Warong Norazila

A post about Warong Norazila is long overdue.

We live outside of Kuala Terengganu proper, in a suburb called Kuala Ibai. Because of this, our dinner options are limited. Thankfully the local restaurant, Warong Norazila, is really good and has many options. I eat there a lot.

The view from a table.

In the beginning, eating here was stressful. It's a local's joint, so we got lots of stares. Also the servers speak very little English and the ordering system for the place is weird. There are all these different stands making food, but you're supposed to sit down and tell the server what you want, and they order for you. Also in addition to the stands, there is a kitchen in the back with a separate menu you can order from, but they don't give you the menu unless you ask for it. Figuring this out took a while.

A view from the outside, showing the different stands.


On the far left is the Sate Ayam (Chicken Satey) stand. Next we have the Air Buah (fruit juice) stand. After that is the Roti (traditional Indian bread) joint followed by the Western stand where you can get such classics as Chicken Chop, Bombay Steak, spaghetti bolognese, and Mushroom Soup. Behind the back wall is the restaurant's kitchen, and on the right is a Hot Wok stand, and a traditional Malay stand.

The cool thing about Warong Norazila is that now all the servers know us, and I'm learning more Malay words and phrases so I'm able to order more specifically and actually understand a larger portion of the menu.

I don't know what everything means, but I get the main gist of it now. Also let's note how cheap everything is. Remember 1 dollar is 3.2 Ringet, so every dish is under two bucks. How awesome is that?

Some dishes. Clockwise from top we have Nasi Goreng Thai (Thai style fried rice), Teh O Limau Ais Kosong (Lemon Ice Tea, no milk no sugar) Kailan Goreng Oyster Sos (I don't know the English word for Kailan, it's some sort of leafy green vegetable, and is everywhere in Malaysia), at 6 0'clock is some sort of rice dish, I forget what, and at 9 is Ayam Goreng Halia (ginger chicken).

Here is Sayur Goreng Campur. Mixed vegetables. The funny thing about Malaysia is that you'll order a mixed vegetable dish and it comes with a lot of meat. Not a vegetarian friendly place.

Let's talk about the food you can get at the stands. Starting with the Roti place.

I don't have any pictures of roti, but my favorite is the Roti Pisang (Banana). However my favorite to say is Roti Boom. Say it outloud. Roti Boom. How fun was that? Lots. I often say Roti Boom in my day to day life.

I don't have any pictures of the Sate Ayam either, but they are very good. And cheap. Three sticks for one Ringet. And they come with delicious peanut sauce.

But the best deal, by far, is the Air Buah (fruit juice, or literally translated as water fruit) made fresh to order. Check it out.

Air Epal (apple juice) and Air Timun Cina Kosong (watermelon juice, no sugar). Malays love putting lots of sugar in their drinks, so you have to be very specific if you don't want any. And apple and watermelon is just the tip of this fruit juice iceberg. You can also get grape, honey dew, dragon fruit, mango, plum, carrot, pineapple etc. Though I have to say, Watermelon juice is amazing, I don't know why it's not popular in the States. Also, guess how much a glass costs? 2 Ringet! What a good deal.

But the one weird thing about the fruit juice stand is its name.

Yeah, Saddam Hussein. As far as I can tell it has nothing to do with the former dictator, but it is strange. When we first got to Terengganu we were a little nervous, knowing the area was conservative Muslim, and then we see this sign hanging two blocks from our apartment. It was an interesting moment, to say the least.