New Light Restaurant 鱿鱼雍菜 — Restaurant in Kedah

Had to say... The sotong kangkung is really good!

Our working trip ended at Gurun where the guide showed us what we wanted to see on the plantation. We concluded out work after going around for an hour or so. Weather was hot and this was when our guide popped the magic question "do you want to eat afternoon snack? Here, we have one of the best sotong kangkung & ice blended red bean".

That sounded like music to my ears and being a foodie, I wanted to but I had to respect the consensus. Lucky for me, everyone was game and we headed to this unassuming kopitiam along the main road of this town of Kedah.

◾Sotong Kangkung - rather than the usual cuttlefish & water spinach, they included jicama as well. Doused with the thick & aromatic prawn taste and chilly before topped generously with crushed peanuts, this dish packed a punch. I seldom eat this particular dish but I had to admit that this was really something... Better than those I had elsewhere. ◾char koay teow - my partner's butt was itchy when he spotted the CKT stall and ordered a plate to be shared among us although we were still quite full from earlier lunch. I was glad that he did - wok hei aplenty with plump & juicy prawns, lap Cheong and cockles. ◾Ice blended red bean - apparently signature drink of this kopitiam, red bean lovers will find comfort ordering this to enjoy under the hot sunny day. I did!

Reason to visit - definitely the sotong kangkung - very fresh cuttlefish and the sauce was...

The morning session (before 10am), only a few stalls operate, like the Pan Mee / Laksa, Hockkien / Curry Mee, Wantan Mee. The hawker food taste, pricing, quality and portion are average only (compared to Penang hawkers' food) except the Cuttlefish Kangkong. I tried the Hokkien Mee, chopped Siow Bak, and a glass of squeezed lemon plus red bean drink. The red bean drink is unique, where they sprinkled a dash of Milo on top of this red bean drink. If you are a fan of Red Bean and Milo, you would enjoyed this drink. The most awaited food is the Cuttlefish Kangkong (highly recommended), it was unique, reasonably priced (cheap - the portion is BIG and the cuttlefish is a lot) and tasty... comes with cucumber and 'Bang Kuang' aka Jícama Mexican Turnip. The Cuttlefish Kangkong opening hours are normally around 1030 -1100 am. For the Chu Char (Cooked dish ordering), it's open from 11am. For the Char Koay Teow, the stall open from 130pm only. This coffee shop...

New Light Restaurant has been in business for at least half a century, the current owner may be the second or third generation business owner. Since it's early years, many NL customers are outstation travellers. Before North South Express was built, Gurun was a natural stop for travelling to and from North and now many people make a detour to come here for good foods. NL新光stalls serve economy rice, wantan mee, curry mee, pan mee, sotong kangkung, chicken rice and duck rice. Generally customers feedback the foods are all delicious. The foods stalls have evolved over time and two of the oldest stalls are sotong kangkung鱿鱼翁菜 and Hainan chicken rice海南鸡饭. The sotong kangkung鱿鱼翁菜sauce is special and it may be the best in northern Malaysia. The secrete recipe is maintained in the family and now been passed on to the son in law. You can request to buy the sauce separately and use it as dipping sauce for prawn fritters at home...