TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE TO BATU PAHAT

Saturday, 9th August 2008

TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE TO BATU PAHAT
Batu Pahat with a population of about 200,000 was accorded a municipality on 1Jan2001 and as at 2008, it's the 10th largest city in Malaysia. It's progress is marked by a huge Sharp factory, many textile factories eg Southex, other foreign investments and more shopping centres like The Store in Jalan Rugayah, The Summit Parade, Carrefour Hypermarket in Taman Flora Utama and Square One (Under Construction, next to Carrefour) and the latest Batu Pahat Mall - Pavillion, Jusco Hypermart (has been proposed) but the rest of the town is what I like best as it retains it old charm of colonial shophouses but sadly many are in dilapidated state and are abandoned withot any restoration in sight.
Batu Pahat with a population of about 200,000 was accorded a municipality on 1Jan2001 and as at 2008, it's the 10th largest city in Malaysia. It's progress is marked by a huge Sharp factory, many textile factories eg Southex, other foreign investments and more shopping centres like The Store in Jalan Rugayah, The Summit Parade, Carrefour Hypermarket in Taman Flora Utama and Square One (Under Construction, next to Carrefour) and the latest Batu Pahat Mall - Pavillion, Jusco Hypermart (has been proposed) but the rest of the town is what I like best as it retains it old charm of colonial shophouses but sadly many are in dilapidated state and are abandoned withot any restoration in sight.
Batu Pahat with a population of about 200,000 was accorded a municipality on 1Jan2001 and as at 2008, it's the 10th largest city in Malaysia. It's progress is marked by a huge Sharp factory, many textile factories eg Southex, other foreign investments and more shopping centres like The Store in Jalan Rugayah, The Summit Parade, Carrefour Hypermarket in Taman Flora Utama and Square One (Under Construction, next to Carrefour) and the latest Batu Pahat Mall - Pavillion, Jusco Hypermart (has been proposed) but the rest of the town is what I like best as it retains it old charm of colonial shophouses but sadly many are in dilapidated state and are abandoned withot any restoration in sight.
There is a welcome sign as you arrived into San Choon before Batu Pahat, that's where my grandpa had an estate of fruit trees and a "pu ka lau" house there; Used to be able to point out the site but no longer can be recognised cos changes and development has taken place and the biggest shopping centre has sprouted in that area.
Blurry photo of sunrise or was it my half-awaken eyes
Restplace after the customs where most congregate to fillup the fuel for the gruelling drive up?Restplace after the customs where most congregate to fillup the fuel for the gruelling drive up?Nasi Lemak but no so lemak; preferred the steaming hot beehoon instead.Ever since the Batu Pahat Garden Bak Kut Teh was closed, we have patronised this shop in Taman Flora, Restoran Mei Hwa Lin for it's Bak Kut Teh whenever we come up to BP but during this trip we discovered the taste has significantly dropped and the soup is very much lacking in strong herbal flavour and is less tasty to the hilt that in fact it is dilute; Rest of the vegetable dishes did not make up for it either despite it's alluring fresh look of greens i.e. plates of sweet potato leaves and sliced bitter gourd with eggs , though the long beans aroma is good and flavourful with deep fried salted ikan bilis and the powerful garlicky bits. Neither is the yam rice savoury enough for me to call a second shot as before. However the otak otak is really good with big chunks of fish when you bite. It is still worth a meal but no comparison to before but at RM70.70 or SGD30 for four paxs with 5dishes, rice and drinks, or SGD7.50pp, you simply have no complaints for warming and filling the stomach.Ever since the Batu Pahat Garden Bak Kut Teh was closed, we have patronised this shop in Taman Flora, Restoran Mei Hwa Lin for it's Bak Kut Teh whenever we come up to BP but during this trip we discovered the taste has significantly dropped and the soup is very much lacking in strong herbal flavour and is less tasty to the hilt that in fact it is dilute; Rest of the vegetable dishes did not make up for it either despite it's alluring fresh look of greens i.e. plates of sweet potato leaves and sliced bitter gourd with eggs , though the long beans aroma is good and flavourful with deep fried salted ikan bilis and the powerful garlicky bits. Neither is the yam rice savoury enough for me to call a second shot as before. However the otak otak is really good with big chunks of fish when you bite. It is still worth a meal but no comparison to before but at RM70.70 or SGD30 for four paxs with 5dishes, rice and drinks, or SGD7.50pp, you simply have no complaints for warming and filling the stomach.No. 1 Jalan Flora 1Taman Flora83000 Batu Pahat, JohorHp: 012-7982377Cook at the helm who does not smile but concentrate on his cookingNice Mountain view from the restaurant and the busy road is Jalan Tan Swee Hoe from the restaurant's verandah.The Chinese tea has a unique flavour to wash down with your foodKim Chan mushroom with Taupok with Liver with intestine that goes with your BKT ClaypotThe pot of Bak Kut Teh is served at RM7per pax basis and if u have 4pax, RM28 per pot; Yam Rice with the soup.Accompaniments with lots of garlic that leaves my tongue "stinging" See the chunks of fish meat in the the spicy and tasty Otak - yummiliciousBitter gourds with eggs and again garlicky and this should be a very nice dish indeed if not for the bland taste Vegetable Mania - So fresh and greenish sweet potato veg heavily doped with garlics again and againIf only the soup base is thicker with more herbal aroma, the BKT experience would be more worth the tripHotel Wholly Owned by D.A. Dynasty Corp Snd Bhd8 Jalan Zabedah83000 Batu PahatJohor Darul TakzimWest MalaysiaTel: 607-4337111Email: katpr@pd.jaring.myWebsite: www.katerina hotel.comAs you arrived, the doorman opens the door for you and the receptionist received you with a big smile and you felt welcomed as you stepped in.

