Another ex-student of mine, Daniel, a doctor-to-be as well, contacted me one morning to invite me out for breakfast. He’s presently home for the summer holidays from Scotland in the UK, Aberdeen, if I remember correctly. However, I was busy that morning…with all the cleaning and clearing and the “restoration works” that I’ve been doing at my house so we were only able to make it on Saturday morning.
We went to this place and of course, I had their paos – the lau sar pao and their char siew pao…
I reckon theirs are pretty good and can rival any other place in town and at RM10.00 for 3 laus (storeys/baskets) with 3 buns in each, I would think they’re really very cheap.
We also had their har kau (prawn dumpling) and they’re not bad, I think – I do not recall them having that before…and we also had two of their meat dumplings but I avoided their siew mai. I wouldn’t know if they have improved on it but I remember that theirs used to be very coarse – one would feel the texture of the minced meat in them. Other than those, I decided to try their yam puffs…
…and I thought they were pretty good – not the best that I have had but they were good enough, definitely.
Daniel was in my English Language tuition class and also among the group of students that I had for English Literature and I’m proud to say that he scored distinctions in both. It certainly was nice to meet him again and we had a great time catching up with things that had been going on in our lives over the past few years that we had not got to meet each other.
ah^kam_koko’ was in town for the weekend as well and he asked me out for dinner. I took him here to try the crispy Filipino Β pata…
…more commonly known around these parts as the Philippine pork leg.
It was quite good – a bit dry or should I say, not as juicy as I would have loved it to be…but it was tender enough for a toothless old man like me and I loved the flavours that one could taste in it – something like cinnamon or five-spice powder and stuff like that…and I loved the dip that came with it…
ah^kam_koko’ said that he liked the one he had at that place where I went for dim sum in the morning with Daniel – juicier, more tender and also cheaper. Hmmmm…it certainly looks like I will have to drop by there to give it a try one of these days then.
And indeed, “cheap” would be the last word that I would use to describe the dinner. Together with this plate of fried bitter gourd with century egg…
…plus rice and drinks (and we only had iced plain water & Chinese tea), the bill came up to over RM40.00. I guess the chunk of it went to that huge pork leg but still, I would not think it was cheap. Of course, I do understand that the prices of things have rocketted sky high lately so if that is the current price range, I certainly would not want to order it again…unless there are more than just the two of us – 4 or 5 perhaps.
Anyway, thanks for the dinner,Β ah^kam_koko’. The next time you come downtown, we’ll go some place to eat again…and it will be my treat next round, ok?
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
woah pork leg! not so friendly to an old man eh?
This one’s ok, tender enough…and not fat. π
YES! More expensive place next!
Wait a minute? I thought we’re going to that other place that you prefer – the one’s that’s juicier, more tender…and CHEAPER? LOL!!! π
Huwa! I know Kat and Ling will drool over the pork leg. Poor girls. =.=
Drool! Drool!!! Muahahahahaha!!!! π
How wonderful to meet up with your student. A Dr to be from Aberdeen Uni? Do I know him? Seems unlikely. I have quite a number of medical student friends from Aberdeen Uni, but none from Sibu. Those dim sum looks SO good. Arthur, you sure have a lot of places to bring me when I go back again….haha. And, btw, I have never heard of bitter gourd with century eggs. That’s interesting. Sibu people are very creative π
I think salted eggs are good with bitter gourd – not just the taste but also the colour. Ya, you’re in Aberdeen, right? None from Sibu? I guess the uni campus is huge – and there are so many of them and maybe, you don’t hang around the same circles. Going into his final year when he goes back…
summer holidays and so many of your ex-students are coming back home to belanja you huh?? haha.. that’s really very sweet!! i don’t even take the initiative to keep in touch with my teachers!! wakakakaka~~ π
So ungrateful… Here, any reunion – the older students, they will invite the old teachers and school staff – those still alive, that is. Dunno if the younger ones do that but I did see some of them dropping by the school when home for the holidays to say hello to their teachers. That’s good enough…
Pork knuckle is not cheap…RM40 is justified… I never tried bitter gourd with century eggs before.. this is something new to me.. normally it is done with salted eggs or plain eggs.. must tell my mum about this.. hahaha…
Yes, I used to eat it with salted eggs. Not expensive eh? I wonder how much they charge at the other place – my friend says it’s cheaper.
omg Philippine pork leg! looks out of this world! Wow Cikgu, your exstudents are really bringing you out for food! me next…
Come, come! Give me a tinkle or text me when you’re in town. You have my number… π
I am eyeing that pork legs with envy. I remember a similar pork leg during a family dinner and it wasn’t enough to go around. When my brother “kidnapped” the bone, we all gave him dirty looks.
LOL!!! For a family gathering, would need at least two…unless there are a lot of other things and one would be satisfied with just a morsel of it… π
wah .. the yam puff look good and it still not the best?
