Critters

"It's raining, raining. Ooh, baby it's raining..." I'm neither a fan of Rihanna or, today, of the rain. Yesterday spent in the mountains, today's supposed to be the day for snorkeling and a hopeful beginning of a SCUBA certification. With poor visibility and high winds, we won't be checking out any ocean critters today. We were planning to island hop, too, but sitting in the rain on an isolated island? I don't think so. There's always tomorrow! And a bit of a slap in the face, just before dusk, the skies cleared and the sun came out. Another gorgeous sunset, the day doesn't feel like such a loss, the sun having shown its face at least to kiss us goodnight.

And how wrong I was. Our dining experience this evening was one of a kind. Port View restaurant on the water in KK is unique. Just inside the front door, welcome to a wall of fish. Greeted by aquariums stacked to the ceiling, massive tiger prawns stuck in plastic Coke bottles, a rainbow of fishes, lobster, you pick your poison at Port View. At varying prices per gram or kilo, the daily catch is yours to be had.

Once at a table, the house menu offers a long list of supplemental dishes, veggies, chicken, soups, rice. Wine, beer, Chinese tea, fresh juices, while nice, remain at best sideshows to the fish. It's a good idea to make it an early dinner in order to get the freshest selection. Suggestions of cooking styles for the fish also vary, but I'd stick to steamed were I you. We had prawns sauteed in garlic, a bit of overkill. Oh yeah! And there is a show, too! Dancers squeal and squawk past diners to take the stage in a revived tribal number or two.

Note: having investigated the restaurant a bit online, watch out for endangered species being enthusiastically suggested and sold at special prices, passed off as, for example, parrot fish. Buyer do beware.