As-salamu'alaikum.
This blog entry was one year in the making, I kid you not. I was supposed to write this one last year after our Kuantan trip during CNY2016. It took me that amount of time because I was simply too lazy to write. Well since I just came back from Kuantan a week ago I figured why don't I just combine the 2016 & 2017 Makan-Makan Kuantan into one entry. I've divided the list of 19 eateries according to their respective categories. Here goes..
MALAY & THAI
Sara Thai Kitchen (Wan Seafood & Tomyam), Jalan Gambut Kuantan.
There are quite a few Malay/Thai eateries in Kuantan town centre and the surrounding areas, Sarah Thai Kitchen is one of them and comes highly recommended in most online food reviews/blogs. We had a small dinner just the three of us. The atmosphere here was cosy, welcoming and the service was swift. I had an à la carte Nasi Goreng Sara Thai (signature dish), while the wife had deep-fried tempura squids, mixed Tomyam soup and dried chili chicken to eat with plain rice. Their famous pulut mangga was unavailable when were there, so we missed out on that one. This eatery offers delicious and affordable meals for the average persons and families. They're open for business from 1PM - 11PM.
My rating: 4/5
- Tomyam Soup (top left), Tempura Squids (top right), Sara Thai Fried Rice (bottom left), Dried Chili Chicken (bottom right).
- Inside of the restaurant.
Terminal Satay Zul, Jalan Alor Akar Kuantan.
This famous satay place is located at the Jalan Teluk Sisek-Jalan Alor Akar T-junction. You couldn't miss it if you're coming from Kuantan town centre heading towards Teluk Chempedak. We went here late almost to midnight and the place was still packed with patrons. Some of the different types of satay (skewered grilled meat) were sold out by that time. Fortunately for us the satay that we wanted was still available at that hour. We had 10 sticks of mutton satay and 15 sticks of chicken satay plus rice cubes (nasi impit). I'm not much of a satay person but taste-wise the satay and the kuah kacang (peanut gravy) was decent, although a bit sweet for my taste. The wife liked it though. The portion of the satay meat was quite generous as well. They have other types of food on their menu, be sure to check them out too. Other Satay Zul outlets are available in and around Kuantan town so if you can't make it to the main outlet here, other branches would do I guess. Overall the satay her was okay, slightly pricey but I guess it would be hard to find any cheap satay these days. The service here can be really slow. That's the only downside to it.
My rating: 3/5
- Mutton satay at Terminal Satay Zul.
Ana Ikan Bakar Petai, Jalan Tanjung Lumpur Kuantan.
Ana Ikan Bakar is probably the most famous Ikan Bakar eatery in Kuantan. We came here few years back but couldn't get a table due to the place being overcrowded, so this time we came early for dinner to avoid going through the same situation. The ordering system here for dinner time: 1) Self-service (main course) and 2) Normal food ordering (Ã la carte, side dishes & beverages). Self service is for the fresh raw seafoods; selection of fishes, prawns, squids, la la (type of clam) and cockles (kerang) where you have to handpick your choice of seafood(s) and choose the method of cooking. It will then be delivered to your table once ready. For the main course, we ordered Ikan Bakar Sambal Petai (grilled fish) and Sotong Goreng Tepung (deep fried tempura squids). For side orders we ordered hot dishes (masakan panas) which consisted of: A) Seafood Tomyam [which was a watered-down, not spicy enough and I don't know why they call it "seafood" Tomyam because other than veggies we only found udang kering (dried shrimps) inside the soup]. B) Ayam Masak Pedas [which was half cooked/raw and not really pedas (spicy)]. C) Telur Dadar (omelette). D) Nasi putih (plain rice) for three. The side orders arrived at our table, lukewarm almost cold. Even the nasi putih was cold which to me was unacceptable. We then had to wait for 45 minutes before the main course arrived. The service was slow, and the side orders ruined the mood for us at this point. Fortunately for us the Ikan Bakar and Sotong Goreng Tepung saved the day. Personally I feel that this place is overrated, over-hyped, overcrowded and slightly overpriced. The quality of food & service wasn't up to satisfactory level since we paid quite a sum to eat here. There are other Ikan Bakar restaurants along the same road and nearby areas you can decide on. But if you still want to eat at Ana Ikan Bakar, then avoid the side orders and go straight for the fresh seafood.
