On their last night in Sibu, my visitors from Singapore invited my missus and my girl to join us for dinner. All this while, they had been left to their own devices as my car was too small to fit in all of us. That was why they chose the restaurant a couple of minutes’ walk from the hotel where they were staying so they could go there on their own while we drove straight there from home.
I went to this place once or twice a long long time ago when they were at their old location and since they moved here, initially, I did drop by in the mornings for their dim sum but come dinnertime, I had avoided it all this while as it would get extremely over-crowded and we might have to wait for a table…and worse still, while eating, there might be people standing beside you waiting for you to finish so they could grab your seats.
It is much better these days as they have extended the restaurant and is occupying the whole of the upper floor…
…and even though it may still be as crowded, there will not be much of Β a problem getting a table. This was when we got there early at around 6.30 p.m. – by the time we left, it was completely packed! It is not air-conditioned but being open on one side and with the row of ventilating fans all along the wall on the other…
…plus all the fans, it really is quite cool and comfortable (and it had been raining earlier that evening before we got there)…and despite the crowd, the dishes were served pretty fast – we did not have to wait for a long time, not at all.
This place is famous for their (cheap) crabs…
…so we had that, with black pepper, and also for another signature dish of theirs, the Philippine pork leg…
…also known as crispy pata…
…which was so tender and nice and went absolutely well with the lime-flavoured sauce that came with it. We liked both the dishes even though the crabs were a little small.
We also had their butter prawns…
…which were nice too and of course, their fried midin (wild jungle fern)…
They loved how they did their salted egg bitter gourd…
…a lot. It was not bitter and coated with the creamy salted egg, quite different from how they do it elsewhere. I would say that I enjoyed it too.
We also had the Foochow chao chai (preserved vegetable) soup…
…with an assortment of seafood delights. Normally, we would have this with chicken or fish slices. I think my friend must have liked it a lot for he finished his bowl within seconds…and unfortunately, the serving was just enough for the seven of us, one bowl each. Seeing that, I gave him my bowl to enjoy – after all, I could go back for more anytime or I could even cook my own.
I must say that was truly a sumptuous dinner and all of us certainly enjoyed it very much…and it was indeed most thoughtful and sweet of my friends from Singapore to ask my missus and daughter to come along as well, thank you all so very very much.
The cost of the food came up to RM120.00 (around SGD46.00) for six adults and one child…and if anyone is interested and does not know where this restaurant is , it is along Wong King Huo Road, to the left of Medan Mall, back to back with Courts Mammoth. Just go around that small area of shops and look for one seafood place that’s very busy and crowded – you can’t miss it!
The very next day, my friends would be leaving town…but no, it was not over yet. Do hang around for more…(to be continued)
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
I don’t fancy crabs but I like the butter gravy ones, to be eaten with fried mantao.. I can eat all thr mantao and gravy, but no crabs.. The salted egg bitter gourd looks good.. Anything salted egg, I like.. Yesterday I had bitter gourd egg for lunch at the chap fan stall, nice..
Yes, they do the bitter gourd very well here. I do not go for crabs much, dunno how else they would do it here. Long long ago, I used to go for chili crabs at Bedok or Changi in Singapore, 1973, and they gave baguette/French loaf slices to dip in the gravy. Very nice.
Our favourite restaurant. Reasonably price, good food and fast service. No need to wait so long. ^^
Glad everyone enjoyed the dinner. However I do agree with the crabs as we did order few times and not so meaty. Now should be the season. I had crabs twice back in Kuching and this place serves great crabs. Fleshy and have roes some more. Opened by a Sibu lady some more that used to operate a coffee shop in Rajang Park. Will bring you to try when you are coming over. ^^
What’s the name of the restaurant? Sweet Happiness?
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/true-true-happiness/
8 way
Dunno this place. KIV…
http://kuchingnite.blogspot.com/2014/12/sumptuous-dinner-in-8-road-cafe.html?m=0
A week before it was called 8 road then later change to 8 way. Lol.
I wonder why. From Rejang Park, dunno which restaurant. Who knows I may know her? Hehehehehe!!!! How much 1 kg, those crabs?
Oooooh, I’m drooling over those crab claws!
Very small…and farmed crabs. There’s a better place in town, nicer…and very popular too but expensive.
