Langkawi 2013 Trip! w/ Unkaizan review ! =D
1:56:00 PMIts been 2 weeks since I've returned from Langkawi ( an island Northwest of Malaysia ) but haven't been able to update anything due to the busy class schedule. Finally had a day off where I can slowly select photos and think of what to say.
This trip was only for the 2 of us (me & pig). Consider it kinda like a pre-honeymoon thing (ohoho). We decided to travel there by train, midnight sleeping train. And so we did. We booked a train on the 21st of February (Thursday) at 9.20pm. We arrived at Langkawi on the 22nd of February (Friday) at 7am in the morning. That was a good 10 hours journey.
Somehow its easier to travel on a sleeping train due to the fact that you can sleep through the journey rather comfortably instead of sitting upright, which hurts my back and neck. The train wasn't expensive as compared to flight tickets. It was only RM46 per journey, so its RM92 in total per person. Airasia charged us RM400-500 per person and Firefly charged us around the same.
It was my first time to Langkawi and also our first trip alone together! I was very excited!
Pig being an Indian Goddess =D
During the journey, I watched The Big Bang Theory while Pig was playing Final Fantasy on her phone. When I notice my battery was running dry, I looked for her power bank in my bag, only to know that the internal battery compartment was 'bloated'. It look as if it was about to explode. So I wasn't able to charge my phone and had no choice but to switch it off, it was at 30%. Told Pig what happened and she was really upset. Sorry...ahaha
Anywho, after arriving at Kuala Kedah, we took a taxi (RM22) to the harbour and got ourself ferry tickets (RM18 per person). We've also book a car for 3 days. REMINDER to whoever is reading this, DO NOT book your car at the harbour, they charge extra without you knowing.
A guy came up to us and sold us ferry tickets, which was at a reasonable price, and asked whether or not we wanted car. At that time, I had to shit so I let Pig handle the negotiation, which I asked her to book only 1 day. The guy charged us RM60 a day for a Perodua Viva, which was rather on the high side. Turns out that Pig actually book for the whole 3d2n for RM120.
After settling everything, we board the ferry headed to Langkawi ( 2 hours journey ). Upon arriving, there are plenty of people coming up to us asking whether or not we had rented cars. They only charge RM40-50 for the Viva. So we were conned RM20 out of our pocket, ahahah, which was fine since there are times like this where we learn a few things.
The guy that rent us the car will bring us to their so called 'office' (its actually a big carpark) and hand us the car there. You will then have to pay a deposit (for me it was RM80), it varies with different cars. As usual, the cars you receive will be left only 1 bar of petrol. To find a nearest petrol station, one must drive pretty far from the harbour, pretty much near the town area. NOTE: There are hardly any petrol stations around, so think carefully when filling petrol.
Unluckily for us, there was a police on the way and apparently I've lost my license. I sincerely do not know when I lost it but yeah, I lost it. The police talked lots of crap saying that I do not own a license, the fine is RM300 bla bla bla. In conclusion, he just wanted some 'coffee money' (bribery). I decided to just give him RM50 and go on with it. After all that, we finally arrived at our hotel.
Our hotel, it was really bright and rather hot, due to the aircon not being switched on. The place was quite empty, but apparently its a full house. The check in time was at 3pm, but we were there at 12pm. They allowed us to leave our luggage there and collect it later during the check-in. We signed a few papers and stuff and left for lunch.
We were very hungry so we just stop by at any restaurant we saw was open. This 'Famous Chicken Rice' was located in Cenang Beach. The food was okay, maybe cause we were hungry. The plate of rice cost us RM5 and the coffee at RM3.20. Reasonable, but slightly more expensive than chicken rice in Kuala Lumpur.
Its a holiday, so what the hell.
There was plenty of Duty Free shops around. Even normal grocery shops sell Duty Free alcohol and chocolate. The alcohol here was extremely cheap. Carlsberg can was only RM2 as compared to RM5 - 6 in KL. The bottle was only RM2.70 as compared to RM7 - 9. All alcoholic drinks and chocolate are far cheaper than they are in KL. If you do hesitate on whether or not you should, you should. Just drink up!
Look! A kitteehh!!
There are plenty of restaurant by the beach. At this point of time, we were searching on what to eat for dinner. So we walk and drove around Cenang Beach and Tengah Beach.
We drove and drove and drove.....only to stumble upon....
THIS JEWEL! The restaurant is located further down Cenang beach, past Holiday Villa Resort, turn left up the hill. We've read reviews about this place and 98% person of them said that this can be possibly the best Japanese restaurant in Malaysia. Do not be fooled by the run-down interior at the ground floor.
See, its up the hill!
This was their menu, although I fail to see why on earth would they attach the BINDED paper to a wooden board. It makes flipping the pages so hard and annoying. I would have taken the photo of the menu and price list, but I totally forgot because I was busy looking at the interior of the restaurant.
