Seafood galore

Seafood restaurant or aquarium?

It's impossible to avoid seafood in southeast Asia. Even in Laos, a landlocked country, food often includes fish sauce or dried shrimp. I'm not much of a seafood lover but out of necessity I have become accustomed to the taste. It still doesn’t mean I love seafood, it’s just that chances are that whatever food I order they will probably add something fishy to it. For example, the variation of nasi lemak, a traditional Malaysian dish, unexpectedly contained squid in addition to the mandatory dried anchovies.

I came across an amazing seafood restaurant in Kota Kinabalu that could easily pass as an aquarium. They keep live sea animals in tanks and they prepare them fresh when a guest orders. I asked for permission to take photographs, but then I sneaked away before they could ask me to order. Here are a few details:

Despite my unenthusiasm for seafood I was drawn by delicious smells that wafted from countless seafood grills while I was strolling through the night market. There is something inviting about fresh seafood that just made me stop and eat grilled tiger prawns. They were served with rice and a very spicy sauce. Fresh, tender, delicious. And unbelievably inexpensive.

Seafood grills at the night market