An ex-student of mine, working in Kl, was home for a while and he contacted me out of the blue to invite me out to tea. That certainly was a welcome surprise and a very pleasant one at that as I had not seen him since he left school. He wanted some ang tao peng (iced red beans) as the ones over in the peninsula are not the same – they use the bigger and kind of salty red beans which are not to his liking. That was why we stopped by here and he had the ang tao cendol while I had this…
– their bubur cacar with ang tao and cincau (grass jelly).
I thought it was not very nice – it was kind of diluted, rather lacking in the richness of the santan (coconut milk) and evaporated milk and none of the nice gula Melaka (palm sugar) fragrance. Initially, I thought it was just what I had ordered but my ex-student also said the same about his ang tao cendol so I guess it probably was another person doing it or maybe, we caught her on a bad day. I certainly hope this is not permanent or I would need to look for another place to get something that would be to my liking.
After that, we adjourned here for the kompia…
…fried and stuffed with pork belly and yes, they were nicely done and we enjoyed those very much.
The tiramisu mille crepe…
…was great, as always and so was their chocolate lava cake…
…which was perfectly done with the “lava” oozing out slowly…
…the moment I cut the cake open.
It was a really nice outing with my ex-student, chatting away and catching up on each other’s lives – I sure look forward to doing that again sometime.
Moving on from there, I’ve been seeing people sharing photographs of steamed paos (buns) in their blogs and on Facebook so I thought I would drop by the market here to get some myself. I did buy one, char siew (BBQ pork) filling, for Philip when he was home from the US and he loved it. In fact, he said it was even nicer than the ones that he enjoyed a lot from Kuching. However, he did not like the sio bee (meat dumplings)…
…though. Unfortunately, the buns were sold out that day and I decided to buy the dumplings to try – RM9.00 for 12 so that worked out to 75 sen each. They’re 80 sen each elsewhere now and some can even go up to RM1.00 or RM1.50 each at a couple of places…and yes, I do agree with Philip that they were not nice. The texture was all wrong, not firm or somewhat a little bouncy or rubbery like sio bee and more like meatballs made from minced meat plus I was really so put off by the amount of msg in them. It sure made me wonder why there were a few people who told me that the sio bee here was nice and that was what prompted me to go there and buy in the first place.
While I was in the vicinity, I stopped by this shop opposite to buy the kompia and since we were having braised pork leg at home that day, I decided to have my own oven-toasted kompia stuffed with the meat…
…even though I do think the deep fried ones are nicer. The kompias here are as nice as ever and they did seem nicer now – at one time, they were getting thinner and thinner and were grossly out of shape at times. Maybe it is because they have increased the price – 3 for RM1.00 now instead of 4 so they can resume making them with the original quality and I would say that is good actually. After all, the prices of everything have increased so it is all right to just jack up the price a bit within a reasonable limit and maintain the quality.
That, unfortunately, is not something that I could say about these made-in-Sarikei Foochow pek quek tong chiew pia (8th Month Autumn Festival biscuits)…
…which used to be available when the Mooncake Festival came around but these days, they are sold here, there and everywhere even out of season. If I am not mistaken, they were RM4.50 a packet last year so they have gone up by 50 sen this year.
Like I said, it would not be so bad if they had maintained the quality but I could only find a very faint hint of the fragrance of lard..
…in the ones in front (Kinsen) which makes it the better of the two brands in terms of fragrance and taste even though the other one (right)…
…does look nicer with all those sesame seeds dotting the biscuit and they taste pretty good too. Perhaps I should go and try those made-in-Sibu ones and who knows I may find one that still has the old-time quality of our local Foochow Mooncake Festival biscuits.
Life is like that, I guess…full of ups and downs – sometimes, you hit and sometimes, you miss…
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Oh the roll in the second picture looks very flaky and buttery, was it? Grass jelly? I’ll have to Google and see what that is exactly. The dumplings look great, my daughter loves those.
