So off we went for lunch that Sunday. We drove in 2 cars. Sekinchan is a coastal fishing town in northern Selangor. We drove along the coastal road, passed Sungei Buloh, Kuala Selangor and Tanjong Karang, and finally reached Sekinchan after about 2 hours. At Sekinchan, we made a left turn and we were soon at the restaurant. The name of the restaurant is Guan Seng Long. It is located along Jalan Bagan. The co-ordinates are N3 30.325' E101 05.975'.
The place was rather quiet when we reached there. We were early and the workers were still having their meal and were apparently unprepared for us. We were the first customers of the day.
We took our time to settle down. A table was efficiently prepared for us. Soon the food that Seong had pre-ordered the day before, started to arrive.
The first on our table were individual bowls of 佛跳墙 (BJOTW). They were quite large bowls. Before we even opened the lids, the emanated aroma was tantalizing. Opening the lid, the soup was clear and rich. It was so very sweet and genuine. In it were pieces of chicken, abalone, sharf-fin, conpoy (dried scallops 乾瑤柱), fish maw, mushroom, and I know what else. The 佛跳墙 absolutely did not disappoint. It was better than I had expected. We took our time to savor every spoon of it.
After the soup, a combination dish of 5 varieties was served. In the dish were dim sum, sharf-fin omelet, fish patties, deep fried mussels and a yam pot. The servings were not as refined as those we find in KL or PJ, but the portions were generous and the taste was very good. We enjoyed the various food items.
The steamed prawn was another delightful dish. The prawn were of good size and were very fresh. They were steamed in a nice sauce and some egg white. They were delicious.
Like the prawns, the pomfrets were very fresh. They were plainly steamed in a light soy sauce. I enjoyed the freshness of the fish, something that is so difficult to find in KL and PJ restaurants.
In the midst of all the wonderful dishes, the fried rice initially appeared rather ordinary and even out of place. But it was not to be so. The rice was very well done indeed. It had some small shrimps and bits of vegetable and it was delicious. We cleaned up the plate.
The last dish was the crabs. By then, I was stuffed. The crab was prepared "kam heong" (金香) style. As expected, the crabs were very fresh. I managed to accommodate 2 pieces of the crabs in my full stomach. And they were delicious. Yum.
The dessert was one of a kind. It was the Teochew oo-ni (芋泥 - a yam paste) inside a pumpkin with some gingko. The oo-ni in the pumpkin was steamed for a prolonged period of time. Before serving, the yam paste was mixed with the soft pumpkin inside and it formed a most delicious dessert. It was smooth, sweet and very pleasant to the mouth. I have never seen oo-ni cooked like this. Absolutely fabulous.
What a meal! I seldom indulge like this for lunch. The 佛跳墙 (BJOTW) and the freshness of the seafood made the 2 hours drive to Sekinchan all worthwhile. But it was not cheap. Our thanks to Seong and wife Sharon.
After the makan, we strode across the road to buy some fresh fish. Apparently the boats return from sea at about 2pm. There was a "shop" selling the catches. But the selection was not many. Still I managed to buy some pomfrets and a nice grouper. They were comparatively cheap. And you won't get fish fresher than these. Unless you catch them yourself.
It was a good Sunday outing. Good food and fresh fish. We are already planning our next.
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