Ana Ikan Bakar Petai, Pahang

Tanjung Lumpur can be roughly translated into english as "the Cape of Mud". Located at the mouth of the Kuantan river, for a long time Tanjung Lumpur was only accessible by boat from the state capital of Kuantan on the opposite bank of the river.

This all changed with the construction of the Abu Bakar bridge; which connected Kuantan and Tanjung Lumpur by road. Tanjung Lumpur, which has always been a traditional Malay fishing village, soon became the place to go for Malay style seafood with the proliferation of malay seafood restaurants.

Malay seafood restaurants are traditionally simple roadside affairs with the main star attraction being the "ikan bakar" or "grilled fish". Tanjung Lumpur is no exception, and being a fishing village, you know that the seafood will be fresh.

The first restaurant you will come across after turning left onto the road facing the sea is Ana Ikan Bakar Petai. The name of the restaurant comes from the house specialty, the "Ikan Bakar Petai" or "Grilled Fish with Stink Beans".

Now if you are unfamiliar with South East Asian cooking, the sound of the word "Stink Bean" is not likely going to make you salivate with hunger! So lets call it by its local name of "Petai" instead.

Petai in its seed pods.

This strange bean grows in long elongated seed pods usually gathered from the wild.  Within the pods are almond shaped green seeds which have a rather and unusual smell which is so pervasive it tends to linger in the mouth and body up to two days after consumption.

Petai after extraction from the pods.

What makes Ana Ikan Bakar Petai different from all the other Ikan Bakar restaurants in Malaysia, is that Ana's grilled fish is grilled in a spicy sambal sauce which is infused with sliced Petai. But more of that later.

That Ana Ikan Bakar Petai is popular is evident from the line of cars that jam up the narrow road in front of the restaurant.

If you go after 7pm, you will likely not be able to find an empty table - such is its popularity. So you will have to mill around and pounce on a table immediately once it is vacated.

After you manage to get a table, take a note of your table number. Then go and select your fish and seafood from the display area out front and tell them how you want it cooked.

Back at your table, wait for the waiter to come by, order your drink and other supplementary dishes. Don't expect five-star service here, the waiters will eventually come by and take your order in a quick brusque manner. There is no menu, just ask the waiter and he will advise you whats available. Or look at the signboard on the wall for guidance.

For starters you can order either the Keropok Lekor, Kerabu Mangga or the Sata. We decided to go for the Kerabu Mangga and the Keropok Lekor.

Kerabu Mangga

Kerabu Mangga is of course a Spicy Mango Salad. The restaurant's version was okay, but not the best we have ever tasted. The mango slices were not thinly sliced and perhaps not crunchy enough, but the peanuts sprinkled on top was good.

Keropok Lekor

Keropok Lekor is a specialty from the state of Terengganu, and is basically fish crackers. Made from ground fish mixed with sago flour and salt, it is kneaded into long doughy rolls, sliced into bite-sized chunks and deep-fried until it is golden brown. There is only one good way to eat Kerepok Lekor, and thats when it is piping hot! And Ana Ikan Bakar Petai does not fail in this respect. The Kerepok Lekor is served hot and is recommended.

Sata

We didn't order the Sata this time, but it sure looked interesting and different from Sata you can find elsewhere. Sata is another traditional dish from Terengganu, and consists of spiced fish meat with grated coconut, ginger, chillies and onions wrapped in banana leaves and cooked on a grill.

Ketam Masak Pedas

We ordered the Ketam Masak Pedas, or Spicy Crab - but it was just average. Not really one of the house specialties perhaps?

Sotong Goreng Tepung

Sotong Goreng Tepung, or Squid fried in batter, was good. The squid was not rubbery and the batter was light and crunchy. Recommended.

Ikan Bakar Petai wrapped in banana leaves

Unwrapped, with petai visible!

The undoubted star of the show was the Ikan Bakar Petai. We ordered the grilled stingray, and the portion was huge. The stingray was wrapped in banana leaves, which we slowly unwrapped. The aroma of the grilled fish as it was unwrapped was intoxicating. The grilled stingray was moist and juicy, infused with a secret spicy sambal sauce with the sliced petai generously mixed in with the sauce. This was undoubtedly one of the best Ikan Bakar we have tasted, if not the best. It was that good!

Ana Ikan Bakar Petai is so popular it has opened up other branches, with one in Bangi, near Kuala Lumpur. But the one in Tanjung Lumpur is the original, and if you are in the area of Kuantan, this is the one you must go to!

Ana Ikan Bakar Petai

Address: Tanjung Lumpur, Kuantan, Pahang.
Tel: +6013-998 9175