This brand new place in town…
…is a dream come true for two guys, Johnny and Frederick, each with his own lucrative profession by day and by night, they run this place together as all their lives, this has been something that they had always dreamed of and wanted to do.
Why the name, you may ask? Well, one was a chef in Ireland (and has an Irish wife, if I’m not mistaken) and now he does the cooking in the kitchen with his assistants while the other worked in Australia before, helping a barista there to brew coffee and make other drinks as well and that was where he acquired the skill to do what he does now. For so long ever since he was Down Under, the latter had wanted to open a place like this but when he came back, he got all caught up in his profession and never realised his dream until now, together with his partner. According to him, initially they had planned to do it after they had retired but in the end, they decided not to wait till then and just go ahead to make what they had been hoping for a reality.
That is why they do not open for lunch, just for dinner from around 6.00 p.m. and the kitchen closes at around 10.00 p.m…
…as they still have their daytime jobs at the moment but coffee and drinks will be available till past midnight.
It’s a neat and pleasant place…
…none of those excessively gaudy decor and clutter that one can find in some eateries here, there and everywhere. I like its simplicity and the use of real tablecloth sure adds a special classy touch to the place.
Actually, Huai Bin and I were heading some place else for dinner that night when we chanced upon this one so there was a last-minute change of plans and we decided to stop by here instead to give it a try. We shared these slices of french loaf with the very nice creamy topping…
…which reminded me of my rich and creamy cheese scrambled eggs but there was much more to it and whatever went into the making sure enhanced the taste a lot more and the two of us enjoyed it very much. However, I would like the bread to be toasted a little bit more so that it would be crusty on the outside while still soft on the inside – I certainly would make that special request the next time I drop by and order these for starters.
We also had the Irish stewed lamb shank (RM38.00)…
…which was very nice though I would not say it is my favourite in town. The meat was very nicely done, real tender and it tasted great. Personally, I would prefer a stronger gravy, something thicker and richer but perhaps, that is something else, not really the authentic Irish recipe.
The fish and chips (RM15.00)…
…was good. We ordered that when the chef told us that they do not use dory – he did mention what fish it was but I can’t remember the name now. I can’t say that it swept me off my feet though but it was definitely a lot better than those one would find at some other place in town and for both of the main dishes that we had, I thought the coleslaw was really good, very much nicer than any that I had had before – I certainly enjoyed that very much.
One thing that impressed me the most was the PR. The chef himself came out to tell us the details about every dish available on the menu and give his recommendations and after the food was served, halfway through the meal, he came out again to express his hope that everything was all right and get our feedback.
It so turned out that the niece of one of the guys, who is currently studying in Northern Ireland, home for the summer vacation, was helping out at the restaurant and she was in my English tuition class a few years ago…and when I ordered my usual glass of iced water, she insisted that I had something else so she could treat me to the drink. After some persuasion, I relented and asked for this glass from their Dilmah tea series – the Monin fruit tea, iced…
…and I had the one with green apple. It certainly was very nice and refreshing…and of course, the best things in life are free, right? LOL!!!
After we had finished our dinner, the barista came and spoke to us and it was he who told us the whole Aussie story and insisted that we had coffee…
…on the house. I had the cappuccino while Huai Bin had the latte and we thought they were great. The guy did tell us the brand of Italian coffee that they use but of course, this old man with his very short memory span is not able to remember. Hehehehehehe!!!!!
It certainly was a delightful dining experience, not that the food was awesomely great but it was pretty good – what made the difference was how cordial everyone was and how they went out of their way to make sure that everything was to one’s satisfaction and to make one feel very much at home….unlike what one would find at most other places in town. I certainly would give them full marks for that…and based on that alone, I would not think twice about dropping by for dinner again.
To wrap things up, I would just want to add that somehow or other, the story brings to mind this song that is a favourite of mine…
…and the lovely and very meaningful lyrics:
All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I’ve been
And how I got to where I am…
…and talking about songs, I did wish they would play some pleasantly soothing songs or music softly in the background (not so loudly and not those horrendous choices of songs that I would find at some places – that would absolutely ruin the mood and I would eat quickly and make a run for it). That, I feel, would help bring the ambiance and the whole dining experience to a whole new level.
Well, if anybody has not dropped by to try this place out yet and is thinking of doing so, it is among the shops right across the road from SMK Deshon, Jalan Sena, NOT around where the Italian restaurant is but to the extreme left in the block behind the very big Good Happiness Restaurant next to the Teochew Porridge coffee shop there, somewhere around the Sibu Bus terminal area, to the left hand side…and oops!!! I almost forgot! Thank you so very much, Huai Bin, for the lovely dinner treat and thanks to Frederick and Johnny for the drinks and the coffee. Keep up the good work, guys! Cheers!
