Villa Seafood Restaurant @ Kampung Cina, Sitiawan - A Toast to the Good Times

Finally the 15 days of joy, recklessness (in all manners) and various holidays peppered throughout .... are over. This year's sense of festivities was lacking, at least IMO, probably due to bitter feuds over at Gaza, and the endless policitical tsunami at our very own backyard. Oh, and the bleak statistics of the Ops Sikap (or whatever they're callin it now) splashed on the dailies, a grim reminder of the dark side of humanity.

Credits to KYT for this shot.

But let's concentrate on something worthwhile. Some food for the guts, as well as for the soul? Here's today's post on the famous stretch of seafood restaurants in Sitiawan. Kampung Cina, in particular.

Those tall coconut trees provided much shades and serenity ...

Still remember my AMU Coconut Villa post? Situated directly opposite of AMU is this Villa Seafood Restaurant, touted as some as an even better alternative to AMU's.

Toddy at RM6/jug

AMU and Villa are in fact, not only popular with the locals, but very, VERY famous with outsiders alike. A testament to their popularity transcending borders, it seems. And through out our lunch at Villa today, we witnessed many patrons bearing registration plates from Perak, KL, Penang, etc.

To counter the heatiness of the food, or the plain sweltering heat from the scorching, almost desert-like weather in Perak nowadays, we ordered a jug of toddy (coconut flower wine?) to be shared. Rather than served chilled like Coconut Flower Seafood restaurant in Teluk Gong, the toddy here was served at room temperature instead, with additional ice cubes for those who prefer them cold. Toddy's best served chilled, but the addition of ice cubes somewhat diluted the beverage. And be wary of the flies. They're attracted to the drink like bees to flowers. ;)

The compulsory Greens - Choy Tam stir-fried with carrots

Marmite Chicken (edited thanks to Hulk!)


Steamed Siakap in Assam Sauce

The ULTRA crispy Oh Chien (Oyster Omelette)

The portion here is bigger than the average. Hence refrain from over-ordering. Us 4 were having trouble finishing the 4 dishes.

Tastewise? I'll pick Villa over Amu, based on the once visit to each place. The Oh Chien, in particular, was very crispy at the sides, with juicy M-size oysters deep-fried with batter and eggs. Paired with the famous Kampung Koh chilli sauce, the Oh Chien was almost snack-like, requiring no rice as complement.

The siakap was very fresh, the flesh firm, tender, and steamed to perfection. Had we known the fish was this fresh, we would've ordered the plain steamed siakap instead, to fully savour the sweetness of the fish. But the spicy and tangy Assam gravy was not bad either, and perfect to drench our plates of white rice.

What a relaxing sight? Old friends chatting over some young, fresh coconut juice and seafood galore .... under the shacks ....

The meal costed a mere RM59.90. Very reasonable, given the amount, the quality of the ingredients, and the inflated prices in most eateries nowadays.

Location : VILLA SEAFOOD RESTAURANT @ Kampung Cina, 32000 Sitiawan. For directions, please refer to my post on AMU Coconut Villa Restaurant. Villa Seafood is situated opposite of AMU. Need help? Drop me a comment or email.

A toast to our friendship .... and remembering the priceless one and half year of MAKAN-ship, MAKAN tours and CRAZY times ....