Driving To The East Coast In A Cayenne Before The Monsoon Hits.
When you browse on social media and see the destinations most car clubs take, for about 98.5 percent of the time the routes driven will be along the West Coast of Malaysia.
Well, the west coast has interesting destinations and for food lovers a variety of food for all races and religions.
However, we feel that the East Coast of Malaysia also has a lot to offer in terms of roads, routes and even food. Yes, the cuisine might be skewed towards more halal offerings, but we think there is more variety and also uniqueness in its taste and best of all, most dishes are NOT available in the West Coast, even in Klang Valley.
Yes, you might get some restaurants specializing in Terengganu or Pahang cuisine, but it is just not the same as the freshness of seafood and the way it’s prepared and served, has to come from the small coastal towns of Kuantan, Kemaman and Dungun.
This is why we decided to take a Porsche Cayenne (for the best comfort, style and also safety) for a foodie excursion to Cherating.
We started our journey very early on a Monday morning, 6am to miss the Klang Valley office traffic. We stopped in Bentong for breakfast. We tried some wonton noodles and their coffee. Not the best local coffee we have had, but the noodles were good and it was a good start to the day.
We arrived in Cherating, too early to check into our hotel so we ventured further to Kemaman to look for Nasi Minyak which is a local breakfast favorite.
Our drive was very pleasant and with more than enough power for easy state roads over-taking we arrived in time to get the last bit of nasi minyak at a small village house (converted into a breakfast restaurant for the locals).
The rice itself was so very tasty with the pickled vegetables. The accompanying chicken curry (Ayam Kampung) was spicy, not hot. It was a second breakfast that was more towards an early lunch.
We made our way back to Cherating, a short 30-minute drive and on the way we stopped for some keropok lekor. You will see dozens of shops (big and small) selling this. But we were told to try one particular shop.
We found it, ordered a plate to share and they fried it right-away for us. While waiting, we browsed the shop and purchased dry Kurau fish, prawn and fish crackers to bring home.
Chewy, fishy and piping hot, we enjoyed the Lekor and ordered another plate. Well, we were sharing so it was ok.
Our drive back was comfortable and without fuss in the luxury SUV and even though some parts of the state maintained roads were uneven, we didn’t worry as the adaptive suspension took most of the bounce away from our backs.
Soon it was 2pm and time for some French pastries and a premium cup of coffee. Yes, there is a French owned bakery in Cherating and it is closed every Tuesday and Wednesday and this was our chance to get some sweet after all the savory.
We had the chocolate éclair and the lemon tart with a Latte. It was probably the best éclair we have had in a long time as the pastry was soft and a little springy and the chocolate filling was creamy and ‘rich’.
Time to head back and take a nap. Like some bears heading into winter with their full bellies. We slept all the way to dinner time. Woke up hungry, yes, we were looking forward to some great fresh seafood.
We have always visited the same ‘shack’ beachside seafood restaurant in Cherating for two decades and so we arrived early before the flies arrived.
We ordered a deep fried Kurau with sambal petai, a deep fried squid and ginger sauce clams. No need for vegetables. It was super fresh and as always, it was the squid that took center stage.
Cleaned the plates completely and we drove to Chukai looking for coffee. The road ahead was dark, however with the bright and high headlamps of the Cayenne, we had a clear view ahead and even our return journey was easy and without any fuss.
