Boat Restaurant @ Pantai Tengah, Langkawi

Langkawi is renowned for its white beaches and clear waters, green padi fields sprawling fish farms. But it is not renowned for its food. Before heading to Langkawi, I spent close to 6 hours on good eateries to go to but came up with so few of them. So armed with the limited information, I and my cousins decided to hunt them down :)

On the first night, we traveled south of Cenang Beach towards Tengah Beach to try Boat Restaurant. There are loads of restaurants and eateries along Cenang and Tengah Beach, ranging from fine dining to simple roadside eateries. Choosing one without prior knowledge can be a nightmare if you're someone like me. Boat Restaurant is a Chinese restaurant located just opposite of Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa. So, it shouldn't be too hard to find if you just head towards the resort following the many tourist maps available at the airport or jetty.

Since Langkawi is an island, all seafood are fresh from local fisheries and the only available fish are the more expensive saltwater varities such as Sea Bass, Snapper, and Grouper. You therefore wont find local freshwater favorites such as the Talapia in Langkawi.

Garlic Kailan (RM8)

Kangkung Belacan (RM8)

Deep Fried Squid (RM18) was reasonable and not overloaded with flour.

Butter Prawns (RM20) was a miserable plate of 6 tiny prawns and one to definitely avoid. Who makes butter prawns using these tiny prawns?

Steamed Thai-style Sea Bass (RM30) was a good 600g portion but tasted rather flat and bland. It lacked the essence of Thai cuisine whereby spiciness, sourness, and sweetness blend together at correct proportions to give that great taste. Fish was nether less fresh.

Total bill came to RM106 for 5 people. Boat Restaurant is one of the cheaper restaurants on the island and a favorite among foreign tourists. They also serve western dishes. But for someone who has eaten really good Chinese food in the Klang Valley, Boat Restaurant falls short of my expectation.

Boat Restaurant (Opposite Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa)

2013 Jalan Telok Baru

Pantai Tengah, Langkawi

Tel: 012-4755662 ‎

Dirt Cheap Beers of Langkawi!

Well as you know, I just got back from Langkawi and that's right, duty-free baby! And so I decided to go on a beer-tasting spree. Sadly, I only tried 4 brands as I couldn't find a duty-free store that sold more beer varieties.


And to start off; Heineken. I guess this is the baseline right? Who needs a Carlsberg or Tiger in Langkawi when you can get this for only RM2.70! On the beach under the warm Sun, an ice-chilled Heineken is the only other thing you'll ever need ;)










 


Next up is the king of beers? Maybe in the US as its the highest selling beer there; the Budweiser. At RM2.80, I still prefer that ice-chilled Heineken.

I would have killed myself if I didn't try a Hoegaarden in Langkawi. Heck its only RM3.50! A recent check at the local supermarket puts Hoegaarden at a ridiculous RM12.55 per bottle! That's 9 ringgit worth of rubbish tax. What a waste.

Smooth white beer goodness with Curacao orange peel hovering at the bottom of the bottle, distinctive of a Hoegaarden white. Its smoothness can be really tasted if you drink it after having some sharper beers such as Tiger or stouts. Packed 6 of these babies back home to share among friends.












Last but not least, my cousin Andrew recommended I try a Strongbow at RM4.20. And so I did. This had to be the best of the lot. Even though its more apple cider than beer, Strongbow Dry Cider is highly refreshing and a killer drink in taste with also a higher alcohol content of 5.3%. I regret only buying one of these :(



Anyhow, that was the beer portion of my Langkawi trip. Next up, the eateries of Langkawi! Stay tuned!