My rating: 2/5
- Ikan Bakar Sambal Petai (top), Ayam Masak Pedas, Seafood Tomyam and Telur Dadar (bottom)
Restoran Nasi Ulam D'Pondok, Lorong Tun Ismail 6 Kuantan (behind PappaRich).
If you're looking for Malay mixed rice (nasi campur Melayu), D'Pondok is an option you could consider. On the signboard outside this eatery stated that they serve more than 70 types of traditional East Coast dishes. Judging from the photo below, that's probably about right. Everything is self service here, so there shouldn't be much of an issue with slow service. This eatery reminds me of Sambal Hijau in Sungai Penchala KL, with similar concept and menu. We came during lunch time and I had plain rice with ayam masak kicap, ikan keli goreng and telur masin. The foods were decent. The price was reasonable but some dishes can be slightly expensive than others.
My rating: 3/5
- The variety of dishes (left), Rice with Fried Catfish, black soy chicken & salted egg (top right), From the outside (bottom right)
Restoran Zaman, KM 14 Jalan Gambang Kuantan.
When we arrived here we saw patrons lining up for their nasi lemak inside the restaurant (at the back). And at the front side there was another queue for roti canai. "The food must be really good" I thought when I saw the long queues. After queuing up for at least 45 minutes, we finally got our nasi lemak bungkus and roti canai. One word describes best how we felt after tasting the food: DISAPPOINTING. I don't know why this restaurant makes the customers to queue up for meals that are mediocre at best. There's nothing special about their nasi lemak bungkus nor their roti canai. They could simply take orders from the customers and serve them just like any other restaurants. If the foods were truly out-of-this-world, then it would be a different story. But the reality is, you could get much better nasi lemak or roti canai at other eateries without having to queue up for half an hour or more. What baffled me more was the fact that this eatery was highly recommended by some famous food-bloggers. Some reviews even hailed them as the best nasi lemak in Kuantan. Seriously? Well, not in my good books. Do not waste your time and money here.
My rating: 1/5
- Nasi lemak queue (left), Roti canai queue (right)
Maza Jungle Food Court, Jalan Sungai Lembing Indera Mahkota.
This food court is located alongside C4 Jalan Sungai Lembing in Indera Mahkota, on the outskirts of Kuantan town centre. There are plenty of stalls offering varieties of local, Arab and western food. If you're out of option on where to go for lunch or dinner in Kuantan, you could always give this place a try. Everything is self service here, so don't expect anyone to come and take your order. We came here for dinner and were spoiled for choice since there are many kinds of food to choose from, and the stomach could only take so much. Do take your time to browse around all the stalls before ordering. I had my eyes on a stall selling Arabic foods but unfortunately they were were not open that day. So I got myself chicken rice and a plate of kambing golek (roasted mutton). The wife ordered chicken satay and said it was really good. The foods here were decent and the price was reasonable. The teh ais (iced milk tea) in particular was something I enjoyed. FYI, there's only one stall selling beverages here. I will have to come here again to try other foods that I haven't tasted yet. Maza Jungle food court is a decent place to have a meal and it's open from morning until midnight.
My rating: 3/5
- Maza Jungle Food Court circa 2012 (Photo courtesy of Foursquare-Desa E T).
INDIAN
Restoran Bombay Hamid Bros, Jalan Mahkota Kuantan.
