People say…

…it is expensive to eat here or at least, that was what I was told and she heard that from a friend just like what some people said about this place as well but personally, I feel that is a broad generalisation as there are many things one would need to consider – the place, the ambiance, the comfort…and of course, the food. If you order a whole lot of things including fish and prawns and lobsters or exclusive exotic stuff you can’t get elsewhere, surely you do not expect it to be anything but…cheap.

Let us look at what we had when we dropped by for lunch the other day. My girl wanted the phad thai (RM13.90)…

…so that was what we had. This was the small but it was enough for the three of us so that would work out to RM4.00 something each. Expensive? You can see there were a lot of prawns and other things in it…whereas as some coffee shop stall, you may pay around the same for a plate with a whole lot of kway teow and soy sauce and lots of msg and egg, no prawns and even if there are any, you may just get a couple of miserably tiny ones.

For want of a bit more protein, I ordered the oyster omelette (19.50)…

Not cheap, right? But wait a minute! There were a lot of oysters in it and those crustaceans sure do not come cheap.

For a bit more vegetables other than the taugeh ( bean sprouts) in the phad thai, I ordered the paku or wild jungle fern (RM13.50)…

The small serving in a chu char restaurant would cost around RM10.00 but in this one, there was a lot more so much so that in the end, it was quite a struggle for us to finish all of it…plus it was much nicer too!

They charge 50 sen per head for iced water now and for that, they served us a big glass each plus a big jug full of ice cubes and water. They would charge you at any cheap coffee shop if you ask for ice cubes, don’t they? After all, they actually have to buy those from the factories these days – they do not make their own ice blocks anymore. The overall total on the bill came up to RM48.40 which would be more or less the same as what I had to fork out here or here and at a lot of other places in town and at times, even more!

In the meantime, we went to check out this place in town that is relatively new but I shall not mention the name nor show any photos of the place to avoid any unnecessary “complications”. It has some kind of coffee shop setting, maybe a little nicer than most, but at the end of the day, that is what it is – a coffee shop, non-air conditioned, no pleasant ambiance, nothing much really. Business looked very good that day – there were quite a lot of people eating there and that certainly showed a lot of promise.

Of course, what would be most important would be the food and I had their nasi bryani with mutton curry (RM15.00)…

…and it came in those stainless steel trays used in school and college hostels. Yes, I would say it was quite nice and yes, it was RM3.50 cheaper than here but the latter is a very much nicer and classier place right down to the way it is served there plus we do feel that the rice and curry there are way nicer than what I had here and the servings are more substantial as well. The tomato and egg and the cucumber pickle by the side were an added bonus but no, I did not think those were enough to save the day. Other than that, I saw some other people getting a piece of papadum with theirs but I did not get any with mine. No, I did not bother to ask for it – I just added that to the minus points I was giving to the place.

At this place that we frequent quite a lot, the nasi bryani with mutton curry, minus the sides but with a piece of papadum, is only RM8.00, up from RM7.00 in 2012 and I would say I like the one there a lot more, not just because of the price difference, of course – it is nicer and besides, the boss and everybody there are all very nice and friendly, all the smiling faces – something that I do not see here, not at all. I have never seen so many unhappy-looking people, to the extent of looking fierce or angry, at one place before and it made me wonder why they all looked that way.

My missus ordered their Sarawak kway teow (RM9.90)…

…that she said was nice and she enjoyed that though it got me wondering as to how it would qualify as “Sarawak” kway teow seeing that it was nothing more than just any other fried kway teow and with those two prawns on top and the banana leaf lining on the plate, I would think it was indeed way over-priced…for a coffee shop.

My girl wanted the ikan keli…

– she loves catfish but we were informed that all the fish selections were not available that day. That is one thing that puts me off, my beta noire – to have an elaborate menu and in the end, this and that are all not available.

She wanted the Penang fried kway teow instead but I said that might have soy sauce in it so she picked the tom yam seafood kway teow (RM18.90)…

…in the end. Yes, you read that right – RM18.90!!! At that price, I was expecting it to be teeming with fish, prawns and sotong (squid) but no, there wasn’t much seafood in it. “Mostly vegetables,” my girl said and I did see quite a bit of tofu puffs and some three or so not-very-big prawns…and though it tasted all right at that point in time, she complained about an unpleasant lingering taste on the tongue as we were going home, probably the result of an overdose of msg or whatever, I wouldn’t know.

