TERENGGANU TAKES #2

When I was in Kuala Terengganu last February, I found out to my dismay that most restaurants in town were closed on Friday. Some popular warongs too took Fridays off. On other days of the week however, you can feast on many Terengganu delights. On my latest trip back home I did not starve. I even had nasi dagang twice on the same day. Once for breakfast and when I went for the tahlil in the evening, nasi dagang was on the menu. This was on the second day. On the third day, my breakfast was laksam (East Coast flat noodle) bought at a warong in Tanjung. I would not eat laksam without toasted belacan so my good friend Pok Daud asked his wife Ani to toast some for me, crushed it and brought it lovingly wrapped in tissue paper.

Lunch on the first day was at Coffee Beans, KL Sentral. Nothing memorable. On the second day another bosom buddy Pak Ramli brought me to a popular mee bandung stall next to the former Cathay cinema hall. The owner refused to take my money. Turned out that she was Ramli's sister.

On the third day we drove up to Merang. Ramli wanted to check up on his boat and I was salivating thinking of the ebek fish that we wanted to have for lunch. Unfortunately, the owner of the warong told us he no longer prepares lunch. He said he was too tired. I suspected that he was too rich already. He only serves breakfast. We were lucky that there was some nasi minyak left. I grew up on Tengku Hussin's nasi minyak and found this version edible but not spectacular.

Before I left for Kuala Terengganu I promised Mimi to bring home some otak-otak. Mimi needs some convincing that Terengganu's otak-otak are far superior than those fish-flavoured paste they passed off as otak-otak in the Klang Valley. We found one place selling otak-otak somewhere in Mengabang Telipot. There were not many left so we bought all.

The place also sells sata (also fish-based). Sata are grilled on a bamboo skewer but we were not allowed to take the skewers. The sata from here were delicious but not as heavenly as those at Pak Man's place at the food court near Sutera Beach Resort. Unfortunately, Pak Man moved elsewhere already.
As the plane was landing in Kuala Terengganu, I, for some inexplicable reason, thought of fried bananas. So as soon as I could, I rang my classmate Hj. Hassan inviting him to a goreng pisang tea. I asked him where the best goreng pisang can be found. Three generations ago, I would not ask Hassan that. Everyone knew then that the best goreng pisang (and kerepok lekor) would be at Mok Nik Awang Itam in front of Paya Tok Ber. Even the istana bought fried bananas and kerepok lekor from her. Hj. Hassan told us to wait for him at LAN BANANA a short distance from the Simpang Tokku roundabout.
It was not even tea time yet but the there was already a queue even though the line was a bit ragged. Lan Banana sells fried bananas, fried sweet potatoes, fried fish in batter (or as Terengganu folks call them ICT -ikan celup tepung) and of course fried kereopok lekor. This would be a place your cardiologist warned you about.

There wasn't any place in the establishment where you can sit down comfortably and eat the stuff you have bought. Neither do they sell coffee or tea. So Hassan got the goreng pisang, kerepok lekor as well as ICT and we headed to his house where we enjoyed the crispy and cholestrol-laden items. After tasting the goreng pisang I can see why there was a queue. I even forgot that they should call the fried bananas pisang goreng.

Labels: Terengganu Food