Pak Su Seafood Restaurant is like an establishment in Kuantan – tourists would flock the place in the past, regardless of the food quality and service. That was my impression of Pak Su back then, so I held off visiting until our recent trip to Kuantan with the family.
I’m not sure if it’s because we dined on a weekday lunch, but Pak Su Seafood Restaurant isn’t as crowded as I expected it to be. The restaurant is spacious and barely occupied so we got a table with a good view of the sea.
Pak Su’s menu is quite extensive, ranging from catch of the day and classic Chinese fare to specialty dishes such as their stuffed crabs. We ordered a plate of stuffed crabs, seafood tofu, supreme clam soup, salted egg yolk squid, claypot braised seafood and fried noodles with clams.
Service is quick and food arrived within 15 minutes after we ordered. The stuffed crabs were decent and generously filled, but it was just alright in my opinion. Still, worth trying if you’re visiting Kuantan or the east coast of Malaysia since seafood is still relatively reasonable.
The supreme clam soup was a huge let down at Pak Su – the broth was insipid, almost tasting like salted water. Barely any flavour from the clams, no kick from the ginger and definitely missing the aroma and taste of the rice wine.
Better was the braised seafood in claypot, where the squid and prawns were fresh and fish maw was cooked till tender. The salted egg yolk squid is quite good as the squid is fresh and they were generous with the salted egg yolk coating.
Our little girls enjoyed the fried noodles with clams as the clams are meaty and there’s plenty of “sea flavour” in the noodles. Frankly, I find this average as it’s mostly salty rather than tasty. Simple and good for kids, I reckon.
Pak Su claims that their tofu is homemade but it tasted pretty commercial to me. Just your usual standard for “homemade” tofu so keep that in mind and you won’t be disappointed. The egg gravy is cooked using crab bits so it goes well with rice.
Overall, food at Pak Su Seafood Restaurant is decent but nothing worth shouting or raving about. We paid about RM170 for the above inclusive of two rice and Chinese tea. You get a nice view and breeze of the sea, so that (I guess) is their main selling point since the food is overrated.
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Ambiance: 6/10
Price: 6.5/10
Food: 5/10 (pork-free)
Verdict: Go for the view and sea breeze. So long as you manage your expectations, you won’t leave disappointed.
Pak Su Seafood Restaurant
4/1417, Jalan Beserah,
Tanah Putih,
25150 Kuantan.
Tel: 017-989 6666
Business hours: 11.30am till 2.30pm, 5.30pm till 12am