On our flight back from Auckland, New Zealand to Malaysia, I opted for the chicken potatoes for our in-flight meal…and it was not to my liking – not after all the nice things I had during my two weeks in the Land of the Long White Cloud. I just ate a bit and put aside the rest. For breakfast, I asked for the nasi lemak – it was all right…but somehow it did not taste like nasi lemak as we would know it, somewhat less sambal-ish, probably catering to the taste of the non-Asians/Malaysians on board. It was nice though – my missus loved it but personally, I think the ones on our domestic flights would be more authentic and a whole lot nicer.
Well, it was when Mandy dropped by the hotel and took us out for dinner that I finally had something that was really nice…and truly representative of our super-delicious Malaysian delights, this paku (wild fern) fried with sambal belacan…
Ahhhh!!! That was super yummy…and I knew there and then that I was finally…home!
Actually, Mandy did not know where to take us so I asked her to go to this place in Dengkil…
…instead of going all the way back to KL and the kawasan-kawasan yang sewaktu dengannya. My friend, Ivan, took me here once and I really loved the food there a lot – I do feel that it was perhaps even better than a lot of places that I had been to in KL, actually.
I had this the last time around and I wanted that again…
We have something similar in Sibu which is not exactly the same but would be equally good, I would say.
The sweet and sour fish fillet was pretty good too…
…but we have the same here that would be just as nice or perhaps, even nicer.
The Vietnamese prawns, however…
…was absolutely great! We have something by the same name at a hotel restaurant here, served with their own-made bread but the taste is completely different. I would say both are good – or maybe, this one is a bit better…
…but actually, I was very surprised that they used udang galah (freshwater prawns) or what some call the tua-thow hay (big-headed prawns). Those would cost a bomb – even buying them fresh at the market here and cooking one’s own, those monsters that huge would cost up to RM40-50.00 a kilo. Thus, it was something to be expected when we were told that they charged RM80 a kilo for that dish…and what we had in that dish was more or less around that.
If I remember correctly, all in all, the bill came up to around RM140, inclusive of rice and drinks…so minus the prawns, that would work out to about RM15 per person – not bad, don’t you reckon? But as usual, Mandy, being Mandy, she would not let anyone get near the cashier and insisted on picking up the tab so from my missus, Melissa and myself, thank you so very very much for that very very nice, though a bit expensive, dinner.
While we were there, there was another thing that made it feel like home. At sundown, all the birds came back to this tree across the road from the shop to roost…
The birds were different from the ones we have in Sibu but they were definitely equally noisy.
So, there we were, folks – home at last!
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Was that pai guat wong? Caramelized pork ribs? My favorite dish in Chinese restaurant!
Welcome home STP! 😀
I think it is. When you come to Sibu, I’ll take you to eat our version here – also very nice! Yum! Yum!
There’s no place like HOME!!!
Precisely! Definitely!
well it feels good to be back home isn’t?
Certainly!!!
but anyways wherever you are, at home or not
you just get to have the most yummylicious foods there is
…but I would say there is just so much one can take when it comes to western food. That was why when I used to stay in hotels so very often when on working trips, I got so sick of the food they served – after a while, everything started to smell and taste the same…and after two or three days, I would sneak out to the hawker stalls at the coffee shop next door for our local delights!
yayyyy, welcome home! 😀 paku-pakis is one of my comfort veggies too, alongside spinach 😀
They do it very well here! Loved it a lot! And the prawns!!! You should drop by sometime to check it out.
I will pick all this yummy food over chicken and potato Arthur. Sad to see the end of NZ posting but I do look forward to the local food posting which I like to drool over 🙂
Yes, especially those of you living abroad – you would not be interested in what I had in NZ – you have lots of the same, more or less, there…but you would love to see what’s in store back here at home…and drool over it…and miss home to bits! Poor things! LOL!!!!
Wei, Mr Wee, you’re so wicked, don’t tease lah. And don’t laugh at us having to pay A$14.00 for a plate of seafood char kway teow – ie. size zero seafood.