The drinks were extremely slow in coming out – I had already finished my rice when they came and if I had known that the kopi-o-peng (iced black coffee) would be that bad, I would have just ordered a small bottle of drinking or mineral water instead.

The total on our bill came up to a shocking RM49.50 so compared to the place I was talking about earlier in the post, with its more pleasant and comfortable surroundings, better service a thousand-fold and very much nicer food, it would be pretty obvious which one would give better value for money and besides, with the music blasting at ear-splitting volume at this place (which reminded me of the time I took the wrong turn and walked straight into Little India in Penang), I could not wait for the ladies to finish and make a run for it…out of there as fast as I could.

So honestly, when people want to say that some place is expensive, they should qualify their sweeping remark and specify exactly why they feel so, compared to what and where, to substantiate and validate their opinion…but at the end of the day, the money is theirs. If they feel a place it is expensive, they are free to go elsewhere. I would…especially when I see no good reason whatsoever to come back for more.

I’ve tried…

Yes, I’ve tried the bacon jam…

…that my blogger-friend, Phong Hong, sent me the other day.

This was what it looked like, straight out from the fridge…

…and to give it a try, I had to go and buy a mini-baguette as we do not stock up on bread anymore these days now that my girl and the mum are on a gluten-free diet.

I sliced the bread and spread the jam on each…

…and toasted it lightly in the oven, not too generously as it was a small bottle and I would like to stretch it as far as possible.

*Drum roll* The moment of truth…

Wowwww!!! It was so very very nice it swept me off my feet. I really loved it so much. I would not say it was in any way the same but I would categorise it as something along the same line as the sambal you would get with your nasi lemak, not really sweet and not really salty either with a hint of sourish taste that made me think that there must be some asam jawa (tamarind) juice in it but no, when I looked at the ingredients…

…I think that came from the white wine vinegar used in the making.

I could detect the bits of bacon in it but only mildly with the strong but lovely taste of the sambal as a whole. Well, we had the rest with rice and it was gone in no time at all! So far, I have yet to try the other two bottles that Phong Hong sent so I cannot say anything about those…yet.

All the same…

…more or less.

We dropped by here again for lunch and my missus had her favourite, their ayam penyet (RM8.50)…

…while I had the smoked chicken rice, drumstick (RM5.00)…

It is only RM4.50 if you are not particular about which part of the chicken you are given. My missus enjoyed her order and I enjoyed mine too. I loved the very tasty complimentary soup that came with my chicken rice and the chili dip was very good too.

My girl wanted to try the mozzarella chicken chop (RM17.50)…

…and while it was all right, we did not really think it was anything to shout about plus the price seemed a bit on the high side. I did give it a try and I did not quite like the pineapple slices under the cheese nor did I really enjoy the tomato-based bolognese sauce which I am not all that fond of in the first place.

We also had the potato salad (RM5.00)…

…which did not get us all excited, just boiled potatoes with mayonnaise and a sprinkling of whatever herbs on top.

The total, inclusive of drinks, came up to RM44.00 which is about the same as what I had to fork out for our lunch at that place in my previous post, RM42.20.

Then, on another day, my girl wanted Sarawak laksa (RM5.50. small)

…so of course we went for the one here, our favourite in town. The mum had the same that day and do not be fooled by the word small as it is actually rather big and would be a struggle for small eaters to finish – and the large is really HUGE.

I had the nasi ayam Pattaya or their Pattaya chicken rice (RM6.50)…

…which is actually chicken rice wrapped in an omelette…

…and fried chicken and a bit of acar timun (cucumber pickle)…

…by the side but personally, I felt that the rice was more like the savoury rice at our local Sarawak franchise, Sugar Bun, not quite like chicken rice as we know it.

I also asked for their sotong kangkong, small (RM6.00)…

…to share and yes, we quite enjoyed that.

Together with our drinks – my missus had cendol and I had the ang tao peng while my girl had their cucumber lemon, the total came up to RM34.20, a little cheaper than at the aforementioned places but then of course, this one has a coffee shop setting, nothing fancy, no nice decor, no frills whatsoever.

