Terengganu A-Go-Go

Hai Peng Restaurant, Chukai. During a work trip to the Tanjung Jara Resort, I stopped by Chukai, the popular bustling town of Terengganu – I couldn't help but think... "Then and Now".

A quick web search mentions the town as a former taxing center, during the colonial days, for floating vessels using the Kemaman River and hence, its name derivative, Chukai. I haven't stopped by this bustling small town for at least 5 years. It has gotten busier... many new buildings have sprung up with vibrant wall colors and patriotic banners and lighting. You know a small town has caught up with modern times when two way lanes become a single lane traffic to ease congestion and you have to pay for parking!!!

It was morning and I had spare time to catch a little breakfast...hmmm, why not at the overly hyped up Hai Peng coffee shop, since I didn't have time to wander around on foot to uncover new joints. I was also considering that Hainanese Chicken Rice place but didn't think they were open just yet. (the story continues below , see "The Returning").

The parking system was new to me. Just opposite Hai Peng building, the parking meter serving the area requires the driver to punch the number found on the parking spot before dropping in coins. Needless to say, this big city chimp didn't know how to work the Terengganu 'thing' and started doing the KL 'thing' by punching the number plates then putting in coins.... I think I must have donated to half a dozen parking meters before realising the correct way to do things. (chimps don't read the instructions listed!).

I'm not a big coffee drinker nor a small coffee drinker since caffeine (especially of the gourmet variety) keeps me up till the wee hours of the morning. Oh, what the heck! Since I've got to post something on the famous Hai Peng coffee, I called for a cup of 'Kopi-Ping' (iced coffee with condensed milk) and selected a pre-packed nasi dagang from a platter of snacks and breakfast food in the center of the shop.

The nasi dagang was very tasty with 2 slices of fish (mackerel variety??) topped with fish curry. The glutinous rice was well formed, chewy but not mushy.

This place was jumping! (to lend a chimp term) All walks of life filled the seating area. Malays, Chinese, Indians dan 'lain-lain' were soaking up the atmosphere at 10am (don't they work...?).

The iced coffee came in a transparent plastic cup secured with a branded plastic wrap on top. Very new age. They must be exporting these ice coffees somewhere. The taste? Not bad. Smoother than your regular kopitiam coffee without the sourness that's sometimes evident from strange brews or roasting ingredients.

Hmm.. I wonder how much of these roasts are part of its secret brew?
If there was anything to complain about, it was the pricing. For this ice coffee and prepacked nasi dagang, it was a staggering RM4.50! In KL, you could have your favourite Ramli Burger and a can of coke with spare change left over.
Why so expensive? The rich folk tagged to the petroleum rich state? There wasn't any air-conditioning, portions were small and the family probably owns the entire 3-story building (they probably collect good rental too).

MSG: low (a general assumption, since I didn't eat the other stuff)
Ambiance: 5/10
Price: Too expensive!!
Nostalgia: 6/10 – (a bit too modern/commercialized a setting. The cashier area had stacks of food stuff glaring at you to purchase)

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The Returning..

Upon my return, I drove along Dungun beach to check out the lovely scene (ideally, it would have been in a Ford Mustang convertible, any year - for effect that is...;P). There were snack shacks peppering the beach road. Some bright pink, some shanty. No blaring sound systems or modified mufflers or screaming children. Just a pretty, scenic drive in cool, slightly overcast weather.

Then there were these blue Tong Sampahs/Dustbins standing upright in an otherwise ordinary day.

A shack with a Lempeng sign caught my eye. Ciki had written about that nice Lempeng served at Haslam's KL,(near Tawakal Hospital KL) and I wanted to check out the one here. Sadly, it was a different type of Lempeng - flour and desiccated coconut eaten with overnight (overweek?) curry (pretty yucky) - after 2 bites I reached for the bottle of saccharine sweet, tangy, 'Made in Terengganu Chilli Sauce' instead. It was much better than any chilli sauce I've eaten in KL (Oh yeah, east coast baby!). To wash it down, I ordered air Nyiur/Coconut water. I regretted not asking them to serve it kosong/without sugar. It was too sweet and watered down. What happen to all that freshness and in abundance, of Kampung food?

