KUANTAN: What to eat?

Deciding what to eat is probably one of the most difficult decisions to make. However, not knowing what to eat is even worse, especially when you're at a new place for work, study or vacation. So I decided to come up with this Kuantan Food Guide to make your life easier :P it's okay, you can thank me later HEH

As you know, I was in Kuantan for six weeks for my clinical placement so of course I had the chance to explore the town and try out some good eats during the weekends. There's nothing much to do there anyway. I'll blog about my visit to their beach as well as Sungai Lembing soon too (: 

Hoi Yin Curry Laksa

Assam Laksa is famous in Penang but in Kuantan, they serve curry mee almost everywhere, which explains the amount of curry mee that will be featured in this single post. Hoi Yin is one of the highly raved halal curry mee in town but somehow it doesn't live up to my expectation. The broth wasn't thick enough to my liking and the curry flavour wasn't that strong either, lacking of the extra oomph. I thought it was just me, but the rest seem to agreed with me as well. It's advisable to come earlier cause the place is always packed even at 9am and their curry laksa usually sells out very fast. 

Each bowl comes with steamed chicken, cockles, fish balls, fish cakes, bean sprouts and tofu puffs. You can opt for kuey tiao or bee hoon if you dislike yellow noodles. 

Hoi Yin Curry Laksa 
No. 31, Jalan Teluk Cempedak
25050 Kuantan
Tel: 09-567 3871
GPS Coordinates: N 3 48.745 E 103 22.230

Curry Mee and Nasi Lemak @ Kedai Kopi Ah Soon

Dry noodles with Yong Tau Fu in curry gravy. 

Nasi Lemak with Curry Chicken -- RM4.50.
Nasi Lemak with Fried Egg -- RM2.10.

Ayam Merah for a less-spicy alternative. 

One of the kopitiams that serves good breakfast in Kuantan. They have a few stalls under one roof and the two popular ones are the curry mee and the nasi lemak. The yong tau foo were pretty good and reasonably priced while the dry noodles was just alright.

The nasi lemak on the other hand was the bomb which I highly recommended! We even went back to have it again before we left Kuantan. The sambal was delicious and not too spicy, I can even have it with just the fragrant rice and fried egg cause it was that good. Besides chickens, they do have other sides to go with the nasi lemak. Be sure to be there early (opens at 8am) cause they sell out pretty fast too!

Kedai Kopi Ah Soon (Non-Halal) 
Lorong Kubang Buaya 21,
Off Jalan Kubang Buaya, Kuantan.
Operating Hours: 7.30am till noon.

Assam Fish @ Ah Wah Restaurant 

Another place that I would recommend for dinner (: They serve Thai and Chinese food. We went there for the assam fish cause it was said to be their signature so you can see every tables ordering it. I must say, it did not disappoint at all! The assam fish was served with metal dish with charcoal underneath to keep the gravy warm. The gravy was indeed appetizing and spicy. Since it is refillable, you can't help but to add more rice as well. 

Assam Fish topped with long beans, okras and pineapples | Yau Mak | Seafood Tofu | Pandan Chicken
P/S: Their homemade chili sauce was lip-smacking good too!

The total bill came up to less than RM50. Pretty affordable, no? Definitely will come back again and I just got to love them for their fast service and friendliness too!

Ah Wah Restaurant (Non-Halal) 
No. A-200, Jalan Beserah,
Taman East Coast, Kuantan.
Tel No: 016-953 4038
Operating Hours: Opens for dinner only.
GPS Coordinates: N 3 49.510 E 103 20.155

Curry Mee & Yong Tau Foo @ Jess Cafe

Curry Mee | Dry noodles with Yong Tau Foo in clear soup or curry gravy |

This was our favourite spot for curry mee and yong tau foo in Kuantan. The curry gravy was thick and flavourful, love it! For those who prefer something less oily, you can always opt for the clear soup to go with your yong tau foo. As you can see, their fresh yong tau foo is generously stuffed with fish paste and chives. Love every chewy bite I took. Their service can be quite slow on a busy day. 

Jess Cafe 
No. A15, Jalan Seri Kuantan 80,
Star City II, Kuantan
Tel No: 017-946 3133
Operating Hours: Tues - Sunday
GPS Coordinates: N 3 49.478 E 103 20.244

Cendol Air Putih 

How bout a bowl of cendol to combat the heat? (;
I love how they serve it in yellow bowls, such happy colour! 

Cendol Biasa -- RM1.70 
I would recommend to just go for the basic, not too sweet (:  

Cendol Pulut -- RM2.10 

The place where the locals would go to get their cendol fix, perfect for tea-time since they sell some kuih and nasi lemak as well. Definitely one of the best cendol I've ever had, truly living up to its name. Nuff said. It's impossible to miss this small shop located at the corner of the shoplot, cause it's basically painted in yellow too with a big signboard.