Still, all of them fell below RM50.00 for three so it is not too bad. These days, it can get quite pricey at some places at times even at some small and not really fancy Chinese restaurants or chu char places but then of course, that would depend on what you order as well. If you ask for steamed fish or a prawn dish, be prepared to fork out quite a bit for your indulgence.

Pause…

Back in those days of the Form 5/SPM English Oral Examination, teachers who went out to the schools as examiners were somewhat tickled by how the students pronounced certain words like cucumber (chu-chum-ber) or tired (tee-red) and when they asked you to repeat, they would say, “Please rewind.” Since they were quite familiar with the words used on a cassette tape recorder/player, I guess they would not have any problem with the name of this place…

…in town and would not pronounce it as pau-os as in ikan paus (Malay name for whale).

This place is fairly new but I have not been here before as we seldom venture to that side of town at night and usually, we would be rather early in the morning, around 10 something, so it would still be closed…

…not open for business yet. I did hear from a friend though that the food was quite nice so when we happened to be around there at around 11 something the other morning, we decided to stop by to check it out.

I liked how they made their own Christmas decorations, all very nice, and even the sliding door…

…was camouflaged as Santa Claus and they had nice cushions…

…all over the place.

I had the salted egg chicken chop (RM13.90)…

…but the sauce…

…was like what one would find in those lau sar pao (salted egg custard bun) at the dim sum places and I did not think it was all that compatible with the grilled chicken, definitely not something I would want to order again.

My missus had their grilled honey chicken chop (RM9.90)…

…which she said was nice but they were so generous with the meat and it was quite a struggle for her to finish. For some reason, they saw it fitting to give two chicken nuggets by the side, breadcrumb coated, and she, like my daughter, is currently sticking to a gluten-free diet so she passed those to me, nothing really special – just one of those that are readily available at all the supermarkets in town.

My girl had their grilled chicken chop with mushroom gravy (RM9.90)…

…and she too said that her order was all right but she did not want the sausage and of course, she passed that to me as well.

The food was not bad except that I was not all that fond of the salted egg sauce and it was comparatively more expensive. Otherwise, I would say that it was rather cheap for all that meat in each plate. We may drop by again especially since the time they open is more convenient. Most places serving western meals here do not open till 12 noon, some even later…or they only open at night.

Coming…

My brother-in-law from Bintulu was coming to town to attend his friend’s son’s wedding on Christmas Eve so my missus was keen on inviting them over to our house for lunch on Christmas Day. Of course, I would be most happy to have him and his family here – they are very nice people and we would ask my other brother-in-law in Sibu and his wife to join us as well.

Wowwww!!! My missus cooked up a storm and the lunch spread that afternoon included these very lovely and tender stewed lamb shanks…

…and there was chicken curry…

…too and satay beef…

*Archive photo*

The photograph of the latter turned out blur so I had to use this old one here though this time around, my missus did tweak the recipe a bit and it looked a shade darker and tasted a whole lot nicer.

She bought some Basmati rice to cook this…

…but this time around, she used butter instead of ghee and with all the spices and other ingredients added, it was very nice too. We saw a tin of ghee at a supermarket the other day selling for RM32.00 a big can and normally, we would just use a tablespoon or two and stuff the rest in the fridge, to be thrown away eventually – such a waste…and besides, the brands available these days are not nice, not as fragrant as the one long ago in small green cans with lots of words all over it. I don’t know the brand but I would know it when I see it.

No, we did not have turkey for the simple reason that we are not that fond of the meat but that morning, my missus was about to go out to get one huge chicken to roast in its place like what she did before…

*Archive photo*

…and to us, at least, it was a whole lot nicer but I stopped her in her tracks since we already had chicken in the curry and she had cooked so much meat, enough to feed a multitude of 5,000, like we were having some grand open house and expecting a lot of people to show up…when we were only serving lunch for 9 people.

We also had this salad platter…

…with the traditional family dressing…

…specially made using this salad cream…

*Archive photo*

…that I got from my cousin from Kuching when she was here recently.

Other than that, we also had this pomelo salad…

…my missus’ attempt to replicate the one we always have here and I would say that she did a very good job and everybody loved it.

