Have you ever had tempoyak ikan patin before? This savoury dish made with patin fish - a freshwater fish that's rich and fatty - combined with thick tempoyak (fermented durian) gravy that's tart and spicy makes for the perfect combination.
Credit: Giphy
And for those who love the dish, you'll probably already know that one of the best places to eat this dish is in the town of Temerloh in Pahang. Temerloh is famous for its patin (that thrive in the Pahang river) and subsequently its patin tempoyak!
Credit: Kancil Raja Patin on Facebook
If you're in Temerloh, you'll find several restaurants and eateries selling this famous dish, including the popular Kancil Raja Patin. The original store in Pahang is located right along the riverbank and has become a local institution, praised for the freshness of its fish and its reasonable prices (because eating patin tempoyak can often times get pretty pricey!).
But what if you're not in Temerloh? How will you get your fix of this delicious dish? Well, one way to do it is to make regular trips up to Temerloh and buying back loads of patin tempoyak you can then freeze (true story: my parents do this!). But a much easier option will probably be to visit Kancil Raja Patin's stall right in KL!
Credit: Kancil Raja Patin on Facebook
Yes, that's right, they actually operate a stall in KL located in Danau Kota, Setapak, which has been there since 2017! The stall transports all its raw ingredients from Temerloh fresh daily, so you know you're still going to get that authentic, fresh taste ?
Credit: Kancil Raja Patin on Facebook
The stall in Danau Kota sells a Gulai Patin Tempoyak set (RM16) that comes with a serving of patin tempoyak and rice with some telur masin (salted egg) and sambal. But don't forget to also try the Pais Ikan Patin set (RM18), where slabs of fish are smothered in tempoyak paste before being grilled ?If you're a petai-lover, the stall also has Patin Bakar Petai set (RM18) where instead of tempoyak paste, the fish is covered in sambal and petai then grilled. For true tempoyak lovers, you can even pick up jars of their gulai tempoyak paste for RM15 per bottle.
Credit: Kancil Raja Patin on Facebook
The small stall can get pretty crowded, so if it's full, you can choose to take away your dish or call ahead to place your order and pick it up from the stall. They even have delivery services that you can arrange by contacting them through Whatsapp, plus, for those living in the area, they're on Foodpanda too!
So what are you waiting for? Rich, creamy patin fish in tart, spicy tempoyak gravy is calling!
Halal status: Muslim-owned
Average price of main dishes: RM18
Opening hours: Open daily; 11AM-5PM (Closed on Mon)
Address: Jalan 2, 1/23e, Taman Setapak Indah, 53100 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: +6013 432 6165