Not so great…

I’ve also tried the nasi lemak (RM4.00)…

…at that stall at Rejang Park where I had that most delightful bowl of Sarawak laksa that I really liked a lot but unfortunately, it did not get me all excited.

Despite the colour, the sambal was really very nice but I wouldn’t mind it a little bit spicier though. It did not look as red as the rest – probably a bit more chili will help and I did hear my missus saying that the dried ones would give it that much coveted shade of red.

The peanuts were freshly fried – some places resort to taking short cuts and use the canned or packet salted ones sold at the shops and supermarkets. Another plus point would be the fact that I got the whole egg – usually, they would give half only…unless it is a fried egg which, in fact, is not a  standard/authentic condiment to go with nasi lemak.

I saw in the photographs at the stall the cheap salted fish (RM2.00 a pack) that I really like a lot. I asked the girl and she said they had run out so she had given some fried ikan bilis (dried anchovies) instead. I did not bother to probe further but it seemed that you would get either one or the other, not both. I was thinking that she could easily have strolled over to Chai Hing or the Rejang Park wet market to grab a pack and fry and store in an airtight tin for use.

And now, the moment of truth – the rice!

No, I’m afraid it was not lemak enough. I could detect the fragrance of the pandan but not the lemak-ness of the santan (coconut milk).

All in all, I would say that I did enjoy eating it, mixed with the sambal and everything else but no, you sure would not catch me rushing back for more.

HAPPY HOURS CAFE (2.307165, 111.837312) is located at one corner of the Rejang Park shops/commercial centre in that residential area, beside the volleyball stadium and the surau, facing the vast parking area there.

Play it safe…

One thing that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and the CMCO or whatever lockdown is the surge in the use of plastic containers as a lot of people would order cooked food to be delivered to their homes. Even though I, for one, have not done anything of the sort since it all began, I did not know that those are supposed to be for single-use and should not be used to contain food more than once.

I went and googled to read up about this and I found this one that says that takeaway plastic food containers used at eating establishments, including hawker centres, are meant for single use and such containers should not be used repeatedly. They are safe for their immediate intended purpose, but not beyond what they are designed for. Oh dear! We have been reusing those containers all this while!

Ever since the ban in Sibu on the use of polystyrene containers which we would simply throw away after eating the food inside, the general public has been encouraged to use these disposable cardboard boxes…

…instead. For one thing, they complain that they are very expensive, more expensive than the plastic ones, and sometimes, they transfer the cost to the buyers so if you want to tapao something, you will have to pay extra…

…and that can be as much as 30-50 sen!

Other than that, those boxes are rather flimsy and  not durable especially when used to contain something hot. The steam will make it soggy and it will tear very easily.

The article also goes on to say that for repeated storage of food, consumers should opt only for reusable plastic food containers that have been specifically designed for repeated use. I’m afraid that is not very clear. Does that refer to containers like Tupperware that cost an arm or a leg? What about those cheap plastic containers that they sell at the shops like the Mr DIY or 100% Discount or Supersave stores?

In another article that I found, it says that chemicals lurking in some containers — especially those that aren’t designed for reuse — could leach out of the plastic and into your food if you heat them in the microwave, toss them in the dishwasher, or leave them in the sun for a long period of time. Well, I don’t have a microwave nor a dishwasher but maybe, this is the reason why people have been told not to keep their plastic bottles of mineral or drinking water in their cars.

That article also went on to say this:  But before you toss your tub away, check the bottom for the recycling code, a number that can help you identify what type of plastic your container is made from. If you see #2, #4, or #5, then you’re most likely in the clear for chemicals, which means you can safely reuse your container, whether you bought it at the supermarket or brought it home from a restaurant.

I went and checked all the plastic containers that we have in the house such as this rectangular one…

…or this one…

…that they claim (at the bottom) is made from recyclable plastic and all the round ones…

…including those from the fast food franchises that they use for their whipped/mashed potatoes or their coleslaw and all of them had this…

…at the bottom. As you can see, in the recycle icon, there is the No. 5! I guess that means they are all o.k.

