104. Malaysia - High King Seafood Restaurant

It happened to be a fine day together after the heavy rain pour at 3am this morning. It made a good day to travel out and this was why I was in Kukup, Pontian, a small fishing village in Johor. It is a favourite among Singaporeans and definitely not a strange land. Whenever there are any festive holidays, this small place will be overwhelmed with people. This is the seafood restaurant in Kukup which I will always patronise whenever I am in Kukup.

Frankly speaking, there aren't many restaurants to choose from. Only about 5 restaurants. The entrance to the restaurant has a ramp which enables cars to be parked into it. This is provided you will be dining at the restaurant. No valet parking but there will be someone to direct you, in case, you knock into something or someone. This is one good thing because if you didn't park your car at this restaurant, you will have to park it at the recently done-up and chargeable car park a few miles away.

The restaurant standing on wooden stilts, stretches out to the sea, able to cater to at least 30 tables. Dining by the sea is very comfortable as you will enjoy the sea breeze. No air-conditioner but sea breeze made the day. One flaw is the restaurant is directed located next to the jetty where boats will load their harvest from the sea and also load fish feed to their boats. The smell of the fish feed is quite a stench. I personally feel that it's a nostalgic feel, kampung style.
Fried prawn crackers were served. These prawn crackers were not those that were fried ready. They were fried on the spot from the dried and hardened paste. The prawn crackers were pretty different from what we usually have. It was harder and the smell of prawns was heavier. The ones we usually have were lighter and had pretty visible pores. The prawn crackers there were more compressed. There were hardly pores.

Fried Mee High King Style @RM8

This is a must-try! I can't resist the mee goreng sold in Malaysia. I think the malaysians have a better way of cooking a savoury plate of mee goreng. The mee goreng was very delicious. 1 of my makan kakis told me that the mee goreng wasn't this good previously. It was not too spicy nor too oily. It was very cheap. Look at that big portion for just RM8!!

Mixed Vegetables @RM12

The mixed veggies was just so-so. I was expecting to see glass noodles in this dish because the Singapore's style has it but there wasn't.

Fried kangkong with garlic @RM8

The kangkong was good. It was very smooth. I believe kangkong fried with sambal will be a better dish with the woolala effect but it is definitely not a wise choice. It will be laden with chilli oil which isn't good for the heart. Also, this dish was especially ordered for my aunt who didn't like spicy food.

Sweet & Sour Garoupa @RM60

We were a bit disappointed when we heard that the garoupa was a reared fish instead of sea-caught fish. The difference between these two. The reared fish's meat is not as tender as the sea-caught fish's. But we make do with the reared garoupa anyway because our purpose of visit was to eat seafood. I like the way they fried the fish till it was so crispy. A bite of the fish provened that the fish's meat was as expected to be. When I ate a slice of the pineapple, it was the taste of those overripe pineapple. Minus a few marks. However, the pineapple was just a side garnish. Given the price, I think it was quite a steal.

Fried lobster with oats @RM60

The fried lobster with oats was the lauded item of the meal. Must-try! The lady said they had only managed to catch two lobsters yesterday. One at 300grams, the other, 600 grams. So, we took the later. Butter was used to fried the lobster and the curry leaves made the dish so fragrant. The lobster meat was tangy, juicy and succulent. Together with the oats, it's just wolala. It was a great steal! You can never get lobster at such a cheap price (SGD24) in Singapore! So, if you do patronise this restaurant, always ask if lobster is available. Don't miss out this great steal.

The bill totalled up to RM157 (SGD66). I think it was very cheap considering that lobster and the garoupa were on the list. It was an enjoying meal on the sea.

High King Seafood Restaurant

No.7 Kukup Laut

82300 Kukup, Pontian, Johor

Tel: 07-6960259