This is home…

This is the coffee shop at Rejang Park here in Sibu that I go to quite frequently to buy the braised chicken feet aka phoenix claws that my mother loves to eat…

A long time ago, I used to drop by once in a while for the kampua noodles in the afternoon and I remember that they were pretty good and I liked them a lot. Sometimes, way back then, I would skip lunch especially when I had a late breakfast…so by 3 something in the afternoon, I  would be quite hungry…and this was one of those few places in town that would still be open for business. Most of the rest would close after lunchtime. Somehow or other, I never went there again for the noodles until the other day when I decided to stop by and have a plate – white (with chio cheng/light soy sauce) tossed in chili sauce…

…and at the same time, I also ordered a small plate of pian sip (meat dumplings), dry…

If I’m not mistaken, they charged me RM1.50 only for the latter…and I must say that I enjoyed both of them very much.

So, if you’re in town and you’re looking for authentic Foochow kampua and pian sip, this is one place that you can check out.

Like I said…

Like I said a couple of posts ago, I would go back to this coffee shop…

…to try the mee sua (thread/string longevity noodles) served in chicken soup cooked with ginger and traditional Foochow red wine, the reason being the fact that I saw a lot of people eating it that day so I took that as an indication that it would be really very good.

I ordered a bowl (RM5.00) of that…

…and I must say that I was a bit disappointed when it was served. I think I would get something a lot more substantial elsewhere but then again, the price may range to up to RM6.00 or more…and RM9.80 here.

The meat was well-marinated and was thus reddish in colour…

…but I did not really enjoy it as it was way too gingery for my liking. I know a lot of people do enjoy that – having that very strong ginger taste in the soup but not me.

That same day, I also bought some of the deep fried or koi (yam cake) that they were selling at that shop at 40 sen a piece…

– 5 pieces for RM2.00.

They were pretty good but I remember the time when they would probably be sold at 10 sen per piece or 4 for RM1.00. Well, never mind! The purchasing power is in my hands and I have the choice not to buy if I think it isn’t really worth it. I think I’ll just wait for my mother-in-law to make and then I can fry my own – after all, I’m not really crazy about those Chinese cakes…

In the dark…

My missus and I went for the evening service on Sunday and when it was all over, we came here for dinner…

This is their 3rd outlet – their first one is at the other end of the commercial centre and the 2nd one is  right in the middle of the town centre.

This one is very big but I would not say that I like the decor. This part with all the curtains looks like some kind of a boudoir…

…and sticks out like a sore thumb.

Besides, it was very dark and we would not know what we’re putting in our mouths. My missus had this chicken Chiengmai or whatever noodles (RM8.50)…

…and there were some slices of something in it and we could not tell what they were. Probably they were carrots and I certainly hoped so – not bamboo shoots! As for the taste, it wasn’t much to shout about – something like the Foochow-style fried noodles that we can get outside at any coffee shop.

I  ordered the pad thai (RM10.90)…

…and I wouldn’t say I would be dying to have that again. I thought it tasted something like tomato kway teow but spicier and maybe  a little bit better.

The waitress told me that this was one of their signature dishes…

– lamb satay (RM15.90)…and if this is one of the best, I wonder what the rest that they have on the menu are like. It was quite well-marinated and tasty but I found it very tough and what is satay without the peanut sauce? They served it with some kind of Thai chili sauce instead. Tsk! Tsk! And I do wish they would be more creative in their presentation – other than dumping on every plate a generous helping of those not-very-nice keropok (prawn crackers).

Frankly, no matter how much they’ve put into making the place attractive and impressive, it is all spoilt by the ghastly-looking market, now reduced to half its original size, beside it. Service is good and prompt though – but you will have to be able to speak Mandarin as they are not conversant in English or at least, the one serving us was not and the food comes out very fast. For want of something to do while waiting, I tried my hand at taking some shots in the dark…

Should I HAVE to go there again anytime in the future, I think I will bring a torchlight…

Closer…

I haven’t had lor mee like the ones that I knew long ago – not too gooey or starchy, just the right amount of fermented beans and not too strong with the five-spice powder but this one comes pretty close…

I had it at the Toto Cafe, next to e-Cafe – one of the two coffee shops right behind Delta Mall at RM3.50 a bowl. But looking at what the other people were having, it appeared that the mee sua was the main attraction – almost everyone else was having that and I could see that the meat had been marinated well with the red wine. Hmmm….I think I will go back there again one of these days for that.

Well, Chinese New Year is getting closer and closer… How are your preparations coming up? My missus has been busy – buying this and that, cleaning and she has started baking the cakes and the cookies…

…last Saturday. These are the traditional cookies that we will have every year – we call them kuih dahlia after the flower…

I think she has made her specialty, the ngor hiang (meat rolls) too…or what is called lor bak in places like Penang and had them steamed and stored in the freezer. When the time comes, she would just have to take them out and deep fry them, cut and serve…

*recycled pic*

Come, tell me what you’ve done so far…

Little bit of this, little bit of that (2)…

Nothing much has been happening around here – pretty much the same old routine day in, day out…

It was my sister’s birthday last Friday and since she was singing the praises of the oreo cheese cake at this bakery at the commercial centre round the corner from my house…

…I went and got one for her.