Hamid Bros is an establishment famous in Kuantan for its bookstore, money changer, jewellery and other businesses. So it's no surprise when they opened a restaurant serving Indian cuisines just over a year back. We've been here quite a few times last year and also during this year's Kuantan trip. Their speciality dishes include varieties of Biryani, Banana Leaf Rice, Roti Canai varieties, Fish Head curry and other curry dishes. This is our favourite breakfast spot when in Kuantan. We would usually go for their Roti Canai or Roti Telur to eat with chicken Rendang or curried mutton for breakfast, and it goes really well with a glass of Teh Tarik (pulled milk tea). For lunch, so far I've had mutton Biryani and mixed rice dishes. The place resembles a fancy restaurant but the price here is very affordable. The dining area is clean and looks classy. Most of the foods here are of excellent taste and quality. A downside is that the waiters here are not attentive enough, and it could take you few minutes before someone attend to your order.
My rating: 4/5
- Variety of dishes at Bombay Hamid Bros
- Roti Telur (left) & Roti Canai (right). Chicken Rendang (top left). Teh Tarik (top right). Excellent breakfast meals.
- View from the outside.
Alif Curry House, Jalan Mahkota Kuantan.
Located just few doors away from Bombay Hamid Bros is Alif Curry House, famous for its Banana leaf rice and Fish Head curry. It was dinner time and we decided to come here since it wasn't far from our hotel. I'm not much into Banana leaf rice so I ordered a mutton Biryani set with an additional fried chicken. The mutton Biryani was decent, the teh tarik was good and we had a nice time here.
My rating: 3/5
- Mutton Biryani set with Fried Chicken.
Hyderabad Recipe's, Kuantan Avenue Jalan Beserah Kuantan.
If you're looking for a delicious biryani dish or Pakistani/Indian food, then this is the place to come. Hyderabad Recipe's is on the upscale side, there's a 10% service charge that tags along with your order so prepare some extra cash. We've been meaning to come here since last year (2016), but only got the opportunity this year. The foods here are mostly above-average, whether it's their Biryani, Naan selections, chicken barbecue dishes etc. We ordered their speciality dish a chicken Dum Biryani, butter Naan, Tandoori chicken and chicken Tikka. The Dum biryani was excellent, the chicken was tender and the portion was quite generous. Same goes with their chicken Tikka, the chicken meat was really tender and the portion can be shared by two persons. The Tandoori chicken and butter Naan weren't the best I've tasted but I would say they're still above-average. For drinks I ordered their version of Teh Tarik. It tasted a bit different than the usual Teh Tarik but I liked it so much that I ordered a second cup. Dining here was a pleasant experience for us.
My rating: 4/5
Chicken Tikka (top left). Tandoori Chicken (top centre), Butter Naan (top right & bottom left). Chicken Dum Biryani (bottom right)
KOPITIAM/COFFEE SHOPS
Muar E Kopitiam, Jalan Beserah Kuantan.
Muar E is a modern Chinese coffee shop (kopitiam) with wide selection of Halal meals in the menu. The place is clean with a cosy environment but could be noisy during peak hours. While most of their bread/toast meals are quite good, not all on the menu are favourable though. I liked their flavourful Nasi Goreng Belacan, but their Nasi Goreng Kampung lacks flavour. If you prefer local coffee, then Muar E's coffees are certainly yours to try-out whether hot or cold, with or without milk. I've tried the normal iced coffee and their signature Muar E iced coffee and both are highly recommended. The price is fairly reasonable and the service is swift. Do give them a try if you're in Kuantan.
My rating: 3.5/5
- Muar E signature Iced Coffee (left), Kopi O (right)
- Roti bakar kaya butter (top), Nasi goreng belacan (bottom)
Kemaman Kopitiam, Lorong Tun Ismail 12 Kuantan.
The name might suggest that this coffee shop originated in Kemaman but actually it was established in Kuantan. Some said Kemaman Kopitiam was sort of an unofficial offshoot of Hai Peng Kopitiam in Kemaman, but the story as told by the current owner of Kemaman Kopitiam was that he inherited the kopitiam business from his father who used to operate a Hainan style "coffee shop" in Kemaman. We had been passing by this Kopitiam a few times while driving around Kuantan before we decided to stop by for a breakfast one day. I had a plate of Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng and Keropok Lekor. The wife had fish balls with soup. Taste-wise, the meals were typical of Kopitiam chain standards but I just felt that they're slightly overpriced. The iced coffee here was fine but it wouldn't be my first choice.
