Mary‘s back in Sibu again with her hubby all the way from the UK…to exercise their democratic rights. I first met the nice couple in January last year (2012) but with their busy schedule, the time differences and their jet lag, we were not able to get to meet one another till a number of days later.
They were not keen on restaurant food and all that and would rather go some place for some hawker delights. Initially, I thought this place would be good but we were there at around 9.45. and it would not be open for business till 10. Not wanting to wait, we adjourned some place else and ended up here.
I decided to try the Singapore fried mihun…
…which tasted like fried mihun with curry powder added. I reckoned it was all right – nice but nothing to shout about and furthermore, I think some of my varieties of fried mihun are very much nicer. That, of course, would come as no surprise as when you cook your own at home, you would add a whole lot of ingredients so naturally, it would be a whole lot tastier than what you can get outside.
My missus had their Dayak fried noodles…
…also known as lakia mee…or Iban mee. Usually, it would be fried noodles with a lot of chilies added and maybe a bit of belacan as well…but this one came across like mee mamak. It tasted good but it was not spicy at all, unfortunately…and my missus was kind of disappointed as she would prefer it to be a lot hotter than that.
The Sarawak laksa that Mary and her hubby shared…
…was also o.k. as far as the taste went but it did not really taste like Sarawak laksa and besides, it was a little bit too salty.
Their deep-fried kompia stuffed with minced meat…
…tasted great, similar to the ones here, just a tad too oily.
The only saving grace, I would say, was their popiah…
I asked them for extra kacang tumbuk (crushed groundnuts), both inside and outside, and they willingly obliged. That was why they were served all buried in it like that.
I really love it very much…
…and I would say that it is the best that I’ve had in town and elsewhere as well.
Unfortunately, they told me that they would be closing shop in a ย few days’ time but they would set up a stall some place, concentrating only on popiah and kompia – and skip the fried stuff and what not that they presently have on their menu. They gave me their business card…
…so I would be able to call them if I wanted to place orders for their popiah…and also to find out their new location once they have moved.
All in all, it was a pleasant enough brunch but above all, we enjoyed the company and we sat there chatting away till almost noon. There were so many things to catch up and to talk about…and I must not forget to extend a big thank you to Mary for the goodies that she gave me…
– all the way from the UK. Thank you so very much – it certainly was my pleasure to meet the two of you again.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
wow, looks like the election season was a good time of reunions with friends and former students who came back to sibu (i hope their candidate of choice won, yeah) ๐ and ooo, i’ve not heard of iban/dayak fried noodles … and i wouldn’t have expected that it might contain belacan! ๐
I hope yours won too! Wink! Wink! This Iban mee is a name given by the Chinese here as traditionally, the local Foochows did not eat chili or anything spicy…and then somebody started frying noodles with lots of it…and some added belacan…and since it was not typically Chinese/Foochow, they gave it the name lakia mee or Dayak noodles based on the generalisation that the ethnic people usually eat a lot of those stuff. That’s how the story goes…or something like that.
The first three dishes are my favourite dishes!!! =]
Oh? I love the popiah – really good, the ones here.
This is the first time I heard there is a Dayak noodles. ๐
You’ll only hear it at the Chinese chu-char shops or noodle stalls. See my earlier reply to Sean’s comment on how the name came about… More or less like how mee mamak became thus called, I guess…
I love popiah! I don’t think I have had any with sprinkling of peanuts but I will sure love it served that way.
Here, it’s a must…and the more you add, the more fragrant it will be – a whole lot nicer. Those without, we would not bother to buy ever again!
Bihun and noodles looks good but the colour of the laksa broth really looks like curry. Wow, like the popiah with generous toppings of crushed peanuts. Hope Mary & hubby have a great time.
I certainly hope so too – they’re very busy with their own families, friends and relatives so we only got to meet once. Dunno if we’ll get to do that again before they leave or not. Ya…the laksa tasted very different too – nice, but not the same as Sarawak laksa as we know it…and it was a bit too salty. ๐ฆ
Iban mee is something unique to me, looks like mee goreng in Penang; we don’t sprinkle peanuts on our popiah and they are often soaked in jicama soup
Yup! Different here…and not so wet and soggy – the sengkuang over at your side is cooked till hancur like that…and all brown from the oyster sauce or whatever. I think ours has more ingredients inside. This is the way we do it in our own families…and I certainly prefer it this way:
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/ready-to-roll-1/
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/ready-to-roll-2/
Yes, a very nice sweet couple!! I hope they will visit Ipoh one day and we can go for a food galore!
