BEST ASIAN SEAFOOD

Sweet & sour crabs
(Best I've tasted was at the seafood restaurant in Kuala Ampang, KL)

 

Dry curry bamboo clams



Grilled cuttlefish
(Best I've tasted was at a stall in Satok, Kuching)



Shark's fin soup
(Best I've had was at Madam Kwan's restaurant in KLCC, KL)





Blood cockle



Mangrove snails



Red talapia fish steamed with soy sauce, ginger & fried garlic
(Best I've had was at a seafood restaurant in Taman Melawati, KL in the same row as Thurkah's)



Sweet & sour lala

Grilled stingray

Now I know some of you may think that the list is incomplete but the ones I've named are what I think are the best.

I've tried NZ oysters, butter prawns, scallops, sea cucumber, Tasmanian tuna and Norwegian salmon but still prefer the ones I've named above.

I don't hate meat but there's something about seafood that makes me like em' more than meat.

FREAKS OF NATURE

If you’ve bought durians before, you would’ve seen very small durians being sold alongside normal sized durians (see pic below).

normal sized durians

Have you ever bought those very small durians though (see pic below)?



very small durian

If you haven’t, know that it’s risky to buy them because they either have fewer seeds inside and the few they have aren’t very tasty or they have fewer seeds in side but it’s tasty.

Luckily for us, it was the latter (see pic below). We bought this very small durian from Stutong (outside Public Bank branch) on Tuesday (6 Dec 2011).

the inside of a very small durian (not much I know)

Public Bank Stutong from Stutong market

If you know of other 'freaky' looking fruits, do let me know. It doesn't have to be some tropical fruit.

SARAWAK LAKSA

If you’re in Kuching and you’re a visitor or a resident and you are looking for a good place for Laksa (spicy vercimelli soup), head to Fat Cat (same row as J & J restaurant) in Stutong.

The laksa I ate (yummy yummy not bad at all!)

I used to hear people say that I’d have to go all the way to Chong Hui at Ban Hock Road or Choon Choon at Abell Road for good laksa.

Now I know that it’s not true because apart from Foody Goody which is also in Stutong, I also have the option of going to Fat Cat to get good laksa and for less than RM4.

                                                                                 Fat Cat, Stutong, Kuching

Ps: If you’re West Malaysian, know that some of the places that sell Sarawak laksa in KL are not selling authentic Sarawak laksa. You might be able to find authentic Penang laksa though. So if you want to try Sarawak laksa, head to Sarawak! That’s the best advice I can give you, having grown up in KL and lived in Kuching and Australia. You can only get authentic Sarawak laksa in Sarawak.

PADAWAN DURIAN

If you’ve read my post on Kuching durian, you’d know that we bought the durians I spoke about at Stutong (outside Public Bank branch) which is in Kuching.

A few days after I posted that, my mum and her friends went to Kota Sentosa, Padawan, just outside Kuching and got more durians.

inside of Padawan durian

She bought 6 big durians (see pics below) for RM 30 which is significantly cheaper than the one in Stutong. She also told me that you can get 5 small but compact durians for RM10.

Apart from price, taste is also significant and I’m pleased to report that the Padawan durian tasted even better that the one we bought at Stutong. We were waiting to see whether there were any rotten pieces as we opened them but to our astonishment, all 6 durians were ‘perfect’.

Mum was so impressed that she decided to keep a few pieces in the freezer so it’ll turn into ice cream (I’ll let you know how that one goes).

I wished mum knew how to make cakes because I love durian cakes (see pic below). The one sold at Secret Recipe is a must for anyone in Malaysia. The picture that you see below was taken at Secret Recipe, Satok, Kuching more than 1 year ago.

I’m no expert on durian or cakes but until today, I haven’t seen that many places selling high quality durian cakes in Malaysia. If you know of any, let me know, especially in you're in Sarawak or KL.

KUCHING DURIAN

                                                                                   

Q:  Are you a big durian fan OR you’re not a big durian fan BUT you don’t mind eating durians when it’s durian season?

Q:  Either way, do you know where you can find durians that are cheap and yet tasty in Kuching?

Tabuan Stutong, that’s where.

There’s a fruit stall just outside the Public Bank branch opposite Stutong market selling durians.

Q: How do I know it’s cheap and tasty?

I bought it last night.

I bought 3 for just RM 20.

I say it’s cheap because back in KL (see pic below), one tray (about 8-9 pieces) sold in supermarkets cost RM 20 and they’re not always tasty.

1 down 2 to go (we bought 3 remember).

The durian we had opened (that plastic bag is not going to hold much longer).

Few pieces of the durian we had opened.

Q: What drink did I choose to complement the durian I ate?

Teh tarik (Malaysian pulled tea) !

I’m not sure whether they sell this canned version in KL but they should if they don’t already because teh tarik is very popular in KL. The company making this is based in Sarawak.

Just remember not to consume alcohol when eating durians because they’re heaty and there's evidence to show that eating durian with alcohol can kill you.

Now, what are you waiting for? Head straight to Stutong to get your durians before they’re all sold out (long queue).

*Warning: durians may be too tempting for those trying to lose weight