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the kopitiam for their caffeine fix and
signature toasted bread or a heartier
nasi
lemak
. Despite the fact that Kluang Rail-
Coffee has two other branches in Kluang
(and one in Batu Caves, Selangor), many
still flock to the original establishment for
its old-world ambience and perhaps, to live
out the experience of having breakfast as
a train pulls into the station and chugs off.
But if you happen to be in Kluang,
your adventure merely begins at the
coffee shop. If you’re still peckish, head
over to Yean Kee for a mouth-watering
bowl of homemade rice noodles served
with tender beef – including belly, tripe
and tendon – the whole works! Also
recommended is the piquant beef rending.
When you’ve had your fill, take a stroll
in the town centre and take in the streetart
painted on walls behind the row of shop
houses on Jalan Merdeka. Local vibes
and culture are imbued in these creative
hand paintedmanifestations.When you’re
done posing for photographs or framing
your own masterpiece for Instagram,
you’d be glad to know that not one, but
two refreshing rewards await your palate.
The first is Cendol Kader on Jalan Dato
Capt. Ahmad that proffers the silky smooth
delicacy in just the right proportions of
santan (coconut milk) and gula melaka
(palm sugar). The second is Lo Han Kuo
serving up a sweet, icy herbal infusion
with the unexpected additional tanginess
of raisins. Both stalls have crowds partak-
ing onsite and taking away with a queue
of cars backing up several metres in some
sort of makeshift drive-through.
Of course, it wouldn’t be quite the
Malaysian experience without another
teatime stopover at Honeyland Confection-
ery. Opened in 1964, Tim Yoke Yong and
wife Wong Joke Lan dish out a plethora
of cakes, pastries and snacks from time-
honoured recipes handed down from
Hainanese chefs of the British colonial era.
And for dinner, look no further than
Restoran Patam. Specialties include fish
head curry, pork belly with salted fish,
and deep fried calamari in salted egg. Be
sure to arrive by 6pm if youwant your food
served in a timely manner as the tables fill
up pretty quickly.
Another rail destination that deserves
the spotlight is the old Kuala Lumpur
Railway Station. Here, the focus shifts to a
more aesthetic one. To call it the old Kuala
Lumpur Station may be a tad misleading,
because there were two stations that
preceded it. The first one was made
Yean Kee
Beef Noodle
Breakfast at Kluang station