Its been awhile since I've sat down like that in a Japanese restaurant. The last time I did that was approximately 14-15 years ago. The interior felt really Japanese. The timber strip floor, the low dining table with round pebble like cushion, the lights and everything else.
This was our seat, right beside the window. Quite a scenery there.
Selca-ing when I was busy checking in on Foursquare.
The table settings, each customer is given their own set of utilities, including a wooden tray.
Pig ordered hot green tea, and it came in a pot! Rather cute. The tea was excellent. I could totally taste the Macha / green tea in it. It was strong yet delicate, unlike most of the Japanese restaurants in Malaysia, they would just serve you diluted green tea.
My own set, including my cold green tea, which wasn't as good as the hot ones, but still better than average restaurant green tea.
This was Pig's order. Tenderloin beef or something like that. When I first tried it, it was beyond words. The beef was so tender and flavourful that my jaws literally drop. The pickled cucumber was fresh, crunchy, salty and sour. It's beyond anything I've had before. (I'm sorry, I've never been to Japan, so I'm comparing with all the Japanese restaurant in Malaysia. ='( . ) The price for this set was RM65++
This was my Bento set, and possibly the most expensive on the set menu. It cost RM85++. At first I was reluctant to order such an expensive bento, considering that this trip wasn't really sponsored by my mother.
It is my second most expensive Japanese meal I've had. There was once when I was very young, I had a bento that cost about RM100+. Anyhow, I do not know how should I write this, I assume awesomelyfuckinglyalmightily delicious should do just fine.
I don't know where to start. I mean, the Salmon and Maguro (tuna) sashimi was soooo good. The meat was chunky enough but not overly cut. It was fresh that I could taste the fucking ocean. The wasabi was slightly different, I do not know in what ways, but when I dip the sashimi in soya sauce and wasabi, it was like the Hiroshima bomb in my mouth.
Next, the Tempura was fried to perfection. The crust of each tempura was light, crispy, had a burst of flavours and a great scent. It wasn't soggy or dry or even tasteless compared to Sushi King's tempura. It was just out of this country (I couldn't say out of this world due to the fact that I've not been to Japan yet). The prawns, sweet potato, long beans were all really fresh. The sauce that they provided us with was also really good. It wasn't extremely salty nor was it bland. It was light but gave a little kick to the tempura itself. At this point, my tastebuds were bursting with unicorn rainbow and mountains of gold.
The UNAGI, one of my all time favourite fish. Unagi has always been good no matter how bad it is. Its like sex, when its good, its good, when its bad, its also quite good. I never really complain about any Unagi that I've eaten simply because the fact that it was expensive and I couldn't really have it often. But after tasting the Unagi here, I can say that most of the Unagis in KL, are horse shit. The fish was thick, juicy, tender and full of flavour. The sauce was just simply delightful.
Even the simplest Egg Roll (beside the Unagi) was awesome. The eggs were consistent in both texture and flavour. The egg did not felt too egg-ish, but yet maintain a sufficient amount of taste to it. The layering of the egg roll just stays nicely together, but when chewed, comes off smoothly. A simple soya sauce would be sufficient. Best egg-roll I've eaten.
The Cawanmushi (Eggs in a cup mixed with different meat such as crabsticks, fish or chicken, and mushrooms or scallops) was heavenly. The eggs were soft and fluid and literally melts in my mouth. The taste was so delicate that individual components of the Cawanmushi can be tasted. The fish has its own texture even though its been placed inside the eggs. Everything was spot on. Best cawanmushi I've eaten as well.
The Miso Soup was fantastic. Unlike regular Miso soup that was made with Miso Packet. This was made fresh. It didn't felt like I was drinking a bowl of MSG or salt. Everything felt real. Its as if all the Miso soup I had in life was a lie. The seaweed was big, the amount of spring onion was good, everything was just very good.
Last but not least, the Rice. The rice was served inside a bucket, apparently there was also a small candle below the pot to keep the rice warm. Each bucket can easily make 3 bowls of rice (using the bowl given). The portion was just right for both of us (we both had our own bucket, not shared). Furthermore, there is a little 'salty-like-granules' on top of the rice. It gave the rice a unique saltiness, which of course was awesome. Without any doubt, we dig right in the rice when it arrive.
Here is a photo of the rice.
Last but not least, my Bento came with a dessert. I can choose between few types of ice cream which includes Home-made Ice cream or Teppan Ice cream. The home-made ice cream has regular flavours like vanilla, green tea, strawberry etc but what caught my attention was the Teppan ice cream. It literally means ice cream being pan fried on a teppanyaki iron griddle. It also include a selection of fruits such as pineapple, apple, kiwi, blueberry, strawberry, banana etc. I chose kiwi because both of us liked kiwi.
