Famous Kuching Layer Tea Gaining Popularity?

Did you know that chicken rice is the most popular dish among Malaysians in general? It’s a complete meal and cheap, complete with meat and vegetables and a small bowl of soup. The meal costs merely rm4 or more depending on where you go, from coffee shop to a nicer air-conditioned restaurant .
Well, today I was eating at the franchise Chicken Rice Shop in Kuala Lumpur when suddenly something on the table caught my attention. Right there, I saw a drink menu with the drink title, Famous Kuching Three Layer Tea.

Being a Sarawakian, I was impressed and no doubt PROUD. Hey! There is a drink here called after our little cat city. I drank the drink for the first time last 2 months. It has a mix of coffee, tea,sugar and milk. The restaurant is charging rm4.50 for the drink here in Kuala Lumpur.
If you have never tried the drink, I recommend that you try it and you may just like the drink. You may even try making such concoction at home.
Now, who will be the next millionaire to create an instant Kuching Special Ice Tea in a packet ? By the way, remember to trade-mark it or else someone may just become the next millionaire at your expense. May I charge you for my 5 cents worth of advice?

Delicious Home Cook food with Homestay in a Secret Garden

Recently I was cruising around Kampung Siol Kandis looking for an Orchid Café that everyone has been talking about. I heard that their Nasi Goreng Kerabu (originated from Kelantan) is a “to die for” and a must try.

Upon reaching the lush garden café, I was greeted by the owner, Kak Rom, a personable and affable lady. She led me through a small path that goes through a garden that is filled with orchids and lush green shrubs. Her little café is surrounded by flower garden and the landscaping being done by Kak Rom herself.

I glanced through the menu and saw that they serve some of my favourite dishes here, nasi lemak, penang assam laksa and the much talked about Nasi Goreng Kerabu Kelantan. I had ice lemon tea and nasi goring kerabu Kelantan. This is the first time I tried nasi goring keraqbu Kelantan though I have tried nasi kerabu in Kuala Lumpur before. I must say, this dish is really delicious. After you have eaten this nasi goring kerabu, all other type of fried rice, be it yong-chow fried rice, nasi goring kampong or nasi goring ikan bilis or even nasi goring special will all pale in comparison to this nasi goring kerabu. It is the taste of the herbs that has been stir fried together with the rice that makes the taste so special. According to Kak Rom, the herbs are planted in her garden. She planted several type of herbs in her garden. I call it the secret garden because it seemed so hidden away in Kampung Siol Kandis.

After tucking in to a luscious meal, I ventured around her secret garden. She has several chalets and cottages built around her garden for homestay. Her house is just beside the garden.

Imagine waking up in the morning to the melody of birds singing and be surrounded by a garden instead of the sound of traffic in the city. You walk a few steps down towards the café and be served with her hot homemade breakfasts. Then off you go venturing into the cat city.

Come back in the evening and be greeted by the smell of good food cooking. Have a scrumptious dinner and then relax away in the evening with a karaoke session or get a lift to the Food Centre just a few minutes drive from her place. The food centre is located just beside the Sarawak River, right opposite The Waterfront in the city. That is where Grand Margherita Hotel is located. You need to take a sampan to get to the waterfront from this side of the village. Enjoy a giant glass of teh tarik while taking in the surrounding scenery.

I like this homestay because Kak Rom is an easy going person and also because the homestay is located away from city. It is great for a quiet relaxing time. Kak Rom has different rates for her homestay cottage according to their size.

Go check them out. I am sure you wont be disappointed and remember to order Kak Rom’s famous Nasi Goreng Kerabu!

Sour Brinjal or Terung Dayak

Sour Brinjal, or better known as Terung Dayak, is a kind of plant that is edible. It is yellow colour and is round . it is popular amoung the locals for cooking sour dishes like assam sour fish, sour soup and etc.When the locals cook it, they like to put chilli into the boiling soup, you get a sour and spicy taste at the same time.

