Kak Chaq Ikan Bakar & Sup Tulang ~ Gurun, Kedah

I happen to visit Gurun a couple of months back and I must say, lady luck was shining on me when I stumbled upon this Malay eatery that was located right along the road on the way to Gunung Jerai. The stall is called Kak Chaq Ikan Bakar & Sup Tulang. As its name implies, grilled fish and soup is the signature here and looking at the crowd when I was there, I wouldn't be surprise if the food was good. And I must say, I was not to go home hungry or disappointed as what I managed to try, definitely was one of the most enjoyable grilled fish I have had. Do read on about this good eat at Gurun!

What initially attracted me to this stall was the smoke from the BBQ and then it was the crowd. There was literally people queuing up to pick their choice of dishes. Well, let me elaborate more. The stall doesn't just sell grilled fish and beef soup, but it also serves economy rice. Well, the dishes which you find here I would say is way above the standard fare you get at an economy rice stall but the good news is, the price is very reasonable. So as not to spoil the market, I shall not be revealing the prices in this blog, but I can assure you, its well worth the money.

So here we have the sup tulang. Its interesting because there is a big pot of soup and its self service. You go and decide what piece of meat/bones you want as well as how much soup you want as well. Since I do not take beef for awhile now, my good buddy did the honours of trying it out. And the verdict is that he left no drop of soup and meat on the bone! Yeap, its rated top notch for a Sup Tulang and I trust his taste buds.

I chose a nice piece of chunky bone with some meat and garnished it with the coriander.

I managed to snap a few photos of the stall itself. Its spacious and easily sits 50 person

See the amount of yummy food available? Slurp!

The red signage. If you are from Gurun heading to Gunung Jerai, this stall is on your left

They have such a variety that its hard to choose

The BBQ tilapia just waiting for it. The moment I saw this, I knew we must order one

Flipping it to BBQ the other side. Look at how juicy the fish is

The owners take great effort to ensure that their BBQ does not use kerosene or petrol to start the fire. They also use coconut husk as this will give the BBQ more aroma

I did not get to try this but its actually Duck Curry! Yes, this is something not commonly found but it looks delicious. According to the owner, this is a favorite among the Chinese customers! I'm not surprise to hear that at all looking at how juicy and thick the curry looks

Another item which rarely seen is this. This is BBQ deer meat on a stick

I ordered 2 pieces to try and would say that its good to try but not worth the money. It comes with an asam dip and the meat was really tough. It reminded me of the Bak Kua that is over cooked. But hey, its not everyday you get Bak Kua with deer meat right?

The highlight surely must be the grilled fish and I ordered the grilled tilapia. The fish is delivered to the stall fresh daily and thus, it sometimes depends on what type of fish is available. But this ensures that the fish is very fresh.

Just look at how juicy the fish is. The main surprise I got was that the fish was grilled to perfection. I have had many Malay styled grilled fish and the fish would typically be charcoal black and you will need to peel the burnt bits off. But not here, its prefect!

Notice the slit on the back of the fish?

And the secret is that its stuffed with lots of herbs and spices like lemon grass, chilli, onions, etc to make the fish filled with aroma. The recipe also makes the fish lose its muddy taste and thus kudos for the owner for putting much effort in this. The stuffing really makes the fish so enjoyable to have. The meat was succulent and tender and the spices just right. And its truly worth the price! Thumbs up

After finishing my meal, I saw that now they are grilling the cat fish. This is something I will surely return to try out one day

And ikan kembong too!