I was stunned! Dumbfounded by the prices of things…even small simple things! Gee!!! You people must be very very rich to be able to live there, what with all the fine dining and everything – all in the photos that you people share on Facebook and elsewhere, all look so nice! With my pension, I would not last a day there, I’m sure. 😦
That’s why la we have to learn to cook! If I’m still living in Malaysia, I don’t think I’ll ever go into the kitchen. Everything just buy, so cheap and spoilt for choice.
True! Don’t have much of a choice if living overseas. That’s why sometimes I would just go out and buy…especially things like kuih!!! Once made, so much…how to eat all, so few people in the house. Then have to give to people, send to their houses some more… 😦
Haha good that you like this place hehe… know what… when i stayed nearby… was not tempted to go to this shop… somehow now i moved to a Kota Warisan… i missed this place hehe…
I like the food! Better than many places in KL…and as I was leaving, I saw somebody eating fried noodles with gravy – it did not look like KL Hokkien mee, more like Sibu Foochow-style fried mee (wet) – did not get to try though. And they had the big-head prawns some more – bigger than the ones you had when you came to Sibu… I wonder if the cook’s from here…
Kota Warisan to Dengkil is not that far.. You can always drive to that restaurant 🙂
Yup, not far! Definitely nearer than driving to Subang or worse, KL!
Plane food is always atrocious. I try to pack my own whenever I can.
Not really. There are good days and there are bad days – I don’t mind most of the time – except for the chicken and potatoes I had upon leaving Auckland…and other than that, there was one other occasion or probably two (including some awful western-style cold sandwiches I had when flying business class once, Penang to KL – dunno what they stuffed inside)….when I did not like what they served…but I would not say it was atrocious, not at all – at worse, they’re still edible.
After Shereen’s fabulous cooking, nothing will ever be the same, eh? Ah, I would miss my sambal belacan too and the paku sure looks appetizing. All the rest of the dishes looks good too, a welcome change after eating western fare. I guess prices in Dengkil is a lot more affordable than in KL. There are lots of good eateries in these far flung areas. Just that I don’t have the time to explore.
You’re in Penang, right? Nice eating places on the other side of the bridge, and much cheaper too. Most places on the island – all tourist traps!
Shereen’s cooking was great, of course – the finest ingredients…but if you want to cook western, there is just so much you can do -the thing is there, the focus is on ingredients – fresh original taste. Here, we can drown all that out with all the ingredients used…and there are so many ways e.g. to cook chicken or pork or seafood…
I didn’t want that when I was there, of course – I didn’t want to spend all that money to go over there and eat what we can get anytime at home, and more cheaply too – many people do that, I know – kinda silly, don’t you think? Just a week or so and they miss their own food already. Plenty of time to eat our own delights here.
Never been to Dengkil town.. always pass by only..heard that they are famous for the satay at the rest house.. The food looks great though a bit pricey coming from a small town.. but what to expect, prawns as you said took up the big portion of the price.. and most important is that everyone enjoyed the food!!! So Yummy!!!
Yalor…and the prawns were huge! Would be expensive even here, uncooked – at the wet market.
Well, it certainly was nicer and a whole lot more satisfying than the poon choy I had…and cheaper too! After seeing how you loved it in your blogposts, I could not wait to try – but after trying, no, thank you…especially not at that kind of prices and kind of wasteful, dumping all the nice stuff all soaked up in some msg-overload gravy like that (Reminds me of eating curry when I was a little boy – must rinse in water first, cannot tahan spicy food!). I would much sooner have everything cooked and serve in their own ways on their own so I can enjoy each of them separately one by one.
Which Poon Choy did you eat? Where? Next time come to IPOH, we go to that East Ocean Poon Choy.. that one is really nice… unless you don’t like sea cucumbers, mushrooms or fish maw…
I also dont like they mix in chicken meat, pork meat inside the poon choy like some other restaurants do… I prefer only it to be on vegetarian style.. 🙂
Ya…so sayang…the roast duck, the roast pork and chicken…soaked till not nice and crispy anymore.
Claire.. East ocean? The one at the menglembu one ah?
