On Sunday, my missus and I dropped by this coffee shop right beside the Secret Recipe outlet in town. It had been years since we went there but Annie-Q mentioned the other day that they had kueh chap there so I wanted to go and give it a try. Unfortunately, the stall was closed even though it was only around 12.30 noon. The chicken rice stall seemed to enjoy very good business and the chap fan (mixed rice) appeared rather popular too but we did not fancy either of those. I could not tell whether the other stalls were open or not and if they were, they did not seem to be doing very well. Eventually, we decided to give the dim sum there a try.
The ta pao (big steamed bun) was very nice…
…selling at RM2.50 each but it had minced meat inside…
I would prefer those with chunks of meat and a bit of thick yummy gravy. Well, at least, it had some egg in it – I love eggs in my paos!
This seaweed-wrapped dim sum was very nice…
…but I could not figure out what it was or what they had inside.
Unfortunately, the siew mai was very very hard…
It tasted pretty o.k. actually but my goodness, it was so tough! The worse thing was that it did not seem very fresh – like it had been frozen and heated up and steamed over and over again.
And if you think that was hard, wait till you try these…
I don’t know what they were but they were even harder or tougher than the siew mai.
No doubt they’re cheaper than the regular dim sum places that I frequent – just RM3.00 a lau (storey) or basket…but considering the quality, if you were to ask me whether you should drop by to give it a try, I would just tell you frankly, “Don’t bother!” If I were to go back there ever, it would probably be just to tapao the steamed paos – that’s all. They’re not too bad…
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
yezza, just imagine if they fill that tua pao with hardboiled eggs… yummy yummy…
You people loh!!! Went Ipoh, had dim sum and posted photos on Facebook…so I had to go and eat some myself. Too bad…not nice. 😦
I love eggs in my paos too! makes the eating experience more filling, especially with hot coffee!
Really sad that they’re scrimping on the egg these days… Hardly one eighth, I think…but the ones here, I think there was a quarter – not too bad.
The pao seemed pretty big. Siew mai looks ok on pics maybe it could be remedied with lots of soy sauce and calamansi 🙂
Yes, this is what they call “ta pao” or big pao. They’re nice but I’ve had better ones, maybe more expensive…but better.
Wah why so hard and tough. Tsk Tsk. Must make it soft round and tender ma. Lol!
I noticed they call it ta bao. Penang it’s called “tua pao” right?
Ps: recently there’s a slew of new bottle launches, cars are getting more aerodynamic, liquor also has to come up to speed :p thanks for dropping by my blog ya. :):)
Tua pao is Hokkien, ta pao is Mandarin… Obviously they squeeze too hard, not the right way to handle paos or dumplings… You know, don’t you? Wink! Wink! Muahahahahahaha!!!! 😀
hmmm, i think nowadays all tai pao comes with minced meat instead of the chunky meat.. perhaps in that way they can cut cost by adding some other things to the mince.. but the egg wedge in side wouldn’t have been substituted by other things, perhaps from half to now a just quarter…
Oh? All minced? I miss those with chunks of meat inside, layers and layers… I guess with minced, they can buy the cheap meat and grind altogether so people will not be able to tell. 😦 Ya…and the egg, such a small tiny bit, so miserable!!! 😦
Wah they use frozen dim sum is it? Normally siew mai is very nice one worrrr!
Not those that we can buy at the supermarkets, this much I can tell you… But Sabah, KK…there’s one very famous very popular dim sum place – they also freeze their siew mai and everything so people can buy a lot and take home to enjoy – perfectly all right but must not over-steam. They will keep stressing on that when you buy – it will not be so nice.
wow u reminded me how long i never go for dim sum. anyway.. the last photo the siew mai looks transparent? i mean the wrapping. and it looks… yucky! hahaha
I’ve no complaint about the looks…or even the taste – just that they were extraordinarily hard, very hard! 😦
Ooo no no….I can feel your disappointment…
Now must go to a good place for nice dim sum to make up for this one. I would say the not-really-nice one we had at the coffee shop near the hotel – that morning before you left, the one your daughter liked a lot – that one is even nicer. Cheaper too, only RM2 one lau!
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/was-it-good-for-you/
Yeah, i think they are frozen up for days, that caused the toughness… but the pau does look very nice!
