Sitiawan – ParentWonder

We reached Ah Pek Lee Kou Hock Seafood Restaurant at about 1pm. The restaurant was empty. But when we sat down and ordered, customers started to fill up the small, modest village restaurant.

Kampung Cina – where Ah Pek Lee Kou Hock Seafood Restaurant and a string of other restaurants are located – is a food haven for those who are looking for mouth-watering seafood at irresistible prices.

Again, this place was recommended to me by Wang Tao. We were supposed to have dinner here last night but we changed plan.

Ah Pek Lee Kou Hock Seafood Restaurant, which was originally started just to sell tuak (an alcoholic drink made from fermented coconut flower sap) and later moved on to include other food to go with the drink. Tuak is still available if you want to have a sip of the local beer.

We ordered four dishes: steamed ma yau fish, fried squids, fried fish (it is a popular dish here but I forget the name. The fish is small and long), steamed prawns, and vegetable.

The ma yau fish was very fresh and I didn’t taste the “fishy” smell. It was very well done. The fish was sweet and tender.

Not many restaurant can prepare nice and tasty fried squids. But this restaurant really impressed me. Not to mention the squids were fresh, the fried squids here were tender, juicy, and succulent.

Overall the lunch was excellent and most importantly the price was highly affordable. Our bill came up to about RM60 – which was lower than what I expected judging from its popularity – which had recently shot up to sky after being featured on a local TV food program.

According to owner Ling Hock Beng, they catch their own seafood. In other words, they control the supply chain right from the source. And that also explains the reason why the seafood offered here is fresh and cheap.

Highly recommended!

ah pek lee kou hock seafood restaurant map — Map to Ah Pek Lee Kou Hock Seafood Restaurant, Sitiawan

Ah Pek Lee Kou Hock Seafood（亚伯利口福椰芭海鲜）
Lot 135, Kampung Cina,
32000 Sitiawan
Perak
Malaysia
Opening hours: 11am to 10pm (Tuesdays off)
Telephone: 012-540 9478, 016-597 7756 (Ling Hock Beng)

Owner of Ah Pek Restaurant — Owner – Ling Hock Beng

Note: This is the eighth article of Family Weekend Getaway: A Road Trip To Lumut series.

Next: Up Close with Turtles at Segari Turtle Conservation Centre

We didn’t go for seafood dinner as originally planned. The reason was the restaurant (again recommended by Wang Tao, our homestay owner) is very popular and having dinner on weekends spells long wait.

As I didn’t want my kids to wait too long for dinner and on the other hand I wanted to try out local specialties, I asked for alternatives. Without hesitation, Wang Tao recommended a place for charcoal fried kuey teow. At the same place, I could also try out Sitiawan’s popular local delicacy ang chiew mee suah (red rice wine noodles).

The place is located opposite Sitiawan wet market (near KFC) and it is open from evening till early morning. The stalls are modest and we had our dinner at the roadside.

We ordered one charcoal fried kuey teow (RM3.00), porridge (RM5.00), and ang chiew mee suah (RM5.00). Nevertheless, there were other stalls there offering fried chicken and grilled fish.

I must say the red rice wine soup tasted very strong. The char kuey teow smelled excellent (burnt smell what else!) but it was a little soggy. The porridge was excellent too. When you eat, remember to stir the porridge completely as there is a raw egg at the bottom of the bowl. Don’t worry, the egg will be cooked by the hot steamy porridge during stirring.

Sitiawan Charcoal Fried Kuey Teow - The Cook — The Man Behind Sitiawan Charcoal Fried Kuey Teow

J and K loved ang chiew mi suah at first sight, so we ordered another bowl. They finished it all.

A few minutes before we left, I felt uneasiness in my stomach. I stopped eating and tried to relax. On the way home, my wife felt a sense of strong feeling rushed up to her cheeks. Same thing happened to J. Everybody was not feeling well and was quiet in the car. We suspected the culprit was the alcohol in the red rice wine.

K was quiet in the car too. Later we heard him burp. In a flash, my wife quickly grabbed a plastic bag and he vomited into it. Then he felt much better. Again, we suspected that K couldn’t take the alcohol in ang chiew mi suah. Lesson learned: it is always handy when you have extra plastic bags in the car. You will never know when you need one.

There’s more. Since K was not feeling well after dinner, while preparing K to go to bed early, he vomited again. He had not thrown out all of his dinner in his first try. Yuck! After that, K was like his usual self running around in the bungalow… as if nothing abnormal happened.

I felt so bad that Wang Tao had to clean up the mess notwithstanding he was helpful.

Next time when you let your children try out ang chiew mi suah, beware of their alcohol intolerance. But you wouldn’t know until you let them try it. So what the heck, just let them try it and take care of them later.

Note: This is the sixth article of Family Weekend Getaway: A Road Trip To Lumut series.

Next: A Monkey Encounter in Taman Paya Bakau, Seri Manjung

Lunch at Ah Pek Lee Kou Hock Seafood in Sitiawan

Adventurous Dinner – A Night Out in Sitiawan