Wahhhh!!!! You know all the places! Next time, we go on a road trip to Ipoh, can or not? 😉
As usual, STP being STP, everywhere he is, he has so many thoughtful friends took good care of him.
Yes, I am sure if I go Taiping I would get your first class VIP treatment too… 😉
Ahh looking at the sambal paku makes me miss home all over again! I need to find out how to get paku here! LOL!
Hahahaha!!! Poor thing! Just wait till you come home again – at least, there will be lots of things to look forward to. 😉
yeah, what is all other food compared to food in Sibu right?? surely the very first thing back home is to have some local feasts~~ :p
This one’s in Dengkil lah, not in Sibu…where my flight steward friend used to stay and he took me there before. Loved the food a lot so that day, I asked Mandy to take me there again. Yum! Yum! Very nice!!!!
I miss the paku and the prawns!!
Ya…my favourites too!!! Wait till I go KL again, we can drop by here one more time. 😉
Order for me the sayur paku only enough. The udang I’ll just jilat-jilat only and pass you the meat la.. Hehehe.
Eyewwwwww!!!! I peel first then pass you the shell to suck and jilat! LOL!!! 😀
Good, home sweet home at last! Did you miss all local food when you were at NZ? Hehe…
Not at all! Too busy trying everything that they have there! Go some place, must eat what they have – if just two-three weeks and missing home food already. might as well stay at home.
I know people going on 1-week tours, upon landing at airport, before going back to the house, they MUST stop somewhere for kampua!!! Gee!!! Not me, definitely not me!
I love all that you have offered here…love, love, love 🙂
I guess you’ll be back to enjoy them soon? Mandy can take you there – she knows the place now! 😉
Yoong!! Deal! I will bring you there to makan!!
There!!! And you’ve me to thank for that, Yoong! 😉
LOL….saw in someone’s blog that they craved Nasi Lemak when they come back to KL.
Home sweet home….
what is the first food you ate when arrived sibu? Kampua?
Nope, so many things to do in the house…away for so long, did not eat anything special…plus Christmas was coming! Did not have kampua till much later…
All the food looks so awesome. Drooling!!!…
Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t have wanted to go again after the first time…
I love paku, but midin is still the best. Missed the fried midin I once had in Sarawak. The big headed prawns is so salivating…
Of course! Anything from Sarawak is simply the best! From Sibu, lagi best!!! Muahahahahaha!!!!!
I especially salavating by looking at the Vietnamese big head prawns!!
Din know Dengkil got nice restaurant oso.heheheh….
Eeeeee…you Seremban, so near yet so far. Dengkil is at the Selangor/Negeri Sembilan border.
home is where the heart is… sounds familiar?? 😉
I work in cyberjaya, 5 mins from Dengkil… yet to try this place.. will drag my work team there…. everything looks really Yummy!!!
Ya, Cyberjaya is just a stone’s throw away. Some nice stuff in the vicinity too, I van was telling me…but I can’t remember now. Old man, short term memory.
We can get equally good Chinese food here but not with that kind of price. Breakfast will cost more than that here. I don’t normally crave for our local food whenever we travel as long as I can have something spicy. My Pakcik however is the one that will crave for nasi lemak, roti canai and his pan mee extra pedas. I think it will be perfectly fine with him if he never eat western food ever again but never ever takes away his sambal, nasi lemak and roti canai..hehehe.
Yes, his years in Malaysia and his Malaysian wife has Malaysianised him… I can understand why seeing how the wife can cook such nice nyonya and Malay specialties – sure he would not want those western stuff anymore.
welcome home… 😀
Sure glad to be back…
Ooohh…this is the seafood restaurant you mentioned earlier in my comment box. Certainly looks scrumptious specially the prawns.
Well…Mandy is always the Mandy I know. U know what, there was once I bumped into her in a supermarket…What a co-incidence!
Wah!!! KL & the surrounding areas so big, can bump into her also kah! LOL!!! 😀
Been to this place Dengkil before on biz trip got a couple of clients there. Oh can see the expensive fishes all over the signboard. No?
