KLANG, April 5 — If you think that there is nothing worthy of your time in Klang — except hunting down bak kut teh early in the morning (or evening, depending on which stall you are going after) — can I ask you to please reconsider?

In a town made famous by the deeply-gratifying (or scarily-intoxicating) herbal pork soup served with steamed white rice usually at breakfast (no kidding), it is hard to imagine speaking of another dish in the same breath. But let me share with you a few reasons why you should open up your mind and be ready to explore some other delicious alternatives.

Firstly, let’s not forget that Klang is also a world-class trading hub, thanks to Port Klang, the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. And the close proximity to the waters and strategic location naturally led to a fishing industry; evidence of this is seen from the various seafood restaurants and fresh as well as dried sea produce sold at the wet markets and grocery stores around town.

Bagan Hailam Seafood Restaurant may not ring a bell to outsiders, as opposed to more familiar names like Telok Gong Seafood Restaurant or Coconut Flower Seafood Restaurant. But travelling deeper towards the Port Klang side of town, you will find a rustic restaurant built on stilts, gently lit by tungsten bulbs (almost like dining under the stars) and within the backyard of someone’s home.

The open kitchen concept is nothing new, but the proprietors of Bagan Hailam could not have done it in a more in-your-face, unsubtle way — you simply cannot ignore the frantic pace of the kitchen soldiers ramping up the steaming, frying and chopping action, as you are ushered to your table.

Steamed threadfin fish (ma yau) in soy sauce is a simple dish done right at Bagan Hailam; the freshness shone through with every bite of the firm flesh

The platform where diners are seated overlook the Klang river and plenty of docked ships, a sight that should capture the hearts of shutterbugs come sunset, or the older generation reminiscing about the past. This restaurant has apparently been around for decades but its popularity was eclipsed by a surge of newer seafood places coming up nearer to Klang town.

Although the execution of the dishes at Bagan Hailam does not reek of outstanding creativity, the freshness of the seafood really shines through and coupled with fairly reasonable prices, it is well-deserving of your effort getting there. Ask for the freshest catch of the day; in our case we had the soy sauce steamed threadfin (ma yau) where the fresh, sweet and flaky fish is enhanced by the use of good soy sauce, a sprinkle of chopped scallions and julienned ginger.

Fresh clams (la-la) steamed in a clear broth flavoured with Chinese wine and ginger

Another item you should consider is the famous fried vermicelli noodles with clams (la-la); using the sweeter, smaller variety of the shellfish. You can order this dish at most of the Chinese restaurants in Klang town. Bagan Hailam also serves a variety of crabs and prawns as well; the best way of having them served is either steamed or lightly grilled with just a dash of salt.

Since we are in Port Klang, let’s shift our focus to another stall that opens until late at night. Within the vicinity of Port Klang town, there is a stretch of food stalls that stays open during the day but close for dinner/supper hours.

However, there’s one stall that is open until rather late at night; catering to the night owls perhaps in this quieter side of town.

Bak kee soup with bitter gourd is a very traditional Hokkien dish that is gradually disappearing from menus nowadays, but you can still order this at Gerai Makanan Pelabuhan Klang

The fried noodles stall is operated by an old man who is presumably Hokkien (given the style of his cooking); still frying his noodles the traditional Hokkien way and serving other classic dishes like bak kee soup (pork coated in flour then deep fried and boiled in soup with bitter gourd), fried Hokkien noodles — thick yellow noodles fried with fish cake slices, slices of lean pork and mustard greens, and a somewhat Cantonese-inspired yut gwong hor or moonlight kuey teow; a slightly moist fried flat rice noodles in a thickened dark soy sauce base over which a raw egg is cracked — letting the heat from the fried noodles “cook” the runny yolk.

I don’t even remember the name or number of the stall, but there is only one stall that was operating that Saturday evening, so it’s not possible to miss it. The food court, however, is not that well known to outsiders; simply named Gerai Makan Pelabuhan Klang in the midst of Port Klang town.

And last but not least, let me introduce you to a very interesting dish found nearer to Klang town — fried porridge at Restoran Bubur Goreng in Berkeley Garden.

For a taste of something not so healthy but still passes off as porridge, try the fried version at Restoran Bubur Goreng in Klang

No, that was not a typo error. Although I was first exposed to this ingenious creation back when I was still traveling about in Perak and Serdang (the Kedah town bordering with Selama in Perak, not the one in Selangor), which was THE place to go to for this rare dish, it was at this restaurant in Klang that I had my first bowl of fried porridge.

Despite the curious stares and peculiar questions that come up whenever I talk about fried porridge, the combination is not as wacky as you might have thought. Where traditionally porridge is known to be a comfort food that’s “soft” and relatively healthy (depends a bit on the ingredients that you chuck in at times), at Restoran Bubur Goreng, they literally “fry” the rice gruel with an abundance of savoury ingredients: yam cubes, pork lard fritters, dried cuttlefish and tofu, which turns the mixture brownish — a jarring difference from the pure white porridge we are accustomed to.

But the taste is definitely very agreeable to my tastebuds. Fried porridge is not the only signature dish of the restaurant. The crabs, fried la-la bee hoon, steamed la-la with Chinese wine and deep fried meat balls served with a killer green chilli sauce are also excellent accompaniments to the unusual fried porridge.

Bagan Hailam Seafood Restaurant 56, Bagan Hailam 42000 Port Klang, Selangor

Gerai Makan Pelabuhan Klang Off Jalan Kem Port Klang, Selangor

Restoran Bubur Goreng 32, 34, Lorong Lang, Taman Berkeley, 41150 Klang, Selangor