Sorry No Photos :( - Looi Hin Ngiu Chap Donggongon

Ok, it's so foolish of me to do this.

Went to bed at 6:30 this morning and woke up at just about past noon. Didn't know what to expect, everyone was missing from the house and no food in sight.

So I took whatever available vehicle there was in the garage and asked a friend to accompany me to Donggongon, and since it is Labour Day, and coincidentally a Tamu Day too, the roads were jam-packed!!

It is always a problem getting a decent parking space in Donggongon, and when you finally see one empty space from a distance, it would always be occupied by either a dead dog, a reserved sign, a motorbike, a bicycle, a bag of trash, a car that's half-parked and most common of all, chairs..

Anyway, it took me half an hour to get a parking space, when I finally found a muddy (or was it oily) spot just behind KFC..

So I walked my fat body over to Loi Hin Baru, you know, the one that was once famed for its Ngiu Chap. Walked into the shop and my friend was already waiting for me. So I sat myself down, ordered my usual Kopi Ping Kau Kau Kau Kau (Extra Strong Local Coffee and with milk served with Ice) and a bowl of Ngiu Chap 'Kar Liau'..

I've heard so much about how the place has lost its reputation for having the best Ngiu Chap in Donggongon. The locals say that the original chef has moved away, while others attribute its downfall to its service, while others say its just not the same anymore.

Anyhow, moment of truth. My big bowl of Ngiu Chap came and I started adding in condiments (so as to look like one of the experienced locals... well everybody does it!). First bite... erm.. Well to tell you the truth, I don't have anything to say about it. Why? Because it tastes exactly the same as it did almost 20 years ago. YUMMMYYYYYY!!! And my Kopi Ping Kau Kau Kau was just the way my grandfather used to make it.

And how come it has gone down so far down the rank of popularity?

I guess it could be because every single day, a new outlet selling 'the best' would open and this would attract people's attention so much and so long in terms of duration, that regulars would eventually forget the usual eating places.

The two Loi Hin outlets in Donggongon used to be 'the' place to be seen. In my days, people meet up over old fashioned coffee and a hot steaming bowl of Ngiu Chap, while catching up on news, especially on Tamu days or on Sunday mornings after church. Nowadays, kids are all grown up and would prefer to be seen in air-conditioned outlets. "Tak happening la tempat-tempat gitu uncle!" a boy once said to me.

Well, I know for sure that my taste buds are working fine, and from what I tasted this afternoon at Loi Hin, it was delightful and definitely brought back sweet childhood memories.

Unfortunetly I didn't bring a camera with me. How silly!