It seems they have our Sarawak’s more-expensive-than-gold Kapit fish – the empurau. It’s there on the shop sign but we only ordered sweet and sour fish fillet. That one, very cheap one. If you take me there to eat, maybe we can order the expensive ones, can? 😉
No empurau guppies can kakakakaka. If in accordance to market value its OK but not seeing the customers are from outstation they start bringing the out kitchen cleaver. No problemoz when you coming?
Sure will let you know… Not in the near future, I’m afraid. No excuse – no one getting married, no special invitation, nothing….
When Bananaz got his knots are tied up time you no come, why I no go you no come?
Timing – that time, not so free…now, better and girl already home, so no more worries.
Wow love the yummy prawns and oh the lovely price too. Wonder WhyAskWhy people used this term udang galah aka ‘tai-thow har’ in Cantonese when a person is being forgetful or careless?
With those prawns, you can expect the price to be lovely – even here! I never expected them to use those prawns – according to Mandy, they said something like “crystal prawns”. Mandy did the ordering – I don’t speak Cantonese. If I had known, I would not have ordered – not even here, what more to so there!!!
Dunno? Do they? Not that I know of… All I know is somebody who is very very poor is “khiaw koi hay”!!! Like me lah!
You poor? Ahem!!! Referring to Bananaz la.
You? KL people, where got poor one? Have to be rich to be able to survive there… LOL!!!
Oh yeah KL people are rich? Sorry Bananaz not KL Lang stays in his cave far far away from KL..;).
Ok, you’re Kajang…and come to think of it, how come you’ve never taken me to eat that Haji Samuri satay or whatever his name is. I like!!!! 😉
Sorry paiseh have not been there before. You cakap sahaja how many times you come KL? Moreover kena take number first before can meet up with you. So how?
Easier to come to Sibu instead… Hehehehe!!!! Cannot stay away for too long lah – only a couple of days…and so many people to meet and say hello, what to do? 😦
Welcome home!!
That is paku? It looks like kangkong to me. kekekkeke..I still like midin more than paku. The prawns looks good!! My hub said go Sibu he want to eat prawns! hahahha..this round he will be going back for 1 night. 🙂
Ahhhhh!!!! Must check at the market. Missus said no fish, no prawns…and whatever they have, all very expensive. She thinks people have started hoarding for Chinese New Year already…but actually, last week, it rained a lot and was very windy.
It’s paku all right. No leaves, just stalks and curls. Your sons would love it, I’m sure. Hehehehehe!!!!!
Oooo I love that sight of the paku and sambal! Sedapnya!
It was really good, very nicely done…and I wouldn’t simply say that…especially when I can cook it very nicely myself. 😉
It looks like a nice place! I remember Dengkil as a small town when I drive to Sepang. I’ll look into this place – quite promising.
…and they have empurau! Not that I’m going to eat it of course, but interesting to know. 🙂
Not worth the money, that’s for sure. Might as well spend it on eating a whole lot of other nicer things. Ya…the food’s good here – you should drop by sometime.
Yeah, I will! Thanks for the tip! 🙂
My pleasure… 😉
Oh. So the blog posts about food from New Zealand are over. Now we are back to Malaysian dishes. 🙂 Ooooh…the prawns look very good. I remember the prawns I ate at the Chinatown in Bangkok. Yum yum yum.
Nothing like our own Malaysian best!!! The food there was nice – loved it a lot but I cannot imagine eating that every day…year in, year out…and of course, going over there, I must try as much of their food as I could. If I wanted to eat our own food, I might as well stay at home – save all that money!
Correct. Nothing beats the food that we have tasted while we are growing up. Nothing tastes like home. 🙂
Home sweet home.
I was looking at the name of types of fishes on the restaurant signboard…sound foreign to me! Of all the dishes shown, I like the sambal belacan paku the best. I can eat just that with plain rice 🙂
Me too! 🙂
I’m sure after your trip from Auckland you’ll be missing all the local food back at sibu!
I was o.k. Just happy to be back where food is affordable…and nice. 🙂