My ex-student, Xavier, who’s home from the UK for the summer vacation, would be leaving in a couple of days so we met up for breakfast the other day. Actually, he just got back into town after a short trip to Taiwan with his family and he got me these…
I gathered from somebody’s comment sometime ago that these popular bring-home-gifts cost a bomb so I insisted on knowing how much that cost…and he said it was around 200 Taiwan dollars, over RM20!!!! *faints* As far as I know, they make these pineapple cakes in Bintulu though I don’t know how much one box costs…and they also make them in Penang, no price mentioned in the blog post either. No, no, no, no…don’t get me wrong! I’m not looking at a gift horse in its mouth, no way and thank you so much, Xavier…so sweet of you to remember me (I guess you can’t help but think of me everytime you see food! LOL!!!) but I do think it is simply too expensive, never mind how nice it may be. Next time, just get something small and cheap – it’s the thought that counts.
Anyway, getting back to our breakfast, I just had to take him here for his kampua (RM2.50) fix…
…before he goes back to the land full of rainy skies and gales. He opted for the dark version – the one with the dark soy sauce and I also ordered this bowl of pian sip (RM2.50) to share…
…even though the ones here aren’t all that great but good or not good, he would not be able to get these in the UK so these would just have to do for the time being. Hehehehehehe!!!!! He did not think the noodles were nicer than the ones at this other place though – well, perhaps, the dark version is nicer at the other side…or maybe, there is a lack of quality control here, I wouldn’t know.
I tried the fried mihun (RM3.00)…
…which I thought was all right with its very nice wok hei fragrance but of course, it would pale in comparison with what I would fry myself. Hehehehehe!!!!
I also had their Sarawak laksa (RM4.00) a while back…
*photo retrieved from my Facebook album*
Goodness gracious me!!! The sliced omelette was so chor lor (coarse) – it should be cut really very thinly, not like that, and the meat is supposed to be peeled into fine strips. Well, the saving grace was that it tasted not too bad and there were a lot of (tiny) shrimps inside but where is the sambal belacan and the calamansi lime? Without the special dip, I’m afraid I would have to give it the thumbs down, sorry.
Well, getting back to you, Xavier, have a safe and delightful trip back to London, all the best in your studies and everything there, take care and God bless! Ta-ta!!!
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Aiyo ….reading this at night is not a good idea. I think I get a wanton mee fix, closer to kampua noodles!
Try Singapore mee pok – that would be closer…or Seremban Hakka mee. They’re not the same but more similar to Sibu Foochow kampua mee or Kuching Hakka/Teochew kolo mee. Wanton mee is quite different from all these.
Wait till you go to Kuching next time and I bring you to eat some of the best laksa around.
Not all laksa in Kuching is cooked and presented in ‘graceful’ way. Half slice of hard-boiled egg and chunky chicken meats with bones attached. lol.
Oh no!!! I would not want any laksa with hard boiled egg, thank you very much – the thinly sliced omelette is a must plus the finely-shredded chicken and PRAWNS plus the sambal belacan & calamansi lime. To me, that’s the standard Kuching/Sarawak laksa, nothing less than that for me.
Kuching people have always been known to be more graceful, more delicate…and there’s quality over quantity. Don’t tell me that has changed with the current younger generation? 😦
I guess you are right, Arthur. Younger gen want something different. lol.
Few old laksa stalls/shops still the same standard. Just few have their variation. like adding chicken feet, clams etc. I don’t mind these variety once a while but like you said I still like the old style bowl of Sarawak laksa.
If my mum cooked, I would add lots of sliced omelette, prawns and parsley into my laksa. hehe.
If I cook, my daughter would want lots of sliced omelette, never mind no prawns, no chicken…
These pineapple cakes are expensive in Taiwan. Some can go as high as RM30+. Loves the pian sip…yum yum.
That’s what you told me once. Not very sensible to go and buy those, I would think. Never mind how popular, how famous…I certainly would not want to impose on friends going there by asking or expecting them to buy those for me. Frankly, I do not think they’re THAT nice even, not at all. Tourist traps!
I am sure you gave the kampua treat to your friend.. Those look so yummy! The piansips are worth drooling for…..
Wouldn’t you love to have some? Slurpsssss!!!! What are you waiting for?
hehee…free tickets!!!
Did you manage to book those zero fare tickets up for grabs just last week? Hehehehehe!!!!
More noodles again? I sure wouldn’t mind, I can have noodles anytime. The laksa looks good but you have such high standards when it comes to the slicing 🙂 And how could they forget the sambal belacan and lime? tsk..tsk..tsk…
Tsk…tsk…tsk indeed! A sin that cannot possibly be forgiven…ever! 😦
Why Sibu food so cheap.. aiya.. I wanna go there eat kampua!
Come, come! You’ve been here before – always welcome to hop over again.
Laksa looks good. Strongly agree that the omelette should be thinly sliced. What is laksa without sambal belacan & calamansi lime. Without the “huan sui” is still acceptable.