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Cheese ? French Loaf? Okay, deal! I’m sold!
Order this – it was good! I had something similar on my 2nd visit, nothing great. I think I make better open toasts at home but this one is very good, nicer than mine. Hehehehehe!!!!!
No worries mate! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the dinner!
I was surprised that the drinks were on the house too, though I thought it was Fredrick who took it off the bill? The waitress who was your ex-student came over for drinks orders the first round and I had the White Chocolate and you ordered the ice water and I asked about whether their Creme Brulee Coffee is made with Monin syrup and she didn’t know, so she got Fredrick over who asked us for our drinks order again so I repeated my order and you decided to go for the Monin Fruit Tea when Fredrick asked us for orders again.
I did know the coffee at the end of the meal was on the house though, so I was surprised when Fredrick decided to take our dinner drinks off the bill too. I thought he was the one who made the decision to comp us all the drinks after we chatted about his Aussie Story.
Yeah, the PR is top notch, have never seen such great (awesome) service – probably the best in Malaysia. Haha! I wanted to go on Saturday night with my dad but they were full, as were Anson and the RM 13 crab place so we went to Ming Mei Zhi again.
The coffee they use is CoffeX, a very popular brand, very nice too, used to get the beans imported in ourselves – do you know Simon from my sister’s batch who lives near us? He also used to order this brand of coffee in, before there was a local distributor, this was in 2008 and the order was for whole beans which we would grind ourselves and use a French press to steep.
I love this place too, my only minor feedback is that I wish they served the courses out properly e.g. appetizers then wait till we finish, before the mains come out. It seems so rushed to have all three come out at once but like Johnny said, it’s the way Sibu people like it. *shrugs*
Great restaurant though, I would definitely recommend it to anyone, the service is top-notch! 🙂
Yes, Frederick offered us coffee on the house and when you settled the bill, he took the drinks off as well and it seems that he rounded up the figure as well – not too sure the exact amount you forked out for the dinner but I think I heard 60 (and I thought WOWWW!!! Almost the same as when we went to Ming Mei Shi for a lot more and nicer too, but that’s a different kettle of fish). He took the drinks off my bill too when I went again, Saturday!
The niece was so sweet as to offer to pay for my drink…but at the end of the day, I guess she did not get the chance. Anyway, as they say, it’s the thought that counts…and many ex-students wouldn’t even bother, this much I would say…not at all.
I saw their kitchen the 2nd time around, VERY small and at least, six people inside. I guess when we went, there were not so many diners so each could do one thing and all was served at one go. It was ok on Saturday – the starter and the salad came out first…and the mains only after we had finished.
The food’s ok, not bad…expensive but worth it, unlike what one would get at the cheap(er) places…and not the usual run-off-the-mill kind of stuff. Melissa said she would want to go again and again and again – so many things on their menu that she would want to try. 😛
Wah so you know quite about the owners!
The lamb shanks look good la!
Not all that much – only what the guys told us. The food’s ok – not one of those places sprouting out all over where lots of young people love to hang out, nice decor, food is at best just so-so. This one’s definitely better.
nice story behind this place, and it’s heart-warming to read this positive post and your sincere endorsement of this restaurant 🙂
Yes. I also wish I could do the same but let’s just say I am way too advanced in my years compared to the two guys – they left high school in the 80’s…me, in the 60’s. Already over the hill. 😦
Looks like a lovely place I can hang out in Sibu! Thanks for heads up! 😄
Ummmm…perhaps you would want to wait till my next post on this place or go on a rainy night. 😛 Hopefully, that’s just because it’s new…and everybody wanted to try…and eventually, like Payung, the prices would scare them all away. Payung’s still my favourite for hanging out, chatting the night away with friends – great place, great service but different cuisine, though.
Similar kind of cuisine, food alone, I think the Italian place is nicer – the guy here said it himself that night…but there, I will have to struggle with the language to communicate with the mono-lingual staff…and PR comes nowhere near.
The food looks good, but the lamb shank and the fish looks more like localized version than authentic British pub food. I wouldn’t mind having them, but I doubt they would please people like Mun 😀
I don’t know about Sibu, but if you run a restaurant only for dinner serving in KL/Penang, you won’t survive long. Lunch hour is the biggest business potential and you will be forsaking it. I hope the owners would soon make the plunge and commit to running the restaurant full time. It all depends on the support you guys give 😀
They have their daytime jobs and I did hint that they’re “lucrative” so they are not dependent on this venture as their source of income. The guy did say that they are doing it to fulfill their dreams and as “a hobby”.