It was very nice – RM30 only for a small one and RM50 for the bigger one. I, for one, have gone off those rich creamy cheese cakes but this one has a layer of cake inside…

…and I must say that I enjoyed it somewhat.

For those of you who will be coming to Sibu and staying at this hotel, there is  a branch of that bakery downstairs just a few doors away.

Sighhhhh!!!! Do you ever have one of those days when you simply do not have any idea what to have for breakfast? Well, it was on one of those days that I went back to this place and tried the mee mamak…

Well, it was…like mee mamak – sweet and sourish with the chili sauce and what not…

…and I wouldn’t say that I liked it a lot. I still think the old lady’s Malay-style fried noodles here are the best. In fact, I posted a photo of this one on Facebook and Gratitude said that I would be able to come out with something  a lot better. True! True! VERY true indeed!!! And my NZ friend asked me about the little bowl of soup by the side. Well, that’s the complimentary sup tulang (bone soup) – we usually get that here, FOC…like whenever we have our plate of kampua noodles.

Well, Chinese New Year is just round the corner. Hopefully, things will pick up a bit and something exciting may come my way…

Little bit of this, little bit of that (1)…

I love liver…but I know many who don’t. It may be beef or chicken liver cooked-rendang style…or pork liver cooked with ginger and Bombay onions in soy sauce, Chinese style or simply boiled and served in a clear soup like this…

Usually, I would prefer it with a bit of pork intestines and some minced meat balls and whatever else – with or without glass noodles like how they serve it here but when I had it at this particular place that sells very good kolo mee, there was only liver inside. I had a plate of kampua kosong (plain noodles without meat) with it…

…and I would say that I enjoyed it very much but there was a bit too much liver for me to finish…and besides, I was being a bit careful so as not to over-indulge in case I ended up with a gout attack.

I would never touch these though – phoenix claws, they call them…

…which is a somewhat fanciful name for what they actually are – chicken claws. These have been deep fried and braised in soy sauce and five-spice powder and what not till tender and chewy. My mother loves them a lot so I would drop by regularly at one coffee shop in Rejang Park – the one right next to the cinema (I think the name is “My Home”, if I’m not mistaken) in the block opposite the post office. The big ones are 80 sen each and there are some smaller ones that they sell for 60 sen each.

Don’t ask me what they taste like though as I really do not know. All my life, I’ve never eaten them…

…nor the butt, the parson’s nose or what is often commonly called bishop’s nose that a lot of people seem to love so much – no, thank you!

Moving on, I wonder how many of you have eaten these before…

They’re called kuih berangin (windy cake) and is coated with toasted grated coconut. Inside, it is supposed to be sweet but these that I bought for 3 for RM1.00 had nothing of the sort. I don’t think you’ll see me buying those and eating them again…if you get what I mean.

I’ve also tried the bingka cheese, also 3 for RM1.00 at my regular Malay kuih stall at Bandong…

…but I think I would rather stick to the usual bingka pandan (screwpine leaves)…

…or the bingka labu (pumpkin). Personally, I feel that they taste a lot nicer.

So? What have you all been up to at your end? Had anything nice lately?

Morning has broken…

On the morning of the 2nd of January, after they had spent the night at my niece’s house on Penang island, Melissa and my missus went with her and her brother – my nephew and his wife for a dim sum breakfast at this place called Old Winston along Anson Road (opposite KDU) before they sent Melissa to the teacher-training institute at Sungai Petani in Kedah. I’ve been told that it is very popular and that morning, the place was very crowded but looking at the photographs, I would not say that I’m very impressed.

These were the siew mai (meat dumplings) that they had…

…and just look at the egg tarts! I certainly have seen much better pastry than this…

The chee cheong fan looked pretty all right…

…though I would not say that I would be drooling over it, not at all.

Judging from the skin, I guess these were lor bak…

…but of course the test of the pudding would be in the eating.

They also had the dry version of the yong tofu…

…and the century egg porridge – I think Melissa loved this but then again, she has always been a fan of porridge served in whatever way…

They also had some fried dumplings that did not look very appetising either so I don’t think I would go through the trouble of including the photograph here.

I had some pretty good dim sum at The Red Garden, Penang Road and they definitely looked a lot better than these – the only thing was that the place was only open at night. I asked my missus whether this one was any good and she said that it was all right – nothing sensational. Well, there is one here that is immensely popular and is always crowded – all the things will run out by mid-morning…but personally, I do not think the dim sum there is all that great – the only reason for the crowd, I would think, is the fact that it is very cheap – RM10 for any three baskets/storeys. Perhaps that is the case here as well but I wouldn’t know…as I wasn’t there.