It was a good lunch, everyone enjoyed themselves and had their fill but this time around, we did feel the absence of my dear mother-in-law who passed away in August. All those times when we gathered together at my house like this, she would definitely be with us…and because of that, my in-laws will not be celebrating Chinese New Year this year so my Bintulu brother-in-law and his family would not be coming back to Sibu, something they would do every year without fail. That was why we were looking forward to grabbing this opportunity to have them over for lunch, Christmas day.

Christmas Eve…

My cousin from Sydney, Australia flew into town the night before Christmas Eve and his brother from Miri that morning and I took them to lunch…

…here. It wasn’t as gaily decorated for Christmas as in previous years…

…just a little bit here and there…

…but I like how there are always fresh flowers…

…here, there and everywhere each time we drop by this place.

Well, my cousin liked the otak-otak (RM13.00 with rice)…

…and the mushroom roll (RM8.00)…

…though they did not seem to get him all that excited. His mum is a Hakka and he had his fill of kacang ma all those times when she was in confinement with lots of ginger and wine so he was not too thrilled by what he had here (RM16.00)…

He felt it was not as strong as he would have loved it to be and besides, it was overshadowed by the stronger tastes of the other dishes. I did notice that there wasn’t any of the fried hair-like/fibrous shredded ginger on top – they would usually have that in the past.

He enjoyed my daughter’s favourite, the Bangladeshi lamb curry (RM19.00)…

…very much but it was the belimbing prawns (RM17.00)…

(we had two servings of this)…and the Payung rojak (RM10.00, small)…

…that won his praises the most. He loved the generous use of the herbs and all the natural ingredients and how every dish was unique in its own right, not anything he could find elsewhere in the world…and he does travel a great deal, I must say.

We shared the durian ice cream, the mango ice cream (which is actually quinee, our local mango) and the Dreamy Nite for dessert and with our drinks, the total came up to RM135.00 for 5 persons. I guess that wasn’t too bad especially when everybody enjoyed what I ordered that day…and besides, it isn’t every day that I can get to meet my cousin from Australia and that sure called for something a little bit more special that the usual.

Christmas is here…

Yes, it’s Christmas 2016…

…and…

I received a few Christmas cards this year, a lovely one from my very dear friends who were in New Zealand before…

*Archive photo*

…but have relocated elsewhere and another one, Hallmark no less, from my cousin and her hubby and family in Perth Australia…

…and I also got one from Phong Hong along with the lovely stuff that she sent all the way from KL, one from my uncle and his family when they were here recently and another one from my old friend in Adelaide who also sent me a whole lot of lovely things from Down Under…

…and this one made it just in time – from my cousin and his family in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, a Hallmark card too…

I love the message on the card and that “diamond” stud stuck onto the star sure is a lovely touch indeed.

So there you are – six altogether, but then again, I did not send that many this year – mostly to members of my immediate family and I just sent those that I received from the Mouth & Foot Artists – I did pay for them, of course but I did not go out to buy any this year. Come to think of it, I am not sure if I can find any really nice ones around town, now that sending Christmas greeting cards is becoming a thing of the past.

I am sending one less this year as my aunt, my mum’s youngest sister, one much loved and so dearly missed especially on special occasions such as this, passed away suddenly quite recently and that was why I flew over to Kuching – to pay my last respects. I would send her a card without fail every year for as long as I can remember. That is why at this time of year, our thoughts also go to those we have loved dearly and have gone before us and it would be just as important that we appreciate all that are with us as much as we can, never mind whether we did send a card or a present or not – a little prayer that God will bless us all on this joyous day and and every day in the year ahead would mean a lot more, I’m sure.

A Blessed Christmas to one and all. Joy to the world!

Do as you please…

Yes, we went back to the food fair again and this time, we went a little later, around 7.00 p.m. There were a lot of cars lined on BOTH sides of the road, leaving just enough space for cars to go through one by one…slowly. I just cannot understand why all those selfish and inconsiderate people would choose to do that when there were a lot of spaces left in the designated parking area right beside the fair grounds, not that they would have to walk really far.

There was a Filipino stall that was not open the previous time we were there so I was keen on checking it out. Unfortunately, I did not see anything that tickled my fancy – everything on skewers including pig’s blood, cooked on a barbecue grill, that was all.

