Best thing about eating in the East Coast is that the simplest dishes are made fantastic by the abundance of fresh ingredients. There's no excuse to eat bad seafood here and fish based dishes such as laksam and nasi dagang are in a league of their own.

The best laksam in the world is on a languid road leading up to Northern Terengganu. It faces the South China Sea and lives in a modest open-aired shop. This shop is situated in the village of Rhu Sepuluh in Penarik. Apparently original settlers here think that this beachfront land is so attractive they named it 'Penarik'. Very apt. It's not pretty in a showy manner, just quietly alluring. One can understand why the best laksam in the world decided to set up shop here.

Is the best laksam in the world a bit too much of a boast? For sure there are many places serving delicious laksam in the East Coast and many would say Kelantan has the best. But here are my reasons. Penarik is near enough to Kelantan to have the right set of skills to make the tantalising white gravy but because Mak Ngah is 'orang Ganu' she has a lighter hand. Hence the gravy is not too insanely rich (a common thread in Kelantanese cuisine) having the right balance of savoury-sweetness and fishiness. The white rice noodles itself is handmade and as soft as any hor fun. It's cut into thick ribbons before drenched in the laksam gravy.

Now this is where a litte magic happens. First taste I could swear that Mak Ngah squeezed some lime into the gravy since there is a fresh zesty zing to it. But here's the thing, there's no lime in the gravy. It's just that the fish is so fresh that it's naturally zesty. It's hard for me to describe it. On top of all this delectable whiteness are fresh scallions and local parsley for a burst of colour. Then freshly pounded chilli with a hint of tamarind completes it.

"The best laksam in the world"

The best laksam in the world is very popular. People come from all over Teregganu to have it hence it's an early riser. There's nary a speck left after 9am. However if you know Mak Ngah, which my friend does and ask her nicely, she will keep some for you. So you can saunter there after 10am and enjoy it at leisure to jealous glances from other tables. Mak Ngah also serves rather tasty karipaps and kuihs, nasi lemak and the ever popular nasi dagang.

The nasi dagang here is also good. Again there's a lightness in the cooking here. The half and half of plain rice and glutinous rice is not too rich and the simple fish curry is fresh. I like mine with a boiled egg on the side. So here's the thing. Sometimes the best meals you will have are part great cooking and part time and place.

Here, the laksam has that zesty personality that makes it one of the best I've ever tasted. However, it's eating it while watching the sea, with soft morning breezes in your face and feeling like you have all the time in the world that makes it pretty damn sensational.

Opens: 7am- 12pm
Price: Less than RM10 for 2 people

GPS: 5.58711, 102.83347

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