Compared to the neighboring towns and cities like KL, Melaka and Port Dickson, Seremban might not have much to offer on sights and entertainment but you will surely find the distinctive local food something worthwhile. I went on an one day eating trip to Seremban last weekend and found the experience to be relaxing and stress free.
Unlike other cities (eg. Ipoh, Penang, Melaka) Seremban’s traffic is less and I hardly saw any crowd at the eateries, even the famous ones. So here’s a very simple one day itinerary of Seremban’s food, good for a quick weekend getaway.
Reach Seremban before 10am, drive straight to Pasar Besar Seremban (GPS Coordinates: N2 43.840 E101 56.200) for breakfast. There are at least three things to eat here. Don’t fret if any of them are not open because you will surely find something among the many food stalls here. In case you are wondering the food court is not smelly at all despite having a wet market right under it. Luckily.
If you reach before 9.30am then stall 787’s Mee Hoon Sotong should still be open, if not just starting to close. According to locals 787 is THE stall to try when it comes to Mee Hoon Sotong. As for us, we reached after 9.30am so we went for the 2nd best, Hioong Kee (stall 753)
Mee Hoon Sotong is quite rare in Malaysia and so far I only see it being sold here. Taste wise it was above expectations. If you are from Penang, then I can say the gravy’s flavor is very similar to our Hokkien Char. The chili is nice too, kinda addictive and gives the noodle a good, exciting kick. RM3.50 only. Rating: 7/10.
Ngau Lam Fan from Xin Ru Kee (stall 748) with a side order of beef soup with turnip @ RM13. The beef noodle here uses ‘lai fun’ instead of the normal mee hoon, koay teow or yellow mee in other places so it’s quite special. The starchy sauce, peanuts and sesame seeds are the other toppings that make the flavor stand out from the rest. Rating: noodles 6/10, soup 9/10.
Hakka Mee from Tow Kee @ RM3.30 (small) Honestly I find this a disappointment because of my high expectations of it being an old, reputable shop and all. Even the Hakka Mee at SS2 Toast & Roast is wayyy better than this. Try it just for curiosity sake. Rating: 5/10.
After spending a few hours at Jusco Seremban, we proceeded to Restoran Chai Hong (GPS Coordinates: N2 43.759 E101 56.345) for Chicken Rice. It was recommended by my colleague, who’s a local. It might be weird to eat Chicken Rice in Seremban but it was the nicest surprise of the entire trip because it was simply delicious.
Anyway, you will find this place quite empty because
1. Even some locals don’t know about this place
2. Expensive. 1 rice + 2 pax portion (drumstick and thigh only) + 2 packet drinks = RM35
3. Slowness – you should see how the preparation process. It was beyond meticulous especially when they pour the soya sauce and oil over the chicken, drench it then repeat.. You cannot help but feel they are aiming for perfection in every single plate of chicken served.
Anyway, my rating is 9/10. (could be 10/10 but -1 for the price)
Then we watched a “Alien & Cowboys” which was pretty sucky but nevermind since we only wanted to pass time. By the time we finished the movie it was around 5.30pm. Time to buy some Siew Pau! Now if you are planning to shop for these baked buns at the Empayar Seremban Siew Pau I can only shake my head in disapproval because that’s a well known tourist trap and their siew pau’s quality is inconsistent.
Our siew paus were bought at Asia Siew Pau (GPS Coordinates: N2 44.051 E101 56.414) @ RM1.30 each, fresh from the oven and it was still hot when we ate it. Nice lah! Both pork and chicken version available here. Rating 8/10.
We had our dinner at Kedai Makanan Seremban (GPS Coordinates: N2 43.977 E101 56.058), famous for their signature Seremban Grilled Crabs. Personally, I find the crabs to be overrated.
You can probably find much better ones in Klang Valley but of course the price won’t be as cheap. Can you believe the two plates of mantis prawns and lala are only RM10 each?
As for the crabs they were priced at RM50/kg. I felt the coating sauce is a tad too sweet and the crabs are overcooked so my rating is only 6.5/10. Then it’s a 70km drive back to KL hence ending a short but memorable trip.
wow…my hometown! Welcome to Seremban!
