On more than one occasion, we’ve been told that a visit to Malaysia is not complete without putting on weight. Once we asked a lady what she’d recommend if she could only eat one meal and she told us if we had time for one meal, we had time for three. Neither of us could argue. After all, when in Malaysia, do as the Malaysians do and eat six meals a day.
But what happens when you can’t fit that much food in? The answer is snacking – small things, and frequently. One common Malaysian pastry is the kaya puff, in which flaky pastry is filled with kaya (coconut jam). In Ipoh, one bakery is hailed as one of the best in the business for such a pastry, so of course we had to give it a go.
Kedai Biskut Sin Eng Heong opened its doors in 1961 and has since risen to fame because of its fresh, high-quality pastries baked daily. Alongside its kaya puffs, they also sell a variety of classic Malaysian baked goods, all for only a small amount of change per piece. Its popularity is reflected in its queues which are often seen forming out the door – by sheer luck we arrived with only one person in line, but in minutes it was packed with people!
We started with a kaya puff. Freshly baked and still warm, the pastry had light, flaky layers that gave way upon biting. The kaya was unlike the pureed jam we were expecting, but rather coconut flesh cooked down to make a thick paste that retained some texture.
Sin Eng Heong also has the ratio of pastry to jam down to an art – the pastry never became dry or clumpy in the mouth, nor did the jam become cloyingly sweet. Each bite was warm, delightful perfection, and at only RM1 (US$0.25) each, there is absolutely nothing to fault.
On our second round, we waited close to 15 minutes to make an order. We got 2 pineapple pastries and an egg tart, which totalled RM3.80 (US$0.95).
The pastry used was the same as the kaya puff, tender and soft. The egg tart was enjoyable enough, but not particularly noteworthy.
The pineapple pastry had a pineapple jam that was sweet with the right amount of tartness to make it moreish.
If you’re in the area, definitely drop by Sin Eng Heong. It’s great for a snack or a light breakfast to go, or even to shop for souvenirs, as they offer plenty of treats that are packaged for longer shelf lives. At a price like that, there’s nothing you can regret.
Sin Eng Heong
64, Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakry, Taman Jubilee, 30300 Ipoh, Negeri Perak, Malaysia
9am-7pm daily