You cannot find it anywhere else except in Sarawak or perhaps Sabah too. I did not think much of it until I had dinner with a West Malaysian friend the other night. She commented that she has never tried the sour brinjal and was rather intrigued with it. As we grew up eating those vegetables, we do not think much of it. So when she brought up the issue, I decided to share with the world the unique vegetables that can be found in our backyard.

so when you visit Sarawak on your next trip, do remember to buy some home or just try the vegetables in a restaurant. I will try to find a recipe for you SOON!

This is indeed a unique Sarawak vegetables found only in Borneo!

The Must Try Ikan Terubok Dish

One of Sarawak’s most popular must buy is Terubok Fish. The Malays call it ikan terubok. The Chinese call it chi kat because the fish has many bones. this fish is VERY POPULAR with the Malays from West malaysia but not as popular with the Malaysian chinese in Malaysia as both races have their own cooking style. for me, i am not exactly fond of this fish because it has many small bones.

Last week, I was at this restaurant called, See Good and for a table of 6, we ordered one ikan terubok  and had it deep fried. It was a huge one. Deep fried , and then had soya sauce sprinkled over it generously. It think it was almost 2.5 kgs.

Its scale is still on it . we had to squeeze droplets of lemon on it before we eat it for that soury taste of the lemon on the juicy taste of the fish. We ate it with its scale on it. and Guess What? i liked it so much because the bones and scales were crunchy that I ate quite a fair bit of it , its scale and its bones all in.

The fish cost us rm60. Expensive huh? I thought the fish was expensive. Well, I was at the market today and I saw that the fish can be bought for only rm18 per kg.

I seldom eat this type of fish. I once choked on a double edged fish bone. Someone even brought me to a temple to get myself prayed over and given some water to drink which supposedly had the power to dissolve the bone. I waited and waited and nothing happened. So after 4 hours of waiting and still nothing happened, I went to a clinic and had an experienced doctor to pull out the bone from my throat.

Boy! Was I careful when I eat fish after that. This fish is very popular all right with the Malays especially from west Malaysia. They deep fried it and the bones become crispy and you just bite on the fish bone and eat it. If you steam it, you will be spending your time picking and pulling out the bones from the flesh.

Go check it out! Go to a restaurant that serves this fish and have it deep fried! You will love it after a while. Of course, again, it depends on the expertise of the chef,. If he is good at cooking, the fish would taste delicious.

Mum’s Favorite Chinese New Year snack

Chinese New Year is the time where you get to see small food vendors or home made cookies or snacks seller coming out and sell their home made specialties to make some extra cash 2 weeks before the Chinese new year. The place that I frequented before the Chinese New Year is the many stalls at Kenyalang Park corner. The stalls are located haphazardly in between the 2 rows of shophouses. The stall owner sells from cookies to flowers, house decoration, clothes and many other things.

We usually say that we must buy only from our regular cookie sellers because they are the best but one would be surprised to find that there are equally delicious and tasty snacks/cakes/cookies being sold at these stalls. Food that you would see being sold only during the weeks before the Chinese new year as the maker will not be selling them at other months. I even copied the contact number of the cookie seller so that I can buy from them again next year.

It is actually quite fun to check out the food products there and sample them. It is ok even if you do not buy them. (I can’t help but buy them after tasting and would end up with several hundred rm worth of cookies which I would eat them but can never finish all of it. Wasteful as you call it? Not to mention gaining many pounds in the aftermath of consumption

Sarawak Pickled Cucumber or Acar in Malay is made of thinly sliced cucumber and carrots, dried shrimps, chilli, ginger and other ingredients. Some acar do not have dried shrimps. The taste is tangy, spicy, a little sweet and sour. During Chinese new year, people like to eat the Acar with prawn crackers or keropok in Malay. So as you bite the keropok, you can taste the crispiness of the keropok, and at same time taste the sweet sour cucumber as you eat them. SEDAP!!! (delicious in Malay) My mum loves it very much. You can even eat it with rice if you have no other dish prepared for your meals.