All looks so good and worth the price.
Yup, it was great.
RM120 for all that? wow, for this one, i’d have guessed RM180-RM200. And it looks like it could easily feed eight adults π
It was all right – we did manage to finish everything. Hehehehehe!!!! These farmed crabs are generally cheaper, not like the real thing, the natural ones and they’re very small. The last I heard, it was RM13.00 a kg. Used to be RM8.00 when they first started this place. π¦
food, glorious food! and that huge pork leg.. omg.
It looks sinful :P.. but i’m not a big fan of pork leg. Had it in a couple of occasions and did not fancy the fats! hahaha
Forgive me for I have sinned. The one we had was all right though, lots of meat and crispy skin, not so fat. Maybe all melted away in the process of cooking.
I am surprised with the price, especially with crabs around…
Not cheaper in Penang, sea all around? Oh ya…you get the sea crabs, the pink spotted ones. Those aren’t so nice.
phewitt….the pork leg so yummy….meat also looks tender. Yums
Very!!! Come, come…we’ll go for it.
Pork leg! Oh yes, oh yes yes!! Doesn’t matter how it is cooked, for sure it will be so very delicious!
Very very nice, the one we had that night.
All look good! Hmmm..I like that pork leg π But the crab, no thank you. I love bittergourd fried in salted eggs, can’t get enough of it!
I do like crabs but not the hassle of getting it out of the shell and everything, lazy. The pork leg here is good! Slurpsssss!!!!!
Sibu is really a place where you can have divine foods at reasonable prices.
I guess it’s cheaper than Miri – city status plus all the rich oil people…and people from Brunei.
There was a lot of cheap crabs in jb years ago at Rm10 per kg but somehow most have closed down. Miss it since I love crabs but can’t take too much.
Yup, once in a while should be fine and go for the natural ones, nicer than these cheap farmed ones, that’s for sure…but these are ok too, nice…and at that price, can’t complain.
I opposite with Phong Hong, i like the crab, but pork leg, no thank you….
Oooo…pork leg!!! Yum yummmm!!!! If got sambal belacan, like heaven! π π π
So so so cheap!!! The knuckles.. prawns… they look so yummylicious…. I am sure your friends have many good memories to bring back to Singapore… good host.. great food!
I certainly hope so. They did say they had no regrets coming here, had a great time and enjoyed the yummy food in Sibu. My friend plans to come again.,..soon!
Should ask Claire to bring her 2 sons over to Sibu after she retire, hehe…
I shall remain…silent. π
RM120 only, cheap cheap. I love crabs, but hardly can find “kakis” to go and eat with me. And that chao chai soup looks very yum!!
Must be very good. I just didn’t look for a bit and when I looked again, my friend already finished his bowl. Guess he liked it a lot! Come, come back to Sibu…and we go to eat crabs together – go to the nicer one, expensive, never mind. Towkay-neo very kaya. Hehehehehehe!!!!
Ahhh crabs! I wish to have some now!!
Oh dear! You’re craving. I wonder if you’re allowed to have any…
Very good dinner. The pork knuckle is my favourite too…very tender meat, literally fell off the bone without much work..goes well with the sauce. You are too kind with your words…it’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for us π
I also remember the stretch of roads at Bedok or Changi area with seafood restaurants in those days. Went a few times in the 70s/80s before they get relocated to east coast. Chilli crabs used to be served with baguette when I was little…I think sometime in the last 20 years the trend starts to lean towards fried mantou and nowadays nobody serves baguette anymore. Pity coz I still remember the taste of baguette in chilli crab sauce….very different taste from mantou.
Yes, I loved it with the gravy, maybe even more than the crabs! Also had baguette slices with sup kambing, Indian road side stall at that stretch of road, either Queen or Waterloo Street, between the National Museum and Bras Basah Road. That was so good. Of course, it’s no longer there – so many nice things then, all gone for good. π¦
Not really much that I did, just joined you all to have a whole lot of fun myself. I really enjoyed myself and I sure would love to do it all over again.
winks* winks* I’ve almost the same flavor of crabs yesterday huh!!
What a coincidence. π
OK…now I feeling like wolfing down the whole pork leg. **cries** Weekend must pester him to buy pork leg.hahahaha
You’re gonna cook your own…or he’s coming back to Sibu this weekend?