Ikan Bakar, Pontian Kecil

On my first night in Johor, I was insistent that I immerse myself in the local delicacies. I guess having five stalls in a row offering the same thing makes the item a local delicacy! (Or show small town traders up as having no initiative to differentiate).

Whatever the case, I really like grilled fish. Johor, being a coastal state, is big on fish, and this makes ikan bakar (grilled fish) one of the most popular foods.

Clients pick their fish and have them grilled.

I was a little let down to find the rays (skate) so small, but I settled for the biggest of the lot, as well as a leatherjacket (cincharu). While the fish was being cooked, I sampled the local otak otak (minced fish flavoured with spices and coconut milk, grilled in palm leaves). I found it pretty good, if a little too sweet. I loved how the fragrance of the palm leaves scent the food!

Little rays on ice made me think long and hard about conservation.

Otak otak.

We ordered lime juice as well as chikong, to drink. I've always had an issue with 'drinks' like ice kacang and chikong (chikong, by the way, is the Malay perversion of the Chinese leng chi kang, or cold longan). My issue is that though these items are on the drinks menu, one eats the ingredients in both ice kacang and chikong. So technically, they are desserts.

I digress! Anyway, the chikong was good enough that Kit wanted one for himself (I managed to completely waste a bowl when it tipped on the slanting table and spilled its icy contents on me!). It was not the traditional way of doing it, but food evolves, and sometimes the evolutions become what is deemed the norm for the dish. This version has the dried longan as well as barley, black grass jelly, bits of candied wintermelon and a whole lot of bibs and bobs.

Drink up!

That's a smorgasbord if I've seen one! It's chikong, if you have not guessed!

The fish were pretty good. Both were covered in the same sambal, but it was a good one, so there were no big issues, apart from the ray being really too little too eat. The thick skin of the leatherjacket sealed in all the juices of that fish, so it came out perfectly.

Little ray.

More eating on this cincharu!

The whole meal came up to RM31.30, which was pretty decent. Even the stray cat was happy with his portion!