Reasons why…

If I seem to blog about the same places most of the time, there are some reasons why.

Firstly, the food is really very nice and very much to my/our liking…and it is reasonably-priced so we would keep going back again and again.

Secondly, the location is convenient – there are some places that people say are very nice as well but I am not usually inclined to go out of my way.

Thirdly, the people are very nice and friendly, very hospitable and they make you feel at home…plus the ambiance, the atmosphere and the surroundings are very conducive so much so that one would feel nice just sitting there, enjoying the food, chatting for as long as one likes without getting the feeling that people would want you to finish eating quickly, pay and get lost.

However, even though I do go to more or less the same places all the time, there is usually a reason why I drop by a place. Maybe I have visitors coming to town who would like to enjoy what I’ve blogged about or there is a new dish I would want to try.

Yes, as far as possible, I will take the trouble to try something different on the menu and give my personal review about it – of course, some may not agree with my opinion. Like I always say, one man’s meat is another man’s poison – to each his own…like in the case of the green curry that we had here recently. I would not say it is something I would want to order again especially when there are other nice dishes there that I would rather go for, just that this isn’t one of them.

Well, this is one of the places that we go to very often, for the first reason aforementioned especially and unlike me, my girl and the mum would always go for their favourites here.

My girl puts their mutton bryani (RM21.00)…

…as her No. 1 in town, second to none in her opinion and most of the time, she would just order that and would not even bother looking at what else they may have on their Indian or Indonesian menus.

Her mum loves the ikan sumbat (stuffed fish) and the kalio ayam (RM14.50)…

…from the Indonesian menu and she would usually order one of the two with a special request for it to be extra spicy. This Indonesian chicken curry would come with some mixed vegetables by the side…

…and like the bryani, the serving is big enough to be shared by two not-very-big eaters actually.

On the other hand, there are some dishes that I particularly like but I cannot order those as I would need to go for something else I have not had before so I will have something to blog about. Poor me!

Well, the very rich and creamy green curry that I mentioned earlier did not quite tickle my fancy but it made me think of the ayam opor (RM14.50)

*Archive photo*

…here – the Indonesian white curry chicken that’s very rich and creamy too, served with lots of potatoes and one whole hard boiled egg…

The other day, however, I requested for it to be extra spicy and that was why the colour was a bit different…

…from what it was like when I had this previously and that was a very very long time ago – I think it was way back in May 2016 and one other time before that, the first time I had it, in January that same year.

Yes, I sure enjoyed it immensely…

…and no, it was not all that spicy, not by our standard and I helped myself to the chili used in the garnishing of the dish as well as the one in my girl’s mutton curry for that extra kick. Of course, I could have asked for extra chili from the kitchen – no problem whatsover with that but I did not want the chili used in the presentation to go to waste.

The total, inclusive of our drinks, came up to RM60.50 and as always, the nice boss would give me a generous discount and this time around, he collected RM55.00 only from me.

Actually, the three of us could have shared the kalio ayam and the ayam opor and pay only RM29.00 for the two dishes and enjoy the superb curries and the vegetables by the side and that would a whole lot cheaper than something-nice-but-not-as-nice at some-not-so-nice places where one would most probably end up paying a lot more and enjoy the food a lot less. Unfortunately, each of us wanted our personal favourites so of course, we had no choice but to pay to enjoy what we want but still, it was well worth it, that’s for sure.

P.S.:
Here’s a bit of good news especially for those coming home or visiting Sibu around Chinese New Year when many of the cafés and restaurants will be closed. According to their notice on Facebook, it’s business as usual on the eve and on Chinese New Year’s Day – they will close on Saturday, 17th – the 2nd Day of the new year till Monday and reopen on Tuesday, the 20th of February.

CAFE IND (2.290813, 111.829294) is located along Laichee Lane, right behind one block of shops facing the main road (Jalan Kampung Nyabor) where the Bank Simpanan Nasional, Sibu branch (2.290561, 111.829071), is located.