Chong and Robin made a very, very and very impromptu trip to Malacca on one Sunday evening. The decision was made approximately 5.30pm and by 6pm, they were already on the North-South highway to pay me a visit and eat dinner.

Talk about craziness, huh? You can read about the whole incident from Robin’s point of view, which was the victim of all these craziness.

Joining me and the rest was none other than Jian.

Wanting to satisfy my crabs craving again, I decided to pay Sea Terrance at Portuguese Settlement another visit. It wasn’t as packed as my first visit, which was on the first day of Hari Raya, there were quite a lot of customers still. The least was, we didn’t have to stand behind some soon-to-leave customers’ table just to grab the next available table.

Again, the boss “threatened” that it might take up to two hours for the food to arrive. At the end of the meal, we only waited approximately 45 minutes before food was served.

While waiting, some random shots that I took.

The food finally came and the “ritual” began. Everyone helped themselves and by the time we finished taking pictures of the food, all the dishes were served and ready to go.

Portuguese style baked fish, which was only mediocre. I mean, what kind of cooking style should I order when the Portuguese is famous for their baked fish, right?

Deep fried calamari, crunchy! The picture was badly taken though.

The otak-otak was pretty good too, although not as good as Muar’s, which is firmer in terms of texture and stronger in taste. If they have baked the otak-otak slightly longer to give it a crispy edge and firmer skin top layer, it would have been awesome.

Stir fried kangkung with belacan was just average.

As for the sambal prawns, it was really good especially when the prawns used were fresh and the meat was firm and succulent. The slightly disappointing part was the sambal paste wasn’t spicy at all.

The two Kuching bloggers (Robin and Jian) were using their fork and spoon to peel the shell off the prawn. Nothing unusual. They then proceeded to eat the crabs with their fingers. Nothing unusual either. Right after eating the crabs, they peeled the prawns’ shell using their fork and spoon. Now, that’s weird.

-sweat-

Do you see the weird unique-ness?

Also, we had two crabs cooked in sweet and sour style while another two crabs baked with black pepper and salt. The sweet and sour crabs were as good as I last remembered. IThe gravy wasn’t as thick as my last visit, but the taste was the same.

As for the baked crabs, I ate more salt than black pepper. It was as if the crabs were cleaned using sea water and then baked on top of the fire / charcoal or in the oven. That said, the crab meat was really delicious and “original” as there was no other flavouring added to the meat, except the black pepper and salt, of course.

A group picture of the food.

The bill came up to RM162, approximately RM40 per head. It was a little bit more than I expected as my last visit was only RM30 per pax. However, there were six of us during the previous visit while this time, we only had four. Ain’t that bad still, if you ask me.

However, I think I have had enough of crabs in Malacca and I don’t think I will be eating crabs here for a long long time.

Ah Kwong and his newly wed wife, Min Yin, Hiew and his girl friend, Lee Peng and Hung Wei were in town on the first day of Hari Raya. Me, being the nice person that I always am, brought them around for sight seeing and food.

They requested for seafood and not knowing where to go since my favourite seafood restaurant at Alai was closed for Hari Raya, I brought them to Portuguese Settlement. When it comes to seafood restaurant at Portuguese Settlement, there is only one stall to patronize, Stall Number 1, Sea Terrace.

There will be a few touts asking you to dine at their stalls the moment you come down from your car. Some even have the cheek to claim themselves to be from Stall Number 1, which James experienced. Don’t. Just politely reject them and make your way to Sea Terrace.

If you arrive at the restaurant during peak hours, the boss will tell you that you might have to wait up to two hours for the food to arrive and ask you whether you are okay with it. Don’t fret or even hesitate, as you are most likely to wait for 45 minutes or probably, less than an hour.

We ordered ginger clams which tasted really nice, especially the full flavoured gravy. The fresh clams were cleaned thoroughly and there was no sand inside.

