High BP II: Departure

Early the next morning, Mei followed KH and I to Church of St. Henry (St. Henry the Exuberant, Holy Roman Emperor) for 9:00 AM mass. Her last visit to the Catholic church was during her godmother's funeral. Many years had passed in between. The architecture of the church is really quite unique, with a bell tower rising in the middle. Frankly, reminds me of a surau. The congregation was small and very friendly. Coincidentally, the parish priest was celebrating his 60th birthday, and we were invited to join in the fellowship. As we had plans to eat with Mei's parents, we politely declined. Breakfast was at Sin Tian Tee Food Court, but Mei also bought a packet from dry duck noodles from Restoran Ledang for us to try. Super spicy, and I don't have any recollection on the taste of the famous braised duck.  

Our tour of Batu Pahat continued with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, a grand historical building in the middle of town. All white with beautiful balconies and balustrades. She had nothing else to show us in town, so she drove us a bit further out to the new Chee Eng Khor Moral Uplifting Society complex that's nearing completion. The complex is built on a hill so it offers a great view of the surrounding area. Most of the landscaping had been completed, so it was great place for some photography. Before leaving Batu Pahat, we went to buy some mantou at the famous Kai Hiang to go with the kau yuk that Mei's dad gave us. 

Next stop was Muar to get some of the famous otak-otak. In my mind, I had always assumed that Muar is bigger than Batu Pahat, but boy, was I wrong. Mei's recommendation for otak-otak was Xiao Mei. Then we went to Kim San Public Cooked Food Market (an old place with interesting name, no?) to hunt for kuih, but the stall was no where to be found. No loss, since in the vicinity was the beautiful Chiang Chuan Association building that also doubles as Muar's tourist information center. How often does one see a a European style building with a three-tier pagoda topped with a Mughal dome? 

Before re-entering KL, KH and I had a crab dinner at Restoran Yesoon. Fresh crabs, but the chef didn't do a very good job. Then we went to The Nest Cafe (more bird cage than nest really) to have coffee and a dessert tasting platter with KH's ex-colleague. Will probably meet up with her again the next we are in town for Seremban crabs. That wraps up our short trip to Batu Pahat.