Seafood @ Restaurant Soon Huat, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan

Hello 2016! Starting 2016 with a guest post from The Unc - one of the best meals he had during his trip home last year.

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We have visited Port Dickson many times but have never quite found that restaurant that has truly wowed us and made us want to return for more. This time around, we went to Restoran Soon Huat at Kampung Kuala Lukut for some seafood based on a relative's recommendation and we were absolutely impressed by the quality and freshness of the seafood on offer there.

The restaurant can be quite tricky to find if you do not have a GPS at hand. It is in a fishing village so you'll be greeted by the sight of old fishing boats docked outside the restaurant.

Old school fishing pier at Soon Huat

The view from the pier looking out to the sea.

We thoroughly enjoyed the seafood on offer here. Everything was fresh and tasted delicious. We started off with a steamed red snapper (RM55), which is their signature catch of the day. It was recommended by the lady that took our orders and we were very happy with the fish. The meat was sweet and had a great texture that you only get from the freshest of fish.

We also ordered deep fried squid with salted egg yolk (RM18), Lala clams in superior stock (RM25), kangkung belacan (RM9), and finished off with Kam Heong Crabs (RM80/kg - we paid RM104 for 2 crabs). The squid and Lala clams were addictive. Baby D couldn't stop eating them. He almost had 1/3 of the whole plate and we assure you it wasn't a small plate of clams!

The Kam Heong Crabs was the highlight of the day. Baby C made the remark, "These crabs taste like scallops!" and we could see how she could make the connection, as the crab meat was taut, sweet and fell off in strands as you bit into it. The market price of crabs have recently skyrocketed and we found out recently that crabs that you get from the market cost about as much as the ones you get prepared and cooked for you in a restaurant. We went for the "larger" crab variant which costs RM10/kg more than the normal sized crabs but the price difference we paid was worth every penny.

Baby D can't get enough of the crab claws

Lala in superior broth

Steamed red snapper in soy sauce

Deep fried squid in salted egg yolk

Obviously a trip to Port Dickson is not complete without a visit to the beach! The kids thoroughly enjoyed their time having fun in the sun and frolicking in the sand.

 

 

Avillion Port Dickson

Opening times: Mon - Fri 4.00pm - 10.30pm; Sat & Sun 12.00 pm - 10.30pm. Closed once every 2 months on a Wednesday (do call before going).


Price: Total bill RM217.60.

Location: Restoran Soon Huat, Jalan Kuala Lukut, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Tel: +60 12-979 7073

GPS Coordinates: 2.561680, 101.800376


*This is a guest post by The Unc.




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Warung Mak Mah Nasi Ayam 2, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan

As a food blogger, it was only natural that I scout for some "good seafood restaurants" online that we could go to during our trip at Port Dickson. Unfortunately, blogs reviewing Port Dickson restaurants were scarce.

One of my relatives who regularly goes to Port Dickson recommended Jin Men Grill Fish Restaurant, which is located in Jalan Ayer Meleleh, off Jalan Bakar Sampah. He offered some directions, however he warned that it would be difficult for first timers to locate as it is in a secluded area.

We tried locating Jin Men but to no avail. We were starving by then. We passed Warung Mak Mah Nasi Ayam 2 while trying to locate Jin Men, and The Unc vaguely remembers eating some good seafood here before.

Although the name of the place suggests that it serves Nasi Ayam (Chicken Rice), they do much more than that. Seafood, nasi campur (mixed rice), roti canai (flatbread), Ramly burgers, and even yong tau foo! Local specialties such as lontong, soto ayam, mee jawa, nasi kerabu and nasi dagang (just to name a few) are served here for breakfast.

A list of daily breakfast and teatime specials

Since dining is alfresco, a refreshing coconut drink is very much welcomed.

Seafood is fresh, as they are from the day's catch. The seafood are kept in an ice box. If you are having ikan bakar (grilled fish), you choose which fish you want, it gets weighed and you tell the kitchen staff how you would like it cooked. We had wanted ikan pari (stingray) but it wasn't available that day so we settled for cencaru (torpedo scad) and siakap (seabass).

While waiting for our ikan bakar, we ordered a roti canai (RM0.80) and was surprised that it was so nice and crisp. Even the accompanying curry sauce was good.

Roti Canai

We opted for the siakap to be cooked tiga rasa (sweet, sour and spicy) and it turned out to be a good choice. Our fish came to RM25 for 550g. The fish was fresh and the sauce was very appetizing, a treat for the palate. We even drenched some of our rice with the sauce.

