During a long weekend in January, we had an impromptu plan.
After almost 3 years since our first visit (you can read about it here), we made another trip to this authentic village that is full of local culture that is called Tanjung Sepat.
Since this trip is a sequel, hence it is called Tanjung Sepat Day Trip 2.0.
Compared to the last, this trip we were more prepared. We did some research. We even found a Tanjung Sepat map that highlights all the interesting places.
From our home, it only takes about an hour to reach Tanjung Sepat. Since we started our journey early in the morning, we still had time to try out the famous Seafood Bak Kut Teh for breakfast.
Seafood Bak Kut Teh
There are two popular places for bak kut teh: Yikee Seafood Bak Kut Teh and Ah Hock Restaurant. And they only open for breakfast and close at 11 am. If you want to try their famous seafood Bak Kut Teh, you must be there early.
This is the first time we tried seafood Bak Kut Teh so we made a mistake when we ordered. In fact, we wanted to try seafood in traditional herbal soup but the owner prepared one bowl of traditional soup with pork and one bowl of seafood in spicy soup respectively. To be frank, in my humble opinion, there’s nothing to shout about the bak kut teh.
Restoran Yikee Seafood Bak Kut Teh 裕记海鲜肉骨茶
Jalan Besar (Jalan Pasar), 42800 Tanjung Sepat, Selangor.
Tel: 03-3197 4907 / 019-351 8448
Coffee Factory
To make sure it’s open, we called the coffee factory before our visit. The “factory” is a small and is an extension of the owner’s home. The owner is very friendly and helpful in explaining the whole process of coffee making – from coffee beans to picking, from roasting to grinding.
The owner explained that he sources fresh coffee beans from local planters. He has an open space opposite of his factory that is used to sun dry coffee beans. It takes a few days for the beans to be ready after the drying process.
After which, coffee beans are picked and only good ones are taken to the stove for roasting. The roasting takes up to 4-5 hours in an automatic stirring roasting pan fueled by woods.
While explaining, the owner also showed us a coffee tree that he planted behind his factory. He shared with us his plan to open a cafe cum coffee museum. His father has left behind some old but workable machines that he used to make coffee powder – which are no longer in use.
The factory doesn’t have anything to sell and it’s open purely for visitors who want to learn more about coffee making. Only after I asked, the owner told me that coffee powder is available for sale. RM6.50 / 250 g for Grade 2. I bought 5 packets for own consumption and gifts for friends.
Overall, it’s a highly educational visit for both adults and children. I recommend it.
Joo Fa Trading 裕发咖啡贸易
356, Lorong 5, 42800 Tanjung Sepat, Selangor.
Tel: 03-3197 4862 / 012-972 2886
Owner: Lim Seng Peng
Cracker Factory
I thought we could have a first hand look on how they make crackers but how disappointing. It has only one small section that is for public viewing – packing. This factory produces various types of crackers such as taro, sweet potato, pumpkin, and even dhall. Crackers are called “kerepek” by locals.
To me this is not a factory but rather a shop selling all types of crackers and local products. I find the staff there are unfriendly and impolite.
We left the place in less than 30 minutes as we are not interested in another shop!
If you are interested, the “factory” is located some 2-3 km away from the main road. To get there, from Tanjung Sepat town heading Sepang, take the left turn immediately after the bridge – which is not far from the town.
Arowana Malayan Food Industries Sdn Bhd
Lot 2926 , Kg. Tumbuk Darat, 42800 Tanjung Sepat, Selangor.
Tel: 03-3197 2888 / 03-3197 3888
Fish Ball Factory
This shophouse cum fish ball factory is located next to the wet market (Pasar Baru) of Tanjung Sepat. The factory is not facing the main road and it is located on the second row (inner row). So you have to drive in to see it. When we reached, the lady owner was busy making a type of fish paste product. After getting the permission, we toured to the back of the factory to see how fish balls were made. It’s made with a machine. The place is wet and extra caution must be paid when touring around. We bought some fish balls and other fish-based products home.
Yek Loong Enterprise 裕隆鱼丸企业
No. 30, Jalan Bawal 1, 42800, Tanjong Sepat, Selangor.
Tel: 03-3197 2728
Ling Zhi and Mushroom
Back to Tanjung Sepat town. We heard of this place after our first visit here and this time we must go there. Sadly, the owners have moved their mushrooms to another location as we were told that visitors who refused to follow instructions by touching the mushrooms. This act affected the healthy growth of mushrooms. However there are still some mushrooms that can be seen by visitors outside the homestay and sales gallery.
Ling Zhi is touted as one of the mushrooms that has high medicinal values among Chinese. Besides Lingzhi, the shop also sells other types of mushrooms – fresh and dried.
The farm is started by a couple who hailed from Alor Setar.
Ganofarm
Lot 700, Jalan Laut Membiru, Taman Pelangi, 42800 Tanjung Sepat, Selangor.
