Do you have any idea how famous this restaurant has gotten ?
I first wrote about it back in January 2014 , then a local newspaper followed suit in February .
Long story short , we've finally made it back. And finally gotten a table . This is after having been told numerous times the following reasons ...
" not open " ( wrong timing )
" finish already " ( so many times I can't remember )
" come back later in the evening " ( which we didn't feel like doing
" you'll need to book or make an advanced reservation " ( I hate that )
And the latest one
" come back tomorrow morning . Make sure you come early please "
( which we did )
Since when did the portion become so huge ? Omg . When I tried to put my spoon in , I found that even though we'd gotten just a quarter of this monster , the spoon went all the way down like I was cutting kuih lapis !
Ang choh fish ( they also have garoupa in stock ) , garnished with raw onion rings and mint .The distinctive trademark curry is as delish , light , bursting with the maddening aroma of fresh white coconut flesh ( the harder , older white one ) , such a delight to find cucumber ( skin on ! ) , ladies fingers and aubergine cooked in it .
I'll be very frank with you. I expected the same silkiness from the fish but it was simply not there and I don't know why . Maybe the fish was too large , maybe it was a wee bit overdone but the very light but unique taste of the curry is still as good and that , is a major pullback factor .
They've made it easier for us Mandarin illiterates to place orders . Some prices are indicated too , to take out that shock factor , you know , in case you think a shack like this ought to be cheaper .
I heard that their relative opened a shop in Penang . But after a lot of people ( yes , yes , a lot of Penangites know how to head up to Alor Setar because there are a lot of Penangites who settled down there from during the Japanese occupation period ) got chopped hard by the high price , it didn't do so well .
Right .
New dish we're trying out .
Chien sotong . Or deep fried sotong .
Here's the wonderful part about Alor setar , most places offer a coat that is tempura thin . And then Hainan Orkid Tropika goes one step further by adding salted eggs to the mix . Real ones mind you as there is some bonus yolks in there . So yummy !
Just remember to eat this while it is still hot as it looses its ummph after cooling down .
Tau mew or Snow pea sprouts .
Good ! I like !
This is not the pathetic , old and fibrous specimens you get at ikan bakar grill stalls , but the coveted one with fat stalks .
You know what was so weird about this visit ? When we came the evening before , the helper told us that we had to book ahead . But then the very alert boss ran out and personally informed us that we ought to come back very early the next morning .
And so there we were , waiting for our meal , just as the block residents were carrying out their seventh month Hungry Ghost rituals right in front of us with bells clanging via amplifier and speakers , plus 3 female monks in tow who chanted what sounded like a Thai version of Sanskrit .
The things we put up with just for a good eat can just about classify us in category desperado . Uhuh , this darned curry is worth all that trouble . Don't say I didn't warn you , so if you're gonna take all that trouble to drive up here from say , Singapore or Bangkok ( oh ya , I know how crazy about our Malaysian Chinese food some of you are ) , please contact them via facebook or something lest you get turned away by their worker like what happened to me .
The boss is super gracious and friendly though .
Here's the fb link :
https://m.facebook.com/pages/Hainan-Orkid-Tropica-Cafe/148042138608946
Tel : 016 -516 2124 ( I've never contacted them before so I really don't know if this is a working number or not )
Location : Alor Setar
Directions : refer to this backpost for directions
https://gostansikit.blogspot.com/2014/01/curry-fish-head-hainan-orkid-tropica.html?m=1
No comments:
Post a Comment