You can find them being sold SOMETIMES at bakery or supermarket. It is best to buy the home made ones BECAUSE they are made with TENDER LOVING CARE. Did you know that if food is made with tender care and love, it somehow TASTES better and more delicious instead of the rough mass production. By the way, before I forget, make sure you refrigerate your Acar at all times because it tastes better being served chill.

I am yearning for some prawn keropok with acar now. Got to go find them. Enjoy!

Kam Pua Noodles at Top Ten Coffee Shop, Jalan Song, Kuching

Have you ever heard of Kam pua mee? (Kam pua noodles) (mee means noodles) It is quite similar with Kolok mee but the blanched noodle comes with char-siew meat and a small bowl of soup.  You can request for the noodle to be served plain or have chilli and soya sauce mixed into it which was how I liked it . (see photo)

Kolok mee comes with minched pork and sometimes char siew meat too but the noodle is more curly. Kam pua mee is straight. If you ask me, I like Kam Pua mee better.

I had Kam Pua mee for breakfast this morning at Top Ten Coffee shop, Jalan Song.

The stall owner’s name is Ah Lin. Mind you, she is not a chinese and yet her noodles are delicious.  Most of these noodles are prepared by chinese folks around Kuching city especially foochow as kampua mee  originated from the foochow community.

Look at her smile. When your food is prepared with so much joy and smile,  it will somehow tastes better.

Thumbs up for her!

Cheers!

Zest for Food & Fine Dining

Today, I had lunch at Zest Restaurant. They call it a new Dining Experience. The restaurant’s decoration is modern yet informal. The place is not air conditioned and the staff are very attentive.  The chef  owner is Beckham, someone with over 10 years experience as a Chef in Singapore and Bangkok but decided to head home and brighten up the food scene in Kuching.

I looked at the food menu and found that they had Thai food, Japanese Food, Indian Food, Hong Kong/chinese food, Singapore and even European food like pastas and burgers. They decided to be creative and created Obama Coffee which is mocha coffee and Kawai-i, which is Nescafe coffee mixed with chocolate .

I ordered Ebiko Fried Rice with prawns (rm7.90) and my friend Barbie had pineapple fried rice (rm6.90) . I thought the plate is far too big for the food but the test is in the tasting, esp. me with the acid taste bud. The moment i sank my teeth into the food, i knew that i will come back again and again. The food is simply delicious.

My Ebi fried rice with prawn roe was good. The taste was just nice and Barb’s fried rice was simply breathtakingly delicious. We then tried the dessert of creme brulee with vanilla ice cream. The sweetness was not too much and just nice.

Having passed my acid gastronomical taste bud, i decided to have a chat with the owner, Beckham but unfortunately he was not around. I was then introduced to his cousin, Byron, an engineer turned entrepreneur. All 3 cousins had put their heads and savings together to open up Zest! Byron went on to tell me how they had opened up Zest just last year and each cousins had their own role to play in managing the kitchen and the dining area. Beckham is the chef, another is the mocktail specialist and Byron takes care of customers.  After a good chat with Byron, he promised me a meal on the house on my next trip there. He sure takes care of the customers well.

Well, Kudos to them for a job well done. Keep it up fellas!

Kuching  needs more such eateries around town.

Location of Zest: 43, Grd Floor, Block C, Wisma Nation Horizon,
Petanak Road, Kuching.
Opening Hrs: 11am-11pm

Bukit Mata, Seafood Centre No. 25

This seafood centre No. 25, Bukit Mata Seafood Restaurant is definitely my favourite stall. It is located on the 6th Floor of Open Air Car Park, Top Spot Seafood Restaurant opposite Ting Pek Khiing Building.

There are several seafood centre all located together. Each centre or stall display an array of fresh seafood. You can pick and choose whichever type of seafood that you want and they will cook it for you.

The food is not only cheap and fresh but the owner is also a lovely person. I love their orh chien, oyster pancake. So far, their Orh Chien was the biggest serving of most restaurants. I love their stir fried black pepper crabs too.