My rating: 2.5/5
- Nasi lemak Ayam Goreng.
- Keropok Lekor (top), Iced Coffee (bottom left), Fish balls with soup (bottom right).
Kampong Delights Nasi Lemak, Jalan Beserah Kuantan.
Located along Jalan Beserah, this coffee shop has more to offer in their menu compared to other similar type of coffee shops. The main attractions here are the local cuisines & snacks such as Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng, Nasi Dagang Kelate, Keropok Lekor, plus they also have western fares serving for breakfast, lunch and tea-time. I ordered fried rice with dried chili, and the wife ordered rice with sweet sour chicken. The positive side: the place is clean/well maintained, nice decor, cosy and delicious foods. The negative side: the slow service and the lack of communication with the customers. They made us wait for more than an hour for our meals, and while we were waiting none of the staff came to update us on our order. Should improve massively on that. We don't mind waiting for the food as long as the staff/waiter make an effort to update us on the status of our order. Otherwise we could have ordered something else that takes lesser time to prepare. The best time to come is before or after peak hours (lunch). The place closes at 5PM. My rating: 3.5/5
- View from outside (photo courtesy of my.openrice.com-yuenchingkhong).
- Fried Rice with Dried Chili Chicken. Top notch!
Hai Peng, Jalan Haji Abdul Aziz Kuantan (opposite Ambank).
Another good spot to enjoy a cup of excellent local coffee in Kuantan is Hai Peng coffee shop. While Hai Peng Kuantan doesn't offer much choice in terms of food selection, the coffee is a good enough reason to come here. In terms of the menu, they have a selection of bread toasts/sandwiches and besides that they have their speciality Laksa Hai Peng and Nasi Lemak Ayam Kari. Although limited in choices, the foods offered are sufficient for this small kopitiam. I had the Nasi Lemak Ayam and the wife had the Laksa Hai Peng. The nasi lemak ayam kari was good especially the ayam kari. I didn't taste the laksa but the wife really loved it. The coffee here is excellent and certainly packs a punch. This place doesn't have a signboard displayed outside. It can be a bit tricky to locate but it's just opposite Ambank, so just look out for Ambank in jalan Haji Abdul Aziz. They're open from 8AM-5PM.
My rating: 4/5
- Laksa Hai Peng
- Nasi Lemak Ayam (curry)
- Hai Peng dining area.
ARABIC
Restoran Dallah, Jalan Putra Square 4, Putra Square Kuantan.
Dallah is another Arab restaurant specialising in Yemeni cuisines located in the town centre. We came here for lunch and ordered lamb Mandi, chicken Shish Tawouk, Mulawwah (Yemeni flat bread) and a plate of Hummus. The lamb Mandi here wasn't the best I've tasted but it was still acceptable. The chicken Shish Tawouk however, was quite a treat. The chicken meat was tender, well marinated and grilled to perfection. It came with fries, some cucumber & tomato chunks. the Mulawwah and Hummus are just okay too. The price here though, is slightly higher than other Arabic restaurants in Kuantan. They're open from 12PM-11PM
My rating: 3/5
- Lamb Mandi Rice (top left), Mulawwah/Crispy Flat Bread (top right), Chicken Shish Tawouk (bottom left), Hummus (bottom right).
Restoran Qasar Saba, Jalan Seri Kuantan 2 Kuantan.
