No more procrastination - as promised, a wrap up of my one day Stiawan trip with a review on the seafood over here. Before we move into food, I will share some snap shops of the Marina Island Jetty here.
Ferries are at a frequency of once an hour. Its RM10 for 2 way trip. We missed the 2pm one by a few minutes. Hence we have to wait for almost an hour for the next one. One can laze around under the coconut shade, take a nap on the "wire mesh net cradle" overlooking the sea. Thank goodness it was a bit hazy so the heat and sunlight was not too intense.
The 15 minute ferry ride was very refreshing indeed as you experience the waves more compared to those gigantic ones in Penang. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by "businessman" offering vehicle renting, guided taxi, etc. Since there were 6 of us, we opted for a car. RM80 for whole day but we only manage to negotiate until RM60 since we are using it for less than 1/2 a day. A RM10 petrol tank in the bad condition hatchback Wira should be enough to circle the whole of Pangkor.
We went to this seafood-junkfood factory called HAI SENG HIN. The production area is not for outsiders to visit. But one can access up to the sales area. Somehow you might wonder, how can such place be certified GMP and HALAL manufacturer. The exterior and surrounding of the factory doesn't look very convincing though. But since they have export market to countries like Hong Kong, I'm sure their product should pass the minimum mark as Hong Kong is known for being stringent in food laws.
Here is a glimpse of my harvest. Some are 3 packets for RM8. some are 3 packets for RM10. I really love the satay fish here! The sotong gulung is.... so-so.
The winding roads - uphill and downhill really makes driving memorable in Pangkor. It's similar to those race tracks of the Initial D game. If you have bring along extra clothes, you may take a dip at the beach. Other than that, there are a few temples and site where you see historical remains of the Dutch. There are a few budget hotels and resort around in the island, but I reckon a 1 day trip would be more than enough here. We took the 6:00pm ferry back to the mainland. Now are you ready for the climax of the Setiawan trip?
A curtain raiser - Salted Egg Crabs!!! Cooking style need improvement as the salted eggs were not well melted and coated on the crabs. Well, who cares as the flesh of the crabs is uber fresh! =D We went for the "meat crabs" instead of the "roe crabs". I'm not sure the weight of the crabs used but there is at least 3 medium sized crabs in this plate (counting the shells)
Let the seafood galore continue with the Oh Chien (Oyster Omelette) The egg coating is a bit thick and dry, but the oysters were merely passable. Not very big and plump and juicy, but still made its mark. Still the salted egg crab is at pole position.
The Fried Sotong didnt manage to outshine the curtain raiser crustacean. The batter was just right, fried to perfection. Squids were not chewy, very addictive stuff. Especially I had my beer to go along with. My friends went for Toddy, alcoholic beverage fermented from coconut.
The Siong Tong Lala (Clams in Superior Broth) exceeded my expectation. I suggested to order it and my research has paid off well as my friends liked it too. The version here is a bit heaty and heaty from the effects of black peppercorns, ginger and green chillies!!! I was expecting a clearer broth infused with Chinese Cooking Wine but this version was also very appetizing indeed. The clams were fresh without any faint hint of muddy smell. Lovely! Best to slurp it when its hot!
Last but not least, the Chilli Crab!! Well executed this time!!! The eggy sauce was good to go along with the rice. But nothing beats fried mantou or toasted bread which are not available here! Yeshhh, we have 2 crab dishes! One dry one and one with sauce to taste the best of both worlds. To me, both are equally good... There are other way of cooking like the Oyster Sauce/Baked Crabs!!! The 6 of us find it so hard to finish off all the food on the table (another vegetable dish on top of all dishes featured here) despite everybody going for "small rice".
And the best thing was.... The bill came to RM160 only?! Yesh!!! (the BKT lunch came to RM130) Not even RM200 for a meal for 6 person with 2 crab dishes (approximately 7 crabs for 2 plates) with a big bottle of Tiger, 1 small bottle of Stout, a jug of Toddy, 2 whole coconuts and all the dishes featured earlier! Damn, no wonder they say your Setiawan trip is incomplete without indulging in the seafood here. Environment wise, do not expect fancy restaurants as Coconut Villa is actually.... a "hut" beneath coconut trees. Literally speaking. This place is situated somewhere in Kampung Cina. Set your destination point on your GPS and it shall lead you here without much hassle. I shall come back for the seafood. This time without a local as a guide. But with my parents. =D
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