Survivor…

This is probably one of the oldest and the longest surviving hotel in Sibu that is still under the same management since when it first started. It still looks the same on the outside – old school design and all but they have renovated and refurbished the lobby and the cafe and it certainly looks a whole lot nicer now…

I understand that they have done the same with the rooms but I did not get the chance to go and have a look so I cannot comment on that. For one thing, the rates are dirt cheap – RM50 for a standard single and RM65 for a deluxe…more or less like what they have in their sister hotel in town…and yes, papakucing, they do have a lift in this one!

Another thing that has not changed is the eat-all-you-can buffet dinner there on Saturday nights. The last time I was there was in June, 2008 with Huai Bin and some other blogger-friends and it was priced at RM10.00++ then…and believe it or not, it is still that same price to this very day. O.k…if you insist, it is 10 sen more now since they have raised the 5% government tax to 6% and with the 10% service charge, one would have to fork out RM11.60 altogether (approximately AUD3.60 or NZ$4.60…Hehehehehe!!!).

I was there last Saturday night and I would say that the mee mamak or noodles, fried Malay style, was just as nice as before…

…and the chicken curry too…

I was kind of disappointed that they did not have the Sarawak masak hitam beef or chicken as theirs used to be the best in town, I wouldn’t know now.

The fried chicken was very nice as well…

…and even though the fish fillet seemed very popular, I did not help myself to any. I think those would be the breadcrumb coated ones that one can easily buy at any supermarket in town and deep-fry at home.

I did not take the mixed vegetables either…

That looked a bit too watery for my liking and I did not feel like having any long beans either.

The tofu was nice…and the fish in fermented beans was not too bad either.

They also had another fish dish (to the left of the curry) which was quite good as well and one could have rice too (beside the noodles) to go with all the above.

For dessert, there were some fruits and black jelly…

…and there was free flow of orange cordial, Chinese tea or plain water.

This was what I had for my first helping…

…and don’t bother asking how many rounds I had. Ask no questions and I’ll tell no lies! LOL!!! The best part, of course, would be the fact that you can dine in the very pleasant surroundings and air-conditioned comfort and you can sit and chat for as long as you like.

The buffet dinner starts at 7.00 p.m. but I would advise anyone who is interested in going to drop by a little bit early, say at around 6.45 p.m. – they do not seem very prompt in refilling, if at all…and as you can see from the photographs above, some people believe in jumping the gun and sapoo-ing a whole lot of what is served. As a matter of fact, I was there on the dot – at 7.00 p.m. and there were only a few people around – less than half a dozen, I’m sure…but look at the total damage done. Tsk! Tsk!

Other than that, parking in the vicinity can be quite a pain…especially on draw nights but if you just wait awhile, you should be able to grab a space easily when a punter drives off after having made all his or her bets at the row of lottery shops down the road.