Last week some friends we have made in our community took us to Pontian, Johor for dinner. (FYI--Malaysia is the country; Johor is the state; Pontian is the town.) Pontian is a town about 30-40 minutes from where we live and is located on the southwest edge of the country, right on the water.
We drove around and looked at the town before stopping for dinner. It was so interesting to see "real" Malaysian style homes used for this fishing village--they were on stilts out over the water and you could see people walking around and carrying on their lives. The diner we ate at is located right on the water and you could feel the cool breeze from it. Our host offered to order and we let him, since we were not familiar with a lot of the items on the menu. We had venison, sliced thin and glazed with a spicy sauce; HUGE prawns cooked in a curry soup; steamed fish (everything); fried seafood rice; pork "knuckles" (like ribs); calamari (but with whole small squid); and some green vegetable that was delicious. It was amazing and very interesting to eat all the different flavors--from the bland steamed fish to the spicy venison! We definitely overate, but it was worth it.
Our friends were complaining because it was somewhat overcast when we arrived about 6:30 p.m., so you didn't have a great view of the water. But as the sun started to set, I looked up and saw the most BEAUTIFUL site from the open-air restaurant and I stepped outside to get the attached picture. If you come visit us here in Malaysia, I will make sure we go to this place for dinner!
