vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Kuantan
Kemaman Kopitiam @ Kuantan
Feb 10th
It was a nice coincidence that the budget hotel I booked at Kuantan is conveniently located just across Hai Peng Kopitiam. But luck seemed to avoid me. Not only our planned trip to Sungai Lembing to check out the magnificient “sea cloud” was marred by a flash flood, Hai Peng was also closed for that particular two days we spent at Kuantan. Disappointed, I searched the GPS for any Kopitiam nearby just for a quick coffee break. Then we found Kemaman Kopitiam, which seemed familiarly well known so off we went.
They just had a facelift recently. After comparing the before (photos I found online) and after (when I was there) I could say the old, nostalgic ambiance is gone. Now, it feels like just like another Old Town along with the thousands of other kopitiams we have in Malaysia.
Satay Zul @ Terminal Satay Zul, Kuantan
Jan 12th
A visit to Kuantan wouldn’t be complete without trying the locals’ favorite satay – Satay Zul. From what I observed, Satay Zul’s popularity is immense, as the restaurant was full in ten minutes just after it was open. And the queue of take-away customers were already starting to build up.
One unusual thing I noticed about Satay Zul is that they do not give free cucumber and onion, you acually have to order and pay for them separately. I am not sure if this is an east-coast-satay-restaurant policy or only Satay Zul is practicing it but I am sure most of us are used to having those greens included with our satays FOC. If anyone could enlighten me on this please do so.
Sara Thai Kitchen by Wan Seafood & Tomyam @ Jalan Gambut, Kuantan
Jan 5th
Was at Kuantan a few days ago and had an awesome seafood meal at Sara Thai Kitchen. It was sheer luck that we stumbled upon this popular Thai restaurant among the locals, as our hotel was only a stone’s throw away. Being a coastal town, seafood is abundance and fresh. Best of all the dishes are so affordable and may I even say cheap! You simply won’t get this kind of pricing in KL.
Ikan Siakap Goreng Tiga Rasa @ RM30. The fish was done perfectly with a crispy outside while retaining its its soft, flaky texture inside. Its size was huge, enough to be shared among 4-5 people and very fresh without any hint of farmed taste.
Siakap is one of the most popular fishes in Thai cuisine, usually steamed in a garlic lime juice (Sara Thai Kitchen’s signature style) But since we already had a steamed fish in our last dinner we decided to try a different style. The sweet, sour and spicy the sauce combined with the natural sweetness of the fish creates an appetizing flavor that would leave you asking for more.