The baked fish didn’t really give me the kick. The chilli pastes weren’t spicy at all and it got watery after a while, especially when the dish became cold. However, the fish they used were fresh and nicely baked still. To me, Portuguese baked fish isn’t my kind of ikan bakar as I prefer the Malay style.

Sweet and sour crabs were absolutely fantastic. Both tastes were there and didn’t overpower each other, instead, they complimented each other very well. Crabs were fresh and fat, weighing at approximately 900g each. While not as fat and heavy compared to those in KL, it’s pretty decent for Malacca’s standard. Succulent crab meat, dipped with a bit of the sweet and sour gravy, definitely finger licking good.

Kangkung belancan. Like that loh, what were you expecting? Just a little wee bit oily, but still nice and most importantly, nobody was complaining.

The portion for the deep fried calamari was pretty small for six pax. That aside, it was absolutely delicious. It wasn’t oily but definitely crunchy. The fritters were all snapped up very quickly.

The last dish to come was the steamed prawns. It was steamed with mushrooms, asam and probably white rice wine for the extra ummmppphhhh. We could smell the rice wine’s aroma the moment it was put onto our table. On top of that, the natural sweetness of the prawn meat was enhanced fully together with the slight sourish gravy.

All in all, it was a pretty decent meal at a price of RM176 or approximately RM30 per pax. I wouldn’t mind coming back again for the seafood although the crowd during peak hours is a little scary.

P/S : I didn’t have my lens at that time, hence, all pictures belong to Hiew and Hung Wei.

Instead of bringing my outstation friends for overrated and ridiculously priced Nyonya food, I prefer to bring them to this small fishing village in Alai for kampung styled seafood.

It is not exactly in town, but rather outskirt and a good old 20 to 25 minutes drive is required. Moreover, one needs to go through small roads and easily unnoticed junctions before arriving at the restaurant.

Upon entering the restaurant, you will see a big BBQ pit and a stall filled with seafood that are mostly just caught / brought up from the fishing boats. All sorts of fishes, clams, shells, prawns and even crabs (Only flower crabs though.) for you to choose from. They are just one step below from selling live seafood or rearing them in aquariums. The tray is reloaded every three to four hours, about two rounds per night, and the second batch of seafood also comes from the returning fishing boat.

The price is clearly written on the whiteboard hanging above the seafood. However, there’s no need to look at the whiteboard as it is reasonably priced or rather cheap, seriously. Once you finish selecting the seafood, you have to then decide on the cooking style by telling the guy managing the stall.

Instead of ordering a glass for each person, I reckon it is much cheaper to order a jug of whatever beverage you want.

Also, they will serve you plates of their specially made sauce, using onions, soy sauce, lime and etc.. Not spicy at all, to me.

Together with the special sauce, a tray loaded with steaming hot nasi lemak is put on the table at your expense. Each packet is priced at RM0.50-RM0.60, if not mistaken. It is really small and I can finish the whole packet in less than five spoons. Normally, I have to eat like six to eight packets each time I have my dinner at this place. It is not those super fragrant kind of nasi lemak, just good enough to gobble down together with your seafood.

Again, the otak-otak here is no where close to the Chinese’s counterparts in Muar but definitely far better than those what you get from hypermarkets.

There are many styles for you to choose from, goreng tepung, goreng sambal, masak kunyit dan cili padi, bakar, bakar sambal, sweet and sour, steamed and etc.. You can mix and match for all the dishes, but I reckon the prawns should be grilled only. Only that way, you can taste the natural taste of a fresh prawn.

I have been patronizing this particular restaurant for almost three to four years. No matter how much I order, the price per head always come to an average of RM25 or a maximum of RM30, be it a group of three or four or even up to six or eight people. The price always linger around that figure.

Some prefer the further and slightly more expensive Serkam or the nearer to town but slightly expensive Umbai, I have tried both and I still come back to Alai’s. Considering the money I am paying and the distance just to drive there, Alai offers the best value among all three. I have brought a number of outstation friends here and so far, if not, all of them enjoyed the meal.