Gourmet

Kuantan (Malaysia) does not lack good food, be it Malay,

Indian (North and South, and in Kuantan there is even a chain of Indian restaurants), Western (steak houses) or Chinese (mostly non-halal), or even Thai food (to local Malaysian tastes). Just take your pick and you get your food; tasty, cheap and fresh (and for the Muslim you may find mostly halal food as well). The food may not be up the standard of AFC, but they are reasonably good. However one must know the locations of these gourmet establishments, otherwise one may end up in places where the hygiene is questionable, taste not to one’s liking and food may not be that fresh, for example bad meat are from frozen meat or fish imported from Thailand.

Local folks who are familiar with the restaurants in Kuantan may direct you to these local gourmet establishments. Meals can be as cheap as RM 6.00 per person, for a plate of rice, fish or meat or chicken curry, a vege and a soft drink (USD 1.00 = RM 3.30). But even local folks may not know such, as many do not care where they eat or many do not care to have meals in good (to one expectation) restaurants. Their excuses may be that these good local gourmet establishments may charge them a bit extra; for the unique taste, for the location and/or for the comfort.

Many just take on the safe side and have meals in the restaurants at hotels, and there are good hotels in Kuantan Town; one 5 star hotel is right by the beach and the food there is of international standard. The food may be expensive and you are assured of good food and maybe good service, though not always. (This is one of the best bet if one need not find oneself having to go to the toilet. Toilets in Malaysia, almost everywhere except on the Malaysia Highways and in some other places which you may be lucky to find, are notorious for its ‘not clean’ state; after visiting the toilet you will be put off your meal)

There are also eating places places called kopitiams, these are really coffee shops where you can drink a variety of coffee or tea, locally made, freshly brewed ,most of the time, or you may also have foreign and imported coffee or tea, served black or white and with sugar to your taste. And they also served light sandwiches or toast with butter or ‘kaya’ (a cooked mixture of sugar, egg and coconut milk), and a variety of local snacks, mostly very tasty to local taste but priced a bit steep which is really worth paying for.

One Indian restaurants which I blogged earlier at,
http://when-i-m-65.blogspot.com/2008/06/soth-asian-restaurants.html

and a doughnut place at,
http://when-i-m-65.blogspot.com/2008/06/doughnut.html



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