh chien in Malaysia!

Pork with yam – the colour of this dish put me off as I am more inclined towards the Hakka version.

Butter prawns – I was impressed with the freshness of the prawns – which many of the other guests said was expected of Sitiawan.

Fish maw in sweet, sour & spicy gravy – Foo Chows call this dish a soup and I can’t help but wonder why. This is a very traditional Foo chow dish and I notice that they just can’t have a celebration without it. Anyway, the ones here are super spicy and I don’t like it.

Fried tofu with some abalone mushrooms and broccoli – presentation was so-so only to me, and tasted the same way too J

Mixed vegetable –well, frankly I’ve never come across any restaurant that can’t do this dish well…so there isn’t much to comment on this dish.

Address : Lot 35535, Taman Desa Selamat (Jalan Kampung Selamat)

32000 Sitiawan