My cousin, back here from the UK, said that she would want to eat kampua noodles and kompia, two things that one got to have here before leaving town. That was why I took them here for lunch so she and her hubby could have this…
I’ve tried it not too long ago and I thought it was all right, not the best in town, of course, but it was good enough though I did feel then that it could do with a little less msg and that was why this time around, I put in a special request not to add so much.
I was thinking that it would be more comfortable for them, the place being air-conditioned and they could have both the noodles and the kompia with stewed pork belly…
…and minced meat…
…at one go here. They liked the latter more and when I tried it, I thought the filling tasted a little nicer than what they had in the ones I had before. However, it seemed that the kompia had gone thinner this time around so one would not get much of the cushiony bread-like texture inside.
I had the kway chap…
…and it was good just that they had the regular kway teow inside instead of the noodles in broad white sheets. However, it didn’t really matter as it tasted great and went absolutely well with the ground chili sauce provided.
My cousin did not like the dry-fried dumplings…
…that I also ordered – she did not quite like the skin and she had had a lot all over the world that were very much nicer. I tried and thought that they tasted great but yes, there was something not quite right with the skin that day. Perhaps the fault lay in the cooking and it was not quite springy and chewy like pasta that is overcooked and not al dente. and many, I know, are not fond of that.
She has tried the celebrated Ladurée macarons in London and also in Paris so I insisted that she tried the ones here…
…to compare. Well, she thought the ones here came pretty close, not quite there but was good enough – the shells could have been a little crustier, she said…and yes, I did notice that they were not as smooth and glossy too that day. She loved the fillings though, especially the matcha one but then again, she loves everything matcha. She does not like the ones there with fruit filling as she found them way too sweet and her hubby is not a fan of whatever macaron – it seems that he does not have a sweet tooth. For one thing, they sure do not come cheap there and especially when you convert it into ringgit, the prices can be quite shocking!
I sent them back to the hotel after that as another cousin would be coming to take them out that afternoon and yet another one had already booked them for dinner that evening.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
I love going there too. Partly the air con and some of the food. It could get crowded on weekends.
Macarons. Not for me. Haha.
Very very crowded, lunch time…and it can get quite noisy so I would usually avoid the peak hours. I heard that their turnover per day is really a lot! Try the ones here – even my mum loves them!
Kampua & kompia, a must have when you are in Sibu, rite? All looks pretty good. For kompia, I definitely go for the minced meat fillings. I am a sweet tooth person but somehow, I am not into macarons.
You haven’t tried the ones here – I tried those at one other place, nothing much to theirs, just sweet…couldn’t taste any difference, never mind what colours. Here, I would go for their salted caramel and mint – the rest are too sweet also and I am not into matcha so I never had that one. They say Kuching Hilton has nice ones, dunno the rest elsewhere but Gerald, your relative, said he had the ones at Pullman and they were hard and sweet, not nice and all…and he loved the ones here!
Those kampua noodles sure do look springy – just how a I’d like them. 🙂
Theirs are quite nice but there are nicer ones elsewhere but it may not be so convenient – one may not be able to get everything one would want to eat at one stop, the ones that are reasonably nice, that is.
I’m betting this is the world’s first blog post that mentions kampua noodles and kompia in the same entry as Laduree Macarons 😀
Imagine kampua & kompia (my cousin’s hubby loves these – calls them Fuzhou bagels, he’s a Brit) ranking among the world’s best…alongside Bourdain’s breakfast of gods, our Sarawak laksa…
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/02/21/bourdain-wants-sarawak-laksa-for-his-nyc-food-market/
Hehehehehehe!!!!
I have enough macaron in Paris.. yes, too expensive.. hahahaha… I prefer to eat the authentic kampua anytime!
I think so too, cheaper, more filling…and very much nicer! 😀
I think I would try the kompia and kampua noodles here if there’s only 1 meal for me to choose in Sibu .. Hahahha. Too much msg? Or didn’t know they add msg too, thought it’s kinda natural taste there else cannot feel the kampua noodle natural flavor.
There would have to be the shallot oil fragrance and a pinch of msg – some add too much so I get the unpleasant taste in my mouth for a long time. I will never go back to those places again or I will tell them to cut down on it. Generally, lots of it if you eat out at Chinese places. I am ultra-sensitive to it as I do not usually use the stuff at home but my girl and most everybody else seem quite immune to it.
Yeah the kampua here is surprisingly decent. I quite like it too, and they have so many unconventional sides e.g. rendang.
I know what you mean by the excessive MSG, some places put so much that you get an unquenchable thirst after eating it, so much so that it becomes a bit uncomfortable and not worth the experience.
I only liked the one with sizzling beef, not too crazy about the other combinations.
Most Chinese places here know me well enough to reduce the msg used – I found out when I went for dinner at Ruby or Ming Mei Shi and my brother-in-law pre-ordered all the dishes. It was always perfectly ok everytime I went on my own though. When I drop by some place new, I have to make it a point to tell them to reduce. That is why I like Payung, msg-free.
The kuey chap and fried dumplings look so so good.. The bowl of kuey chap, my, full of collagen goodness, mouth sticky sticky after slurping all the gravy I’m sure, haha 😛
Not really, the gravy is not gooey like lor mee, more like a darker version of the bak kut teh soup, with a similar herbal taste.
Everything in this post looks good, would cure some homesickness for sure!
Yes, though it should be ok for the two – they come back to celebrate with my aunt and family in Miri every year.
The dumpling, it’s my all time favourite…
I ate most of those, thought they tasted great other than the fact that the skin was not all that great, overcooked, I think…or maybe too much water was used in the cooking.
It’s good that your cousin got to eat the kampua noodles and kompia. I suppose a trip back to Sibu would be incomplete without eating these.
That’s exactly what she said. She had chicken mee sua at home in Miri, Chinese New Year with her mum and the rest of the family there and when a cousin took her out for dinner one of the nights here, she had the Foochow fried noodles. They did not order the Sibu Foochow sio bee though – I guess those would have to wait till her next trip here.
If not mistaken this must be the Noodle house, right.I think I have not come here even though I was in Sibu during the past visits. I am more keen to Payung..hehehe
That’s right. You did come here when you were here the first time…and maybe the second time too, right? I remember you went to tapao the kompia to take back to KL. They have a new gelato place now, Nica…but I have not gone yet. Expensive, poor old pensioner cannot afford. Sobssss!!!!