Do check out their stall the next time you are there. Yeah, you can tell them that Sandy recommended you from her website.  Happy Dining

Orh Chien, Famous Oyster Pancake

Recently a Singaporean friend came to visit Kuching and I had the chance to bring him to Top Spot SeaFood Centre on 6th floor of Taman Kereta. I brought him to my regular  outlet, No. 25, Bukit Mata Seafood Centre.  Just a 10 minutes walk from Riverside Crowne Plaza Hotel or Grand Margherita Hotel, formerly known as Holiday Inn Kuching.

i ordered Orh Chien for him to try as there is no such Orh Chien dish in Singapore. Those that they have there are not crispy pancake like those served here. You can choose either to have oyster toppings or even mussels.

The pancake sure is big piece.  Actually it was the biggest Orh Chien i have ever seen served. I do not see other restaurants serve such huge portions before. It was very tasty and crispy.

You break it into edible pieces and dipped it in special soya sauce sprinkled with pepper. We had to order a second Orh chien because it was so tasty and my friend really enjoyed it a lot.

Do give it a try if you are in Kuching.

Sarawak Laksa, Most Popular Food in Kuching City

Popular Local Delights

Some of the best varieties of local cuisine can be found in Kuching. . On your visit to Kuching if you did not try the Sarawak Laksa, you would have lost an opportunity to have some authentic Kuching dish. It is prepared of rice vermicelli and mixed with prawn paste, topped with fried eggs cut into thin slices, bean sprouts, soft chicken slices and juicy prawns.

You will do a great disservice to yourself if you leave Sarawak without tasting the Kolok Mee. Prepared of dried yellow egg noodle with barbequed slices of pork and minced meat, it is mixed with vinegar and meat sauce to give it a salty taste. Moreover it is topped with chicken slices or prawns depending on your choice. This dish is available for breakfast, lunch or dinner as it is a very common dish in Kuching. So simple to prepare and so delicious that you will not want to miss this one.

Next, you are bound to see people savouring Mee Sua Chicken with red wine. This foochow dish originated from Sibu. That’s because it does not let your stomach grumble for a long time. The dish is prepared by wine residue that has already been fermented and then mixed with chicken pieces and ginger stewed to blanced thread-thin rice noodles.

Another popular dish among the Iban people is the Manok Pansoh, a well known Iban dish. Pieces of chicken, mushrooms, tapioca leaves and lemongrass are stuffed into bamboo and then heated over open fire. It is a natural way of preparing chicken which becomes surprisingly tender and the bamboo seals in the natural flavor. Moreover the gravy produced gives a sweet scent of bamboo and lemongrass.

Umai is a traditional delicacy prepared out of raw fish and consumed in the form of salad. Several different types of raw fishes are used for preparing Umai. Umai preparation can be of two types- one where you can have plain sliced fish with spicy chili sauce and the other where small pieces of raw fish are mixed with lime juice, sliced onions, chilies, sugar and salt. This dish is common among Melanau fishermen who tend to eat it in their boat.

There is also another dish called bilin, milin or midin. This dish can only be found in Sarawak. You can eat it stir fried with shrimp paste or with anchovices, wine or garlic.

A locally produced biscuits made of desiccated coconut, sugar and sago is the Tabaloi. There are various flavors of this biscuit which includes vanilla and cocoa. You can buy it in most supermarkets or at departure hall at the airport.

Also try out the bamboo clam dish, a unique Sarawakian dish. It looks like worm hidden in a bamboo shell. It is cooked in curries, black pepper or steamed in Chinese wine.

Another popular dish among the local folks is the salted Terubok fish.
People here are dam crazy about salted Terubok Fish and its craze cannot be compared to any other preparation. Lot of visitors takes these salted fishes for their family and friends to various places of the world. The dish is prepared by roasting Terubok, a kind of fish very popular among the local population and having it with salt.

