Turtle Alley

Jalan Kampung Cina

20100 Kuala Terengganu

(Coordinates: E103° 7' 57.2" N5° 19' 58.3")

Taken off their webpage: "What is now known as “Turtle Alley” in Chinatown, Kuala Terengganu, used to be merely a gap between two pre-war houses that had remained closed to public access for many decades.

In 2010, when the State Government of Terengganu completed the reclamation of the waterfront behind the row of houses in Chinatown, the aforementioned “gap” was opened and became one of the busiest connecting pedestrian alleys between the newly-formed road and carpark spaces of the waterfront and Chinatown.

Due to the many years of disuse, the alley was in a derelict condition. Dr. Chan Eng Heng, who had just recently retired then, was asked to provide ideas on how the alley could be beautified and given a face-lift.  Coming from a background in turtle conservation, she immediately suggested that it be turned into an alley to create awareness on turtles and be aptly named “Turtle Alley.”

The ideas flowed and the  proposed beautification plan was fully endorsed by the Kampung China (Chinatown) Residents Committee.  The State Executive Councilor, YB Dato’ Toh Chin Yaw, Mr. Lorenz Law, Mr. Sam Wee and many other local residents have given the project complete support and are all duly acknowledged here.

Work on the project began in late 2010 and by July 2011, most of the turtle mosaics, and the metallic plates of “Little Turtle Messenger” had been installed in the alley.   Although the alley is now functioning fully as a public thoroughfare, ideas are still being mulled upon to fill up the remaining spaces on the walls of the alley."

We have nothing more to add, and will let our photos do the talking for us...

Breakfast @ Kampung Cina

Jalan Kampung Cina

20100 Kuala Terengganu

(Coordinates: E103° 7' 57.2" N5° 19' 58.3")

We woke up bright and early because we wanted to have breakfast at the Taman Selera (food court) at Kampung Cina, which provides authentic breakfast fare of the local Chinese community. Lo and behold as soon as we got there parking would prove to be a challenge due to the presence of a morning market. After some difficulty we managed to secure decent parking only to find the food court fully occupied with no spare seating.

 

full house!

 

they only serve BKT here

Still aiming to have breakfast here, we ambled aimlessly and stumbled upon this nameless restaurant hosting a motley collection of food stalls.

 

no signboard in sight

 

Cat ordering my Ee Mee

Brendan was immediately drawn to the Char Kueh Teow stall and promptly ordered a plate; I was still suffering the after effects of an upset stomach opted for a ‘safe’ bowl of Ee Mee. Cat was the only one having an authentic Terengganu Chinese breakfast courtesy of some Yam cakes she bought from a roadside vendor.

Cat's favourite Terengganu breakfast

 

it's been a while

 

thoroughly enjoying herself

 

Brendan gravitated to this stall

 

what else?

 

pleased as punch

 

my 'easy on the tummy' ee mee

 

our beverages

 

we'll try the taman selera kg tiong again tomorrow?

All in all the whole shebang cost us RM17.60, which is pretty reasonable given that this (nameless) restaurant was more West Coast than local fare. Would we come here again? Only if we cannot be seated at Kampung Cina’s Taman Selera.

Warong Norazila

Lot 2230, Jalan Sultan Mahmud

Kuala Ibai

20400 Kuala Terengganu

(Coordinates: E103° 10' 6.8" N5° 17' 7.5")

Being a fully-bred Terengganu boy it is my assertion that the Terengganu ¹Nasi Dagang is the one true king, while all other variants mere pretenders to the throne. Excuse me for waxing lyrical about my favourite Terengganu dish but a visit to Warong Norazila will surely convert all detractors, will it not?

¹rice steamed in coconut milk

I grew up on a lot of things, but the one dish that I identify the most with my childhood is Nasi Dagang. In my prepubescent days I only need to head to the local market for my regular fix; any roadside stall worth its salt will serve the Nasi Dagang (wrapped in banana leaf) on any given morning.

Later in life the Nasi Dagang was not so plentiful, and I would usually head to Simpang Tokku to a shop located directly opposite the Shell petrol station for my fix. The Nasi Dagang stall that I frequented was run by a pair of sisters with identical protruding front teeth (the sisters were however, not identical twins. They were not even twins, come to think of it.)

We moved to Kuala Lumpur in 2002 and came back every now and then, and each time we made sure Simpang Tokku was high in our list of places of interest. Then a few years ago the unimaginable happened; the sisters stopped selling their Nasi Dagang at Simpang Tokku!

Faced with the prospect of going through life devoid of my Nasi Dagang I began an earnest search for the sisters with the protruding teeth. Searching long and hard (bless the internet) yielded several clues and clear indications, and on our very next trip to Kuala Terengganu we found Warong Norazila. After interviewing the personnel manning the Nasi Dagang stall, I was satisfied that we had the correct version. Apparently the sisters ran both the Simpang Tokku and Kuala Ibai stalls up until a few years ago and have since retired. They let go of the Simpang Tokku stall and left the Kuala Ibai stall in the hands of their successors (nieces and other assortment of relatives).

 

yes, your eyes do not deceive you

 

nasi minyak

 

nasi kunyit

 

nasi kerabu

 

various pots of gulai

Phew! Now on with the dishes available at Warong Norazila. Apart from the Nasi Dagang themed stall; this almost food-court type eatery boasts a wide variety of other dishes including Black Pepper Steak!