What we had that night was ok, not the best in town but definitely better than the many so-so wannabe places we have in town – as far as those are concerned, if it is food, it is best to look elsewhere. I went again two nights later and what we had was much nicer…but it was so so so crowded. Maybe I should wait till the novelty fizzles out before going again.
Oh. Very inspiring story to open up a dream cafe.
The food looks good.
I suggest going on a week day…and if it’s raining, so much the better. It was so so so crowded when I went again on Saturday night. Luckily it was after 8, so I did manage to get a table, no problem.
Indeed nice ambience with top notch PR. Happy to learn that their dreams become reality. Though not a fan of lamb but this one seems nicely done.Am coffee lover, sure both are great to me.
You can order something else – they have an extensive menu. I am a coffee person but only in the morning and for afternoon tea. That was why I turned it down when he made the same offer when we dropped by again a couple of days later.
I came across the place last sunday.They were still under construction(nearly complete) at that day.
I am too impressed by the table cloth they use,very high quality.
are the ingredients(food) import from outside?
They opened last Monday, we went on Thursday…and I went again with my family on Saturday. About the ingredients, you’ll have to ask them yourself…but they did say their pita bread is currently not available, still waiting…and I do know they sell it at the Market Place, the supermarket at Delta Mall, dunno elsewhere.
Oh Aussie story..could be like this..”once upon a time a dinky-di aussie would greet people by saying ‘Good die mike’ and probably end with ‘I’m coming back ‘to die’..hehe.
I guess these two guys have come back for a long time already – which should be the case as they’re not all that young – no more Aussie or Irish accent.
Merely after 3 months in Aussie kindy my daughter Nikki gave us a shock when she said this before breakfast ..”can I help put the plite on the tible?”
Same with my girl in NZ. Two years there and you hear her saying, “Yis???”
Love Brandi’s beautiful eyes. Echo you during meals should have nice soothing songs or music and cannot allow deep purple to turn it into purplish steak.
Yes, and none of those current not-all-that-soothing favourites either…but I heard an acoustic version of the latest hits at one place, very nice covers.
lovely noms here.. oh, huai bin’s treat? That’s so very nice and thoughtful of him. I feel so down now in comparison.
Ya? After all these years, you’ve never even treated me once, eh? Hmmmm….. 😀
I admire people like Johnny and Frederick who are willing to put in extra time and energy (and not to mention money) to realize their dreams. I am sure it not easy holding down a day time job and running a restaurant in the evening.
Definitely not. But if it is something that you love and comes from the heart, you will actually enjoy doing it and will not feel it that much.
Such are the passions of the owners who kept to their dream to start their restaurant. HB also blog on this … aaha… so, where did u guy went after dinner ?
Yes, I did not expect to see his on the same day as he has not blogged about the two places we went to earlier…nor those that he went to on his own. I thought of dropping by the Italian place in the next block for dessert but it looked very crowded so we went straight home – good thing we did too as it started pouring cats and dogs, real heavy rain that night.
The fish & chip portion looks huge
It was. One big slab of it.
Seems you’re not immune to the coffee craze over your way either. Every weekend a new coffee spot opens up in KL.
I wouldn’t mind coffee earlier in the day, not at night. We have a handful here now, those coffee places…but I’m not really into them. Old school, I’d just stick to my good ol’ coffee shop ones. 😀
The lamb looks so juicy and tender!
How about their fish &chips? The banter looks a bit soggy??
It was ok. I guess it was eaten hot. Could be better, I reckon…and I always prefer it breadcrumb-coated, not really fond of batter.
What a relaxing evening with HB and company! Makes you feel young again, eh?? hehehee…
Yes, he’s really easy to get along with, very nice young chap. Feeling young? Hmmmm…I wish! 😀
G’day Stunning photos today Suituapui
Thank you. Not great, night indoor lighting – I prefer daytime, natural light.
Heard from HB mentioning about his dinner with you here. I told him to bring me there the next time I fly in to Sibu. I am quite curious to know more about their menu and is interesting they only open for that few hours. But don’t like the idea of serving all dishes at the same time but again different ppl might have different preference.
You can make a request – they are very accommodating, can opt out of something in the idsh, request for something else – they said they will comply. Very nice people. So when are you coming?
Looks like a nice place. Must ask my mum to go and check it out.
Not bad. But based on what I have tried so far, I prefer the food at Bistecca.
Aahhhh, so that’s the story… 😉
The decor looks simple and cozy enough.
Yes, nice place, nice people and food’s not the best in town but ok.