Nope, it’s our traditional Foochow bread. Some people say they’re something like bagels. Not these dumplings, they did not taste as great as they looked. 😦
The Autumn festival biscuit, the one nearer to the camera with sesame seed looks fluffier. If I had to judge by the looks only I’d take the fluffy ones. I love fluffy stuffs 😀 I know i know, you are fluffy too 😛
My sentiments exactly. They actually taste pretty good as well – just that they do not seem to have the fragrance of lard, not quite like the authentic ones that we used to enjoy in the past.
Was there a problem with some of the pixs ? It was not displaying. It’s certainly nice t see you meeting up with your ex students. That’s shows you are a great teacher. The biscuits only available during moon cake festival ? I don’t think it’s available here.
Perfectly all right at my end. You get a frame with a little rectangle in the middle? That happens when I’ve used up all my bandwidth and they put me on throttle. Once I’ve topped up, no problem whatsoever after that. Nope, I don’t think those biscuits are available there but only recently, one can get them in Kuching – same price, I heard.
That is so nice that your ex student invited you for tea! Love the photos.
Indeed. Thanks for the compliment. No problem loading, I hope. Somebody’s complaining that some do not appear.
I like sio bee & tiramisu mille crepe. Open air market, Kuching, sio bee is sold at 70 cents each and they taste as good as ever. Chocolate lava cake looks too sweet for me and I prefer kompia with minced meat than pork belly.
Not when you know what goes into the minced meat. My butcher will take some meat and mince for me on the spot and not take from what he has got ready…or we would buy the meat and mince our own at home.
I don’t buy ready minced meat too but will buy some meat and ask the butcher to mince for me on the spot too.
That’s good. The problem is everything with minced meat outside we can never be sure.
That pork belly filled kompia look delicious!
I havent try that chocolate lava. haha. maybe one of these days. too much chocolate lately. lol.
p.s. my son recognised you yesterday and told my sil he has been to your house. Surprised that he can remember you although met you once!!!
LOL!!! I’m so…unforgettable mah! 😀
Ya, saw your post on all the chocs from Labuan. The pork belly kompia is good – just once, I think they dropped them into the oil before it was hot enough so the oil soaked right through. That was horrible – I went and gave one of the bosses a piece of my mind. The choc lava cake is nice too but best shared by 2 or 3 people.
The oven toasted kompia look delicious. I definitely prefer toasted over fried. 🙂
Fried is nicer or to me, at least – has an added fragrance and taste. Oven-toasted is rather dry and harder. But both are available in the shops and needless to say, we all know which one is healthier – up to one to choose according to his or her liking.
I have a feeling I might not like that cendol. I love my big red beans LOL!
I miss the good old days when the food proprietors would just increase the price whenever the PM announces petrol price hike. Nowadays it is always increase price + reduce quality done together. Pay more for less. 😦
Yes, real sad, isn’t it? Ya, and everytime they announce a salary increase – before it actually increases, all the prices have shot up like nobody’s business. Only my measly pension never increases. Sobssssss!!!! I’m not fussy about the beans but I would love it very lemak (rich with santan and/or milk or both) with lots of gula Melaka all over the mountain of shaved ice.
wah, waking up early in the morning and seeing so many nice delicious tasty mouthwatering food!! makes me even more hungry and wanna wallop them all!! muahahahaha~~
Come on over. I’ll treat you to all these and a whole lot more. I’m make sure you go back as Suituapui 2. Hehehehehehe!!!!!
A very “sweet” post.. I love that bowl of bubur cacar with ang tao and cincau, especially with extra santan.. And oohh, that piece of crepe cake.. I always prefer the vanilla crepe cake..OMG, you are tempting me with that chocolate lava cake.. Look at the “lava” oozing out.. Aiyo, cannot concentrate in work liao…
Drool! Drool! They’re very nice. The vanilla crepe is nice if you have it on its own as the taste is very light or mild – if you have others alongside like the chocolate lava cake, it will overpower it and render it rather bland and tasteless.
