THE capital of Kelantan is the capital of food, any type of food - from elegant, pretty restaurant-served meals and fancy hipster numbers to humble roadside stalls with authentic Kelantanese must-haves.
Time and time again, Kota Bharu or KB as it's fondly known, has been sold as the city of food that will never let any of her visitors go hungry at any time of the day.
There is almost an eatery at any corner of the city, and almost each in-operation eatery is packed with diners.
Let's start with the most important food of the day - breakfast! Forget your usual egg and toast, or even that usual roti canai or nasi lemak. Here in Kota Bharu, the choice is big, very big.
While it's not difficult to find a breakfast joint in the city, let's check out these two places, each has its own character and offerings.
PASAR BESAR SITI KHADIJAH
The city's main market, Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah needs no further introduction. The iconic market is one of the most visited and photographed landmarks in the city.
While locals are busy looking for their daily necessities and typical tourists busy clicking away for the holiday photos, food lovers will find it hard to move from the ground floor or the second floor.
The ground is the take-away section for all Kelantanese ready-to-eat sweetmeats - freshly made or dried, and savoury breakfast foods like Laksam and Laksa, Nasi Tumpang, Nasi Kerabu and many more.
Any food lovers - adventurers or fussy eaters - will be spoilt for choices here, and don't be surprised if you'll find that you don't have enough hands to carry all those packed foods.
Go straight to the second floor for the food centre which, by the look of it, takes almost half of the entire floor.
Aroma of boiling soups and gravies, and sizzling grilled and fried items is enough to lead any first timers to the food centre.
Here on this floor, there are probably tenths, if not over than 100, kiosks selling a la minute breakfast, or more like an all-day, savoury Kelantanese meals like, again, Nasi Kerabu, Nasi Dagang, Laksam or Laksa, Thai-style soups with noodles and even rice dishes.
Choice is big and it's quite tough to choose one, as each kiosk is mostly packed with patrons, and spreads out mouth-watering choices.
The one thing that could help in choosing which kiosk to go to is the availability of seats.
CERANA VILLA FLOATING MARKET
While nothing can beat the excitement the legendary Pasar Siti Khadijah has, floating markets add a more touristy feel and a picturesque setting for the food hunts. Much like those popular floating markets in Hatyai and Bangkok in Thailand or Bandung, Indonesia.
In case you didn't know, Kelantan has her own floating markets that each has its own charms and attractions that are enough to pacify the travel bugs in you.
Todate, there are two floating markets - Pulau Suri in Tumpat and Pengkalan Datu in Pengkalan Chepa,
While Pulau Suri is a small sandy island in Sungai Kelantan that is inaccessible via land, the floating market in Pengkalan Datu sits on the bank of Sungai Pengkalan Datu, just 10km from the capital.
If Pulau Suri attracts visitors with its charming kampung setting, the floating market at Pengkalan Datu is unique as it is part of an eco resort, Cerana Villa Resort.
While this gives the floating a more organised system - a proper seating area, pocket cultural shows, diverse offerings that also include art and crafts and pay-per-ride boat cruises.
The only problem is parking. Although the resort has a dedicated parking area, most of them are already taken up by its guests.
This leaves visitors driving in to check out the floating market no choice but to park along the narrow main road.
While the food offered is more or less the same as in Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah, the choice is limited and small.
You'll find the typical Nasi Kerabu or Laksam, but you won't be spoilt for choices on which stall or rather boat attracts you the most.
Both floating markets are open only on Saturdays from 8am to 2pm.
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