STP you are now a proffesional food critic.. hmm that reminds me of Tou Tou (hkg famous chef)
http://www.nbcrestaurant.com/photos.html
No lah… I’ve had some elsewhere that are a little bit nicer mah…so this one is good but not the best lor. π
btw what is the difference between the phillipine pork leg and german pork knuckle?
Just the name only?
This one is deep fried…and has the fragrance of exotic spices. The German one that I had was either stewed or roasted…with gravy…and served on a bed of mashed potatoes. Personally, I prefer German. Not so dry…
Olala, the pao and yam puff looks great. Oh ya, the Philippine pork leg looks a bit too dry and it is quite lean, eh. Gosh, I love the bitter gourd with century eggs and my first time seeing it cooking this way.. Price reasonable.
I was actually quite glad the pork leg was lean – not like the one I had at the Filipino restaurant in Padungan – all fat, after eating, want to vomit. Too oily… I did not enjoy it there. The one I had at Venue was nicer… I just fried bitter gourd today – will share the recipe one of these days…
Ok, waiting patiently for your bitter gourd recipe. New creation kah? Taste good I guess.
Not really…but something everyone can cook. π
Fuiyo.. all my fav food except pork leg.. If got FISH leg would be PERFECT! ^_^
Frog legs, you want? Wait ah…day after tomorrow’s post! LOL!!! π
Ooooh…finally I saw our crispy pata being featured here on your blog. Thank you very much for this. I am so glad to see a Filipino dish being served outside of the Philippines. You are correct to say that you will eat the crispy pata if there are 4 or 5 people. Too much cholesterol from the pata is not good for the health. You gotta share the cholesterol with other people. ^_^
Hahahahaha!!!!! Good things must share, bad things also, is it? LOL!!!!
I think you must be very proud of your students. Most of them are so sucessful now.
Oh ya…I never miss ordering yam puffs and egg tarts for my dim sum meal =p
Yahor!!! I forgot about the egg tarts that morning. Haiyar!!! Why didn’t I order those? Now, have to go again lah…like that! π¦
LOL!!!! U reali funny lar….hahaha
I am? Glad you think so.. Hehehehehe!!!!
RM 10 for 9 paus is super worth it! Can’t find that in KL
Yes, this place is very cheap. Wouldn’t be able to get that kind of bargain elsewhere – not even at the ordinary pao stalls.
Now i miss dim sum char siew pau, those with fluffy skin and with a “cross” cut on top.
Philippine pork leg, yum!! I like! I had it once, few years back when i went back for chinese new year. Now this will be Cruz favourite too.
You didn’t have it when you came back the other day. Aiyorrrr!!!!! Have to come back again lor…and don’t forget this time! Muahahahahaha!!! π
The pau looks so sweet and juicy in the middle.
The paos here can rival those anywhere else, be it the skin or the filling. I wouldn’t say the same about the siew mai though…
double happiness and double porkiness! where is this pao place, may I ask? the tu kar looks awesome!hm…you work hard with the “restoration works” and also eat hard at the same time eh? π
Ohhhh…so tiring!!! Age is really catching up with me. When it is all done, I need a really long and good break!!! The pao place is Hong Fu, that very popular place at night for crabs – to the left of Medan Mall – behind the Courts Mammoth block of shops. I bet you’ve been there for the crabs -everyone has…or at least, when it was at its old location near the Sibu bus terminal.
Eeee…. no fun! Kat and Ling din drop by here! Aiya! I must go and cucuk cucuk them and alert them of this post! *SUPER EVIL GRIN*
Ling’s busy…PC got virus and Kat too maybe…the big man not at home perhaps. π
Cham…cikgu taking attendance liao.
When u post up the sotong mangling I didn’t know they add taukua too. Should be nice with so much kacang. But the paste seems a bit watery.
Not really, quite thick. The sotong kangkong that we had here when I was small – not drowned with the sauce like that. All served on a plate with sweet potato fritters too and the sauce is given separately in a bowl. We dipped and ate ourselves. This one is like how they do it in Kuching and in the peninsula too, I guess.
Uiks y my sotong comment appear here pulak…
Using phone to comment.
Would love the oink oink. Leftover bones can make porridge or make Asam chye. Super yummy. Here pasar if buy half a knuckle already nearly rm20. Roasted one la. So that one rm40 Kira ok. Oink oink price melambung.
Ok, so it is not too expensive then. Should be around RM30 for one, if minus the veg, the rice and the drinks. No wonder making so many typo errors… LOL!!! But use phone, photos very small lah! Not nice, will not make you drool one…
Ooooo….pork leg! tak halal but I like it!!!!!
You don’t eat non-halal stuff kah? Since when? π
Love pork leg, used to have a restaurant nearby that served DELICIOUS pork leg but now closed shop already. I make my own now when I craved for it.
Wow!!! I checked out the recipe… Sounds like a lot fo hard work. I would just go out and eat once in a blue moon, good enough – no trouble…and have to go slow on such unhealthy stuff.