The popiah really looks out great!! I would love to try that…something so new and different…
Yes, very nice people. Hmmm…different in Ipoh too eh? See, Irene Tan did not think it strange – she’s from Kuching and that’s how we have our popiah here. Dunno if it will still be in business if ever you hop over to Sibu again – so sad…as it is very nice. The ready-made ones we have at the kuih stalls here – not worth the calories, not at all.I never bother to buy.
Claire, the plan to visit Ipoh is already on my travel list. Just not sure when……hmmmm. Have to depend on my boss. We’ll probably eat 6x a day if we are there. Sounds like confinement huh….LOL. Was great having you, Lily and Aaron around when you visited Aberdeen. Oh….looks like all of us bloggers are very nice people…….LOL. Right, arthur? ๐
Of course, we are… That’s why we click so well and always hang around one another’s blogs….and can’t wait to meet in person. Always nice when that happens – love it!
Oh I would love to try the strawberry puff that your friend gave it to you. How was it? Tell me?
Sorry I didn’t turn here to leave comment at your site. Will come here more frequently. k…
They’re nice, both very nice. Hmmm…if only you’re in Sibu – I dropped by a local supermarket here where one can get lots of imported stuff and I saw lots and lots of such puffs, selling cheap…as the expiry date is sometime next month, June. You would cart home a lot, I bet…but I’m refraining from eating too many sweet things these days. Old already, must go slow… ๐ฆ
oh, at first i thought that was mee mamak too.. lakia mee or iban mee?? something new to me, but guess i won’t want to try because i cannot take spicy food..
It’s spicy by the local Chinese/Foochow standard. Too us, not spicy at all – no kick! ๐ฆ
hehehe, another two more packets of things for your to NIBBLE!! eih, cannot lah, you have had too many things to nibble.. must give away some so that they won’t expire, else you have to finish them one packet one shot~~ ๐
Can, can…2015…still a long, long way to go. Can take my sweet time. Hehehehehehe!!!!!!
that Sarawak Laksa doesn’t look appealing! mine’s better ๐
Hahahaha!!! Self praise…but like I said, nothing like own home-cooked, sure nicer with all the extras added.
The fried bihun… I think your own version of fried bihun looks much more nicer and taste yummier!
But the popiah really attract my attention, look at the amount of crushed groundnuts on top!!
My sentiments exactly. Ya…the popiah was very nice with the extra groundnuts added, upon my request. You’ll love it, I’m sure.
I love popiah with lots of peanut too! And I noticed the popiah in Sibu is quite similar to Ipoh’s, in that it is served dry. The popiah in Penang is drizzled with some kind of white radish liquid or something, which I didn’t like at all!
Ah yes…I think I remember now – sort of brownish red – the t’nee cheo (sweet sauce), I think…they call it. I quite like that actually…adds to the taste.
I’ve had nice popiah here and there in KL and Penang but I can’t remember exactly where now…but I think this one is nicer than all of them. Kuching has some very nice ones, maybe nicer than this, but you will need to know where to go. Like everything else, only those at a few selected stalls are really really nice – the rest are quite forgettable.
i think the meehoon texture in sarawak certainly taste better than the kl ones. totally enjoyed the meehoon sessions i had in miri over the weekend. hopefully i can change my travel schedule in june to include sibu…afterall its only a flight away from kuching!
Is it? Maybe they use the Thai ones…or the China ones? People your side use the local Malaysian ones? Yes, 40 minutes only and there are several flights a day – MAS, maswings or AirAsia…but at times, it can be pretty expensive – cheaper to fly from KL.
The General Election sure is a great time to meet up with long time friends who are staying elsewhere. ๐
The world is getting smaller… My niece just flew home from Singapore via KL over the weekend for Mother’s Day – everyone can fly. No more excuses for neglecting the old folks, left in their own at home. These days, it is soooo easy, can be home anytime but the town gets very badly jammed – Chinese New Year, Ching Ming…and also election time. Tsk! Tsk!
well it all looks great! i like that dayak noodles and kompia! They look
very appealing to me!
but then that strawberry pupps were just more captivating
Unfortunately, they’re mine, all mine… Nom…nom…nom!!! LOL!!! ๐
I’m waiting for chance to meet up with Mary, hehe…
You know her too? Not sure if she’s flying back via Singapore or KL, didn’t ask.
Yes, really hope to meet up with you one day, Sharon. My ambition is still to be a pilot…..haha.
Arthur, unfortunately we r not flying via S’pore. It’s a lot more expensive to do so. Waiting for you all to come to Aberdeen ๐
Certainly hope to hop over one day – if only I can strike it big at TOTO… ๐ฆ
My husband also had his reunion dinner with his old classmates a day before GE13. He met most of them that he didn’t meet during CNY.
I know a lot of people came home…but since they did not make an effort to get in touch and meet up, I just let it be. My daughter was home for the weekend so I wasn’t that free, anyway.