Tel: 03-3197 5600
Lovers Bridge
It’s the hottest moment of the day and there’s no better time to visit the no-frills Lovers Bridge of Tanjung Sepat. Jokes aside, please don’t visit the bridge during noon time as the sun is the hottest. The locals told us that it’s called Lovers Bridge because in the old days, this bridge was the only hangout place for lovebirds. Hence the name. The bridge is still in use today as I can see many fishermen frequenting the bridge to unload catch of the day on their self-modified motorcycle-driven “truck”.
If you are a seafood lover, there are 2-3 restaurants located at the beginning of the bridge.
(UPDATE: We went to the bridge again on Christmas Day 2016 and it was closed for reconstruction. Not sure how long it will take to complete.)
Hainanse Pau
One of the Tanjung Sepat food that not to be missed is Hai Yew Heng’s Chinese steamed buns (pau). It’s famous for vegetable buns but I prefer its red bean paste (tau sah) pau.
Despite it’s humble shop, the place is filled with customers waiting in line to buy its freshly made and freshly steamed buns. If you don’t want to get disappointed, be there early (12-1pm).
Perniagaan Pau Hai Yew Heng 海友兴海南包
No. 19-20, Lorong 3, Tanjung Sepat, Selangor.
Tel: 012-272 9009
Late Lunch at Restoran Asam
Based on the recommendation made by a few people, we finally decided to have lunch at Restoran Asam Batu Laut. It turned out the food there is average. We ordered its signature dish which is called Lotus Leaf Steamed Fish.
Though the food is average but the price is very reasonable.
Restoran Asam Batu Laut
Tel: 019-384 4362 / 019-266 9953
Kuan Wellness Ecopark
The last stop in Tanjung Sepat is Kuan Wellness Ecopark. This is relatively a new tourist spot. It started off as a bird nest shop but now it has expanded to include an animal farm. The animal farm charges a nominal fee of RM1. The kids love this place very much. You can buy feeds to feed the rabbits there.
Kuan Wellness Ecopark is located near to Restoran Asam and it’s on the way to Morib.
Kuan Wellness Ecopark
Lot 408 Jalan Tanjung Layang, 42800 Tanjung Sepat, Selangor.
Tel: 03-3148 1126
Morib Beach
We made a quick stop in Pantai Morib. J and K played kites at the beach for a while before we headed home.
Note: Get Tanjung Sepat Map Here (Source: blog.nst.my)
Update 29 December 2016: Tanjung Sepat Day Trip 3.0
We went to Tanjung Sepat again on December 25, 2016. Unbelievably, there are still something new to do in this idyllic fishing village. We just spent half a day there.
Kian Heng Coffee Shop (Better Known as Wait a Moment Coffee Shop 等一下咖啡室)
My neighbour whose hometown is Tanjung Sepat told me there’s one coffee shop I shouldn’t miss. This corner old, wooden shop house is located on the main road of Tanjung Sepat and it’s full of customers when we arrived.
The owner only serves drinks and if you like, bring your own food. We bought what else if not Hai Yew Heng steamed buns from across the street. What better way to enjoy these Hainanese buns than washing down with Wait a Moment’s hot coffee or its signature coffee float. I tried the hot coffee while my wife took the plunge to taste the latter.
As good as its reputation, the coffee is thick and aromatic. I like it! And as for the float, the vanilla ice-cream blends so well with the taste of the coffee. Even though my wife had not tried it before, she liked it instantly.
Joo Fa Trading (Coffee Powder)
We never miss this coffee powder plant every time we visit Tanjung Sepat. This time the owner was not in but we replenished our coffee powder stock from his daughter. We bought powder in sachet form: Grade A 10 for RM15 and Garde B 10 for RM8.
Multi-Rich Pitaya Dragon Fruit Farm
We didn’t have chance to visit this farm in our last few trips. We did this time. The dragon fruit farm is quite far from Tanjung Sepat. It takes about 30 minutes’ drive. The farm is not actually located in Tanjung Sepat but in Sepang. While you are there you can see the airplanes taking off and landing up close – which means it’s quite near to KLIA.
There’s no tour at the farm but you are free to roam around and take a close look at the weird-looking plants that look like tentacles of a green octopus.
You have the option to buy freshly plucked fruits from the farm while they pick. The price is RM8/kg which is quite cheap compared to what other places can offer.
Bagan Lalang Beach and Avani Sepang Goldcoast Resort
We stopped by at Bagan Lalang Beach and the nearby Avani Sepang Goldcoast Resort.
On a holiday the beach was full of people and some even brought along tents and food for the picnic. The beach even though is wide and long but it’s not well maintained. It’s still fine if you can’t find a better beach nearby.
We later checked out Avani resort which was busy with visitors due to the holiday. We came here 6 years ago and the resort was not complete then.
