Some people think that they can just come to town and just go anywhere they like and eat what they want. Well, if you think you can do that, you are sadly mistaken. Sometimes there is something nice in one shop but for the best of something else, you will have to go all the way to another shop.
My missus and I went to this new coffee shop in town – it is a big one made up of two shoplots, one on one end of each block linked by a covered space in between. Don’t ask me why it is named as such for I really do not know and I am quite perplexed myself as to why they chose to use the plural form some more.
It was just around 12 noon but unfortunately, many of the stalls were closing shop for the day. There was one stall that had only one bowl of beef noodles left and I had that one…
I was disappointed by the mere sight of it. It certainly looked a whole lot nicer in the photograph displayed at the stall – even the soup was darker and looked richer while this one was quite obviously somewhat diluted.
It was edible, this much I would say…but for RM5.00, it was really not worth it. I wonder if the other items they sell at this stall are any better.
My missus had the zhao chai hung ngang (rice noodles in preserved salted vegetable soup) from one stall at the back for RM3.80…
…and she said it was sour enough and really nice.
Later, I saw the lady selling kampua noodles at that same shop. She used to run a stall at a coffee shop across the road from the school where I was teaching and hers used to be quite good. I guess that is one thing I can have should I happen to drop by this place again.
The bottom line is when you come to Sibu on a visit, you really have to know somebody who knows what is nice and where so that you will not end up eating something that is not so great…and leave town with the wrong impression of the food here.
Like the other day when I was waiting for my friend at the hotel lobby – the one who came on the Firefly inaugural flight to Sibu, I overheard some local VIPs who were invited to the function talking to one of those who came on that same flight – an Indian lady. She asked whether there is a mamak makan place in Sibu and those people did not know what a mamak is. The girl explained that a mamak is what people call an Indian Muslim…and they told her no, adding that there is no Indian in Sibu…when in actual fact, Nur Islamic is right across the road from the hotel and Balkis is around 200 metres away…and there ARE Indians in Sibu, just not many.
I think it was Mark Twain who said, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” Tsk! Tsk!
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 