Further in…

When I was here early one morning sometime ago, I noticed there was a stall further in…

…already open and and the lady was busy doing whatever she was doing. I did not go over to see what she was selling though so the other morning, I decided to stop by and do just that.

I was thinking of having the mee sua but the fragrance of the Sarawak laksa broth caught my attention. Normally, I would not go for anything spicy that early in the morning but I couldn’t resist ordering a bowl (RM5.00)…

…to try.

I must say she was not all that generous with the belacan (dried prawn paste)…

…but it did not matter all that much as it did not look like the Bintulu belacan that I would enjoy very much.

The laksa broth…

…was nice, a bit on the mild side but I could detect a light hint of the ketumbar (coriander) in it and I liked that. Other than that, I was glad that it was not all santan, not overly lemak like some here and true Sarawak/Kuching laksa connoisseurs would frown at the sight of it and declare that it should not be like that as it is not supposed to be like…curry!

There was no shredded/pulled chicken meat though, just a few small shrimps and a few strips of sliced omelette and a bit of tofu puff. That is one thing you will not get to see in Sarawak laksa in Kuching but they seem to have that most everywhere here and I would add that too when I cook my own at home as for whatever reason, my girl loves it! There was also the absence of daun sup (Chinese celery) in the garnishing on top, just a sprinkling of chopped spring onion.

All in all, I would say that I quite enjoyed it but the next time around, I would want to try whatever else the lady has to offer at her stall. One thing I noticed was how very sad she looked – not a smile but no, she was not unfriendly or anything. I guess some people are like that.

HAPPY SWEET GARDEN FOOD CENTRE (2.301085, 111.835842) is located at No. 16, Jalan Merdeka Barat, back to back with the Sibu Polyclinic, Jalan Oya.