Kelantan: Kota Bahru

Finally, I have the mood to blog about my first visit to Kota Bahru. The realization of this trip was all thanks to ML who offered shelter to me for 2 nights just before she left for Johor Bahru to start her teaching course.

Before I start, let me warn you beforehand that there will be a lot of pictures of food.

I took the AirAsia flight to Kota Bahru, the capital city of Kelantan. It was really a last minute decision to go visit ML that week right after finishing my electives. ML was a really good hostess. Not forgetting to mention that her parents fed and watered me extremely well too. I reached Kota Bahru in the afternoon. So, our first stop was to find something to eat.

Pulut Tapai - It's really different from the ice kacang we normally have. There's crushed ice, pink sago, cendol, evaporated milk, brown sugar and some other ingredients which I couldn't figure out what they were. It was very refreshing and most suitable to cool down in that afternoon's hot weather. Cost: RM 2

ML's father offered me my first mooncake in 2 years while we visited his shop that evening. Nowadays, all these sweet desserts have the option of less sugar. I used to dislike mooncakes as they were too sweet but nowadays, they're all right.

ML's parents treated me to dinner that night. It was a shop along the road.

ML and I. It is really different to see women being in-charge of business and running the shop without any help from men. That's how Kelantan is like, according to ML. The women are very capable and they run the business.

That's the ayam percik which we ordered for dinner. It's chicken skewered with bamboo stick and cooked over charcoal. Then, think sauce made from coconut milk is poured over it. (I'm getting hungry typing this now)

Sambal daging. It's glutinous rice with sweet meat floss as its filling wrapped in banana leaf. Very interesting combination.

Other types of kuih or desserts

That's how they serve ayam percik with nasi kerabu (rice with bean sprouts, spring onion, and crackers)

Nasi dagang for breakfast with ML and her dad. There's fish, beef, and chicken gizzard served with rice dyed in brown. I don't mind having this for breakfast everyday but it's impossible over here.

We went around the town that morning. First stop was at the port:

The bridge is called the Royal bridge. Don't ask me why. The water looked really yellow.

Next, we went around the town taking photos.

Town area

Kelantan is famous for its arts and craft. We visited a craft centre specialised in weaving.

Imagine weaving a piece of cloth with specific patterns. How do they even remember the formula for it?

Soon, it was time for brunch. I called it brunch as I was still really full from the heavy breakfast and it wasn't time for lunch yet.

Wan tan mee. Noodles in dark souce with vegetables and char siew (sliced roasted pork). I felt that the standard in Kuala Lumpur is better.

After ML's dad went to work, she drove me around town visiting museums on Batik, crafts and Kelantan's royal family.

Some of the museums were formerly palaces. It is interesting to find out that different designs on clothes represented different social class back in the old days.

The famous market - Pasar Siti Khadijah

View from 3rd floor

You can only see women in the traditional Malay outfit selling vegetables and meat.

Another view of the market. I do find it interesting.

After all that walking and driving around in hot sun, we decided to cool down at the only shopping complex in Kota Bahru. We had some cold drink at a cafe. I ordered Mango Passion. It's basically mango smoothie topped with pink sago.

Dinner time with ML and her parents. This time, it was Thai cuisine. Kelantan has a border with Thailand. Therefore, there is a strong Thai influence in its cooking. The restaurant which we went to was really hard to find. It was fine till we went off the main road into a housing estate. Slowly, the number of houses decresed till zero and I saw only trees. Then I saw wooden houses again and finally, we arrived at the restaurant which was formerly a wooden house.

Lemon chicken. It's chicken coated with flour and deep fried before slicing it into strips and topped with sweet and sour lemon sauce.

Tom Yam. As you can see from this picture the huge looking chilli sticking out. It was really spicy. However, it was so delicious at the same time that all of us finished it even thought we were sweating profusely.

Stir fried vegetables. There were sweet corn, cauliflower, black fungus, carrots, chinese cabbage, prawns and chicken in oyster sauce.

Finally, it was eel stir fried in coconut milk, onions and beans. Maybe with some curry powder as well. It was my first time eating eel and one thing I can say is, it does taste different and be careful of the bone in the middle.

On my last day, ML's father brought us to visit Southeast Asia's largest sleeping Buddha. It was about half and hour drive away from Kota Bahru.

The Sleeping Buddha statue was actually outdoors but under a roof. It was really big. Even bigger than another sleeping Buddha status in Penang.

Views around the temple.

I guess even monks have to work for a living. I just find it wierd seeing them cutting grass with the grass cutter in their orange outfit.

I'm seriously hungry right now after writing about all these food. Point to note: don't blog about food when on a diet.