We found this place by chance as we were cruising around Kuantan town looking for a place to eat out. Qasar Saba is slightly hidden from the main road (Jalan Teluk Sisek), but you can can find it on Waze/HERE drive/google maps. The eatery is located at the ground floor of JS Grand Hotel. They have the usual Arabic menu here: Arabic rice, bread and grilled dishes. But their forte is their Yemeni rice dishes. We ordered Lamb Mandi and Chicken Madghout. Taste-wise it is authentic Yemeni and we loved it although I think they should be more generous on the portion of the lamb. The price is reasonable for this type of menu. I would recommend Qasar Saba as the place to go for Arabic rice dishes in Kuantan.
My rating: 4/5
- Chicken Madghout Rice (top left), Lamb Mandi Rice (top right), Outside of the restaurant (bottom)
DESSERTS
Cendol Air Putih, Jalan Air Putih Kuantan.
There are a few cendol stalls/shops in Kuantan worth stopping by. Cendol Air Putih is one of them. They're also known as Ibrahim Cendol. If you're coming from Jalan Beserah via bandar Kuantan turning to the Jalan Beserah-Jalan Air Putih junction, at the traffic light turn left and you can see the cendol shop on your right side. The shop is hidden in plain sight, so drive slowly and look out for the yellow small shop when you're at the junction of Jalan Beserah-Jalan Air Putih. I had cendol pulut and normal cendol as well. They also have other snacks/drinks on the menu such as nasi lemak bungkus, pulut udang, vadai and karipap just to name a few. Cendol Air Putih gets my vote for the best cendol in Kuantan.
My rating: 4/5
- Cendol Air Putih from the outside (top). Cendol Pulut (bottom left), The kitchen area (bottom right).
Bismi Syed Iman Cendol, Taj Maju, Lorong Tun Ismail 5 Kuantan.
Located within the premise of Taj Maju restaurant (near Mydin), we had a hard time looking for this small cendol stall. The stall could only seat 5-6 pax at one time. The place are not usually crowded and one could easily get a seat without having to wait for long. The cendols here were pretty decent. I would normally come here for their cendol pulut after I had lunch elsewhere. It's always nice to have a freshly made cendol for dessert. Since the stall is adjoined with Taj Maju restaurant, you can also get a seat inside the restaurant if you're planning to eat here and get the cendol as well.
My rating: 3.5/5
- Cendol Pulut (top left), The menu (top right). The signboard displayed just in case you couldn't find the stall (bottom).
Mustafa Cendol, Jalan Teluk Sisek Taman Selamat Kuantan.
This is the most talked-about cendol place in Kuantan. Whenever we passed by Mustafa Cendol to-and-fro Pantai Teluk Chempedak, we could see the place crowded with patrons. This might suggest that there is something special about Mustafa Cendol. Thus. we had to see for ourselves whether they're really as good as some people say. The place had a nice ambience to it and an ample parking area is available. I ordered my usual cendol pulut and the wife had ABC (Air Batu Campur). The price here was quite reasonable but taste-wise it was just average and leaves much to be desired. I wouldn't rate it as highly as some people did. I'd go for cendol Air Putih over Mustafa's anytime.
My rating: 2.5/5
- Cendol Pulut (top left), ABC (top right). The stall where they make their cendols and ABCs (bottom).
Kula Cakes, Jalan Besar Kuantan.
If you're looking for desserts or just craving for cakes while in Kuantan, you can always check out Kula Cakes. The place was packed with customers queuing up for their cakes when we got here. I'm not big on cakes due to health and personal reasons, but Kula Cakes speciality Mango Cheesecake is something I found rather enjoyable. Faree'ah had the Pavlova while the wife and I had the Mango Cheesecakes. This place is quite hipsterish in terms of appearance and the type of customers who frequented the place. But don't let that stop you from trying out their speciality cakes and other varieties. They also have the usual cafe beverages on the menu. For drinks I had a cup of iced Cocoa which was quite pleasant. The indoor dining area is very limited and could only fit two tables. An open-air dining section is provided next door where you can enjoy the artsy decor and green surroundings of the outdoor area.
My rating: 4/5
- Kula Cakes outdoor seating/dining area.
- Kula Cakes's signature Mango Cheesecakes and Pavlova.