Attraction: Kelapa Sawit

[Source] Kelapa Sawit - Wikipedia

• Kelapa Sawit is a small town located along Jalan Kulai-Air Hitam Malaysian Federal Roads System Route 1 in Kulai District, Johor, Malaysia. Kelapa Sawit means oil palm in Bahasa Malaysia. A mainly Hakka community which was formed back in the 1950s when the British; who were the colonial masters of Malaya moved tens of thousands of the ethnic Chinese people into New Towns like this during the Malayan Emergency. Many of the older generations still keep up with tradition and communicate using the Hakka dialect.
• Located next to the Sime Darby palm oil plantation, this was the origin of the town's name. It faced some problems of air pollution until the estate's oil palm mill was closed down. Villagers were mainly reliant on agriculture for a living. 
• Before tax on pepper kicked in in the 1980s, Kelapa Sawit was the famous Pepper producing town. Farmers has since relied on other crops such as Palm Oil, Durian and other leafy vegetables mainly targeted at the Singapore market. 
• In recent years this town has transformed itself from a sleepy town into a tourist destination with murals, creative art works and traditional hakka food as their selling point. Many tourists mainly from nearby Singapore visit Kelapa Sawit as a quick weekend getaway.

I was there on a rainy day for lunch. Too bad, there was no chance to explore more on the back street murals (wall art) due to heavy rain.

Man Ting Fang Restaurant (满庭芳茶餐室）

• Closed on the day I visited (14/Feb/2024 Wed)
• Will try it next time if there is a chance

惠安小食馆

• Restaurant converted from barber shop, with retro feel & decoration
• Main target is to try its Johor Laksa & Hor Kah Sai (虎咬狮)

Kedai Makanan Hakka Sawit (好客坊客家小吃店)

• Popular among tourists, full house during the day I visited (14/Feb/2024)
• Managed to secure a table after having lunch next door coffee shop
• Ordered Lei Cha (擂茶), Fried Pork (炸肉) and Yong Tau Foo (酿豆腐) for snacks after lunch
• Surprisingly the Lei Cha (擂茶) taste good (first time trying it)
• The price during CNY hikes up very high, not same as price shared online (forgot to snap a photo due to overcrowded)

Kelapa Sawit Wall Art

• Managed to snap a photo behind 惠安小食馆 while waiting for food.
• It was heavy rain before and after the lunch, thus we proceeded to next destination after lunch.