KUALA BESUT, July 26 — A seafood restaurant cannot get a better recommendation than from fishermen, and in Kuala Besut, Zul Ikan Bakar comes highly recommended by the friendly men enjoying the cool afternoon breeze opposite their boats in Sungai Besut.
Zul Ikan Bakar’s name promises “ikan bakar” (grilled fish), and that is what you will get. In fact, that is the only thing you will get here.
Customers get to choose from a dazzling variety of fish, from the usual siakap (barramundi), kerapu (grouper), and stingray, to coastal favourites such as aji-aji (amberjack), and mudok (trevally).
However, as if to make the point clearer to doubting customers, a sign saying “di sini bakar sahaja” (only grilled fishes here) hangs over the fishes on display.
One of the crew cleaned the fishes before passing them to the grill station
“Our most popular fish is siakap, but discerning customers would choose aji-aji which is harder to get,” said Mohd Sayuti, 26. On his advice, we ordered the siakap, aji-aji and mudok.
Once ordered, one of the crew cleaned the fish before passing them to the grill station manned by Mohd Fairuz Hisam, 31.
An assistant carefully placed the fish onto a piece of aluminium foil lined with banana leaf. He then scooped around three to four ladles of red gravy-like sambal onto the fish before carefully folding and sealing the ends of the foil packet. He then put it on the grill under Hisam’s watchful eyes.
“I already know just by holding it up,” Hisam replied when asked how long each fish takes to fully cook. He lifted one of the packets with his spatula, grinning. The fish takes around 20 minutes per one kilogramme to cook, he said, and needs to be flipped every five minutes or so.
Proud griller Mohd Fairuz Hisam handles a grill full of ikan bakar
Sayuti explained that the sambal is mostly a mixture of blended onions, lemongrass, chillies, and curry powder. The owner Zulkifli Mohd, whose name graces the shop, makes the sambal himself every day and replenishes it when they run out.
They go through two 5-litre containers of sambal daily, but closer to 10 during the festive season when outsiders and visitors stop by.
The grilled fish packets arrived at our table still sealed, all puffed out due to the steam inside. They were served with wedges of lime and dipping sauce, a fiery mix of blended green chillies and sweet soy sauce.
Much like your typical Portuguese-style grilled fish, unsealing the packets unleashed waves of spicy-scented steam. It was immediately obvious upon digging in why Zul is such a favourite among the locals.
The sambal used to season the fish first hits you with a sweet taste, which then turns spicy rather than hot, and is reminiscent of fish head curry. It is just different enough from the typical sambal used outside Terengganu which has more chillies in it, and from other shops here which is much sweeter and lack the curry taste.
Zul also serves batter-fried squids, prawns, and the humble kembung
The only exception to the “no-grill” policy is the batter-fried squid, prawns, and humble kembung (mackerel). Served with the typical East Coast dipping sauce usually used for keropok lekor, the fried dishes’ beauty lies in their plain simplicity.
The shop is packed by midnight but only because of the by-election. The crowd is a mix of politicians, supporters and political pundits who come for supper after their nightly rallies.
“The datuks like us because compared to other places, we’re much roomier. Just the other day, a datuk brought around 60 of his entourage here just to treat them,” Hisam said, smiling proudly.
Zul Ikan Bakar, near Sungai Besut bridge, opposite Kuala Besut LKIM Fisheries Complex. Opens daily except Mondays, from 8pm until 2am. Closed during Ramadan month, but open during this by-election season from 10pm to 3am.
This story was first published in the print edition of The Malay Mail, July 25, 2013.
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