Back on the road, I passed by the newly opened Mesra Mall on the way back to Chukai.

Friday is East Coast's break day and it's eagerly commemorated by the Mat Rempits revving up wild, in the big town (that is Chukai). It's like TOOO FAST TOOO D*MN FURIOUS TERENGGANU HEAT! ..minus the pounding ghetto beats, designer clad macho muscle men/punks or scantily clad hotties.. just your ordinary kedai bengkel/mechanic, factory worker, office/bank clerk and odd job worker living their extra-ordinary lives. You could see different clusters of gangs along the stretch of the main road checking out the competition's whine & grind. It would have done justice to this write up with an illustrated picture but you just have to trust my descriptive words.

As I needed petrol, I drove into the town and since I was in town I thought I'd stop by the Hainanese chicken rice restaurant, Kim Wah which I felt was one of the best chicken rice I'd ever tasted, almost ten years ago. The amazing thing is that it's halal too.

“Back in the day” I had visited this coffee shop, in the Ramadhan month seeking a better and more affordable lunch than my over-priced hotel. Most eateries were closed except Kintowah/ Kim Wah Restaurant (We returned the following night for that other famous stuffed crab & lobsters restaurant, but that's another story altogether). Anyway, just my luck - the shop was closed and I couldn't validate whether the quality and taste was just as good as the first time. It's odd that to date, I haven't found any other blog/flog expounding the good taste offered at this shop. Well, if anyone decides to swing by, do try it and tell us if Kintowah chickens are still as yummy.. We would really love to know!


THE END

*This Roadtrip was experienced and written by CUMI... the masculine half of Cumi&Ciki.

Beach bums

Mesti Tunggu!

Touch-down at KT airport ! 1st stop... BREAKFAST!

Me and mates... all hungry and tired and dying for something hot to fill our bellies!

ALIAS nasi dagang... excellent, clean and CHEAP!

RM2.00 for the nasi dagang and nasi lemak.

Now... we were ready for the journey to our destination :)

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About 14km from Kuala Dungun lies Tanjung Jara Resort.

Nestled near the South China Sea, Tanjung Jara Beach has a gorgeous stretch of golden sand where you will see hot bods in the sun, perfecting their already "well-done" honeycomb tan!

The beach provides an excellent location for windsurfing, boating, kayaking or just plain lazing by the beach and sunbathing.... A run in the cool evening is a must! The beautiful part is that you don't need to bring your shoes... run till you work up a sweat, then dive into the icy cool water.. the waves are stronger in the evenings... BLISS :D

Though in my opinion, Tanjung Jara is overpriced for a 5-star hotel in Kuala Terengganu, and given a choice I would much rather spend my money on say, a beach holiday in Thailand or Bali, overall there is nothing much, really, to complain about. The staff is super friendly and well trained, the beach is clean and secluded and I would give the food a 3/5 ( no pork obviously.. so that kinda killed it for me.. haha).

BBQ dinner on the beach! Now that's my kinda dinner !

The table deco was 100% real... so we ate the mango for dessert! haha



Sony moment!


After dinner... we drank the night away...

Nothing much to do really, as the nearest town is like 20 minutes away and the taxi will charge you RM70 per cab. Yikes!

More Sony moments.. and the music blares on...

"Old skool, new skool, even in-between skool.. wot'chu gonna do, when you get out of high school " dum-dee-dum :P

Verdict :

Not a bad place for a quick get-away, without having to fly overseas. However, the place is starting to have a musty feel about it... its light is starting to burn dim in comparison with other newer, more happening holiday resorts by the beach.

It helps if you pack a huge box of booze and you have good company with you. Chill-out, kick-back relax and have some fun in the sun!

Enjoy the gecko-paced life, while it lasts, because soon, you'll be headed back to the crazy town life, that is KL :D