Still, whatever it is, we should put in a concerted effort to cut down on the use of plastic. Some of you may recall that I did mention in some earlier posts that I keep my stainless steel tiffin carrier in the boot of my car so everytime when I need to buy something home, I would just take it out and use…and yes, I do keep those big recycled carrier bags too for when I go shopping at the supermarkets and I did buy a whole lot of these glass containers…

…on offer, selling for less than half price. I can use them to store food in the fridge or in the freezer. Other than doing our bit for our environment, however small, it is good to play it safe…and avoid using all those plastic containers as far as we can.

Like the way I do…

Ever since that Uncle Roger, the Malaysian comedian residing in the UK, Nigel Ng’s persona, commented on the BBC video clip on how to cook egg fried rice, many have jumped on the bandwagon and came out with their own like this guy from the Singapore food series, Food King and his mum and this celebrated Malaysian masterchef who is no stranger to those who watch our local food shows on satellite TV.

There must be a thousand and one ways to fry rice and over the years, I have had a lot of posts on my own homecooked fried rice like our kampung fried rice with ikan bilis (dried anchovies) or udang kering (dried prawns) or belacan (dried prawn paste) and what have you and I may have something on Chinese fried rice using lap cheong (Chinese sausage) or chopped char siew (barbecued pork) or luncheon meat.

Well, the other day, I bought a big pack of smoked streaky bacon – it was not cheap at all (over RM30) but there were quite a lot of slices inside and it was very very nice. This one had that lovely fragrance unlike some that I had had the misfortune of buying and the displeasure of eating, the very lean ones especially that had neither that fragrance nor the taste of bacon, so bland.

My girl enjoys bacon (or ham or gourmet sausages) with eggs for breakfast so I would just roll the slices individually and arrange them nicely in a container to keep in the freezer. This way, we can just take out the number of slices we want, no need to thaw the whole lot over and over again each time we feel like eating it.

There was some leftover rice in the fridge that morning so I decided to fry it with a few slices of the aforementioned bacon…

I cut the bacon into thin bits and slices, chopped some garlic and cut a long bean very very thinly…

…and I also got ready a cube of chicken stock ( I used half only) and I was ready to roll!

Firstly, I fried the bacon in a wok to render the fat and to get it nice and crispy and pushing it aside, I fried the garlic in the oil till golden brown before I added the long bean…

I mixed them all together and after frying a bit, I added the rice…

They will tell you to loosen the grains before use but I never do that. Keep frying and the grains will come apart without you having to get the mess all over your fingers.

Lastly, push everything aside and add the eggs, one by one…

Scramble them well and scoop the rice, dump it over the egg and mix them well. If you watch the video clips, some may fry the eggs and put aside and mix them with the rice later and I saw one who added the eggs, beaten, after frying the garlic and the shallots. I wouldn’t do that as all those will be stuck in the egg – we need them in the rice to enhance the taste.

Finally, I added the chicken stock – you may just use salt and msg or whatever sauces you prefer.  Once done, I dished out the rice…

…sprinkled lots of chopped spring onion from my garden over it and served. I did add a bit of chili flakes and a dash of pepper but that is optional.

This is the way I do it – fry rice, with a bit of variations in the ingredients depending on what I feel like using. I wonder what Uncle Roger would say when he sees this – HAIYAR!!! or FUIYOH!!! LOL!!!

Never been…

My girl said that she had never been here before so that was why the other day, I took her there for lunch.

She had the signature roasted chicken rice (RM12.80)…

…and no, she was not impressed.

Neither was I merely from the look of it. Ipoh is so famous for its chicken rice, people come from far and near to the city to eat it so I am very sure this is not what it is like there. Why, I can name a few right here in Sibu that are a whole lot nicer. At best, it was edible but it made me think of those forlorn chicken rice stalls at some God-forsaken coffee shops in some obscure part of town where some may go to eat just for the sake of having something to fill their tummies.

