Good start…

Gerald, my friend in Kuching who used to run this awesomely impressive restaurant there, contacted me and asked if I would be free to go round with him and some other guys to pick the winner(s) for this coveted award…

I spotted those at the hotel where they were staying – they were awarded to them a long time ago but I thought I would snap a photograph of them to show everybody what I am talking about. Well, of course I would be free, ol’ retiree that I am, shaking legs all day long. LOL!!!

When the day in question came, I picked them up at the airport at around noon and I took them here for lunch. I ordered Garfield’s favourite food – the lasagna…

…that we had not too long ago and my girl enjoyed it very much but like me, they did not seem to enjoy all that tomato in the bolognese sauce in it and for that very reason, they enjoyed the seafood aglio olio linguine…

…a lot more. They said it was really very nice unlike the ones with those bolognese or the rich and creamy sauces.

But what won the day was their spinach egg pizza…

…which was bursting with flavours, so very delightful and all of them enjoyed it to the max, plus they were pleasantly surprised that this, something that they had never had before – a pizza with an egg in it, actually turned out to be so very nice! It seemed that they have decided to use the simpler name now instead of the original Bracio di Ferro which I would think would be more authentic and would sound a lot more impressive but maybe they have grown tired of having had to explain to everybody what that is on their menu all the time.

They loved the desserts very much too – the panna cotta…

…and also their crème brûlée…

…but there was a difference of opinion between the guys as which of the two was better. Well, like I always say, to each his own – one man’s meat may be another man’s poison but what mattered most was that there was a general consensus among them that both were indeed very nicely done.

The place, all the decor, the ambiance and everything, met their approval…and business was good that day – most of the tables were occupied even though it was not a full house and the service was great. There was this girl who served us. She was proficient in English, well-versed with all the items on the menu and was able to answer all the questions asked (unlike some who would just say they did not know or run to the kitchen to drag the chef out) and above all, she was very friendly, all smiles at all times even though those naughty guys kept teasing her. I must say there are not many of the likes of her around here.

Well, if anyone is interested in the award, there are many categories, one of them designated to all the eateries in the state, categorised under restaurants, cafes, food courts and kopitiams (coffee shops). One can nominate oneself or others may do so using the official form that may be downloaded from the Tourism Ministry’s website – I understand they will publicise this in the newspapers when the time comes and that would be the time to do it.

Nominations are, of course, closed already for the one this year…and incidentally, one’s eatery must be at least operational the whole year within the stipulated time prior to the event so those that are very new, not yet a year old, would be automatically disqualified, if nominated. I have not seen the form myself but from what I heard about it, it is not really possible for any man-in-the-street to nominate his favourite(s) as some inside information regarding the restaurant would be required. Personally, I do think that should be the case – that it should be open to anybody to submit names with a write-up of a reasonable length as to why that place deserves the award and special mention should be given to how it is related in any way to or may contribute towards tourism in the town or the state, other than some necessary information needed without having to delve into the kind-of-private nitty-gritty details that may not be all that relevant.

Two other guys came with Gerald, one from the ministry and another, an officer from the city council who, other than sharing his opinions on the food,  would look particularly into the cleanliness of a place including the kitchen and the toilet…and they brought this along with them…

…to give to me, Thanks, guys. That should come in handy the next time I go somewhere.

It certainly looked like we were off to a good start since everything at this first stop turned out pretty good. Do hang around for there will be lots more to come in the posts ahead…