Among Taoist locals, Kuala Gula is known for its famous temples such as Bao Tian Gong, Chew Boo Kong and Hua Seng Keng. But to me, Kuala Gula will always be a bird-watching sanctuary - thanks to Geography lessons back in high school! Nonetheless, I'm neither bird-watching nor temple-visiting today.
I'm in Kuala Gula to savour some nice seafood and enjoy a scenic drive along its beautiful coastline.
There are a number of Chinese seafood restaurants located along the main road of this quiet fishing village. We decided to try Ai Tee Seafood Restaurant which is famous for its Crab Bee Hoon.
Due to the MCO, the restaurant only had 3 tables available for dine-in. Thankfully we didn't have to wait for a table since we arrived for a late lunch at 3pm.
They didn't have a menu and the server verbally shared what's available. Choices were quite limited as they were reluctant to stock up on seafood during the MCO period. Unfortunate but we still managed to order quite a few dishes.
Food didn't take long to arrive.
Let's makan!
Crab Bee Hoon (4/5)
Aside from the fresh and meaty crabs, the bee hoon was also cooked with canned stewed meat (红烧扣肉)! I thought the strong flavours of the stewed meat overpowered the sweetness of the crabs. It ended up tasting more like Stewed Meat Bee Hoon with Crabs rather than Crab Bee Hoon.
While the dish was undoubtedly tasty, I was a tad disappointed since I was anticipating a bee hoon dish packed with crabby goodness.
Oyster Omelette (4/5)
The consistency of this Oyster Omelette is more like Egg Foo Young rather than the typical crispy or gooey Oh Chien you'd find at hawker centres. For the price, I was very happy with the number of fresh oysters used in this dish. It was a very tasty dish but I'd have preferred if the oysters were cooked just a bit less.
Kangkung Belacan (5/5)
Just look at the number of prawns! The sweetness of the prawns gave extra oomph to the dish. The kangkung (water spinach) was also cooked just right and the belacan was not overpowering. Simple and delicious.
Fried Baby Squid (5/5)
The batter was light and crispy, almost reminiscent of tempura batter. Each bite was more addictive than the last so it didn't take us long to finish the entire plate. p.s. this would honestly make a great snack while drinking.
Fried Mullet Fish (4.5/5)
While this is an inexpensive fish, the flesh is very refined and fresh ones like these will give you a taste of the sea! My favourite way to enjoy this is deep-fried and dipped in soy sauce with a generous squeeze of lime juice (and chillies too if you like it spicy). No need to worry about bones as everything is edible when deep fried to perfection!
If you've never tried this fish, I highly recommend that you do ASAP. It's also known as ikan belanak or 支仔鱼.
Overall, it was a yummy meal of fresh seafood at very reasonable prices. Despite my slight disappointment with the crab bee hoon, I'd not penalise them for it since it's just a mismatch of expectations for the dish. Hygiene and upkeep of the restaurant could be improved but it's still acceptable given the location. Speaking of the location, here's some stunning views from the coastside drive after the meal!
Sabbylicious Makan Rating
Food : 4.5/5
Price : 5/5
Environment : 2.5/5
Service : 4/5
Must order : Kangkung Belacan, Fried Squid, Oyster Omelette
Operating Hours Opens Daily (11:30am–8pm)
Location
Ai Tee Seafood Restaurant 35, Jalan Muhibbah 1, Taman Muhibbah, 34350 Kuala Kurau, Perak