There’s evaporated milk in bubur cha cha? I thought only santan. That Tiramisu Mille Crepe and Chocolate Lave cake is definitely a hit. I want both!
Come, come. You can have these and more. Long long ago, they use santan in Sibu…and in Kuching, they use evaporated milk – I liked both but now, I think they mix, also nice. I don’t mind only santan but it must be thick and creamy, not diluted. Not nice at all.
More sesame seeds will be nicer…very fragrant
Lard or sesame, take your pick.
Why he did not like siobee?? Why? Why? Why? But nowadays.. one siobee kinda expensive hor..
i really wanna try that kompia with pork belly eh… !!!!
Coming to Sibu anytime. Any wedding reception here for your Sibu relatives? I can take you to enjoy the pork belly kompia. The sio bee? Even I say they are not nice – much nicer ones elsewhere.
The desserts never fail to tempt me.. I think I have been to this shop selling the crepe and the kompia, right?
You have…and also the one with the bubur cacar. You don’t remember? Gosh!!! Have to take gingko lor… LOL!!! I still remember the place you took me to when I dropped by Ipoh many many years ago…but then again, I only went to one place. Hehehehehe!!!
Did I say those buns are nicer? They’re nice but I think I still prefer the Kuching open-air ones. I brought back one bag of the Kinsen shortcakes and the missus loves it, says it’s much better than the ones last year. Thanks for them and all the other goodies.
Oh, you did? Should have told me – I would love to get to buy them for her instead of having you going back empty-handed. Yes, that was what you said – so I thought they must be very very nice as the open air ones are already so nice. Never mind, I’ll drop by and get some to try sometime…but since they’re not nicer, no hurry. 😉
Another food added to the list : Kompia 😜
Get the ones at Sugar Bun Sibu Gateway, guarantee halal…but they are always snapped up very quickly. All gone in no time at all. I saw people eating it with sambal rojak – they say very nice. I gave my friends some to eat with daging masak hitam – best lah!
I have sweet tooth, the desserts attracted me…
You’ll enjoy them, I’m sure…but maybe not the bubur cacar, not really nice.
ya, the misses help us to appreciate the hits more, i think 🙂
…or will get us to look for others and hope for more hits, fewer misses.
Oo la la! Cendol and lava choc cake!! oh my eyes!
Oops!!! I hope this does not trigger any craving in you. Quick! Quick! Go eat some! 😀
I can’t stop staring at it…!
Keep looking then! 😀
Ah, i had siew mai / dumpling for lunch today, hahahhaha!
And there are kompia, dabai, and “mouse tail” waiting for me at home too! *wink wink*
Oh? Your mum’s in KL already? I thought I could send some things through her. 😦
I do like all sorts of refreshing beverages at Thomson Corner particularly chendol.The only problem there is the bad ventilation which causes diners to swelter..
I had tried out the chocolate lava cake once which I think is so gorgeous with the contrasting hot chocolate and cold ice cream.They do well in mille crepes too!:)
Yup. They do it very well – the wife of one of the bosses makes them at home and sends to the shop. Thomson Corner, some people prefer the outlet at Medan Mall, air-conditioned but it is such a small place.
Haven’t tried the midautumn biscuits before, curious on the taste.
I guess you can only get them here…and maybe in the Foochow towns of Sitiawan or Yong Peng though I am not sure if theirs would be the same. I know Sitiawan’s kompia is very different.
Can I have the pork belly kompia…slurps
Come, come. Help yourself.
Thanks for passing the mooncakes to me buddy!
I loved them – have been eating them at night! Oh, I’m quite puzzled that the lard taste is so diminished in one brand, it seems that they use more butter, which is more expensive than lard (just checked) so it doesn’t make sense…maybe the tasters felt the lard was overpowering while it’s just the thing we want?
Most welcome. Yes, some people get put off by the smell of lard like in kampua but without it, it would not be the same anymore, same with these biscuits. Glad you like them.