Without me…

My daughter left for Sungai Petani on 1st January…without me. My missus has a lot more time on her hands now as she has retired from work so I told her to go with Melissa instead of me this time around. After all, she has a nephew and a niece in Penang and they can help with things once they get over to the island.

They left around 11 something that morning and flew via KLIA to Penang, arriving there at around 4 or 5 in the evening. They went for dinner at this Thai restaurant…

…which claims to be authentic – the real thing, the newly-opened outlet on the island itself.

Of course, if you go to a Thai restaurant, you must have the tom yam…and this is the “white” or clear soup version…

Melissa said their pandan chicken was a lot nicer than Ruby’s – chunkier and tastier…

…and if that is the case, it must be very very nice. I always think the ones at Ruby are very good already compared to others that I’ve tried elsewhere.

They also had the steamed siakap…

…and this dish of crab glass noodles…

…besides some fried vegetables and Thai dessert.

Melissa was obviously excited and enjoying herself as she kept sending smses to me all throughout the dinner. She and the mum spent the night at the niece/cousin’s place and did not proceed to Sungai Petani until the next morning.

My missus is back in Sibu now – after a week-long break in Penang…and Melissa has been back in her teacher-training institute for a fortnight already and is gradually readjusting and getting used to the old routine. There’s only one more year to go, anyway…so it won’t be long now.

On our way home…

This post is long overdue, I know. Time does seem to fly, doesn’t it?

Well, if you still don’t know, should you happen to be flying on a domestic flight via KLIA, there is not very much that you can eat once you’re inside the departure lounge. They’ve closed down the Burger King outlet and the adjoining one selling Malaysian food. I was told that they would be opening a MarryBrown outlet instead…but when Melissa and the mum were on transit to Penang on the 1st of January, there was still no sign of it at all and should you be feeling hungry, there is no other choice besides the Jonker Walk Kopitiam.

So if you’re very hungry. you should grab a bite at one of those eateries outside at the departure level…or go down one level to the arrivals. For one thing, it is not cheap, not in the least…like that day, I had the nasi lemak special at the Asian Cafe…

…and that cost a whooping RM23.80!!!

Melissa and my missus had the assam laksa…

…which was very much more reasonably-priced – at RM10.50 each. Melissa had that on our previous trip and she liked it a lot so she wanted to have it again that day. All in all, the bill, inclusive of drinks, came up to RM55.10 for 3 persons, believe it or not.

Our flight back home to Sibu left on schedule – no delays, thank God….and in no time at all, the stewardess started serving the in-flight meals and drinks…

We had the chicken satay with fried rice…

…and though I wouldn’t say it was anything to die for,  it  really wasn’t too bad at all – we did enjoy it somewhat.

The cake was pretty good despite the fact that it may not look so great in the photograph…

…and there were those Cadbury chocolates as usual.

Hah!!! What’s with the so-pleased-with-yourself expression, Melissa?

Oh? They’re serving ice cream on this flight, are they? LOL!!!

Chocolate-coated vanilla…

Yummmm!!!! We did not get any on our flight to KL…and neither did the two of them on their flight on New Year’s Day.

All in all, it was a pleasant flight and I sure am glad that they have resumed their services between KL and Sibu in place of that not-so-reliable (and they say not-so-good/comfortable) Firefly. If you book way ahead, you may get very good fares – like ours was only over RM300 return per person…or if you want it any cheaper, you can always use the other airline – as their tagline says, “Everyone can fly!”

On the move…

They had a stall at a shop beside a traffic-light junction along the horribly-congested Lanang Road and my daughter and I did drop by to eat a couple of times but I was never really keen owing to the heavy traffic and the parking problems in the vicinity. Then they opened another stall at this coffee shop in the town centre called Lot 10…and it was even worse where traffic and parking were concerned…so I never did manage to go there to eat. Now, they’ve opened their own shop…

…in the Tunku Osman vicinity (below Kasturi Restaurant and next to the nyonya restaurant in the same block).

A number of people had asked me but it was the sms from a friend (from out of town) asking me if I had gone to try their beef noodles that caught my attention. I told him I had not but I had had them before at their original location. He said that he heard the noodles were really good and of course, after that, I made a beeline to the place to see what the excitement was all about. So there we were early one morning – my missus, my daughter and me.

My daughter had the soup version with the beef and noodles and nothing else…

…while my missus had the special – with the beef tendons (gu kin) and the stomach (gu tor) added…

I had the kampua kosong (without meat)…

…and the gu bak cheng (literally meaning “clear beef soup” – that is the soup without the noodles)…

We all liked what we had…and in fact, my daughter went back there to eat again with my missus a day or two before she left for Sungai Petani.

I would think they were pretty good too but what put me off was the car wash next door – when they started vacuuming  the cars, it got really noisy…and I could not wait to finish eating and get out of the place…and besides, at the end of the day, after one has eaten the ngui chap in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, I don’t think any beef noodles anywhere would ever come close (even though they tell me that they use buffalo meat there) – I wonder when I will ever get the chance to go over and enjoy that again… Sighhhhhh!!!