I saw these steamed mushroom buns…

…at one of the stalls – a lot of people had shared photographs of those on Facebook or in their blogs and I had the impression that they were so very very nice, something not to be missed so I bought a set of 3 (RM12.00) to try.

Inside, they had mushrooms…

…something like the creamy filling in chicken pie, minus the chicken and I would say it tasted all right but for RM4.00 each, I would much sooner go for this kampua daging…

…here for that same price and derive a lot more enjoyment and satisfaction from it. But of course, it all depends on the individual – some may prefer these buns to noodles so at the end of the day, it is up to them to do as they please, to each his own.

Yes, we went back to the German sausage stall at the food fair and yes, he had a wide range of sausages priced at RM10.00 each, the cheapest…and RM15.00. We picked four but I cannot remember their names. I can recall there was a white sausage, most probably a Bavarian weisswurst and there was one called the Hungarian. No, we did not pick the chorizo – I am not particularly fond of that and as it turned out, they all tasted like that plus they were extremely salty and a dip in the German mustard provided made it even worse…all of them except one. I could not remember which one it was, fat and short but I thought that one was very nice…and we liked the one-foot-long one we bought the last time too, nicer and not so salty.

However, the total for the four sausages that we had came up to RM50.00 and that Sunday morning when I had the kampua daging, I also ordered the fried kway teow special (RM7.00)…

…which was quite nice…

…and it came with a heart-shaped fried egg and a whole lot of the fried chicken…

My girl had her tosai while my missus had their nasi lemak and inclusive of drinks, the total came up to over RM23.00 but the nice boss, Guna, rounded it up and asked for RM20.00 only.

At the food fair, I went and bought some drinks from some Thai tea stall and while we found them to be really very nice, they cost RM6.00 each, RM18.00 altogether but to give credit where it is due, the cups were HUGE, enough to be shared by two or maybe even three.

Still, the total with what I paid for the sausages came up to RM68.00, and a whooping RM80.00, if we include the mushroom buns, eaten in the dark under some canopy with tables and chairs put out for everyone to sit and consume their purchases, no fan, no air-conditioning, nothing. On my part, I do think it would make more sense to choose what is cheaper and also to me, a whole lot nicer…and not subject ourselves to such discomfort. But of course, as they say in Malay, jangan sik cuba – at least, we tried and now, we know better…and of course, as I’ve said earlier, it is up to the individual to do as he or she pleases. My girl, for one, would not mind having sausages sometimes…or ham or bacon and I am of the opinion we should pamper and  treat ourselves to things we like and enjoy once in a while sometimes, no need to calculate the costs all the time and deprive ourselves too much…but we must make sure that it is within our means, of course. What do you all think?

Across the miles…

He was my student in my English Language tuition class for two years when he was in Form 4 and the following year, in Form 5. I thought he was a very nice and simple boy, very  humble and pleasant but at that point in time, I did not know much about him nor his family. After he completed secondary school here, he left for the UK and he invited me to his farewell dinner here. Of course, I felt really flattered and made it a point to attend.

He did his A-Levels at the Concord College in the UK and that was where he met Hilda from Hong Kong…

They completed their studies there and went on to university together and both have graduated by now. Imagine one from here and another from the Orient, meeting across the miles in England and eventually, tying the nuptial knot. That’s quite a love story, don’t you think?

Well, he did get in touch with me when he came back to Sibu over the years and we did go out for dinner or for tea a few times and not too long ago, he sent me this gorgeous-looking invitation…

…to his wedding. Needless to say, I was delighted and was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, in the meantime, I received another invitation to a wedding reception that very same day, meaning that I would have to miss the service in church so I had to extend to him my apologies but thankfully, that one was at noon so I was able to show up for the dinner here…

…that evening.

I don’t know which wedding planner they hired but the decor was very nice, very tastefully done…

…and there was even a live band in attendance…

…singing romantic love  songs that were appropriate for the occasion like this one when the bride and the groom made their grand entrance…and this favourite of mine. Honestly, I would cringe with discomfort everytime I hear people singing songs like Unchained Melody or I will always love you at weddings – don’t they ever pay attention to the lyrics?

