Go' Bang Maju Tol — Restaurant in Pahang

Yesterday we stopped by with a special guest, Datuk Sheikh Hussain Yee, to intoduce him to ikan patin and udang galah of Sungai Pahang...Luckily, I have called En Rizal the Owner, one day earlier. This had ensured we got the orders fresh and pipping hot being served...Thank you, En Rizal!!👍👍😋😋😋

We stopped by for a late breakfast here, on our way to Bera for the Main Agenda. Not for a meeting with the PM, but to meet another person, just as special. But more on that later...🤭

Gobang Maju Tol is a new branch of the original Gobang outlet, located just below the old Temerloh Bridge. It was totally submerged during the previous flood in january this year, and is currently undergoing a major renovation. This new Gobang outlet is purposedly called Gobang Maju Tol for obvious reasons, due to its close proximity to the Temerloh toll house of the East Coast Highway.

The published opening time was at 10:00 am, so we made plan to have breakfast here. Unfortunately, when we arrived at 10 minutes after 10:00, the place was hardly ready! Some customers were already inside looking lost, or maybe they were just lost for words! This place is huge, and first time visitors might be a bit overwhelmed!😱😱

Just like at the Ikea Cafe, you start of by pushing the trolly...yes, and it looks similar to Ikea's!! From there, you go through the maze with stops along the way, where you could pick up your desired dishes, such as patin tempoyak, pais patin, ulam ulaman, drinks, desserts, etc. My wife jumped with joy to see her favorite Pudding Raja on the shelf, while I was surprised that my favorite traditional kueh pena, and badak berendam, originating from Chenor are also available!! I grew up eating these, especially when visiting my grandparents in Chenor..🥳🥳

I was quite frustrated that some of the dishes I wanted were not ready yet. The displayed menu indicated masak lemak udang galah, which is my all time favorite!, deep fried ikan patin, laksa udang galah which my wife was salivating over...and many more...I concluded that the best time to come in would be around 12 noon, so that you wont miss anything...At the counter, I paid using my T&G e-wallet, and that was another convenience I gave them credit for...well, literally..🤭🤭

After we had finished our meals, we wanted to use the toilet, but unfortunately the toilets were down with water supply issues..So, we had to take turn using the toilet for the handicaps, which was not proper, but unavoidable. I hope En Rizal the owner would pay more attention to these details, knowing that they are expecting a huge crowd practically everyday...

Having said that, I just might drop by again next time, and hopefully would be able to give them a better...

I have NEVER even been here but I'm coming to Temerloh. However, looking at the rice placed on a plastic sheet on a plate and the ulam tied together with rubber band I am already put off and will go elsewhere. I guess I would just walk out if I had not known about this earlier and had come here. Luckily I took a look at the pics. Serving cold food that have been cooked hours earlier is bad enough,now the food is eaten off plastic sheets. Is it done so that customers know that the operator says Terima Kasih?

Does the operator not know that hot rice on plastic does not make the rice taste better. It simply makes his life easier as he does not need so many dishwashers so he's able to maximize his profits. He should use banana leaves instead but the cost will eat into his profits and cleaning the banana leaves will involve more workers,hence this will again cost him so he looks for his best solution. I also notice that he wraps those grilled food in tinfoil. Eating food cooked in tin foil regularly could cause dementia so I avoid such food.

If the food is wrapped in biodegradable leaves - banana to wrap many types of traditional kuih-muih/coconut to wrap satay ketupat/pandan used in deep-fried pandan chicken and a Thai dessert/bamboo used for wrapping Chinese glutinuous rice dumplings/palm used for making the triangular-shaped ketupat etc then I would say syabas,well done!

If the plastic is non-biodegradable the plastic solution is ONLY good for him. Such selfishness in running a business means the operator ignores his social responsibility.

Does the operator not care at all for his customers' health. No wonder there are reviews saying the food here is not as good as elsewhere. Looking at the unhygienic practices I wonder why people still flock here. I guess the problem with Malaysians is that as long as the food tastes good they don't care about hygiene/health issues etc. Our attitude is the reason why the previous administration had 9 glorious years ransacking the nation's treasury!

Let's look forward to hearing a logical explanation from the operator as to the use of plastic sheets and rubber bands. Imagine eating on a sheet of plastic placed over a plate and paying restaurant prices when they are supposed to wash the plate for you bcs the washing etc have been added on to...

Just when I thought Jaman Tory was the ultimate heaven of patin tempoyak, this place came in. If there’s a highest level of a very good patin tempoyak, this is it. It was out of this world. Pekat, rich, with beautifully balanced flavours. Not sweet, not overly sour, just the perfect hit of tempoyak goodness. The patin itself was tender, berlemak, and full of deep flavour in every bite. The whole dish was smooth, bold, and incredibly satisfying. We also had the daging salai, and walawei it brought me right back home. It’s rare to find good daging salai outside of my hometown, but this one was absolutely on point, tender, smoky, and full of flavour. There were plenty of other lauk options too, but we only went with those two, and honestly, it was more than enough. The variety is great though, definitely something for everyone. No issues at all with parking or getting the food. Everything was very systematic and easy. Staff were fast, efficient, and friendly. The biggest surprise was the price. We expected it to be expensive, but it turned out to be crazy affordable. They even had irama Melayu music playing softly in the background, giving off that kenduri kahwin vibe and I loved it!! Everything was just perfect. I honestly wouldn’t mind driving to Temerloh again...