That mee goreng and fried kompia stuffed with minced meat look good.
All ok…but the popiah’s the best!
Singapore Bee Hoon? This Singaporean has not seen or tasted before! Haha…
Love the generous serving of crushed peanut… Nice!
Hahahahaha!!!! Can sue them for misrepresentation, attempting to cheat? ๐ Yes, they’re very nice people…and when asked for more, they just gave – not like some places… Don’t dream! Even 5 sen they will squeeze that out of you. ๐ฆ
i wish to try lakia mee one day.. hehe.. like your missus.. i like my food to be hot and spicy too.. hohoho.. but there was one fine day, i requested one tawkay to cook my beehoon hot and spicy and i was served one.. and i only managed to eat half a plate cos it was toooooo hot and spicy i couldn’t handle it. ๐
My missus loves it at Payung Cafe as when she asks for extra spicy, it would be extra extra spicy and she loves it! I’m not really crazy about lakia mee – would rather go for the Malay fried noodles or mee mamak instead actually.
Indeed Singapore mee hoon is fried with curry powder, and does not actually exist in Singapore. I think it was born in HK in fact. Love the look of the popiah but I’d skip the lashings of peanuts as I get sore throat eating too much.
Ooooo…but that makes it so much more fragrant and nicer. Hmmmm…I wouldn’t want to eat if no peanuts.
So far the only thing that was like what I had in Singapore long ago would be this Singapore fried Hokkien mee: https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/455/…except that it was not served in that kind of leaf or bark. The guy worked as a chef in Singapore for many years…but he has closed shop and left town – was in Ipoh, now in KK, I think. ๐ฆ
How nice cafe they serve food too? I thought only popiah. They are moving? There is spelling error..” We are Were?”
Fried mee hoon & laksa look so so to me, but the lakia mee looks very yummy!!
Oh..kompia and popiah looks very yumm!
hmmm..i think that strawberry puffs sure taste good.
I liked their pek koi with their canned clams with soy sauce and their mee sua was also not bad. Their popiah’s my must-order everytime I dropped by there.
U make regular mee hoon looks absolutely delicious! hahaha
Never judge based on appearance – the test of the pudding is in the eating. ๐
Must give this place a try when I am in Sibu!!! Especially that popiah with lots of kacang tumbuk and kompia!!
You will have to phone her and ask where she has moved to. By now, closed shop already, I think…
LOL…hari tu baru fried bihun
One bungkus bagi dua mah…and I tak tahan see things sitting there idle for a long time. Would want to use habis and get it out of my sight. ๐
Oh wow….Arthur, you are always very quick. I hardly have time for blogging. The days just pass by too fast. I think by the time we leave, we would have eaten a month’s food in 2 weeks…..haha. By the way, we had just eaten laksa again today :D……at Aloha. It was recommended by a nice bank officer. I must say it is very good but still can’t compare to the one that we ate in Kuching. Just got back from more supper. Fully satisfied but probably too full to sleep ๐ Thanks lots for the lovely compliments………blush blush….hehe. Agree with you that the popiah was really good.
The Aloha laksa is currently the most popular one here among the Sibu folks…but I still prefer Thomson Corner’s – I find that nicer. I love the one here very much too: opposite Sanyan (Parkson):
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/gold/
Wah, the popiah with extra extra kacang sure taste heavenly. Look really good. I think fried bee hoon, homemade anytime still taste better and can add extra ingredients. Those selling outside I find their ingredients is so pathetic. ๐ฆ
Have a great week ahead,regards.
Yup…and they do not come cheap either – RM3-4 over hear these days. One whole packet only RM2 something, can fry enough for an army!
never heard of the iban mee and kompia lea>< Looks good and special! I wana try that one day ๐
You can easily get those here…all over but like everything everywhere else, you need to know where to go. Some are good, some not really.
P.S. Thanks for dropping by. Do come again.
my first time hearing Dayak Mee and Popiah with crushed peanuts! Both looks delicious!! More added on now to my list of to-eat if I ever get to go to Sibu! ๐
I guess you do not have lakia people there, no Ibans nor Dayaks. You have the orang asli – the sakais, the negritos and so on. So, of course, you will not have lakia mee there. LOL!!! ๐ This popiah with crushed peanuts – looks like that is also a Sarawak thing. Nice, very very nice.
Dayak noodle? It is something new for me…it looks delicious.
And the popiah looks great. I should dropby this kopitiam one day.Is it at new shop house near Medan mall?
Yup, to the right – the not so busy side. I drove past yesterday – it was still open. Dunno when they’ll close/move. Lakia mee is very common in Sibu – available everywhere for years now (before I retired)…wherever they have chu-char stalls frying noodles and stuff…just that you’ve never heard and dunno about it.