As for the decor, more often than not, you see the same floral display and everything being recycled over and over again…and from what I heard, they do not come cheap, not at all. I would much sooner not have those and channel all that money into the food instead…but then again, that’s just me – others may think otherwise. I loved what they had that night though, different from any that I had seen before and neither too much and overdone nor overly showy, and the lovely pastel colours somehow set a soothingly-pleasant mood, just perfect for the evening.

Everyone in attendance received this very special personalised door gift…

…of a set of chopsticks and spoon…

I understand there were only 65 tables that night – there was another reception two days later in Kuching and another one after that in Hong Kong so there was no need to get everybody together at one place. I guess for that reason, there was ample space in between the tables, not so jam-packed like the dinner I attended at this same hotel recently in the grand ballroom, one floor above with over 200 tables at one go! I do not know if it was because there were fewer people or the dinner was a whole lot more expensive but the service that night was heaps better too – though I did think the stone cold waiting staff could be a bit more friendly and at least, smile a bit when people say thank you to them upon being served. These little things sure go a long way in separating the men from the boys, the classier places and those no-class-at-all ones.

Food was superb that night, starting with this very impressive dish…

…of lobster salad and everything around it. I loved the stuffed crabs…

…and had at least three, if I remember correctly, but they were very small and that got me wondering as to where they could get such tiny crab shells for this.

The usual broccoli and mushroom dish came buried with these very sweet and soft whole abalone…

…and yes, I did have more than one. Hehehehehe!!!!

The steamed fish was very nice too, probably one of those upriver worth-its-weight-in-gold ones but I did not snap a photograph of it as I did not know the family of 6 at the same table even though the lady did take a few shots herself using her smartphone. I just took another one, one of this exquisite dish…

…at the banquet with all the scallops on top and fish maw and huge chunks of sea cucumber inside a pumpkin, very nice!

Thank you so so so much for the invitation, Kho Peng and Hilda…

*Photo from their pre-wedding shoot collection on Facebook*

It was indeed my pleasure to be able to share the joy on this, your very special and happy day. Congratulations once again and may God bless the two of you abundantly with lots of happiness and all that is good in the years ahead. Cheers!!!

In the stars…

He was my ex-student some years ago, now a doctor in his own right. What I did not know until quite recently was that he was the son of my ex-classmate. After serving at the Sibu General Hospital for a number of years, he went over to the peninsula to pursue some course or something and has stayed on there since. In Malay, we call it jodoh…or in English, fate…or as they say, it is written in the stars and it was not very long after he went over that he met this fellow-doctor from Seremban and they registered their marriage sometime earlier this year…

They came back last week and held their wedding reception here…

…at one of the leading hotels in town on Saturday afternoon and yes, I was invited…

I don’t know how many tables there were but there was ample space to move around, not that I did a lot of that, and the service was top notch, ever ready and so very polite and friendly – I would give them full marks for that for it sure was a far cry from what I had to put up with once when I attended a wedding banquet at this same venue and also not too long ago at this dinner at another of those classy hotels in town.

I have heard people saying that the food here was not all that great but I thought it was pretty good. I loved the roast chicken…

…served old school-style with the keropok (prawn crackers) on top and I really enjoyed their lamb…

…especially with the nice brown gravy that had a hint of black pepper. I would not enjoy those drowned in black pepper sauce, the bottled variety, that I would usually have elsewhere. Some at my same table loved the fish too but while the food was somewhat to everybody’s liking, I wished they would not switch off the lights till it was pitch dark for the video shows or whatever. In fact, it was rather dim already in the first place…and once, it was so dark that I had to switch on the torchlight in my antique handphone so we could see what exactly we had been served – the broccoli and mushroom plus bean curd sticks.

All in all, it was good and of course, the most important part would be the opportunity to share the joy with the lovely couple and their proud and happy parents…

*Sorry for the blurry pic – I did not go near the stage and just snapped the shot from where I was sitting using the zoom facility on my digicam*

Once again, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations and wish them abundant Blessings and everlasting happiness in the years ahead as man and wife. Cheers!!!

A number of my ex-students were there and I did get the chance to say hello and also had a photo taken with some of them…

*Ex-student’s photo on Facebook*

It sure was nice seeing everybody again.