My missus did not cook last Sunday so we went out for a simple dinner at the chu char (cook & fry) place at the back of the coffee shop opposite the closed-down cinema at Rejang Park here.
We had the sweet and sour pork ribs…
…and the fried sea cucumber…
…which is sometimes known as the “fake fried sharks’ fins”. If you’re wondering why, it is simply because at the restaurants here, instead of the soup version of the ultra-expensive delicacy, they may serve you the dry or fried version which would look exactly like this. It is quite delightful really especially with a dash of black vinegar added. But of course, the thing being so expensive, it is really not affordable so what some people have done (much to the delight of some NGO people, I’m sure) is to substitute it with thinly sliced sea cucumber…and it will taste exactly the same – just as nice, I would say.
With the fried midin (jungle fern)…
…the bill came up to around RM20, inclusive of rice which I would say was a bit expensive but sea cucumber isn’t exactly cheap and the servings were huge – enough for three or perhaps even four persons. All things considered, I think it was quite reasonable and I would not mind going there again sometime.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Oh I know this place! It used to be a favorite of mine back when I was a kid. Friday was cell night and they always go for supper after and I’ll tag along coz I like the sweet and sour boneless pork ribs too. Hehe.
Yup! The food’s pretty nice…and it certainly looked like the pork ribs is the signature dish – everyone was having it. Didn’t look as appealling in my photo- night time under fluorescent light. Love the Foochow fried noodles there too – got wok hei! Yum!
Hey STP, RM20 ??? and u said it is not cheap??? gosh! I would run to that shop and eat daily if it is that cheap… hahahhaa… the one I posted up recently, 3 dishes for RM15.90 was considered cheap too but the dishes were not as delicious as yours! OK, bookmark this, my friend.. the midin vege is one of my favourites, I remember eating that almost daily while I was in Miri last time…
LOL!!! Cheap kah? Ok lah…around RM10.00 per person…and such huge servings. If 3 persons – that amount of food and that price, I would say it’s just right. The midin was good- crunchy, not overcooked like at some places – so bad that I couldn’t even chew… 😉
Very cheap la!! 10rm for one person… the other day, i went with elin.. we ordered two dishes only.. it cost RM40!! THAT is not cheap… I will post up the pictures soon…
LOL!!! Ipoh also city mah! That’s to be expected. LOL!!! 😀
Is midin, paku pakis? The sea cucumber dish is new to me. Looks interesting. I don’t eat shark’s fin anymore and I would call on everyone not to. Do you know how they harvest their fins? They cut them off and then throw the sharks back into the sea without their fins. Can you imagine having your hands and legs cut off and being thrown into the abyss? It’s cruel. I just can’t understand what the big deal is about eating shark’s fin- it’s super expensive, it’s tasteless, it’s like eating plastic whiskers in very tasty soup. Don’t you think so? Just drink the soup-la, dont need to make sharks suffer like that.
I agree 100%… It’s just a matter of ego – showing off! The rich host flaunting his fortune by serving huge sharks’ fins…which are in fact, absolutely tasteless and have no nutritional value whatsoever. Without it, the soup will taste exactly the same…
Nope! Midin is a wild fern like paku pakis but they are very very different. See! Like I said in my last post, there are many things here that you people over there do not know. Come, come…and you can get to eat that sea cucumber dish too. Personally, I prefer the soup – like sharks’ fins soup minus the offensive stuff and replaced with sea cucumber instead.
In Kuching, they have fish lips soup – also very nice…tastes the same but they use those cartilages from the head of the fish. Yum! Yum!
Fish lips soup – I’ve tasted the Sitiawan Foochow version – yes very nice and appetising. I think you come and stay in KL better. Most of your bloggy friends are here (you call until the cows come home also, don’t know when only we’ll go to Sibu-la); lots of good food to explore and write about; lots of SYT with cracks showing; lots of churches to let your mind wander in….Think about it….one day you’ll run out of Kampua noodles in Sibu to review. We’ll all welcome you with open arms…
Nice eh? I like it too- despite the name…fish lips! LOL!!! No cows in Sibu…so they will never come home = nobody will ever come! 😦 KL…LOTS of food bloggers with their DSLR cameras and photographs that put mine to shame – who in their right minds would ever want to read my blog if I move over there? Sighhhhh!!!!!
rm10 per person is ok actually. 🙂 “pai kut ong”, my favourite. But I got to cut down on these very soon, my tummy getting rounder and rounder. Help! LOL
Where got? I see your photos – getting thinner and thinner…and I’m sure it’s not hard work. Getting married blues…or too much partying?
3 dishes inclusive rice… and drinks? Consider reasonable liao! The sweet sour pork ribs looks really good!
Good? I thought the colour in the photograph is a bit dark- looked much nicer actually… Drinks, a couple of ringgit more.
i haven’t had fern since the day i left Bint-ulu T_T
oh there’s such chu cha place near usm here serving equally delicious and reasonably priced food! and food is served 5 mins after we ordered!!!
Yup…I noticed lots of chu-char places over there…but never tried. Dunno which is good – some should be nice and definitely cheaper than eating in restaurants.
Woi Uncle…RM20 for that meal not cheap kah?..tsk!tsk!tsk!Got pork, sea cucumber and a vege, wor !Here a plate of pasta pun tak dapat that price leh.
Kiwis…like KL city people…menang bergaya bah…eat pasta – so kaya, so must pay more lor. Muahahahaha!!!!! 😀
Midin! yes. i remember this name now.. i tried it when i was in Sarawak last time. oh, i don’t know that sea cucumber can be used to replace shark fins in this dish. I think both are equally expensive. Some restaurants will use glass noodles instead.. it is so much cheaper.
