While waiting…

That evening when Nick was coming back from Mukah, I went to the hotel to wait for him and in the meantime, I went to the coffee shop downstairs, the so-called food court…

*Archive photo*

They are selling the steamed paos (buns) that used to be very nice there – they are no longer at that former place now and I gathered that they are making them somewhere in Sibu Jaya and are made available at this particular coffee shop on a regular basis…

I did buy their very nice char siew pao (RM2.00) not too long ago but I did not think it was as nice as before – the dough was not as great and the filling as well. I would say that it was not anything I would be in a hurry to buy again.

This time around, I decided to try their bak pao (meat bun)…

…which was, at best, all right to me…

…not anything to get excited about and not really worth the money – if I remember correctly, it was RM2.50 each.

They did not have our local Foochow-style sio bee – Nick tried that when he was at the pasar malam (night market) and he did not like it much. Mostly sengkuang (turnip), he said, hardly any meat. For one thing, I certainly would not buy any from those stalls at the night market and for another, it is the same with everything else – when you go some place, it would be good to know a local who can tell you where you can get the best around. One just can’t simply go anywhere and try anything and everything that they see.

I tried the bak chang (meat dumpling)…

…too. I think this was RM2.00 each, cheaper than most around town including those at the shops and stalls round the corner from my house and nicer too. At least one can get to see some meat…

…in the filling.

I saw that the bak kut teh stall here, one that has outlets at a number of places around town, was selling Sarawak laksa (RM5.00)…

Nick wanted to try that but we did not manage to slot that in with the little time that we had. I heard that he had that in Mukah but of course, I would not know how good or how original or authentic that one was.

This one lacked the fragrance and flavours that good Sarawak laksa should have though it tasted all right, something like a rather watered-down version of the curry mee…but the prawns were really the pits, like jelly…

…so much so that I just left them by the side. Well, if you guessed that I did not ask Nick to go and try it, you are right.

He was tired after the trip so he said he wanted to rest and sleep in his room and would venture out on his own when he got up. That was why I did not take him out that evening and told him that I would see him the very next morning before his flight home.