Exactly!!! Business not good, I think…so after steaming one day, they freeze the leftovers…and steam again the next day…and again and again… Otherwise the texture would not become like that! 😦
maybe they are frozen overnight,….
Definitely! I’m pretty sure of that! 😦
But all the dim sum in the pictures looks so good…
make me craving for dim sum……….
so next time if i come .. I want only the BEST .. not those Don’t bother.. kakakakaka
Sure, sure…no worries! I always KIV the best in town and when visitors come, I will take them to only the best!!! And everyone will go back saying Sibu food is soooo good when in fact, there are places with horrible food as well. Same as everywhere else. 😦
Ahh you had me craving for dim sum now! Maybe for the weekend! I love egg in my ta pao too!! Just makes a whole lot of difference somehow
LOL!!! Great minds think alike… And I would eat around the egg…and save that part of the pao till last! Oooo…the final morsel, like heaven!!! LOL!!! 😀
Minced meat dai pao really don’t bother la..yuck.
Yah…the tua kay pao I had in KL last time, so big…chunks of chicken meat and when eating, the fat and the gravy will drip down the fingers…and huge half an egg inside. Itu baru best!!! Drool! Drool!
Alamak….if cheap but not nice oso no point…*sigh..
But the big pao is cheap..judging from the generous pork fillings….
But I don’t like minced… 😦
HAHAHAHA, you should title-d the siew mai as “still dry/hard after all these years” 😛
Don’t exaggerate! I’m sure it is not THAT Long… 😦
I love dim sums….but prefer those deep fried stuffs.
You’re the same gang as my daughter. She loves the deep-fried items more than steamed…
Wow, sedap. Love them all. I also like pao with chunks of meat instead of minced.
Ya…especially the popular one at Padungan – minced, never mind…but all lumped together seketul…and one bite into it, the whole thing will fall out! The siew mai there is also very hard! I don’t like it at all – dunno why it’s the favourite of many.
I really wanted to eat tua pao while in Msia but I was so busy and stressed to remember to eat it 😦
Not too sure where to get the good ones now. There’s another place here that is my favourite but it’s getting way too expensive – around RM3.00 now, I think… 😦
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/higher-and-higher/
Oh, i didn’t realise they got dim sum, is it the same pahlawan coffee shop that i went? Actually that day i didn’t have anything, i just had drink, weather too hot, then after my mum’s car broke down, rushing and all, lost my appetite, only my mum and my boys had their lunch.
Ya, from the picture, the dim sum look not appetizing at all…
It’s not. Yup, same one… I saw the kueh chap stall but it was closed for the day.
aye, it seems like one of those bad food days eh? the pao looked very much similar to Oh Bin Pao (Black Face Pao) some sort of monicker given to the name of the pao seller who has this black birth mark on her face. The seller was very much still in Sibu Central Market. Her pao used to be the best pork pao in Sibu, very juicy and there was egg in the pao. Of late the pao was rather disappointing.
No, not hers. This one is definitely nicer but of course, more costly. I used to buy from her but lately, the quality has dropped so drastically and the prices keep going up… The chai pao is so miserable now…hardly any filling, just a few bits of long bean… 😦
I just finished dinner but I am hungry again. Are the words mostly in Hookien as I recognized them? Since I am not visiting soon, I might taste all these mentioned food in Taipei since I am going there. By the way, the photographs are fabulous!
Poor you but it’s ok since you’re going to Taipei soon. That’s great. Lots of food there. Been there once a long long time ago but I saw posts in blogs and photos shared on Facebook – so many things to eat there! Yes, that’s the Chinese dialect that I grew up speaking – Hokkien and the only one that I am really proficient in. Thanks for your compliments. 🙂
I think for the price you pay.. it’s most likely frozen dim sum, which, in my opinion, never nice. The fillings/meat loses moisture content and you get rock hard dimsum, definitely cannot cheat a food aficionado like you..
Not the supermart ones…bigger, looks nicer…but I am very sure they made, not sold…so they put in the freezer and the next day, they take out, steam again…and don’t know how long they’ve been doing that to get them to become like that. Tsk! Tsk! 😦
Haiyah, Sibu got so many nice food. When I visit you again, don’t bother to take me for dim sum.
Yup! You get better ones there, a whole lot better, I must say…