Siakap Tiga Rasa

What's left of the siakap after 10 minutes

The cencaru (RM8) was stuffed with sambal and then grilled. When it arrived, we thought that it looked a little too burnt, however with this fish, the hard skin is usually not eaten and is peeled off. The fish meat was nice eaten with the spicy sambal paste.

Cencaru Bakar




The best dish we had here has to be the Sotong Sambal (squid in sambal sauce) (RM12 for 300g), it was not too spicy and absolutely delicious eaten with rice. We polished the plate clean in a matter of minutes.

Sotong Sambal

It's been a while since I indulged in a Ramly burger, a childhood favorite of mine. We ordered a Burger Daging Special (RM2.40), which comes with a beef patty wrapped in egg and generous amount of mayo, BBQ and tomato ketchup. Yummy!!

Verdict: The food here is really tasty and fresh. I wouldn't hesitate coming back here the next time we're in Port Dickson. A lucky find for us.

Open 24 hours daily

Price: Under RM50 for 4 persons.

Location: Warung Mak Mah Nasi Ayam 2, Lot 1175, Jalan By-Pass, off Jalan Bakar Sampah, 71000 Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

GPS Coordinates: 2.529552, 101.804166

Hotel Review: Avillion Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan

We love bringing our little one to the beach for some fun in the sun. Not wanting to endure a long journey, we decided to go to Port Dickson again, primarily due to the close distance.

This time, we chose to stay at Avillion Port Dickson, and it proved to be a much better choice! Avillion Port Dickson was designed with the architecture of an Old Malay fishing village in mind, blending both traditional cultures with contemporary luxuries.

We stayed in the Water Chalet, whereas our travel companions chose the Garden Chalet. There is not much difference with the interior of the rooms, as both come with a 4-poster bed and a Pangkin daybed. The water chalets overlook the Straits of Malacca, however I find that the walk from the hotel main compound (restaurants / lobby etc) to the rooms is quite a distance, especially if you have a child with you. I much preferred the Garden Chalet as it is more family-friendly and is within close proximity to the pool. Price wise, Garden Chalet is also slightly cheaper even though it is larger than the Water Chalet.

The 4-poster bed in the Water Chalet exudes romance; deckchairs on private balcony overlooking Straits of Malacca

The open shower/bath in a Water Chalet

The view from a Water Chalet


The Garden Chalet; view from a Garden Chalet (the pool)




Breakfast is served in Crow's Nest. The buffet breakfast selection here was definitely better than what we had in Avillion Admiral Cove, but would be considered pretty average when compared with KL Hotel breakfast buffets.

The view from Crow's Nest


Other than breakfast, the only other food we sampled from the resort was this pizza from the Village Court, their 24-hour poolside restaurant. It was pretty good as it had a thin crispy crust with generous toppings of cheese.

Unwind with some cocktails/mocktails at The Galley Lounge, an open-air sunken bar with some live entertainment.

The little one enjoyed paddling in the Kid's Pool. There was a water slide but she was not old enough to go on it yet. It made her giggle when we put her in the whirlpool in the Village Pool, right next to the Kid's Pool. For adults wanting some privacy, head to Cochin Pool, a lap pool located near the Water Chalets.

The Village Pool

Cochin Pool, the adults-only pool

She also enjoyed the Pet Farm,which houses a large number of animals such as rabbits, peacocks, guinea pigs and chickens. You can feed or even bathe them at designated times.

Mr Rabbit, faster than a speeding bullet; Now you see it, now you don't; The Pet Farm

There are 2 beaches here, the Riau and Tumasek Beach. We preferred the Tumasek Beach as there were sun lounges whereby the adults could laze while watching the children play on the beach. We had fun building sandcastles; my only concern were the sand flies which were lurking in the sand. We made sure we applied lots of insect repellent.

Relaxing at Tumasek Beach

There is also a spa facility here, Avi spa, which is a contemporary peranakan inspired floating spa but we did not have time to indulge in any spa treatments.

Verdict: This is definitely the best hotel/resort I've stayed in in Port Dickson. Comfortable, relaxing with a clean beach. Family-friendly with lots of activities for the kids.

Room rates: Check their website for latest packages and room rates. Ocassionally, they also have special promotions for their Facebook fans. Also, if you have a Jusco card, you can get special room rates.

Location: Avillion Port Dickson, 3rd Mile, Jalan Pantai, 71000 Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Tel: 06- 647 6688

GPS Coordinates: 2.52012,101.820002