East Coast Trip Day 2 - Sungai Lembing, Sin Kee Hung (dried seafood) & Teluk Cempadak (evening)

On top of our itinerary list on the 2nd day was Sungai Lembing, a former bustling tin mining town located about 40km away from Kuantan town. Until the 1970s, this place was one of the major producers of underground tin and it was finally closed in 1986. Many people moved out to Kuantan shortly after and the town began to decline. Good thing is that Sungai Lembing is well-preserved and not over-commercialised. More information on the former richest town in Pahang is available here.

This also marked my first time coming to Sg. Lembing - I have never stepped my foot once here even though I lived in Kuantan until 1986. Many TV hosts from Singapore and Malaysia had come and covered story on this place and its food. Jenn's parents have asked me several times on this place whenever they saw it on TV. Some of the must-do while in Sungai Lembing:

1) Panorama Hill - breathtaking scenery can be seen as soon as you reach the peak of this hill which takes approx. 1 hour to climb. Picture taken from here

2) Rainbow Fall - one of the most beautiful creation on Earth! Arrived here early enough and the rainbow is literally in front of you! The water from the fall is so clear and clean that some locals even use it to cook mee or food directly. Picture taken from here

Our objective was to have breakfast and also to check out its surrounding area during our short stop here. Top of the list was the famous noodle and tofu from Sungai Lembing. It took us around 30min to see this sign!

This town obviously has its glorious days behind it... as many shops are closed & unoccupied along the stretch of main road. As I parked my car, my camera started rolling - Khek Association (or hakka); Market St & Bukit Panorama igns; the quiet stretch on the main road; and the hawker market.

The hawker market was quite big and you have to go deeper inside to savour the famous noodle of Sg. Lembing. This stall had the most customers and most tables were already taken by the time we got there. Lucky for us, we found one less than 2 minutes as some patrons finished their meal. Apart from the noodle, you also can order their yong tau fu and the must-have "San Sui Tau Fu" (natural spring taufu).


The Sg. Lembing noodle was similar to my hometown's Chong Ko noodle albeit smaller in size - same spring-y texture, what we call "QQ" as we sink our teeth in, plus it's free of preservative. Had to wait 10 minutes for them to get new stock from the supplier as it was already sold out by the time we reached the stall.

Some of the "yong liew" that Jenn & I picked from the selections - the lady owner told me that their yong liew were also made using the natural spring water.

The man who was braising the San Sui Tau Fu lifted up the lid to show me how they actually braised the taufu - what a kind chap he was!

Served in clear soup, we thought that the yong liew was good (maybe we were feeling hungry, having travelled so far just for breakfast!) but I'm sure that most of you can get similar ones in KL. As for the noodle, you can choose to have the clear soup or curry version. Personally, I like the clear soup version as the broth was sweet (the curry was normal)... but remember that the spotlight is on the noodle OK? Anyway, star of the day went to the San Sui Tau Fu! Soft and smooth, sweet (gravy) and salty (minced pork in the middle) at the same time... even Jenn's parents gave the thumbs up. We ended up ordering the second plate to share among us.

After that, they proceeded to the nearby confectionery shop to buy some homemade coconut biscuit. Me? I bought a packet of "gai cai beng" (translation - little chicken biscuit)

Upon leaving Sg. Lembing, I took them to the famous Sin Kee Hung to buy dried seafood. Located along the stretch of Kuantan-Gambang road, this place is by far the most popular shop among tourists who want to buy dried seafood in Kuantan. You are spoilt with the choices of seafood produce here - dried scallop (various sizes), dried oyster, dried shrimp, dried cuttlefish, anchovies, and the famous salted fish (Mui Heong Ham Yu). I bought all my supply of dried seafood here once in a while as it's definitely cheaper compared to when you buy those in KL. Ask them to show you their prized fish maw and you might be surprised by the sheer size of it! Long time friends of my parents, they had been in business for several generations.


We managed to visit Pantai Teluk Cempedak in the evening after dinner. Proud grandparents to our beautiful little princess - Sher Ryn! Strolling along the beach, the little one enjoyed herself by running around whilst blown by the cool sea breeze.

Leo's verdict - our day was packed but enjoyable! As the time was limited, I had to shorten the time spent at certain places but luckily they didn't feel tired at all. I didn't get to try the equally famous tomato mee (also made using the noodle) in Sungai Lembing. Now my plan is to organise a trip to the Panorama Hill and Rainbow Fall the next time I go to Sungai Lembing again. Anyone interested?

Sin Kee Hung Sdn Bhd
No. 1007, Batu 3 1/2
Jalan Gambang
25150 Kuantan, Pahang
Tel : +609 5366688, +609 5362288

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.