For a taste of authentic Kelantanese fares this Ramadhan, head on to Kelantan Delights, one of my favourite Malay restaurants. This year, Head Chef Muslim Sadli and his team have come up with a splendid spread of more than 80 delicious dishes for Berbuka Puasa.
When I visited Kelantan Delights at Chitta Mall recently – my first time there, I located the restaurant from the aromatic trail from their Gerai Ikan Bakar. Stalls have been set up at the entrance and in front of the restaurant, lending a festive air to the scene. Tantalising aromas wafted from their Gerai Bakar, Gerai Goreng-goreng, Noodles Station, Gerai Siam, Gerai Nasi, Gerai Ice Kacang and a huge wok of bubbling Gulai Kawah Daging.
Nasi Kerabu and Nasi Dagang are served in a dedicated stall, complete with ayam percik, daging bakar, gulai ikan tongkol, complete with all the requisite ulams, garnishing and glorious orange-yolk salted eggs. I added on ladlefuls of gulai kawah daging to “banjir” my nasi.
Inside the restaurant, there’s a long buffet counter holding up all sorts of hot Kelantanese dishes, kerabus, sambals and desserts (all kinds of kuihs and bubur). The delicious line-up of the buffet is framed against the signature backdrop of the famous Siti Khadijah Market in Kota Bharu.
Most of the kuihs served here are of Kelantanese origin – so you get to indulge on favourites like akok, jala emas, lompat tikam, tahi itik, among others.
Of course, other traditional malay sweets are also available. I applaud the extra efforts taken to serve bite-size portions of the kuihs in individual spoons to avoid wastage and of course, for diners to enjoy the wide repertoire offered!
Chef Sadli and team have prepared 3 Ramadhan menus which are rotated so diners get to enjoy different dishes each day.
Head Chef Muslim Sadli (photo courtesy of Kelantan Delights)
Please call ahead to make your reservations as they are almost always full every day.
Price:
RM77 nett (adult)
RM38nett (child)
Kelantan Delights
G27 Ground Floor, Chitta Mall
Jalan PJU1A/48
Ara Damansara
47310 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7831-6152/010-7984-616/013-2177-0010/
019-6716-135/013-6337-449
Besides Chitta Mall, Kelantan Delights also have outlets in Subang Jaya and Sooka Sentral. For more information,visit their website: www.kelantandelights.com