We dropped by here…
…the other day and I was wondering why 99 in the name.
It turned out that an ex-student of mine was running the kampua mee stall…
…and also the drinks business at that coffee shop that sure looked sparkling new and very clean but no, he couldn’t possibly be born in 1999 – he probably was still in school at the time and no, I don’t think they started the shop in that year either and for sure, it was not named after that 1980’s hit by Nena, a one-time favourite of mine, the English version, that is…and no, I did not bother to ask.
His brother is a very popular and successful gynaecologist in Bintulu whereas he was not as academically inclined and was a representative for a West Malaysian book publishing firm before he ventured into this business, following in his father’s footsteps. Yes, his dad was in the kampua mee business before but he has retired now – I did not see him around that day but the mum was there helping the son out.
My missus ordered the kolo mee (RM3.70)…
I certainly would not want to order that because 9 out of 10 here, or maybe 10 out of 10 even, it would not be anything like the ones in Kuching, the good ones, that is, even though with the toppings at all, they do look similar…
That is why I always wonder about the ones over in the peninsula or in Singapore and elsewhere – exactly how close are they to the real thing or are they, like the ones here, nice to eat but are, in fact, not quite there? Ah well, to be fair, there are a lot in Kuching even that are not all that great like what I had here or here, for instance – it all depends on knowing exactly where to go; my favourites would be the one here or here.
True enough, she did not think it was great but at least, the kampua mee (RM2.70)…
…that I had was quite good. No, there was nothing that would make it stand a head above the rest…
– it was just good enough, not anything that would make me go out of my way to eat.
Well, I did ask the mum what was good and she replied without any hesitation that I should try the pian sip, our local version of the wanton or meat dumplings (RM2.70)…
…and true enough, it was really very good. It was big, the skin was thin and smooth and there was a lot of meat…
…in the filling plus it tasted a little different from the usual elsewhere and was very nice as well.
I sure wouldn’t mind having another round of it…
…should I happen to be in the vicinity again and maybe, the next time around, I would ask why they had that 99 in the name of their shop.
99 KOPITIAM (2.304827, 111.886167) is located along Lorong Permai Jaya 1A, off Jalan Permai Jaya, a short distance from the Sibu Lake Garden & Taman Awam Sibu, on the same side of the main road if you are coming from Permai side or on your right if you turn into the bypass from Ulu Oya Road right before you reach those scenic parks.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
We in the Peninsula will just be happy to eat delicious kampua or kolo not knowing the difference from either one @_@ and then when the day we finally set foot in Sibu or Kuching, we’ll go, “Wow! So THIS is what kampua (or kolo mee if in Kuching) tastes like!”
I’ve had it three times over there, all not the same. They tasted nice but they were different…and one kolo mee or what they called Sarawak dry mee tasted like kampua but the place had closed down already. Dunno why – I thought the food there was good.
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/uptown-girl/
It doesn’t look that great but I am glad it wasn’t the worst, either. 🙂
I would say the kolo mee has the looks, just that those that we have here are not the same as the original authentic ones in Kuching. May taste great but just not the same.
I guess you mean the kampua? Our Sibu kampua is definitely not all that photogenic, rather plain and simple but it tastes great – some can’t live without it. I would say though that there are better ones – like everything else, one must know where to go for those. The one here is quite good, though not really one to get excited about. The dumplings, however, should rank among the best in town.
It is hard for the children to do good or better than their parents. Different hands, different skill.
Yup. Not all kolo mee in Kuching is good. Depends on your preference. Some said that place nice, some said no. Mostly are decent, not great but decent enough.
I also wonder about those kolo mee and Sarawak laksa in WM. Not cheap some more. Still, the best have got to be here.
Yes, most of them not so good once the old folks stopped or retired. I never got to try the father’s so I can’t compare. All I know was he was earning more than my teacher’s pay at the time, selling kampua. I saw his income tax returns when the son asked me to write something for his scholarship application. Hehehehehe!!!!
I would say those over there would be nice, not necessarily the same, but nice. Like a lot here, all over the place – looks the same, nice too but not the same.
All looks decent to me though it was not the best. I love the pian sip with thin skin and lot of meat but mostly I know of over here are with tiny peany bit of meat & thick skin.
Same here, most of them. I liked this one a lot as there was taste in the meat filling too, very nice. Most would just have a bit of minced meat, very little of it, can hardly taste anything.
Hey, I remember that song! Used to be very popular. The pian sip looks fat and juicy. I would love to eat them!
Too bad the shop is at a location not all that near to my place, nor the town centre. Wouldn’t mind going back for it again.
I never get sick of eating pian sip…
You mean wanton? Not the same, and the pian sip at the kampua stall I blogged about, my friend said not nice – the skin too thick and chewy. Only the kampua mee was good.