The grandeur of the lobby greets you with an aura of Byzanstine empire SPRAWLING VIEWS OF BATU PAHAT from the 8th floor of your hotel room.
Right behind is Chulai estate.Further far on the foothills of the mountains, that's where the "millionaire rows" big bungalows have inched up the hill for a sweeping view of the town.A Station right on top of the hill. You can walkup this mountain for enthusiasts. Scenic nite view with lights peppering the estate and the cityx

Finally I am writing on Batu Pahat, once my hometown and the hometown flavours it offers to tourists and locals alike.

It's a day after the opening of the Olympics in Beijing and today is Singapore's 43rd celebration of National Day and yet I was going to walk down memory lane of Batu Pahat instead, where I once lived. Set out at 5.30am, we arrived Tuas customs and faced 1hour's jam. It is expected that many Singaporean are setting out to Malaysia today as I could not get a single room of all the hotels I called in Malacca. There were thousands of pax going in, given big hotels have about 200rooms mulitplied by 6 big hotels I called and this is Malacca alone. We saw two black Porsches, two Audis and a convoy of Mazda sport cars and the Porsches just zoomeeeed past us after the customs.

Batu Pahat is 133km away from JB 2nd link customs. Formerly known as Bandar Penggaram or city of saltmakers is now more appropriately called Batu Pahat (Chiselled Rock in Malay) and the name is linked to it's root at the mouth of Batu Pahat River, a coastal village of Kampung Minyak Beku (the latter two meaning solidified oil?) . During the 15th century, a well . which is still visible today, was dug by fleeing Siamese troops to collect drinking water, after a failed attack on Malacca during the reign of Sultan Muzaffar Shah (1446 to 1459). The estuary is also sites to rock quarries. It was said Parameswara once landed here too before moving to Malacca.

Early risers may not always "catch the worms"

Break Free at last as morning has broken


As we journeyed along Jalan Tan Swee Ho (the majestic Tan Swee Ho's huge bungalow is in dilapiated state now) the big Bata sign on the left draws us to u-turn back for our very first stop for Bak Kut Teh.

Restoran Mei Hwa Lin

Deep Fried Long Bean with Ikan Bilis and Bits of Garlics that heavily sedate anything else.


The Katerina Hotel

Checked into Katerina Hotel, the most luxurious hotel in Batu Pahat since 1998 with it's grandeur, a grand entrance and spacious lobby with spiralling staircase and chandeliers.