Torn between two lovers…

My missus and I stopped by here for brunch the other day and if you may recall, I was not too happy with what I had on my previous visit as the so-called handmade fish balls from one of the stalls there did not look like they were anything of the sort at all.

Well, I did say I would be back for the bai gu mien (RM5.00)…

…or in English, the pork rib noodles from that exact same stall. The meat was really very good – very nicely-stewed and I would say that I loved the taste. However, the noodles came across kind of mild – it was not bland but I think they used the gravy from the stew to toss the noodles and it was not strong enough to give it enough oomph.

My missus wanted to try the kacang ma chicken with rice (RM6.00)…

…from this stall…

…and since she wanted that, I just let her go ahead even though I did say that I would want to try that myself the next time around.

I tried a bit and gosh!!! That was so very good…and even my missus had to agree one hundred percent – she conceded that it was just as nice and exactly like how she would cook it at home. They were very generous with the chicken…

– I think there were at least six bite-size pieces in the bowl but when I shared a photo of this on Facebook, a cousin of mine responded right away saying that she had that in Kuching – RM5.00 only and it was served in a claypot. Well, I did not try the one she had so I would not know how good it was but for one thing, this is the only place in town that sells this and if we apply the simple economics principle of supply and demand, we should be thankful that it is only more expensive by…a ringgit!

I was told that there was a stall selling this during the recent Borneo Cultural Festival here and they had people queuing up every day to buy. Well, I did not try that one either – I, for one, would not want to queue up for food; nothing can be as good as that, I think…and I would much sooner go and eat something else at some other place, thank you very much…never mind even if it is not as good.

Wait a minute! There IS one other place that I know of that sells this Hakka delicacy (that mothers eat during their confinement period) here in Sibu – it is served at this cafe but being a more upscale dining venue,  it is A LOT more expensive…and frankly, between the two, despite all the fave reviews in other blogs, I personally prefer this one as it is more like our own home-cooked ones – the “hiam-ness” of the pounded ginger is strong enough plus there is sufficient Chinese traditional white wine in it without my having to tell them to add more…more…and more.

Anyway, that morning, I also saw that they had Hakka vinegar pork trotters on their menu and I wanted to try that too but the lady told me that actually, that item should not have been in the list as they do not cook that. What they have is something different – using lime…

She gave me this for RM4.00 to try…and it certainly was very nice too. It tasted good with its pleasant slightly-sourish flavour and a light hint of spices like star anise or cinnamon sticks being used in the cooking.

Now, it looks like I would be torn between two lovers the next time I drop by this place again – the kacang ma chicken or this special sour lime pork trotters. Sigh!!! Decision! Decision! I guess when the time comes, I will just have to toss a coin…