So many times…

I’ve heard of this Sibu man a long time ago…

– even before he was given recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records…

…as the man who has been the best man at weddings for the most number of times. Later, I heard that he had opened a kampua noodle stall at Taman Muhibbah and this was where Huai Bin took this video clip of him in action, tossing the noodles into the air while cooking and catching them as they came down…and I have heard people praising his kampua but personally, I never got round to trying it.

If I’m not mistaken, other than the one at the hawker centre that opens only at night, there is at least another kampua stall in town with the same name, Siong Kee Mee – I wonder if they are connected but what I know for sure is that he himself is presently stationed at this particular coffee shop at the corner of the block of shops immediately after Delta Mall, facing Tom’s Too, if you are going along Jalan Pedada. I did drop by a few times around lunch time but either the noodles were sold out or they had closed for the day.

However, I managed to get to sample his fare the other day when I made an effort to go to the place quite early in the morning. There were a number of people in the coffee shop already and I noticed that everyone seemed to be eating his kampua noodles…

…and his gu tor (beef tripe) soup…

I paid RM5.50 for the combo, so I guess it was RM2.50 for the noodles and RM3.00 for the soup.

Were they any good? Well, I liked the soup, very tasty with just the right amount of Foochow red wine, and the beef tripe was very  well done – soft and chewable but I thought the chili dip that came with it was very sour and not as nice as others elsewhere. To me, the noodles were disappointing as I found it somewhat starchy. Maybe, he did not cook it long enough to let the starch disperse in the boiling cauldron of water…or the water was already too starchy and he did not change it…or perhaps, it was the cornstarch in the chili sauce – I had asked for the noodles to be tossed in chili.

But don’t take my word for it though! The patronage that he seems to enjoy and the number of praises that have reached my ears are obvious indications that many do not think the same way as I do…or perhaps it was just my bowl of noodles that did not come out quite right, I wouldn’t know.

I must say, however, that I liked the coffee at that shop a lot …

– possibly one of the best I had in town except that it was a little too sweet so the next time around, I would ask them to cut down a bit on that.

Wanna meet for breakfast there, anyone?