Lauk Kampung @ Selera Desa, Taiping

another must-go makan place for me when i go back to malaysia : tokcik's 'selera desa' in taiping, perak. i went there last week, because i know once ramadhan comes, tokcik won't be opening her kedai makan.

i just LOVE this place. much has been written about it, so to check out a longer posting with more lauk pictures, click here.

not just for its delicious sambal. not just for its juicy ikan keli bakar. not just for its famous daging hitam. but the owner makes it special, my grand-aunt - the most affable makcik kedai makan in all of taiping!

azi drove all the way, picked up khaleef and kahfi whom i left at kampung that week, then went straight to taiping. my nephews haiqal and haqeem followed - penuh kereta!

adik bongsu tok, ngan anak bongsu mak

the boys ate super fast, while khaleef finished a bowl of rice and soup soon after. there's a small field in the middle of the food stall area, and the boys played there while the grown-ups chatted.

there was only one item in what hardly can be called a playground! a run-down see-saw was the only thing the boys can play with. tokcik's grandkiddos sabrina and her sisters joined in.

i like the picture below. tengok khaleef gelak!

* * *

hmm. my baby sister seemed to be getting too good in driving, that i always let her drive! she can be zooming away once in awhile, but overall she's a careful one!

on the way back, the boys dozed off real quick - tired from all that see-saw action! hihi. haqeem and khaleef were squashed beside each other at the back, while big bro haiqal took care of kahfi at the front passenger seat.

awww.

but hey, haiqal wasn't the only one playing the 'big brother' role. suddenly i noticed khaleef's hand on kazim's thigh. siap tepuk-tepuk.

another awww.

during ramadhan, tokcik's food stall is close, but you can check out the place other times. for lauk kampung, sambal sedap and ais kacang special in taiping - look for tokcik's selera desa!

Selera Desa Tokcik @ Taiping

my travels got me to taiping, the 'wettest' town in the peninsular malaysia, having received rain almost daily! the land of the first museum in malaysia, 'museum perak', and the famous 'taiping lake gardens', taiping also houses the 'bukit merah laketown resort', a beautiful getaway for families and friends.


if you're coming through the highway from ipoh/kl, just drive straight on until you see a pink shoplot, turn right and you'll find one of the famous makan places in taiping - simply known as 'bomba, jln tupai' as it's situated near a fire station.

this makan place is special to me and my family because my tokcik has a food lot here. her kerai makan is called 'selera desa 3&4' one for the lauk-pauk, and one lot for the drinks.

on that day that i saw her, she was still her spunky self, moving hither and tither in her usual fast-paced, no wasted-time manner. tokwan was still the one busy making drinks for the thirsty customers. what an urat-dawai-tulang-besi power couple!

tokwan, tokcik, me & khaleef

tokcik is my mak's youngest auntie. my gramma's youngest sister. orang utara ni panggil nenek, tok. panggil datuk, tokwan. when i was really young i was confused with the name, but naturally it caught on. my nephews and khaleef called her 'tokcik nyang'. at 80 plus, my tokcik and tokwan dah pangkat moyang dah!

she really is the diamond in my family and all of us love her very, very much. she has always been there for all of us - for the good and bad times, selflessly showering her unconditional love. my mom and her siblings lost their parents at an early age so they all looked up to her as their own mother. that's why all of us - my sisters and i, and all my cousins know her as our grandmother.

from the moment my mother and her siblings were left orphaned, to the festive time of celebrating yong's wedding - she was there, the busiest of all. she even sew the curtains and bed decorations for my wedding! she was there to take care of my mom during pantang when she had me, and she was even there to take care of me when i had khaleef! (even as i write this i'm trying not to cry!)


so there i was, visiting my fav gramma tokcik with mr. khairul's mom, my sis in law little sofia and my kids. i didn't know the way so my auntie cik and her husband uncle rosli led the way.


don't get me started on the lauk. what lauk do you have in mind? from the simple ayam masak kicap to the pucuk ubi. from ikan keli bakar to the kangkong belacan. all for your grumbling tummy to feast on.

it was nice to see sofia enjoying the food, choosing her lauk that showcased her taste like orang tua - nasi with kuah lemak, ikan keli and kerang!

khaleef had his favorite nasi and chicken soup, with fried drumstick on the side. my mom-in-law also seemed to be enjoying herself with the ample choice of lauk from tokcik's kedai makan.

me? a must for me is the ikan keli bakar, sohun masak lemak, sayur kacang and of course - tokcik's sambal belacan. tantalizing!


mau minum apa?

drinks station was hosted by tokcik's beloved hubby - tokwan with his specialty - ais kacang! tokwan is a funny dude, in his quiet ways. he's not one to be the life of a kenduri, but when you get him talking one on one, he can be quite a hoot!


below is a picture of my sis-in-law sofia enjoying tokwan's signature ais kacang with melted ice-cream, while my drooling khaleef looked on!


while waiting for the adults to finish their 'business' the kids played see-saw. sampai tercabut tayar getah tu. adoi!

kahfi had fun with uncle abu and his sepet looka-likey uncle umar (cik's sons), and later being terrorized by a certain 'tok li' with a white beard!


it was a wonderful visit - we got to hug and kiss our beloved tokcik, see her new grandson (uncle halim and auntie shila's new baby, hazman) and i get to munch yummy ikan keli bakar.

..then it rained! kalo tak boleh pegi zoo taiping. great taiping trip!