Review: EATEA, Kuantan - Asian Fusion Restaurant

*pork-free*

Give me a good plate of Thai Basil with Minced Pork/Chicken any time! Yes, add a piece of bull's eye fried egg & serve it with some warm rice....oolala...

The statement above is a general statement of what I enjoy eating. EATEA is pork-free, so they don't serve pork here, no worries! :D

EATEA took us by surprise! Its exterior looks like a classic Chinese eatery, but it is one restaurant that holds so much of stories in everything they do, from the restaurant's name, interior design, & especially their food! *yums*

Located on Jalan Air Putih 2, this spacious restaurant can be spotted from afar, especially at night, since its signboard is high above, at the rooftop. I noticed it from afar when I was waiting at the traffic light on Jalan Beserah, turning into Jalan Air Putih 2.

The specialty of this restaurant is actually Asian-Fusion, focusing more on the Thai-Chinese heritage. As you walk into the air-conditioned section of the restaurant, you'll notice a variety of wood-based decorations, which you may miss as "just some piece of wood".

Each display item has a history behind it & most of it are collected since the times where Sungai Lembing was still an active mining town. The owner of the restaurant, whom we were casually introduced to as Sum, took us on a mini historical journey through the different display items & shared with us how & where he obtained it. In time to come, we hope that he will put up some written tags/plaques to provide more information to diners who are intrigued to find out more :)

The historical display items, mostly from Sungai Lembing

One may wonder why are these displayed at the restaurant. It's through the decoration concept that you'll have a sense of who the owner & team behind this unique restaurant really are & what sort of food & drinks they would serve on their menu ;) Every little detail matters to them!

Open-air area

The restaurant is massive in space! Go over for a large group meal or yum cha session! They used to operate in a different business model, thus the space. But now that they're more focused, the space still remains although the restaurant has evolved in its menu & cuisine focus.

EATEA offers an extensive range of beverage, some of which compliments their food rather well. I managed to try 5 of their drinks out of SEVENTY different types of drinks available! Yes, no kidding. I actually did counted from the list of drinks on their menu :D

EATEA Mocktails (RM9.90/glass)

I Lap U: Sprite + Ribena + Lemon + Lychee

I Want U: Lemongrass + Soda + Mint Leaves + Sour Plum

I Hate U: Lemongrass + Soda + Ginger + Chili + Sour Plum

Their special mocktails were individually unique. Their "I Lap U" reminded me of the Ribena Longan drink at William's in Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya. Heh. It's quite a crowd-pleaser, especially on a hot day. "I Want U" & "I Hate U" tastes quite similar, but "I Hate U" has a different level of 'kick' as it has the evident taste of ginger & red chili. The heat in the sweet-sourish-savorish drink is quite mild, so don't be too afraid to give it a try ;)

EATEA Five Green Premium (RM9.90/glass) & Ice Coffee (RM2.80/glass)

For those who are more health-conscious or just needed some beverage to detox for the day, EATEA's Five Green Premium is HIGHLY recommended! I'm serious! There's cucumber, celery, bittergourd, green pepper/capsicum & green apple - NO sugar added, but it's not that bitter (at least not for me), slightly sweet-ish from the peppers, cucumber & green apple, I presume, & totally 'green' in taste...hahaha...it's truly refreshing & cleansing! You HAVE TO try it! *go green!*

Coffee-lovers should give EATEA's coffee a try. Sum said that he wants to encourage Kuantanians to drink the local Kuantan-roasted coffee, so he gets his supply of coffee beans from a local Kuantan roaster. I have to say that it's pretty good! Very aromatic, smooth & 'butterish' in taste, I think. I'm not a coffee connoisseur, so I can't tell you exactly how it tastes, but I enjoyed the glass of ice coffee :)

EATEA boasts of using fresh own-grown herbs where possible, so they've been planting & propagating their own lemongrass, mint leaves, & Thai basil as well. They still have to buy from the supplier as they need a lot of fresh herbs for their dishes, but they hope to see to the day where they have sufficient herbs for their kitchen.