If you are a buff of Chinese food you must try out the yummy Kueh Chap which means mixed cake. It is prepared out of rice flour and mixed with pork parts. It is cut into rectangular or square parts and is served with herbal soup. Another local favorite is the Tomato Kuey Teow only found in Sarawak. Rice noodles called Kuey Teow here are fried and tomato sauce is mixed with it so as to give the gravy the flavor of tomato. It is served with sliced charsiu, vegetables or prawns.

Belacan Bee Hoon is another popular dish but not as easily found as compared to Sarawak Laksa or Kolok Mee. It is prepared out of Bee Hoon and served with cucumber, cuttlefish and belacan sauce. If you want to taste authentic dish of Sibu try out the Sibu’s king prawn noodles prepared out of noodles, Asam tom yam soup and prawns. The asam tom yam soup is prepared of lemon grass, fish sauce, chili peppers and tamarind.

On your visit you may hear about Mee Jawa, and you may wonder what it is all about. It is an Indonesian dish prepared out of sambal cuttlefish, vegetables, eggs, tofu and crackers.

If you wish to have some barbecue or grilled chicken, pork, beef, mutton, fish or goat why not try out the Satay, popular during celebrations or events.

Kacang Ma, popular among the Chinese population in Kuching is a chicken preparation fried in sesame oil mixed with ginger juice and rice wine.

Other local favorite delicacies include Kuching Orh Chien cooked with pizza and crispy ommelet with toppings of oyster with coriander leaves and served with soy sauce. Roasted Sago Worms made in a spit which tastes like meat or bacon and are cooked along with sago flour is another preferred dish especially among the western tourists. Moreover, you should not miss out the Bubur Pedas, a favorite local meat dish prepared of the paste of bambu burbur, meat/prawns, baby corn, long bean, bean thread vermicelli, coconut milk and bamboo shoot.

Additionally, you can also try out a traditional dessert prepared from shaved ice, palm sugar, food colors, starch noodle, grass jelly, glutinous rice, red beans and coconut milk. Don’t forget to take some Pearl Sago which you can either bake to make some bread or pancake or make delicious plum pudding. If you want to have some bread with your morning tea or coffee, try out the Kom Pia. Its taste is similar to French bread but sesame seeds are added at the top. It is made of wheat and is mixed with water and then baked over charcoal.

On your way back don’t forget to take some Dabai, the native fruit of Sibu and can only be found in Sarawak. Soak the Dabai in hot water for some time till the flesh becomes soft after which you can have it with salt, sugar or soy sauce. Moreover, pineapples in Sarawak are famous due to its high sugar and low acid content.

Thus Sarawak in general and Kuching in particular is a great place to have some excellent food and enjoy your time out. Once you have one of the favorite delicacies of Kuching you are bound to keep asking for more.

Places To Eat In Kuching

Kuching, the melting pot of various cultures is a perfect example of tradition combined with modernity to give it a unique contrasting style. Various cultures- Chinese, Europeans, Indians besides the local people coexist in this land of unending opportunities. This has given Kuching a highly diverse range of delicacies and has resulted in sprouting of numerous eating joints from small hawker stalls to high end restaurants.

One of the best places to have local Malay food at a reasonable price is at The Waterfront where you can find small hand carts selling BBQ stingray and milk tea also called teh tarik. These carts are usually found near the Steakhouse restaurant located within the Hilton Hotel, which is another popular joint among locals and visitors alike. Favorite dishes of the restaurant are the seared tuna and steak. It is necessary to book a seat in advance as it is full for most of the time.

Chef at Home, another favorite joint is situated within a residential structure where the garden is converted into a dining area. A great place for honeymoon couples to have a romantic dinner in this comfortable but affordable restaurant.

If you want to have a taste of authentic Chinese delicacies in Kuching visit the Hong Kong Noodle at Wisma Saberkas shopping centre. You get to have a meal seating within the comforts of an air conditioned room and that too at a reasonable price. Their specialty is the red BBQ pork and the spya sauce chicken. Their home made chilli paste dipped in oil which they left on every dining table is a must try.