The keropok (prawn crackers) was not our celebrated Mukah ones and the fact that my girl tried a bit and left the rest untouched spoke volumes. The only good thing she had to say about it was how she would probably like the chicken hor fun here if served in that complimentary soup that came with the set. Well, I had that the last time I was here and yes, I did like it!

This time around, I tried the supreme prawn noodles (RM13.80)…

…and I had that with hor fun…

It certainly looked a whole lot nicer in their promotional photograph and at best, I thought it was all right – I just did not like the sambal. It reminded me of those canned ones that I simply do not enjoy.

The Ipoh chee cheong fun (RM8.90)…

…was a disappointment as well. For one thing, there was that sambal again and for another, the rice noodle rolls were thick and rubbery/chewy, something like our local kway teow, maybe worse and nothing like the very nice ones that I had here not too long ago.

We loved the yam puffs (RM2.50 each)…

…here a long time ago but for reasons unknown, the stall went missing in action and lately, I noticed that even the bistro had called it a day. I cannot find any nice ones anywhere in town so of course, when I saw the crispy taro puffs (RM9.90 for two)…

…on the menu, I quickly ordered those to try.

The outer crispy layer…

…was absolutely perfect, very nicely done but the yam paste inside was way too mushy for my liking. As for the filling, my girl felt that they might have forgotten the seasoning as it was bland, quite tasteless. Perhaps they should use the filling for their steamed char siew pao or their sio pao (baked buns) – we had those before and we thought they were good.

The total, inclusive of 5% SST, came up to RM56.80, inclusive of drinks. Well, the food wasn’t all that great, to put in gently, but I liked how the place was not crowded. We were the only table in that front section and I think there were a few tables inside, 3 or 4 plus I did see people dropping by to collect their takeaway orders. Service was prompt and the food was served soon enough and I loved the songs that they played – my favourite Malay oldies including this one, this one and this one. I sure enjoyed listening to them.

NAM HEONG IPOH, Sibu outlet (2.301121, 111.843386) is located along Jalan Dr Wong Soon Kai, formerly Jalan Pedada, facing the left side of Gafu Supermarket, round the corner from Kim Hock Premier Food Court.

What I think…

What I think may not be the same as what you think and I am not obliged in any way to agree with what you think and vice versa. Many have been in disagreement over what he or she claims to be “the best” in town. That is why to play it safe, I would just say that something is my favourite which, of course, means that it may not be “the best“, by your terms!

For instance, if you ask the Kuching laksa connoisseurs in the state capital which they think the best one is, there will be a myriad of suggestions and frankly, it is the same with everything else – you will need to know where to go for the good ones and at the end of the day, I may not be all that fond of what you think is good…and there is no need whatsoever to get upset and start an argument over it.

Many will swear by the Sarawak/Kuching laksa here…

…but I have never been impressed by it and the last time we had it, the whole family, all of us agreed that it was not to our liking and we would prefer this one…

…here. Of course, there are others here, there and everywhere that people will insist are “the best” – it can go on till the cows come home, I tell you, but there will never an end to this, really!

Well, I had this one…

…the other day and I shared the photograph on Facebook with the caption, “Simply the best!” My bad! I liked it so much that it just slipped my mind that I should say it was my favourite, it was very good…anything but “the best“.

Actually, I was there one morning in July and I had the fat lady’s char kway teow. I did intend to go back for her mee sua in traditional Foochow red wine and ginger chicken soup and also the Sarawak laksa from the stall next to hers but I never did get down to it.

That day, I went to send something at the post office there and I decided to stop by the stall…

…for a bite to eat. (Hey! That’s Uncle Roger’s favourite colour!!! LOL!!!) Actually, I had heard it through the grapevine that the Sarawak laksa was good and that was why I was looking forward to giving it a try.

I ordered the regular (RM6.00)…

…and the instant it was served, I thought it looked like the aforementioned favourite of ours. When I had a sip of the broth, it absolutely swept me off my feet. It was just as good, perhaps even a little bit better than the one we used to love so much.

