Din Ikan Bakar, Kepala Batas ( U )

This ikan bakar place is something you'll have to see for yourself because the spread is so crazy massive for such a small sleepy hollow such as this.

My pictures simply do it no justice as they're about to close for the day, thus you won't be able to spot the amazing rows of heaving grilled buffets  .

Come during lunch hour and you might be forgiven if you thought you were right smack in the centre of an epic pasar ramadan feast. Except that it's not even ramadan, but an ordinary day .

Below is what was left of the grills.....Leftovers on empty rows splattered with sauce, oils, floors dotted with lost utensils, charred bits, banana leaf, and tin foil .

Indicative of a very successful food enterprise .
 

I give you the prawns. Not many of their regulars want to splurge on it as it costs $10 per piece (expensive by local standards I guess) . I was so so tempted.

Now look upwards at the prices and you will know why the throngs descend here. Price and freshwater fishes.

I choose an ultra boney Jenahak which is barbecued to perfection. The skin is beautifully charred and the inside a pristine white.

Paired it off with their incredibly mouthwatering plate of kicap with shallots, birds eye chillies and lime ( this simple sauce is so good it's to die for) as well as some ulam ( they even have boiled banana trunk heart ! ) and sambal tempoyak.

I initially thought all their sauces were the same since they were all the same colour but I was wrong . This skatefish is made so intensely fragrant by a remarkable infusion of serai so different from others that you may have tasted.

No meal is complete here without this super cheap sugarcane drink at $1 a pop. Most patrons go for the coconut water but this is my fav.

Don't overlook the beef soup.While light and littered with boiled peppercorns and ginger, it's quite refreshing and not too spicy. Balances off the spicy sambals and grilled sauces really well.

Begin at the Kepala Batas toll plaza and take a right turn at this T junction

Follow the road all the way in, through the old commercial centre, slowly drive past a busy roadside pasar until you come to this clearing.
On this deserted stretch you will suddenly notice a lot of cars parked on the left . That is the place.

Location : No 6735 Jalan Butterworth, 13200 Kepala Batas, Penang

Tips : as far as possible , please try to dress decently (skimpy tops n hot pants are a no no), as they're still quite conservative and there aren't many outsiders. Also, this is a self service restaurant. Just take whatever you want, someone will come to your table to do the math,leave you with a slip of paper which you have to take and pay at the cashier later.