Glass noodles – no class lah. So cheap skate, might as well don’t put. Sea cucumber is expensive if it’s those huge ones that they serve braised…or stuffed with meat. For these, they would use the cheap thumb-sized ones cut into very thin strips – easily affordable. 😉
You have food from the farm, the sea, the forest and from padi fields for RM20 considered cheap already lah! Quite a balanced diet.
True hor…. Clever lah you! Didn’t occur to me that way. Hehehehehe!!! 😉
Again something nice and delicious. All 3 dishes looks great.
My favourite…fried midin, fried sea cucumber…something new to me.
Sweet & sour pork ribs looks really good.
RM20 for all, very cheap, very cheap…..
Cheap? Kuching, no problem getting these…and I guess at places like Batu Lintang, would be more or less the same price.
i just wanna say, i’m hungry again! muahahaha. oways come at the wrong time :X
i’ve heard of these bidins from my sarawakian frenz. would love to try one day!
So? When are you coming? Just hop over… Lots of nice things here to try… 😉
sorry *midin* hehe
No problem. Lots of Chinese here call it by that name. The Foochows call it mi-lian…which sounds like million…and they eat it all the time in the hope that they would become millionaires. Duh!!!!
huh…RM20 for 2 persons,still expensive?….As Claire said, will come here everyday….no need to cook.
No lah…not so healthy, eating this kind of food. Once in a while ok…
I love sweet and sour pork too! My must-order every time at chu char restaurants. But the sea cucumber really tasted like shark’s fin? I thought the sea cucumber would not be as ‘elastic’ or smooth? But still, I try to avoid shark’s fin now so sea cucumber is fine with me! 😛
Good! Good! When the demand stops, hopefully the killing will too… Elastic or smooth, no difference in the taste…so what’s the big deal in eating that stuff? Now they are using plastic imitations and people are happily eating…not knowing that they’ve been robbed right under their very nose. Genuine or fake – most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference… The price they pay for wanting to show off and flaunt their fortune! 😦
About to say how come the sweet and sour pork ribs is black in colour?
Fried sea cucumber? Oh, something new, i know they use to cook this with shark fins, never know they can cook with sea cucumber also. Actually i prefer they serve “budha jump over the wall” or any other chicken soup rather than serving shark fins soup.
Pssstttt…next time, when you snap pictures, those food i missed/craving, please don’t take so close up ok!!! 😦
Here too. If the dinner is hosted by some more modern, educated Chinese, they would have herbal black chicken soup instead…which is in fact nicer and more nutritious…even though I’m not really into black chicken. Eeeeeee!!!! LOL!!! 😀 Ummmm….which one you miss and are craving for? The midin kah? Ooooo….nice! Crunch! Crunch!!! Yum! Yum! Muahahahaha!!!! 😀
Got sea cucumber Rm 20, good price leh!
Ok lah…by KL standard, cheap. 😉
Opps, double typed my name….
Hehehehehe!!!! This is like BUY 1, GET 1 FREE! LOL!!! 😀
RM20 for 3 delicious dishes with big servings considered damn CHEAP, my friend! 🙂 In Penang, hmmmm, with these type of dishes can come up to about RM20 plus or so.
Penang also about RM20? Not cheap lor like this… Penang city, Sibu little town – should be cheaper here… 😦
Midin is it same as pucuk paku over here?
Not going to answer your question anymore. You will just have to come here and find out for yourself. 😦
RM20 is DAMN cheap lor.
Ooer i lobe the looks of the jungle fern! 😉
+Ant+
Come, come to Sibu…I take you to eat that and much more…puas2!!! 😉
Was just in Sibu over the weekend. You absolutely have to try the Tomyum noodle stall in Rejang Park, opposite Million Restaurant/Cafe. Choose from a variety of noodles, the soup is out of this world. But go early, as they run out quick.
I know that one – they open late and close early and the queues are long plus they’re not exactly very friendly people. I’ve had the fish (not tom yam) – was ok, nothing sensational. I love the claypot dishes from the stall in front – beef or pig innards or prawn. Very nice. Happy Hour’s the name of the coffee shop:
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/help-is-on-its-way/
i thought sea cucumbers are abundant…i’ve snorkeled before and i saw a lot of it which kept me from swimming further because they reminded me of snakes…eewww! 🙂 i don’t think i could eat it though 🙂
Actually, it hasn’t much taste. I wonder why it is so popular and so expensive – the big ones. Maybe it is symbolic as it resembles something? 😉
oooh, the sweet and sour pork looks like marmite chicken to me, haha.. and that is sea cucumber?? hmmm, first time i see it being cooked this way.. fried with eggs?? hmmm, a little wasteful don’t you think?? i only love braised sea cucumber with pork~~ :p
These are the tiny ones, very much cheaper. You’re talking about the giant ones…very expensive and worth its weight in gold, served only at lavish meals…only rich people can afford. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them. LOL!!!
Yummy…. I also want to eat the midin!!! so difficult to find them here. Am so jealous.
Come, come to Sibu… You’ve been flying north, south, east, west… Try Sibu next! 😉
A, is this Million Cafe? Couldn’t tell from the pics. BTW went to Happy Hour today but no prawns so I had the fish hung ngang from the third stall. Not too bad at all. When do you want to get together again?
Ah! The 3rd stall… They say the tom yam is out of this world. This place that I went to is directly in front of the cinema. I’ve a visitor tomorrow and a family do on Saturday. Will see when we can make it. 😉
OK now i really miss eating jungle fern! 😦
Drool! Drool! LOL!!! 😀