Cendol Air Putih 
B-260E, Jalan Air Putih 25300,
Kuantan, Pahang.
Operating Hours: 12pm - 6pm (Tuesday to Sunday)
GPS Coordinates: N03 49.579, E103 20.178

Alor Akar Seafood 

Another popular eating spot recommended by the locals for dinner which we went for our Chap Goh Meh dinner. I heard that it is always crowded especially during the weekend and public holidays so I called in a few days earlier to make a reservation. However, we went there to find out that our reservation was so called invalid cause there is only the four of us. Well, they could have just told me on the phone the other day. That was not just it, the aunty scolded us and didn't even intend to get us a table, how rude. We had to wait  if we want a bigger table but we settled for a smaller one in the corner, such mood spoiler. 

Toss for good health, prosperity, happiness and may we all graduate with flying colours this year!

As usual, I ordered the signature dishes; Alor Akar Seafood Tofu and Beggar Chicken to try out.
The Beggar Chicken was really good and cooked to perfection. The meat was tender and the gravy was so fantastic I personally dislike anything that taste herbal but this was exceptional (Y) Since the chicken comes in only one size, the portion was a tad too big for us that we have to take away the leftovers.

Fresh yam paste with well marinated and succulent pork ribs.

I guess it would be better to go in a larger group so that you can try out more dishes. The food was not bad and reasonably priced, wouldn't mind coming back if they have better service.

Alor Akar Seafood Restaurant
Lot 7695 & 7696, Jalan Kubang Buaya,
Off Jalan Beserah, Kuantan.
Tel No: 09-568 0720
Operating Hours: Opens for dinner only.
GPS Coordinates: N 3 49.760 E 103 20.575

Satay @ Terminal Satay Zul 

Your trip to Kuantan will not be complete if you don't visit Terminal Satay Zul for their satay! Deemed as the locals' fave satay place. I was pretty surprised to find that they serve rabbit and venison satay too. We only tried their beef and chicken satay cause the mutton satays were sold out already.

Beef satay -- RM0.70 per stick.

The beef satay were not that tender, having a hard time eating them but the chicken satay were alright. Their satay were meaty and well marinated, and oh I love their peanut sauce! You can order their nasi himpit  to eat with their peanut sauce. Besides satay, they do serve a variety of fried rice and even bakso. 

P/S: They even have a counter specially for take away too.

Terminal Satay Zul Kuantan
A-2600, Jln Alor Akar,
26250, Kuantan, Pahang.
Tel No: 09-568 7859 / 017-970 0161
Operating Hours: Opens from 6pm daily.

Mango cheesecake @ Kula Cafe

I was so happy when I found out that they do have concept cafe here that serve desserts and coffee in Kuantan as well. Too bad they don't serve coffee at night but just bottled drinks, meh. 

Pretty cool outdoor setting with tables and chairs made from woods. 

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese, Mini Pavlova and their famous Mango Cheesecake.

The former two were quite a let-down but we enjoyed the mango cheesecake to bits! If you're a fan of mango and cheese, you'll love it. You'll find a sweet balance between mango and cheese, none of them overpowering one or another. They do have a wide selection of cakes from creme brulee to brownies and Toblerone cheescake but we find them so-so only. 

Kula Cafe by Liliwadi
96A, Jalan Besar,
25000 Kuantan, Pahang.

Western Food @ Teluk Cempedak 

For cheap and yummy western food, this is the place you should go! It's located at the far left end of the beach, search for this Europe Western Food stall which is run by a Chinese Family. 

Lamb chop with black pepper sauce -- RM15.00 

For the price I pay, I wouldn't complain at all. Plus, look at the huge portion. People normally come for their chicken chop; either deep fried or grilled. The black pepper sauce was too peppery to my liking, I prefer their mushroom sauce. 

Europe Western Food @ Teluk Cempedak Food Court
Jalan Teluk Cempedak,
25000, Kuantan, Pahang.

Roasted Duck Noodles @ Restoran Hoo Seng 

Roasted duck with char siew noodles -- RM6.00

Roasted duck drumstick noodles -- RM7.50

Another famous stall among the locals as you can see the crowd building up people the moment they start their business. The roasted duck really stole the show, so juicy and tender but the char siew wasn't that impressive to me. I would recommend their wantan as well! 

Tong Koon Roast Duck Noodle @ Restoran Hoo Seng
Jalan Haji Ahmad, Jalan Beserah,
25300, Kuantan, Pahang.
Operating Hours: 12pm until sold out.

So that pretty much sums up the good Kuantan food that we had over the six weeks (: Hope I didn't make your tummy grumbles at the end of this post :P Not sure if I missed out any other good eats, but do let me know if you have better place to recommend!

Till then, have a nice week ahead.
xx