Well, this is Diana…
Sorry for the blurry pic. I think it was due to the insufficient light and she moved…
…my paternal cousin whom I had not seen for over twenty years at least.
And this is her sister, Eleanor…
I think the last time I met her was at my 20th birthday party at my old house (the wooden house at No. 96, Race Course Road)…or perhaps, during that time a couple of years later when I went to Kuching (by M.V. Rajah Mas – since sunk like the Titanic) and stayed at their house at Pending Heights.
She lives in Kent, England now…with her hubby, Phil…
They flew in to Sibu last Friday night. It was raining that evening and the flight was delayed by over half an hour…and by the time they’d checked into the hotel and we went for dinner, it was almost 9.00 p.m.
We went to Ruby and had this…
Oops! Wrong photo! That was the prawns in sweet soy sauce that I cooked for dinner. It was very nice! Anybody interested in the recipe?
Now to get back to my post proper, we all went for dinner – or at least, they went for dinner and I went for supper! LOL!!! We had the Foochow fried noodles (with gravy) which Eleanor had been craving for and Phil loved it! He said it looked something like the Hokkien fried noodles that he had in Miri prior to their coming to Sibu…but these were MUCH nicer!
I also ordered the Thai pandan chicken and this dish of mixed vegetables with a difference…
They had long beans, french beans, ladies’ fingers and brinjal fried with pork belly and a hint of belacan…and I must say it was VERY nice. That’s one dish I would order should I drop by at the restaurant again.
And we had one of my favourites – the tofu with minced meat and salted fish. I had not been able to take a decently-presentable photograph on my previous visits but I think I managed fairly well this time…
We all had the peanut and barley drink…
…and had a great time catching up with old times and updating one another with what is going on in our lives.
It certainly was nice meeting the two of them again after all these years, and Phil too.
14 comments
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November 15, 2009 at 7:38 am
Alex
peanut and barley. i could use that, especially with this kinda weather
Hahahahaha!!! Some people have been grumbling non-stop on FB about the heat… Never mind! Can melt the fat – will slim down! LOL!!!
November 15, 2009 at 9:06 am
ah^kam_koko'
The unpaid tour guide you are.
haha~~
This is Sibu hospitality mah! What goes around, comes around…
November 15, 2009 at 11:14 am
DC
I have not heard of Prawns in sweet soy sauce before but it looks good!
Recipe please! Is it the same method as with ketchup just different sauce?
I used a bit of ginger, add one Bombay onion slices and chillies – add soy sauce and sugar (I used attap sugar) and simmer till gravy is thick and dry. Nice! Salty and sweet…
November 15, 2009 at 12:14 pm
claire
hey STP, where is the foochow fried noodles???? u must have got mixed up with the prawns and the noodles..or perhaps u ate that up before u could even take the pic? LOL…… u must be pretty hungry even though it was supper!
Nope! I did not take the photos of the Foochow fried noodles and the pandan chicken as I/other people have posted them before. Just photos of the veg dish…and the tofu – I took twice, tak jadi! Photo not nice as a lot of smoke… LOL!!!
November 15, 2009 at 2:42 pm
kenwooi
i see ang moh! =D
your prawns certainly look more outstanding than the other food =)
Ya, ang moh with very little moh! LOL!!! Oops…sorry, Phil! It certainly looks nicer, doesn’t it? Well, come to think of it, if I had ventured into the restaurant business when I was younger, I’d probably be a b/millionaire by now… SIGH!!!
November 16, 2009 at 11:53 am
diana
Euphrasia,
is that you…Watch out for pictures on my FB …I managed to take a picture of the house that I used to live which is next door to you….unfortunately, its abandoned…..
I took a photo of their house and had it in a post quite sometime ago… Yours not just abandoned but almost completely demolished already. LOL!!!
November 15, 2009 at 5:08 pm
tekkaus
Peanut barley drink? Huh? You guys drink it like this? :p
So you wanna show off your prawns lar? LOL:D
Well…it is already good to catch up with your relatives right?
Ya, must keep up with all family ties…and friendships too! Ya, I thought the prawns tasted great so much show off a bit lah! You know me so well! Hahahahahaha! The peanut drink is like the peanut soup in cans (from China – you can get in the supermarket, but much nicer) and they add barley and sago pearls as well.
November 15, 2009 at 5:14 pm
William
Diana is my colleague!
Is she? Gee! Small world indeed!…So you’re working for that giant oil company, I see! Many of my ex-students are working there too – engineers.
November 15, 2009 at 10:39 pm
William
Yes, you are right. I worked here for 28 years now!Going to retire in 2.5 years time.
We have about 300 colleagues.
I see. That would make you about 5 years younger than me…
November 15, 2009 at 5:21 pm
sophia
Am sure both must have a great time with your hospitality! I had not seen diana since my primary school days so it was very nice when I met her in Miri recently.
Ya…it was nice taking them all around to the old places that hold a lot of childhood memories for them and Phil’s a great guy. I had a great time with them here.
November 15, 2009 at 6:52 pm
eiling
they do look alike although one has a more funky hairstyle.
They do? Always thought they’re like night and day – very different! LOL!!!
November 16, 2009 at 1:34 am
Housefly
Hahaha.. wow… Ruby everytime eh.. guess Ruby is like some sort of a must-visit for your friends. Cool ! You got Britons as pals.. hahaha.. nice la.. Too bad i am prawn-lergic.. looks nice T.T
Ruby’s food is nice, the place is quite quiet usually…so you can talk and be heard and the food is nice even though it may be comparatively more expensive at times. There’s also Martin from Bedfordshire from the radio days a few years back. Too bad you can’t take seafood! Ooooo….so nice! LOL!!!
November 16, 2009 at 11:50 am
diana
Ello people,
I just log on & gosh!….there’s comments left, right & centre. anyway, it was a rough flight home even though each one of us gets a “2 seats” to ourselves. The rain came down & greeted us…We had a great time in Sibu despite of the rain. Arthur & Lucy were a great couple & many thanks for showing us around & taking us to so many spots which brought back so many childhood memories, as for the food in sibu, I could easily put on weight if I’d stay longer……Its so nice to see how well your parents are & the paddling into the water just to get to see Alistair’s parents. We even had some durians before we left and you can imagine the “burping” inside the plane but who cares!………
Thanks once again for your hospitality……..U must drop by in Miri ………..
Glad you had a great time and thought the trip was worth it. Must come again…and stay longer next time. Bring your handsome son…to let him trace his Foochow roots! LOL!!! Would love to see you all again… (and can always squeeze in at my house, no need to waste money on hotel) Will try to make it to Miri someday.
diana
November 17, 2009 at 6:22 am
diana
Hi,
thanks for the invite…yes, will surely go back to sibu again esp on some dryer months…………I spoke so fondly of Sibu to my friends & they all crossed with me for not bringing them some dabai & mata kuching. I told them this trip is just visiting relatives & going down memory lane…strictly no shopping. That is why my bag is so tiny. Next trip will be eating & shopping till I drop….lol.
My son will be back in a few days time & we are off to kuching for x’mas. He comes back once a year. I will drag him to sibu to let him trace his foochow roots some day………
diana
Not sure of my X’mas plans yet. Who knows? We may get to meet in Kuching, God willing?