Richard was in Form 5 when I joined the school where I retired in 2007. He joined the staff there as a temporary teacher for a while after he obtained his degree at a local university, after which he want to Liverpool in the UK to do his Masters.
Fate had it that our paths would cross again when we were on the same flight to KL – he was attached to a bank in Bintulu then and I was on my way to attend a meeting as the area co-ordinator for the MUET Oral Examination. Of course, we shared a cab from KLIA to KL and we got together that night for dinner/supper and also for drinks (at The Ship, Bukit Bintang). We met again when I dropped by Bintulu while I was carrying out my aforementioned duties but we never met again after that.
I managed get in touch with him, now married, happily settled and residing in JB, blessed with a son and a daughter via Facebook after a very very long time and the other day, I saw some snapshots of his kid’s birthday so I dropped a comment to extend my birthday greetings. Much to my surprise, Richard responded to let me know he would be coming back to Sibu in a few days’ time (now that the borders are open once again) and he would like to meet up sometime.
That was how we ended up here…
…for lunch that day together with his ex-classmate (extreme right) and his childhood neighbour/primary school friend (extreme left) who turned out to be the owner of the place. That leaves Richard and I in that snapshot, no prize for guessing which one I am- I’m the old and fat one, of course!!! LOL!!!
This teriyaki chicken noodles platter…
…that we had was very nice. I particularly loved the taste of the noodles especially but anything teriyaki never did excite me.
I wanted to try this Vietnamese chicken chop with lemon grass…
…and this too was great but not exceptionally so. I wouldn’t mind if the lemon grass and whatever herbs and spices used had been stronger but that might not go down to well with the other customers.
The vinegar fried kway teow…
…was special all right, nice in its own way but I spotted Penang char kway teow on the menu – I would want to try that the next time I drop by here.
Out of the four things we ordered that afternoon, my vote goes to their creamy tom yam fish bihun…
The boss said that was one of their signature dishes. It was sour enough, not too sour, in my opinion, just right and it was not over-creamy so I did not feel I had had enough after having a bit of it. I certainly would want to order this again.
We had a great time catching up with one another’s lives and yes, Richard, I was so glad to see you again after all these years. Thank you for the lunch treat and hopefully, we can get together again when you come back to Sibu, come Chinese New Year. In the meantime, take care and may God bless you and your loved ones.
烤大爷 Mr. Cow (2.306031, 111.849136) is located at 2, Lorong Pahlawan 7e, among the shops opposite Everwin, Sibu Bus Terminal.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
It’s always nice to see old friends – especially now!
It most certainly is! I did mention this in one of my earlier posts – how we are happy to see someone we have not seen for a long time, and they’re getting on well.
Very true!
So glad to hear from you, not sure where you are in the US, which state. Saw the news about the tornadoes, so horrifying, so very sad! Hope our friend Opal is not in those states too.
It’s always nice to bump into someone that we know a long time ago. The vinegar fried kway teow is interesting. I don’t think I have ever seen one on a menu here in KL or PJ
Yes, a lot of their own unique creations on the menu like the Vietnamese chicken chop as well. Very interesting, will have to go back again and check out some of the other intriguing items they have to offer.
The food looks good. Among all the four things ordered, the vinegar fried kway teow caught my attention and eagerness to know how it taste like. Glad that you have a great time catching up with your friend.
It was nice, just a light hint of its sourish taste, makes me think of my tom yam bihun but it was not spicy. Yes, finally I’ve gone out with somebody, not just sneaking off to some place quiet, eat and run! Things looking good here in Sibu now – hopefully, it will stay that way!
It’s always nice to bump into a familiar face and it’s certainly nice that you kept in touch all these years.
Yes, it is so easy to lose touch when everyone is caught up with things in their lives, so sad.
Wonderful to catch up with old friends and what more over a delicious meal. Every dish looks delicious. Vinegar fried kway teow is new to me. Would love to try it one day.
It’s new to me too. Quite nice, sourish like tom yam but not spicy.
It is always amazing to reconnect with someone you know from your past right? Facebook has been amazing to help us in finding our old buddies.
Yes, I did manage to get with touch with a few of my old friends via Facebook.
That’s great that you were able to meet up with your former colleague. The food looks great as usual. Wishing you and your loved ones continued good health and many more days of fellowship.
Thanks. Times like this are few and far between these days – people are not keen to meet because of the pandemic but glad that things are getting better now, not so many cases daily, just a few.
Its always nice to catchup with old time friends, I hope I can do this soon, visiting Philippines and meet some of them
I’m not quite ready to travel and at my age, long haul is out of the question. I do not mind getting together with family and friends who hop over here on a visit though – it sure has been a long long time.