If you are in a group you are recommended to try out Hornbill’s Corner at Ban Hock Road. Food is served in steamboat style which means you are served a buffet meal and you can choose your favorite delicacies. Usually they serve four or five different varieties of marinated chicken, beef and shrimps. You can also cook them as per your liking besides making some soup. Food is not the only thing available; there are ice creams and desserts as well. Though it is a bit costly, it is worth a visit.

The Magenta restaurant situated in Jalan Nenas, Kuching gives you a taste of western cuisine in Asian atmosphere. The atmosphere is wonderful and decorations are very relaxing. Even the lightings are perfect for any occasions. Though the menu is varied, great care is taken while preparing its seafood. Duck preparations are also excellent. Moreover they have a decent collection of wine and beers.

Some of the best Thai cuisine is found in Mango Tree in Crookshank Road. The Thai food is great. You must check out their Tomyam soup.

One of the best places to have a nice breakfast before you go out for your sightseeing tour of the city is Choon Hui Café. Situated at the city center besides Grand Continental Hotel, the Hainanese coffee shop is designed in traditional Chinese style. The coffee shop opens quite early in the morning and closes by 11am. You can find toasted bread baked on top of real charcoal to give you the real smell and taste of toasted bread.

If you want to have a range of hawker food, the best place to be is at Jalan Song. The whole area is just amazing with three large food courts with around 100 stalls joined together. It is highly recommended not to visit the place during the day time as most likely you would not find anything there as most stalls are closed during the day except for a few stalls. These days, more and more coffee shops are mushrooming up there so you have more and more choices to choose from.

You can find numerous shop houses behind Ban Hock Road popularly called Law Lee Café and has the best assortment of food available. One of the most favorite is the Kompia and Dain Bien Wu soup prepared from tiger lily, cuttlefish, meat balls, rice flour and black fungus.

Some of the other small but interesting places to have a taste of local delicacies are the Tun Jugah Food Court in the Golden Triangle Shopping Complex, Laksa Sarawak at Bornill in 3rd mile Bazaar, Tabuan Jaya Food Court, Tomato/Ketchup Mee at Pending Seafood Center, Kenyalang Park Food Court and Hui Sing Garden Food Court.

The Sarawak Laksa at Foody Goody Coffee Shop at Tabuan Laru is an all time favourite. It is always packed on weekends. Patrons patiently wait for at least half an hour each time for their bowl of laksa.

Some of the other best delicacies which you must try include BBQ Spring Chicken, Ikan Panggang etc. You are also recommended to go to Rubber Road to this coffee shop that sells fried prawn pancakes to be eaten dipped in chilli sauce, fried fritters, meatballs etc. The owner used to have their stall at the old Rex cinema.

For a taste of seafood, the popular spots among tourists is the many open air seafood stalls called Top Spot Seafood Restaurants located on the 6th floor of Ting Pek Khiing parking lot. Diners get to choose the freshest live seafood wherein they will cook it on the spot for you.

If you want to get out of the city, you are recommended to go to Bako. There, located in a malay fishing village are 2 chinese restaurants which serve equally good seafood dishes. You will also have a chance to visit a Chinese temple nearby on top of a hill. The temple is just 5 minutes walk away from the restaurants. When you reach the top of the hill, you get to see a breath-taking view of South China Sea that stretches as far as the eyes could see.

One specialty dish that can only be found in Kuching is oir-cien. It is flour deep fried with eggs and oysters until crispy and served piping hot in the shape of a curved big round plate. You eat it by breaking it into smaller pieces and dipping it in soya sauce sprinkled with pepper. My highest recommendation for THE place to eat this is at Top Spot Restaurants at Bukit Mata No. 9 stall. Go check it out!

So all in all, your stay in Kuching is bound to be a gastronomical affair that will keep you energized for your long tour there. You also will definitely pack up a few more pounds by the time you want to go home. That I can GUARANTEE You!

« Previous Page