Of course I was delighted as now I can always stop by here should I feel like having this – the other place is rather crowded even with the COVID-19 pandemic and the CMCO or whatever lockdown so of course, I have been avoiding it. Even if you go and tapao (take away), you will have to go through all that hassle of entering through the front, observing the SOP and making your way through the crowd to place your order and standing there waiting and I assure you, they do work at a snail’s pace sometimes. And no, you cannot whisper to the ladies through the back window either to get them to cook and pass to you without your having to actually enter the place. “Towkay cakap tak boleh!” they will tell you.

I did ask about the special (RM10.00) at this particular stall and she said it would be a bigger bowl and she would be using bigger prawns. However, I saw her taking out those frozen prawns sold in big packs at the supermarkets so of course, I did not want those, thank you very much.

HAPPY HOURS CAFE (2.307165, 111.837312) is located at one corner of the Rejang Park shops/commercial centre in that residential area, beside the volleyball stadium and the surau, facing the vast parking area there.

Moon River…

Last Sunday, we decided to take a break from our stay-at-home routine and go out for lunch.

I saw on Facebook that they had nasi Arab served with mutton curry at one place here so we made our way there. Actually, we had that there before and we had forgotten all about it completely. That shows how forgettable it was and obviously, it was not that great as we never went back for more.

Anyway, when we arrived there that day, I saw that there were so many cars parked outside the shop and I was really pissed off by how there were motorcycles in the few vacant spaces available, one in each parking space. These people are so inconsiderate! We looked into the shop and we saw a whole lot of people – it did not look like there was a table available. No, there was obviously no social/physical distancing and at a quick glance, I did not see anybody wearing a mask either! In the end, we decided to go elsewhere instead.

My girl asked about the wat tan hor that I was telling them about and she wanted to give it a try. That was why we ended up there. Gee!!! I am becoming quite a regular at that place!

I ordered the nyonya egg skin popiah (RM3.00 each)…

…from the so-called nyonya stall.

I wanted the kuih pai tee too but the boy said they were all sold out which I felt was a lame excuse. Some of my friends went there and they were told that same story too. If they were selling so well, they could have made a whole lot of the shells and kept them in an airtight tin for use…anytime! I am quite sure they did not make any at all and was lying through their teeth. Honestly, I am amazed by how these people can run a business like that! To be frank, considering how all their other dishes weren’t that great, they should just forget about them and concentrate on these two.

The ladies just had a slice of the popiah…

…and yes, they said it was very nice, much nicer than when I bought it home that day and it had turned all soggy. My girl did not like the raw cucumber inside though and needless to say, she prefers the ones that I make a lot more…anytime!

I went to the Seremban guy’s stall and placed our orders and we all sat at a table outside and waited to be served.

My girl had the Cantonese ying yong (RM5.50)…

…and she was visually delighted the instant it came. When she tried it, it swept her off her feet and she declared it to be the best in town!

She said that it reminded her of a place that they call Er Chea, which probably means 2nd Elder Sister, at this lane in Sungai Petani that is lined on both sides with hawker stalls. She and her friends would walk there after the church service on Saturday nights for a very late dinner/supper before going back to their hostel. She said that they had that there at one of the hawker stalls but at times, it was not open so she would have something else instead.

My missus wanted the claypot lau shu fun/老鼠粉 (RM8.00) but got the fried version (RM6.00)…

…instead. I wanted the boy (probably the son, there to help out on a Sunday) to take it back but my missus said it was all right as it looked really good and she was overwhelmed by the wok hei fragrance the instant it was served. Yes, she was very happy with it and did not mind the mix-up one bit.

Like what I said in my previous post, I would come back  here and try the Moon River (RM5.50)…

…and that was what I did but unfortunately, it was not what I was expecting. I remember that the few that I had had before had char kway teow, dry as the base with the raw egg on top. This one had the kway teow fried KL Hokkien mee-style so even though it was all right, not too bad, in fact, it was not what I was looking forward to so I was rather disappointed. If it had been the guy’s very nice KL Hokkien mee plus the egg, it might have tasted much nicer. I don’t think this is anything I would want to order again.

That lunch was RM23.00 altogether (excluding the drinks), way below SGD/AUD/NZD10.00 for the three of us – it’s so cheap here, isn’t it?