Oooo…I can eat that but I’d rather go without it. Some people say it has that cockroach smell and they get put off by it. None in my popiah too, please. 😛
when two kampua lovers meet?? hahaha.. oh, you should have showed us the fried meehoon you tried earlier, it looks so nice!! but that laksa photo looks horrible, no need to be so “kan cheong” to show us now, wait till you got a sharper photo lah~~ 😀
The picture was very sharp when I shared it on Facebook but of course, you cannot get to see it there since you’re not my FB friend, hehehehehehe – did not intend to blog about it then. Now that I am talking about it, I had to go and retrieve it from there and somehow it turned out like this. Dunno why.
You mean to say that you expect me to go back there and eat the laksa again so I can blog about it…when it isn’t really anything to shout about. You are indeed very very kind and considerate, my friend.
I was wondering just the other day if there is a definitive guide to the subtle differences between the different types of laksas around the country. Maybe you know of one?
I would not say the differences are subtle – between Penang asam laksa…and Singapore nyonya curry laksa…and Kuching/Sarawak laksa, there is a world of difference despite them all sharing the same name. Can’t possibly describe that in words – you will just have to eat all three to know that they are simply not the same, not at all.
Heh. What an idea! Easiest way is to check out all the different recipes and see what goes in. I will keep the idea in mind.
Will have to be the real thing – these days, there are people setting up stalls and shops everywhere and claim that they’re selling this and that for instance those selling kampua. For one thing, the texture of the noodles is already not the same…and Sarawak laksa with clams was quite unheard of in the past. Somebody adds a bit of this and a bit of that…and in years to come, what they dish out may not quite different from what they call it and claim it is.
If you ask me, the coarsely cut omelette and the sliced, not finely-shredded meat is an insult to the original Sarawak/Kuching laksa. The ancestors would turn in their graves when they see that!
Yeah, these Taiwanese pineapple tarts don’t come cheap and they’re supposedly famous, a must as souvenirs for visitors of Taiwan. I also bought some home for family last time but they don’t taste that great to me. Ok only… I prefer our very own nyonya open-faced pineapple tarts!
These pian sip are like pork meat dumpling is it?
They’re something like wantons…but the texture of the skin is different…as different as wanton mee and kampua noodles. Yup, I don;t think those pineapple cakes are anything special – not something that I would want to buy and bring all the way home…and definitely, not at those prices.
a sweet gift! i quite like pineapple tarts in general, though ya, my favorite would always be my traditional malaccan pineapple tarts, heheh 😀
You like? I’ve yet to come across any that can sweep me off my feet. Same as those factory or commercially-made Malaysian pineapple tarts – nothing to get excited about. 😦
One box of Gartien from Penang costs Rm38…… T.T
*faints* I think I’d pass on those as well…even if they are better than the Taiwan ones, not at that price. 😦
wah …got gift from overseas ah. like that I also wanna boo hoo say nobody send me gifts la. lol..joking la
only a good teacher would a student remember to buy gift fir. otherwise if bad teacher will kena curse kao kao
What? What? I just sent you something for your new house so who says nobody sends you gifts? Hehehehehehe!!!!
Which kampua are u going to bring me to when I go Sibu?
How long in advance to inform you just in case u are out of town…
Of course I would take you to eat nothing but the best in town, need you ask that?
I’m around most of the time…but not around Hari Raya Haji. Anyway, Monday’s not a public holiday so I guess unless he or she applies for leave, nobody would be heading this way that weekend.
sarawak laksa… must try
You’ll have to come over here to try the real thing – can’t say you’re getting the real thing when you go for those pale imitations that you get over at your side.
The kampua noodle look yummy! I hardly buy those Taiwan pineapple cakes. As you said, its expensive and I find it quite sweet. I preferred our local pineapple tarts :-p
Ya…better save the money and go for kampua and all the nice nice things here instead. 😉
Yum yum kampua, I miss you very much!! Mee hoon goreng looks very good too.
Sarawak laksa very chor lor? Never mind, as long as it tastes good!
It would have been all right if they had given some sambal belacan with it – I still prefer the one at Thomson Corner.
Pineapple tarts 😀 love them but wish its not so sweet.
The nyonya ones? Loved them when growing up…but not too crazy over them anymore these days. Growing old, I guess…so not so much into sweet things anymore. 😦
Those pineapple cakes certainly doesn’t come cheap by just looking at their premium packaging. I remember when I went to Taiwan, there is this Golden Pineapple which really looks like blocks of gold price at few hundred dollars…only 5 pcs if not mistaken.
Gimmicks! Tourist traps! I wouldn’t want to buy…and anyone going to Taiwan, don’t get me these either. No, thank you.
Unfortunately, the end-user (customer) is the one who ends up paying for the packaging for gifts. Malaysia is catching up on this type of marketing too.
The pian sip looks good.
Not the best in town – was at best, ok. Ya, I wouldn’t want to buy anything in nice packaging or with a brand name attached to it – the taste is what counts the most.
Of course your bee hoon is much better!!! 😀
The dark version of the kampua looks pretty good too!
Many people like it dark but not me. All the time I was growing up, we had kampua white…with our special local made light soy sauce. Dunno who started using dark soy sauce and it seems that the taste has caught on and more and more people have taken a liking to it – not old die-hards like me. Nothing but the real thing, thank you very much.