Thanks for sharing all the good ones here :-)
Ohh ya…the chicken rice that u had is the most expensive chicken rice in town. Ppl usually name it ‘diamond chicken rice’ ^_^
haha diamond chicken rice! but it is really A LOT more expensive than other places. it’s almost hotel standard pricing lol
beside hiong kee stall (753) at pasar got 1 stall wan tan mee (ming kee) also very nice..best in seremban.only open from wednesday till saturday(closed 3 days) 7am till 11am only(if u late by 11am sorry finist)
Yay! Seremban has many great food eateries, if you know where to look. Surprised that you think Toast & Roast’s Hakka Mee is better than Tow Kee, but I guess it’s personal taste.
yeah :(
I think it was done too sloppily.. there was hardly any flavor and it was very oily
When you r talking abt Hakka Mee, I recommend you to go to one food court with the name Kopitiam 2020, they usually open at night. They are closed on Wednesday.
Hmm, and the Tow Kee’s hakka mee is supposed to be one of the best and most authentic. From what I heard. So we did not miss much when the stall was closed back then. Hehe … just that I’d definitely visit again for the beef noodles.
LIKE this makan makan trip…
RM 10 is really cheap for the prawns and lala!!!
Planning a trip to Malaysia in a few months and will definitely, use the info provided here. It’s always good to know where you can go and eat without concerns. Thank you for the yammi pictures as well !
You are right about the over rated grilled crabs!!!
I tried them some years back and found that there are many other seafood places can do better!
Btw, have not been here for ages and it is nice to see your blog has been growing prosperously! Sadly, you are no longer in Penang. Will be going to KL next week so many can use your guide to try a few new places!
Happy Blogging!
It is a pity no one recommends you to try the most delicious 猪杂粥 and Asia Laksa.
Wow, wish I was there! Reading your blog and seeing your pictures is the best thing!
oh, Mee Hoon Sotong~~I like it^^
Oh, I love that beef noodle so much, everytime drop by sure go there and eat.. but lately if you ask for extra chili they will charge you for the extra chili not like previous they won’t charge..
Obviously you missed Asia Laksa, which serves the best curry mee in town!
maybe on another trip :)
there’s only so much two person can eat in one day
try mix rice at jalan rasah.open at 1120am till 2pm.always got ppl queue.
is that the laksa you refer to??
http://goodyfoodies.blogspot.com/2009/12/curry-laksa-restoran-asia-seremban.html
what time do they open shop?
Your pictures made all these foods look and taste yummy despite of the low ratings on some. From where my uncle’s wife came from, Siew Pau there is called Siopao, with the same chicken or pork filling but not baked. Siopaos are steamed and its buns are immaculate white in color and real soft.
There is actually another branch of Tow Kee located near to that chicken rice you ate, which mostly ppl think is nicer compared to the pasar besar one. Also, as other users said, you should definitely try the 猪杂粥 and Asia Laksa too. :D
I saw the Tow Kee near the chicken rice.. it was empty all the time when I drove past it, once in the morning, once noon and once evening.. nobody was eating inside?
for hakka noodles u should try @ the one in jalan temiang. locals usually call it “Ah Meow Shop” although the shop has no signboard or name. this shop is located just beside Chan Wa High School. if you’re coming from seremban town, you will see this shop first, then the school after that.
Sedapnye……
another nice place. mix pork innard porridge at lobak , seremban . Start at 7pm only yumzzzzzzzzz
there still have many tasty food that many ppl dont know.
yow how fook abk kut teh at 76 jalan temiang,seremban.
阿姨老鼠分(not yi poh) at near Jalan Manickavasagam (lobak),seremban inside a food court call yee hing(i think so).
Ah Paw Hainan Chicken Rice Champion of Seremban Foods competition and been endorsed by NTV7 as Malaysian first chicken rice stall at 36, Jalan Manickavasagam (lobak), 70100, Seremban.
The Chai Hong chicken rice in Seremban may be good and one of the better ones in Malaysia, but the price is way off. Just this week 6 of us had chicken rice there and with drinks cost us RM155.00 For that price we could eat at least 5 chicken else where. This is ridiculous!
Hi Vkeong,
I agreed with the locals, stall 787′s Mee Hoon Sotong is better than Hioong Kee (stall 753) :-)
I have just tried both stalls. 787’s MHS is so delicious :-D
you should another one steam fish at jalan lobak just beside the road… it has a fresh fish and not expensive
maybe try tow kee hakka noodle first before you try the rest. that way, you will find tow kee tastier because hakka noodle typically is very bland – compared to the rest :)
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