玛莉娘惹料理 MARY’S NYONYA CUISINE and NOODLE BAR are located at the GRAND WONDERFUL FOOD COURT (2.309601, 111.845163) along Jalan Pipit, off Jalan Dr Wong Soon Kai, on your left just before the Petronas petrol station a short distance from Delta Mall. You can also go in via Lorong Pipit 4, turning left into the lane at the junction where Starbucks Sibu is located and go straight ahead from there.

Support you…

I was back at my neighbourhood shop the other day, last Friday to be exact and the young boy asked me to buy some burgers (RM10.00 for a pack of 3)…

– he said it was fish and since it was our no-meat day, that would be just nice for our morning or afternoon tea.

That logo that looks like something from the movie, Mulan, sure needs no introduction. This is our Sibu’s own franchise – you can see their stalls here, there and everywhere at the coffee shops in town. Why, they even won an award…

…a couple of years ago in 2018.

The burger was not very big and I liked the bun…

…which is a lot more than what I would say about some foreign/overseas franchises here that use buns that would get sort of mushy or something like that upon eating and start sticking to one’s teeth. I am never fond of bread with that kind of texture.

Inside, there was an omelette…

…and a somewhat very thin slice of fish fillet…

I could not make out the taste of the fish but yes, I could detect that of the egg and on the whole, with the cheese or whatever dressing they used, I would say that it was pretty good.

Especially when we consider that it was only around RM3.30 each, so very much cheaper than those overrated ones, I really do not see any cause for complaint. Especially during these difficult times, I certainly would want to support our own local businesses – the fact that they are making these available at our neighbourhood shop is a pretty obvious sign that they are doing all they can to tide over all the trials and tribulations and make ends meet.

SWEE HUNG (2.316161, 111.840441) is located along Jalan Ruby, in the block of shops on the right – next to a hair salon at the extreme end…and on the other end, to the left is the Kim Won Chinese Medical Store and Mini-supermarket.

There is…

I’ve been blogging about the very nice premium New Zealand beef lately and if anyone is wondering whether there is lamb as well, the answer is yes, there is!

Actually, I bought these New Zealand lamb slices…

…sometime ago also at that shop near my house, together with the beef briskets, but for reasons unknown, my missus never got round to cooking them.

That was why when I overheard my girl telling her that she would like to make a shepherd pie…

…for lunch that day, I told her to use that instead of beef, in which case it would be called a cottage pie.

It turned out really nice. For the filling, she did not follow the traditional recipe with minced meat and peas. Instead, she cooked her own, something like a dry version of lamb stew with the meat, carrots, celery, Bombay onions and what not…

…and of course, she was very generous with the cheese, mozzarella and parmesan. Yes, it was good and we all enjoyed it to the max.

I wouldn’t say they are all that cheap, the beef and the lamb, but I must say we are indeed very happy now that we can get these here, especially when what we have used them to cook has turned out really well. These sure are a welcome change from pork or chicken day in, day out.

SWEE HUNG (2.316161, 111.840441) is located along Jalan Ruby, in the block of shops on the right – next to a hair salon at the extreme end…and on the other end, to the left is the Kim Won Chinese Medical Store and Mini-supermarket.

Sure am glad…

Some of you may remember me saying on more than one occasion that we cannot buy fresh beef here in Sibu.

We could…once upon a time, a long long time ago. There was one solitary stall (High Street side) at the Sibu wet market when it was in its original location run by an old Malay man assisted by two young guys, probably his sons or whoever. Supply was reliable – we could just go and buy whenever we needed beef.

When the market moved to its current location, they also moved. I did not see the old man anymore then – the younger guys had taken over and some days, it would be open, not every day! I joined the mile-long queue once and I watched the guy at work. The leg was hanging on one side of the stall and his sharpening stone at the other end. He would sharpen his teeny weeny knife and walk over and cut a bit of something in the leg and then he went back to the stone to sharpen his knife again. I was so pissed off at how he was going at a snail’s pace, taking his sweet time and simply ignoring his customers when so many people were standing there, waiting to buy so I just left without buying.

