The best restaurants Kota Bharu

An address that doesn't look like much, behind the slightly decrepit green walls of a neighborhood house. A lot of effort has gone into the repainted dining room. One of Kelantan's specialties: nasi kerabu. The only difference: instead of being bluish in the Malay style, the rice here is green, because it's cooked with some forty herbs! The owners are Sino-Thai, and this is a Thai recipe known as khau jan. The chicken is as tender as you could wish, the vegetables as fresh as you could wish, and given the price, you could well have a second plate.

An Indian restaurant that serves good cheap curries and salami.

It is air-conditioned, it runs, it is Thai and Malay, like the Kelantan.

There's no city without a food court, and this one is open from morning to night. It's huge, housed in a large neon-lit hall. The numerous stalls serve Chinese specialties such as char kway teow, chicken rice, noodles sautéed with fish balls, as well as a few Thai specialties. As always, you choose your table, place your order and pay each vendor individually on delivery.

This Kopitiam has all the makings of a cafeteria and none of the charm of a traditional café. Nevertheless, it remains a refreshing stop-off and a must for a bubble tea (iced tea with tapioca beads) or a steaming coffee. Of course, you can also dine on simple, quick-to-prepare dishes such as nasi dagang or laksa. If your guesthouse doesn't serve breakfast, you can make up for it here with French toast, a welcome change from nasi goreng. A good place to relax in comfort and recharge your batteries.

For a taste of traditional Kelantanese cuisine, take a tour of this canteen housed in a vast hall. You can help yourself to the varied buffet. A whole host of mysterious dishes are on offer, but it's the ulam (a typically Malaysian salad served with medicinal herbs) that really catches the eye. Next door to the handicraft center, the place could pass for a tourist trap. But not at all. It also preserves the Kelantan culinary repertoire, and the locals love it.