PONTIAN REVISITED AFTER A FORTNIGHT FOR THE WEEK'S GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE

  11th OCTOBER 2026   ~ We ventured out to Pontian again for our gastronomic adventure. We were in the quaint town a fortnight ago [READ HERE] and saw Cendolboy Restaurant was filled with many customers. It is a popular belief an eating place is good if there are many visitors. Hence we decided to visit this place this time.

It was Sunday afternoon and there were many people still having lunch after 2:00 p.m. Luckily we managed to secure an empty table in the dining area.

If you want to have Nasi Campur [rice with different dishes] for lunch, there were a variety of Malay dishes to choose.

When I saw the Rojak station, I had a feeling this restaurant was actually a rebranded Mamak place. Correct me if I am wrong.

I had Asam Pedas Ikan Pari [Stingray]. Unfortunately, the gravy was a bit too salty and that already was a turn off for me.

I also had Cendol which should be the specialty of this place, and it was commendable.

Another eating place visited in Pontian and now we have to find other venues for our upcoming gastronomic adventure.

THE GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE IN BENUT, PONTIAN

   9TH AUGUST 2026    ~ The gastronomic adventure today took place a bit further, in Benut, Pontian. The eating place was located in a village area, in the compound of someone's house actually.

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One could choose to sit either in the open area under the trees or the shelter of the zink/canvas tents.

Even though it was situated further away from the city, this place was popular by looking at the number of diners when we were there. We arrived quite late for lunch at about 3:00 p.m. but there were others who came even later than us.

The signature cuisine: Cendol. Since we had travelled quite far, so we opted for the most expensive one: Blackthorn Durian Cendol.

My friend had Nasi Ayam Penyet while I chose the Barramundi fish. Unfortunately, the sambal [mashed chili] of the dish did not taste like the original version and I was somewhat confused whether I had got the correct order.

We were glad we went there, and this was our first gastronomic adventure in Pontian. We should be looking for other places in this district for our next trip.

THE CENDOL SESSION WITH THE PRINCIPAL

24th JUNE 2026 ~ A  date was set with an ex-colleague of SMK Dato' Jaafar, Mr. Amirulhakim, who is now the Principal of SMK Tun Syed Nasir Ismail, the school which is near my house. The chosen venue was Sofie Cendol at Taman Suria which was also nearby.

Cendol is a beloved, traditional Southeast Asian iced dessert. It is sweet, creamy, and incredibly refreshing, making it a staple treat in tropical countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand.

SOURCE: Google

It was just a short Cendol session as he was on his lunch break period and had to get back to school by 2:00 p.m. Hopefully there will be other opportunity to meet up as he has a very busy schedule.

ATTENDING A WEDDING RECEPTION IN SIMPANG RENGGAM

Today's wedding reception took place at a school, SMK Simpang Renggan, located in the small town of Simpang Renggam which is approximately 80 kilometres away from home. Today was the start of a 3-day long weekends so the traffic congestion was quite bad. It took me almost 2 hours to reach the venue.

the main buffet table

It was the wedding of the daughter of an English teacher friend, Puan Nik Hasni Nik Mahmod, who has now retired from the profession. We used to mark the SPM English Exam paper together in the same group many years ago.

Apam Balik [Pancake] and Cendol

Silat performance

I did not recognize other people in the school hall except the husband and wife hosts and a relative of them. Therefore, I had to excuse myself once I had tried all the food offered.

Congratulations Puan Nik Hasni on the addition of the new member into the family. Thanks for the kind thought of inviting and hopefully I will be invited again in the future.

 

ATTENDING A WEDDING RECEPTION IN KOTA KUALA MUDA, KEDAH

   25th OCTOBER 2025    ~ Puan Suhana Abdul Jamal, a friend of UPM TESL Class of 1993, threw another reception this year and this time it was for her first daughter. The event was held at Kampung Haji Kudong, Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah. As usual, this was an opportunity for one more mini reunion with university friends.

It had already started raining when we arrived at the wedding venue at about 12 noon. There were already many people under the canopies, enjoying the variety of food prepared for the guests.

There were stalls offering traditional Malay delicacies distinct to the northern part of the Peninsular like Peknga and Apom. I also managed to get Cendol and Teh Tarik from the other stalls.

More guests were arriving and we had to give way to them to get the seats.

As we were leaving, we managed to say our "hi's" and "goodbye's" to our friend who just arrived.

Congratulations Puan Suhana Abdul Jamal on the arrival of a new family member this year. Two down, two more to go. Hopefully we will be invited again to Sungai Petani/Kedah for similar occasions in the future.

That should conclude the series of wedding receptions of the children of UPM TESL Class of 1993 friends. The mini reunion will resume in January, next year.