We began by ordering the Nasi Dagang with ²Gulai Ikan Tongkol (Tuna) for me; Brendan had the Nasi Minyak with ²Gulai Daging (Beef) while Cat had the ³Nasi Himpit. By way of beverages, I had freshly squeezed Apple juice while Brendan and Cat both had the freshly squeezed Dragon Fruit juice. Just so you know, Ikan Tongkol (Tuna) is called Ikan Aye (pronounced Ah-Yer) in Terengganu.

²rich, spicy and succulent curry-like sauce

³glutinous compressed rice cooked in palm leaves

 

Brendan's nasi minyak with gulai daging

 

my nasi dagang with gulai ikan tongkol

 

Cat's nasi himpit

 

bon appetit

 

multi coloured juices

Hold up, hold up... I then had the Nasi Kunyit (Pulut Kuning) with ²Gulai Ikan Tongkol (Tuna) while Cat was enticed with what Brendan had and promptly ordered her own Nasi Minyak with ²Gulai Daging.

 

yup, it's round two

 

my  nasi kunyit with gulai ikan tongkol

Suffice to say we thoroughly and completely enjoyed our meal(s) and there will be no further word on that. And here’s the pièce de résistance: with all that we ordered plus the various freshly squeezed fruit juices the total came to... wait for it... drum roll please... RM22!

So for anyone with any lingering doubts about whether Terengganu has the best Nasi Dagang, please punch in the coordinates provided above, order yourselves a plate and prepare to be converted.

Nasi Padang Istemewa

(within Restoran Ramai)

Jalan Banggol

20100 Kuala Terengganu

(Coordinates: 5° 19' 53.50", 103° 8' 7.3")

Meeting Abang Buyong and eating his ¹Nasi Padang often evokes memories of days gone by, and at times it will move me to tears. Each time I come here time stands still, and I am transported back to the days when my hair (when I still had it) was long and my jeans tattered.

¹padang-style rice, a miniature banquet of meats, fish, vegetables, and spicy sambal (fiery-spicy condiment) eaten with plain white rice

 

my time tunnel

 

it actually says "Istemewa"

The aroma of his Nasi Padang dishes soothes my soul; I leave after every meal feeling lighter. Alright then, enough with the melodramatics and let’s get down to the business of eating.

 

the aroma from these dishes...

 

... have magical qualities

 

come and try it for yourselves

This time around Abang Buyong was nowhere to be found as he was shorthanded and it was all hands on deck in his kitchen. Brendan as usual had the Chicken Curry (Minang style) with his white rice; Cat opted for the Fried Ikan Keli (Catfish) with her white rice while I had the Chilied Ikan Kembung (Rastrelliger Mackerel, is that right?) with my white rice.

 

Brendan's chicken curry with white rice

 

Cat's catfish (pun intended) with white rice

 

My mackerel with white rice

 

our beverages

 

let's dig in!

The verdict? Most Nasi Padang fare that we’ve had were the fiery spicy variety, and this is where Abang Buyong comes up trumps since his version is more soothing and mellow, a little easier on the mouth and in the belly. Besides, along with a round of Coca Cola for Cat and Brendan and Tamarind juice for sore-throated moi the total came to light-on-the wallet RM25.00, well within the domain of the everyday food for the everyday person (or in my case food to soothe the soul).

 

looking good Abang Buyong!

If you’re ever in Kuala Terengganu looking for some Nasi Padang cuisine then head on over to Jalan Banggol and give Abang Buyong a holler. And oh, we managed to catch up with him before we left the restaurant. He looks jolly as ever, and pleased that we came to see him again.

Terengganu State Museum

Bukit Losong

20566 Kuala Terengganu

+6096221444 website

(Coordinates: E103° 6' 11.7" N5° 19' 11.4" )

A hearty breakfast out of the way, we headed to Bukit Losong to visit with the largest of its kind in Malaysia, the Terengganu State Museum.

Taken off its website: “Acclaimed as the largest of its kind in Malaysia, the Terengganu State Museum houses century old artifacts and artworks of rich and colourful heritage. Located on 27 hectares of land in Bukit Losong, Kuala Terengganu, the complex itself is an impressive architectural feature, based on the ancient Terengganu palace designs and architectures. The complex’s many galleries showcase textiles, historical artifacts, crafts, royal regalia, Islamic arts, contemporary arts, weapons, petroleum development, historical, sea faring trade, fisheries and marine galleries.

Herbs and botanic garden is well-maintained in the vicinity of the museum. At the main entrance, the original Arabic Jawi text inscription of Islamic religious decree Inscribed Stone or “Batu Bersurat” of Terengganu is prominently displayed, which proves the earliest acceptance of Islamic teachings in the Malay Peninsula. The maritime complex, the restored original old palaces and traditional boats used by sea-faring locals are also prominently displayed in the compound.”

Priced at RM5 for adults and RM2 for children below the age of 16, you will not find a better way to spend your money, believe you me. The only down side is that cameras are not permitted within the museum (major bummer!). Oh well, we’ll just share the photographs we managed to snap around the museum’s premises.

 

huge!

 

an actual Cadillac

 

well kept

 

another relic

 

Malaysia's first national car

 

the landscape

 

my mother says this plant is haunted?

 

up to their usual shenanigans

 

when she's not yelling at him