Dinner at Hai Thien Restaurant, Kuala Perlis

Just walk on the planks to the restaurant

We hunted for Hai Thien Restaurant since last night but got lost along the way. Well, we finally found it on our last day in Perlis. We had read many good reviews from the Internet and decided to check it out. It was along the same stretch as the Ferry Terminal. We saw the restaurant signboard and walk along the wooden planks to the restaurant by the sea.

You can also order satay from this stall to the restaurant

When we arrived at about seven p.m., it was almost packed with patrons and some tables had already been reserved. However, we were lucky to get a small table near the counter. 

It was Christmas eve and we could see that the people here were all in Christmas mood and even the chefs (I happened to see them on my way to the washroom) were donning red Santa's hat in the kitchen.

Packed with patrons of all races

To our surprise, we could see Malay waitresses and workers working here in this restaurant in Kuala Perlis. This would be a rare sight in Penang where we were from. Not only that, but also we observed Malay, Indian and Chinese families were also eating their dinner happily here. Well, this restaurant was pork-free but I was sure whether it was halal or not. In short, food did unite Malaysians.   

So, it was time to order our dinner. We ordered a Teow Chew style steamed fish, stir-fried kai lan, a hot pot of fish maws, squids and prawns and fried chicken.

The Teow Chew style steamed fish (RM 26)

Stir-fried kai lan (RM 4)

The precious hot pot of fish maws, squids and prawns (RM 18)

Fried chicken with chilli sauce (RM 5)

Overall, the total cost was RM 60.90 including our fruit juices and two plates of rice. We were satisfied with our dinner and the fish was definitely the freshest. The precious hot pot of fish maws, squids and prawn were tantalising. 

After dinner, we took a stroll around the ferry terminal and walked past the floating mosque, Masjid Al-Hussain. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Al Hussain floating mosque lit up at night

The mosque entrance

Then, we drove to Jalan Sarawak and did some last minute shopping at the night market. Most of the things sold here looked similar to the ones at Padang Besar. You can find imitation T-shirts, toys, preserved fruits and food, handicraft, slippers and etc. I managed to find some shops with fixed price and bought a T-shirt and a handwoven basket.

Preserved fruits and food sold at the night market

Colourful sweet treats sold at the night market

So, this is the last post on our Perlis trip for 2012. We will keep you posted on our next outing which is even more exciting in the year 2013.

Hai Thien Retaurant details:

Address                 : Kampung Perak, 02000 Kuala Perlis, Perlis.

Telephone number : 04-9855149

Business hours       : 5.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m.

Timah-Tasoh Dam and Yuki Restaurant, Kuala Perlis

After visiting Gua Kelam, we headed south to Kuala Perlis for our dinner. However, along the way, we spotted the Timah-Tasoh Dam and stopped by for photos. It would be a good spot to view sunset if that day was not cloudy.

The breathtaking view of Timah-Tasoh Dam

A different angle of Timah-Tasoh dam

The place to stop was called Dataran Terinai. There were plenty of parking lots. The wooden platform overlooking the dam had been barricaded because some of the planks were broken. (as at 24 Dec, 2012) There were some eating outlets here. However, most were not opened and not well-maintained.

Dataran Terinai: the stop to catch the breathtaking view of the dam

The broken planks

After snapping some photos, we continued our journey and were looking for Hai Thien restaurant by Kuala Perlis jetty but Google map did not lead us there. Instead, we chanced upon Yuki Restaurant and decided to eat our dinner here.

Many local families had their dinner here when we were there. A surprising note was this Chinese seafood restaurant had all Malay staff. But I was not sure about the chefs. They did not serve pork in the restaurant and again, I did not know whether it was considered a halal restaurant. This was something interesting which I did not see in Penang.

We were really starving so we did order a bit more for two people. In total, we ordered five dishes but we were able to finish them as we had burned all the calories exploring the limestone cave.

Steamed fish (RM 24)

This was my favourite. The steamed fish was very fresh and juicy. The soy sauce tasted just perfect with added flavour from the gingers and corianders.

Stir-fried vegetable (RM 7)

Omelette with some ingredients in it (Fu Yong Tan without pork) (RM 5)

We also ordered a plate of stir-fried green vegetables and omelette. Both were good too. The omelette (Fu Yong Tan) was without pork.

Sweet and sour chicken (RM 9)

The sweet and sour boneless chicken were tender and not too sweet or sour. Although it was odd to order chicken in a seafood restaurant, we would order it again if we were to come here the next time.

Seaweed soup (RM 7)

Lastly, we ordered a bowl of seaweed soup with some ingredients like baby corns and tofu. The hot soup was a good complement to the rest of the dishes. In short, it was a hearty meal for the day.

The restaurant interior

The restaurant was not air-conditioned and in fact, it merely looked like a coffee shop. It had some decors of fake bird's nests hanging in the shop. The place was clean too although it was a little old. Look can be deceiving but this is a decent place for meals.

By the time we finished our dinner, it was almost nine p.m. and we had not checked into our hotel yet. We had booked a room at Brilliant Inn, in Arau, Perlis, which was in a different part of the state. Oh gosh... we just hoped that they did not give away our room.

The address of the restaurant:

52, Jalan Sarawak,

02000 Kuala Perlis, Perlis.