The Kuching franchise, Sarabif, had an outlet here once but it did not last very long. For one thing, it was at some God-forsaken place in some back alley – people going marketing would not be coming that way to buy the beef and I did hear something about some problem they faced in transporting the meat all the way from Kuching…as they (probably the franchise holder) did not have one of those trucks with freezing facilities.

So all this while, we had to buy those frozen imported beef. Even those from Australia and New Zealand were as tough as leather and so very difficult to cut and slice, what more to say, eat and some, dunno from where, even had an unpleasant smell. I sure am glad that nowadays, we can buy premium beef from New Zealand, pre-sliced/cut and vacuum-packed like the beef briskets that I used to cook the lovely soup that day.

My missus bought this…

…from a supermarket in town and my girl used it to cook this most delightful beef stew…

Of course, she was so happy especially after that last one that we had…

…that did not tickle her fancy – so Chinese, she said. Just one pack with a whole lot of potatoes and carrots and there was enough to last for two meals over two days!

My missus said she could not remember how much she paid for it, probably over RM30.00. Perhaps hers was a bigger pack but I saw that at the place where I bought the oysters that day and they were around RM20.00 only, some more, some less depending on the net weight so of course, I quickly grabbed a few packs to keep in the freezer to cook as and when we feel like it. They also had ribeye cuts and yes, I did buy a few of those too.

Incidentally, i was driving past the Sibu Central Market mid-morning sometime ago, probably before the pandemic outbreak and lo and behold! I could not believe my eyes when I saw that the aforementioned beef stall was open for business!!! No, thank you! I am quite happy with what I can get and frankly, the way those people run their business, it is a wonder they can last this long!

CCL FRESH MINI MARKET is located at the end of the block to the right of the Grand Wonderful Hotel (2.309601, 111.845163) along Jalan Pipit, off Jalan Dr Wong Soon Kai, on your left just before the Petronas petrol station a short distance from Delta Mall. You can also go in via Lorong Pipit 4, turning left into the lane at the junction where Starbucks Sibu is located and go straight ahead from there.

Let’s try again…

My girl bought two packets of this…

…batter mix for making plain cucur (fritters) but she did not think it was very nice. In the meantime, she bought another brand for cucur udang (prawn fritters) and it was very much nicer. Since then, she would buy that one.

Well, instead of letting it sit there in the pantry till kingdom come, I went and plucked some of the cangkok manis…

…growing in my garden. A West Malaysian friend corrected me on Facebook that day saying that the vegetable is called cekur manis so I went and googled to check. What I found out was it is called cangkok manis in Brunei Malay so I guess because of our close proximity, we call it by that same name in our Sarawak Malay dialect, different from how they call it in the mainland. There is a stunted variety exported from Sabah – they call it sayur manis. It looks the same, tastes the same…except that it is very small.

My girl was telling me about how the canteen people in her school would make some very nice cucur cangkok manis for them to enjoy during their tea break everytime when they had a meeting or workshop outside school hours. I had never seen that being sold anywhere so I had not had the chance to try it before.

Of course, I had to tear the leaves first into tiny bits and pieces for use and I also added a bit of this bubuk…

…or dried krill shrimps. However, I only added a bit, one table spoon, as I was afraid that the smell/taste might be too strong.

The process was very simple, real easy – I just had to add 200 ml of water to the batter mix…

…and mix well. I added a little bit more, actually – 250 ml and when it was ready, in went the cangkok manis and bubuk…

I heated some oil in a pan and when it was hot enough, I scooped the batter with a spoon and dropped it in one by one, letting each fritter cook till golden brown….

There you are, all done!

Yes, it was nice, a little bit spicy – I guess they had chili in the batter mix and with the added ingredients, we all thought it was much nicer than just cooking it straight from the packet. Perhaps the next time around I could be more generous with the bubuk – couldn’t put my finger on it in the cucur and perhaps I could add prawns, spring onions, shallots or whatever to being the taste to a whole new level.