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2014-05-20
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I stumbled upon this restaurant on a wet Sunday evening. I noticed the relalatively roomy restaurant was packed with local patrons and thought this was a good sign. I asked for a table and after several staff brushing me off I was hastily seated at a table with other customers. I'm still trying to get used to this local custom of sharing food with others (even ones you don't know!).I wasn't surprised to discover they didn't have an English menu and none of the wait staff spoke English. The two w
I wasn't surprised to discover they didn't have an English menu and none of the wait staff spoke English. The two women sitting opposite me smiled warmly and asked what brought me here: the love of local cuisine of course! I was fortunate to be seated next to such a helpful couple. They helped me order a medium sized live Grouper prepared with ginger, soy and shallots. I also ordered a spicy clay pot chicken dish.
The fish was beautifully fresh and well prepared. The flesh was delicately flakey and pulled away from the bone effortlessly. The taste was mild and the sauce didn't overpower the taste of the fish. The spicy chicken pot was a heavier dish with a complexity of flavours such as baby shallots, garlic and dried ground chili. The chicken was deep fried first before it was cooked in they clay pot which I found a bit heavy and oily but the taste was very good all the same.
The ambience of this restaurant is nothing special; just a lot of round tables packed full of noisy patrons and anxious looking staff. Yet it's places like this that you often get the freshest and tastiest meal.
The Grouper was $180 and the clay pot chicken was $85 + a 10% service charge. I thought it was good value and would definitely return based on my experience.
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