Lemongrass

Mint Leaves

We had the opportunity to try some of their best sellers & one of their unique Western-Asian dish that you'll probably find it only at EATEA (throughout the whole of Kuantan).

Pad Kha Prao Kai (RM10.90/serving)

One of their best sellers is the Pad Kha Prao Kai/Stir-Fried Thai Basil Minced Chicken. We love the aromatic Thai basil in each bite of the minced chicken & the added heat from the chili padi/bird's eye chili as well. The dish is well-balanced in flavors as it's slightly sweet, savory & spicy, just alike how you'll get it in Thailand. We told Sum that we prefer to have more Thai basil so that the rich aroma will travel to our noses first before we tuck the delicious dish into our tummies :)

EATEA Curry Chicken Rice (RM8.90/serving)

This was good wei...we just wished it came with more gravy! The dish comes with a tender piece of chicken drumstick (I think it's been cooked for hours 'cause all the aromatic flavors have seeped into the chicken) & pieces of potatoes that melts in the mouth...oh my...lip smacking! I thought that it may taste nicer if some kaffir lime leaves are added to set it apart from other chicken curries & other dishes on their menu, since lemongrass is a star in majority of their dishes. It's something for the kitchen to experiment...haha...I'm no chef, so I can't guarantee that my recommendations will taste good :P

Affordable, must-try rice dish!

Grilled Khun Thai Chicken (RM20.90/serving)

You'll find this ONLY at EATEA. PerutBesi's recommendation is to eat the grilled chicken WITHOUT any sauces as the chicken is marinated so well with lemongrass & other herbs & spices. Thumbs up! We finished up the grilled chicken in a jiffy.

* you can opt for their home-made brown sauce or home-made sweet green chili sauce to go with this dish

Khun Thai Tom Yam Meehoon (RM11.90/serving)

Their tom yam meehoon is also not to be missed. I must say that it's a scrumptious bowl of Thai Tom Yam with vermicelli! I love the balance of sweet, sour, salty, & spicy in every mouthful :D It's not too spicy for me, but enough heat to qualify as tom yam. I love that it's the 'milky-ish' sort of red tom yam unlike those that we get from Malay food stalls. Another thumbs up! I'm pleasantly surprised...now I know where to get my tom yam meehoon fix. EATEA, please maintain this standard of delicious tom yam! I'll be back for more...

Currently, they're running a weekday set lunch promotion for just RM9.90 nett where you can get:

- 1 bowl of soup of the day

- 1 main course

- 1 drink

Be there between 12:00p.m. - 2:00p.m. to enjoy this fantastic deal!

EATEA is easily located if you're familiar with Kuantan. If Kuantan is new to you, just key in the GPS coordinates. I look forward to try more of EATEA's dishes as this restaurant seem to be pretty promising for a good meal & to be a good hang out place as well ;)

Give this place a try & let me know your thoughts. Restaurants always look out for customers feedback for further improvement, so I'm very fond of giving them constructive feedback to serve their customers better :) Looking forward to trying out their other dishes! (they're open for breakfast, lunch & dinner)


EATEA Restaurant
B1679, Jalan Air Putih 2
Kuantan.
Tel: (+6017) 278 1994
Business hours: Wednesday - Mondays 9:30a.m. - 11:00p.m.; close on Tuesdays
Email: 2016eatea@gmail.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/eatea.kuantan/
GPS: 3°49'49.8"N, 103°20'32.2"E



Ratings:
Presentation (does it look mouth-watering): * * * *
Price (is it affordable - more stars = YES): * * * *
Environment (is the place comfortable, cosy, clean, pleasant): * * * 1/2
Taste (is the food delicious, worth coming back for more): * * * *
Service (are the service providers friendly, efficient, polite): * * * 1/2


Overall:






My next go-to restaurant for fusion food,