Don’t wait…

I dropped by Payung Café the other day because they have started taking orders for Chinese New Year…

…and like what I’ve done in previous years, I wanted to book some of my favourites here. If you’re thinking of doing the same, don’t wait! Do drop by to place your orders or call them. I simply cannot understand why one would want to slave for hours/days/weeks in the kitchen when one can just go and buy something just as nice or perhaps, ever nicer.

Their decorations for the forthcoming festival were up already…

…and of course, you can get to see those delightful floral displays…

…at every table.

I was feeling a little hungry but it was Friday so I was not able to order their meat dishes plus I only wanted something light, a pasta dish perhaps. I was tossed between their belimbing prawn spaghetti or their tom yam prawn spaghetti and in the end, I settled for the latter…

The former will have to wait till another day and anyway, we just had it, minus the pasta, not too long ago.

I am sure if you take a look at the serai (lemon grass), the lengkuas (galangal) and the daun limau perut (kaffir lime leaves) in the dish…

…plus the onions and tomatoes, you can jolly well imagine the fragrances of all these contributing to make this dish…

…so absolutely awesome, to say the least. Elsewhere, they probably would just use the bottled tom yam paste to cook something for you, as simple as that.

While I was waiting for my order, Andy passed me this…

…to munch. He probably got them from one of his girlfriends – it seems that a lot of people like to make these tidbits for Chinese New Year and if I am not wrong, these were chicken or prawn floss in wanton skin, tied into a knot and deep fried.

I told him what I wanted and paid for my orders in advance. I said I would collect them in the afternoon of Chinese New Year’s Eve and take them home, still warm so we could enjoy them for our reunion dinner straight away, no need to go through the chore of warming them up first. I don’t know how much the tom yam prawn spaghetti was (probably RM17.00) because the very nice guy insisted that it was on the house.

Incidentally, according to Andy, they will be open that night (and throughout Chinese New Year) so if you are looking for a place to eat (or hang out) – I guess most places, Chinese restaurants especially, will be closed – you can always drop by here. In fact, you can even arrange to have your reunion dinner here but of course, at a time like this, you will have to limit the number of people and sit at least one metre apart, unlike that time when I had mine in the afternoon of Chinese New Year’s Eve with my in-laws here. It sure was good and won the praises of all and sundry!!!

PAYUNG CAFÉ (2.284049, 111.833014) is located at No.20F, Lanang Road, Sibu, Malaysia, back to back with the multi-storey car park of the Kingwood Hotel which faces the majestic Rejang River.