Kemaman Kopitiam Revisited

Good place should go back right?

After having my first cup of good coffee months ago, I had made it a habit to drop by this shop when ever I am in Kuantan.

Referring to my previous post, I was abit disappointed with their nasi lemak, nasi dagang and some off the shelf traditional cakes offered. It is not the quality (it taste just nice), but the unrespectable high price they charged.



However, clever the owner that he know he has a winning product, a RM 1.50 cup of traditional kopi-O. I had no choice but to go back again and again. With one condition, to remind me not to take those "trap" food.

This time, I managed to try some new stuff, besides having my first and essential coffee.



We had the Kuih Goreng. Quite a big piece, not expensive. It serves with chili sauce and great companion for an afternoon tea.



My friend tried their Vietnamese coffee. I thought it was just OK. I never like it thick and off taste bitter with abit salty.



We had also the shops famous Roti Bakar, which is fresh toasted bun spread with butter and kaya. Because it was freshly toasted, taste quite nice.



One of my friends ordered the Peanut Delight with Honey. It was special and good. The bread was dipped with egg and deep fried. Then spread with peanut butter prior serving. We topped with honey and extra butter and all those melt in the mouth. Fatty ya. But I remember I had a better one somewhere in Serdang. So this is not the best I have. Be aware.



Finally, we tried a strange drink (at least for me). We had this Coke Cafe. It’s a mixture of coke and coffee, with cream as topping. I never like the taste. Wonder who invented this kind of drink. I think Pepsi launch their Pepsi Tarik some times ago and I had just one glass. Never enjoy it like I enjoy vanilla coke.

Kimchi meal... yummy!

Lately our TV full of Korean series. Most of it love stories involving four persons, two guys and two girls. Their relationship from clear to cloudy, then messy, then finally clear again. Almost all having the same theme, only the background setting change a little bit. But I kind of like it, especially the 8:30 one. The kid is so adorable.

Well, the more you watch these Korean programs, the more you admire their culture. In the "Super Rookie", those characters kept eating instant noodle. That makes me ate quite a lot of those packet food some times ago.

Now, in the latest series, they cook Korean food at house with Kimchi. You wonder how nice if you could have it just like them in the silver screen ya.

My friend took me to AmCorp Mall in PJ few weeks ago and we tried this Korean restaurant. The shop is located at the top floor, call "Haeun Khon". Very easy to find.


We had two set dinner. Kimchi soup meal and mine was the recommended BBQ marinated lamb.

The Kimchi Soup was quite good. Spicy and full of flavor. However, the tofu and a small plate of Kimchi was so so only.




As I took the chef recommedation, my lamb was very special. It was marinated in honey and taste like "chasiu". Not smelly at all. The meat was well cooked and not that tough.


Good dinner with reasonable price. Furthermore, the environment was nice with half Korean, semi Japanese style of decoration. I was having my dinner on tatami. No good for my leg (after all, I am only a typical China Man, maa).

Good Year, 2006!

I have no idea how the crazy celebration of new year eve in KL. Did people spraying foam all over the places? Did people watched some nice fire works? Did people prayed for peace and prosperity? Did people had a great dinner to kick start a good 2006?

I was in Kuantan again preparing for a great wedding celebration of my friend, AV, who married on 1st Jan 2006.

I thought I will have a quiet and "peaceful" new year eve the moment I started my car heading back to the East Cost.

Well, I do had a quiet night, with no crazy alcohol and count down party. But I did had a very good dinner. Not romantic type, or very classy type of dinner, but great food, great seafood!


I went to Pak Su, a restaurant situated along Jalan Beserah, about 10 minutes from Kuantan town towards Kuala Terengganu. The shop is always full of patrons but they serve very fast.

For so many years I lived in Kuantan, I hardly recalled any good seafood. I always thought I am having my best seafood in Teluk Gong in Klang, or somewhere in Sandakan (the seafood there really, really nice!)


I ordered a fish, garuda fish, deep fried and showered with asam gravy. As I love sotong, I order fried sotong with dry chili, which I thought it was a normal dish. Then I ordered one plate of "house dish" seafood noodle.

lucky me, which decided to take some picture before the meal (I never thought it will be special). The fish was very fresh. It is monsoon season now, I wonder how they obtain such fresh fish. The meat was tender and springy. I could feel the texture when chew in my mouth. Asam gravy was nice. Not too sour or too spicy.


The sotong (squid) was very springy also. Not tough and easy to chew. Best of all, the meat was very thick. So I could bite and feel the texture nicely.

When my seafood noodle came, I saw few pieces of a large prawn. That should be nice, indeed, it was! The chef cooked it in "kong fu" style, which is deep fried noodle topped with pre-cooked seafood soup. Besides the large prawn, there were sotong and fish fillet in my plate also.


One of the major secrete recipe for cooking great seafood is... using fresh seafood (ofcoz laa!). That's why some of the good restaurants displaying tanks and tanks of live sea creatures to ensure the freshness they serve. However, a chef's "kongfu" also play an important part. The temperature, the timing and the process must be well taken to produce a great seafood dish.

There is one question suddenly pop into my mind. I think beside freshness mentioned above, a person should also know how to pick a healthy, well fed fish, prawn or sotong. Just like our mother choosing a kampung chicken in the pasar, right?

Happy 2006!