We waited around 10 minutes before it arrive. The ice cream was served on a clay bowl and 2 wooden spoons. We took a photo and then started trying. To my surprise, it was beyond what I expected. The ice cream was already half melted, but the consistency of the cream itself stays. The balance of flavour between the creaminess and sweetness of the ice cream and the citrus-like-sourness from the kiwi really went well together. It was one of the most unique and appetizing ice cream I've eaten. It was amazing
Overall, our bill came out to be RM150. Which in this case, was very worth it. The meal was satisfying and the staffs were friendly. The portion was just right to make us full, but not bloated. The tea was refreshing and thirst quenching and the ice cream was a great dessert to end it with. When we walked out, I wanted to see if the chefs were either Chinese or Japanese. As it turns out, they really were Japanese.
Will I ever return? Absolutely, definitely, very willingly. In overall ratings of food and service, 9.4/10.
On our second day, we went swimming in the morning at the hotel. It was her first time swimming outside after so long. Had to teach her how to swim and dive and also gave her a piggy-back ride in the pool =D. We then decided to go to the beach and have lobsters for dinner. So we searched and searched and prepared for dinner. But before that, we basically spent most of our money here. the factory outlet. Unfortunately, I do not have any photos of the time we shopped in the DFO but I'll just mention that we both spent RM1200++ here.
After that, we went for lunch at KFC (cause we were broke) and headed back to the hotel to store our stuff in the hotel. I don't wanna hold RM1200 worth of clothes in that junk car.
In KFC.
First time at Langkawi beach (for me)!
Posing retardedly...
Selca!
Meditation!
Foot photo!
She insisted that the word AX has to be seen on the hat.
Kicking the sand like a retard!
You have to admit, this photo is pretty awesome. Felt like an Earthbender from Avatar.
Sitting down together! Look at them hairy legsss (mine) =(
More selca!
Sakai! AHAHAHA
Trying to pose Black Butler's "The Phoenix" stand.
Flying! Awesome photo by Pig!
Another attempt to try play with sand. I somehow fail when my head smashed right into the sand whilst on air. But the last photo was rather nice if I have to say.
Another shot of her hat! She love her hat more than me... =(
For dinner, we stopped by Islanders for some lobsters, tiger prawns and crabs. The lobsters and prawns were RM15/100g and the crabs were RM6/100g. Each lobsters would weigh around 500-600g whilst prawns will weigh around 200-300g per piece. We ordered 1 lobster, 2 tiger prawns and 1 crab.
The menu!
We mixed watermelon juice with melon vodka! Taste rather good too!
Trying out ISO3200 on my Canon 500D
Butter Lobster, the portion looked huge, but the meat wasn't really a lot. It was alright. The lobster was tender and soft, the fried butter strips weren't that salty, the sauce was good. Overall a 6.7/10. It wasn't the best lobster I've had, but its good and fresh and not to mention cheap.
Sizzling Sweet & Sour Tiger Prawns. Loved the prawns and sauce. Although I personally believed that those carrots, corns and peas weren't necessary since they were cooked frozen anyway. The sauce was good, not great. The tiger prawns however was actually quite juicy and tender. I could still taste the freshness of the prawns there. The portion wasn't small, but just right. Overall 7.2/10
Chili crab, Langkawi style. Unlike regular chili crab, the sauce is thick red, this however, was clear red, more like a broth than a sauce. The crab was chopped into smaller pieces compared to regular crabs in KL. The meat was also fresh, it comes off easily when you peel them. The meat was tender and the crab juices was not lost as well. The chili wasn't really spicy, but it has a distinct sourness to it. Overall 6.2/10
The waiter offered to help us take a photo at the restaurant. How kind! The bill came out to be RM198. It was expected as the lobster itself costs about 80+. The tax was around RM18+. The restaurant wasn't great, but its good. The price was the cheapest I could find and they also had the most customers (most of them are foreigners). That was how we ended up here. Reasonable, good food, rather fun ambiance. Overall 7/10.
After eating, we headed to a small shop and bought ourselves some Budweiser and Vodka. They all taste rather fruity, as they are fruit flavoured. The Raspberry however taste like cough medicine, a little bit. The best was the Purple and Yellow. Somehow we drank our way to sleep. ><
On the last day, we wanted to go to the beach one last time for a walk or a swim, but unfortunately it was raining. So we just lay down in the hotel watching TV. Untill 11am, where we checked out and started driving to the harbour. I had to return the car before 12.30pm in order to avoid any surcharges of RM10 per hour late. Here is a photo of us at the KTM at 7 in the evening.
KTM!
Retarded photo!
A final photo of us in Langkawi! =( Good bye Langkawi! We will definitely return!
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