Then and now…

Yes, yes…I know I was here…

…just the other day but I did mention then that I would want to come back and try their butter chicken as it looked really good…

*Archive photo*

…so last Sunday, after the evening service at the cathedral…

…close by, my missus and I dropped by for dinner.

We ordered the papaya salad (RM8.00)…

…which was very nice but we thought it could be better. Somehow or other, I missed the exotic fragrances of the Thai basil leaves and the bunga kantan (torch ginger flower), for instance, and it would be nice if they could give a bit of finely-chopped cili padi that one could add, if one so wishes, for that extra kick. The way it was, I think I would prefer their pomelo salad.

My missus wanted one of her favourites here, their tom yam prawns (RM17.00, with rice)…

…and they sure went overboard this time – so many prawns in that big bowl at no extra charge!

I’ve had this very nice butter chicken…

…at an Indian restaurant in Kuching once and also this one…

…here in Sibu, cooked by their true-blue North Indian chef and yes, they were nice but at the end of the day, they were what they were supposed to be – curry, or a variation of it and I also had the one here at Payung sometime ago…

…but it was something like chicken in some kind of butter sauce, not anything I would be dying for.

Well, that was then, and now, they have this (RM18.00, with rice)…

– same name, but with a totally different taste.

No, it wasn’t anything like curry, though it was a little bit spicy. Honestly, I can’t describe the taste – it is in a class of its own and if you’re curious, you can drop by and give it a try. I assure you that you will not regret it, take my word for it. I truly enjoyed it and for sure, I would be back again for more…

PAYUNG  CAFE (2.284049, 111.833014) is located at No.20F, Lanang Road, Sibu, Malaysia, back to back with the multi-storey car park of the Kingwood Hotel which faces the majestic Rejang River.