Good Friday was a public holiday in Sarawak and some schools here took an extra day off on Monday, Easter Monday so they had a longer weekend break, unlike those in the peninsula.
I told the ladies in the house not to cook anything that day and come lunchtime, we dropped by here for a bite to eat.
My girl wanted their chicken chop (RM25.00)…
…and their special garlicky mashed potatoes (RM8.00)…
She did not know that they would give a bit of the latter with the chicken chop, she said. Had she known that, she would not have asked for it. In the past, they used to give those pickled julienned strips of cucumber and carrot but obviously, they do not do that anymore.
She did manage to finish all of it though and I also ordered their mushroom soup (RM8.00)…
…for her as well. I did try a bit and I thought it was very rich and creamy, very strong on the fragrance and taste of the fresh shitake mushrooms but I did not like how it was a bit too salty for my liking. Maybe it was just me, especially when we get by with very little salt and no msg in our own cooking at home.
My missus and I shared the Payung rojak (RM12.00)…
…and it was so very nice. They have tweaked the recipe for the sauce a bit, adding less gula apong (nipah palm sugar) and a lot more lime juice so it was not as thick and sweet as before. I must say that I liked it a lot more this way.
We also shared their kacang ma chicken (RM16.00, with rice)…
This is the only place where we can get to eat this in town and boy, it was so good with the extra Chinese white wine and ginger added that it literally swept my missus off her feet.
The total for all that we had came up to RM69.00, very reasonable, I must say, considering how we enjoyed ourselves so much that day!
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.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
At one glance of the frangipani flowers, instantly I know it is Payung Cafe. Even though I never tasted the rojak or kacangma, the looks of it already makes me drooling..😋🤤.. The mushroom soup looks great too. Worth it. Very nice and delightful lunch.
The boss is not there full-time now these days, leaving everything to the two guys there. I feel that the taste of some dishes may vary a bit at times but so far, everything is still good, still worth dropping by to enjoy.
This place never failed you. haha. Food is as impressive as always. RM16 for kacangma is reasonable considering the works and herbs, somemore not common in Sibu. But kacangma is been a Sarawakian specialties, is now quite a common dish in Chinese economy rice and eateries here.
Your girl’s chicken chop looked delicious, and the rojak too. Yum yum..
I just posted on my Good Friday breakfast today, hehe.
Yes, you can get kacang ma everywhere in Kuching, even at the chap fan places…but I think there are places that serve it with a bit of class…in a claypot.
This is the only place where we can get it here and I sure am glad that they can do it so very well – my missus can cook it too but she still likes to come for the one here and keeps praising it to the skies. I guess that sums up how nice the one here is.
I have not tasted kacangma. I would love to try kacangma and of course the rojak.
There are places selling kacang ma in KL. It is a Hakka dish. As for the rojak – it is exclusively Payung’s – you cannot find anything like it anywhere else.
Lucky you! Good Friday is not a public holiday in Johore either.
Weekends in Johore are Fridays and Saturdays. Kids go to school on Sundays.
Oh are those rojak flower petals on the rojak? I love the smell of rojak flowers (torch ginger).
They make the best chilli dipping sauce.
Yes, torch ginger flowers! Bunga kantan! Only place where we can find them in rojak. And buah kendondong leaves some more.
I do know the school system in the Federated Malay States, same as in Kedah where my girl went to her degree, twinning with New Zealand.
When I saw the flowers, ah! Must be Payung! hee..hee.. It’s good to know that the food is as good as ever.
Yes, I went there again today by special request – one of Malaysia’s top food bloggers from Penang insisted on going there. I wonder if he will blog about it or not and what he will say!
Nicely presented with the flowers on the side.
LOL!!! I took their centrepiece placed on the table for the photo session.