This place has been around for quite sometime. If I remember correctly, it had a different name and it only changed to this one quite recently.
I did not bother to go as it got a lot of not-so-encouraging-reviews from my Malay friends. An ex-student of mine went not too long ago so I asked him for his opinion. All he said was that the sambal that came with the ayam penyet was very nice.
Finally, at long last, we decided to drop by the other day as we were at a loss as to where we could go for lunch. Much to my surprise, there was quite a crowd there and the one next door/on the other side was pretty full as well. I sure did not expect that!!!
There was a female wheel chair-bound busker…
…singing, entertaining the crowd with her soothing, sentimental Malay songs. She sure drew a lot of attention when she sang Teresa Teng’s “Yue liang dai biao woe de xin” (The moon represents my heart). Yes, she had a good voice and sang very well but I did not see anybody giving her anything. I walked up and dropped my contribution into the donation box and I was delighted to see a lot of people doing the same after that.
An older lady took over the mike for a while and sang Bob Tutupoly’s “Widuri“ and she did such a good job at it that I gave her a round of applause. Honestly, there were so many people there but nobody bothered to show any appreciation of the display of talent and the pleasant (free) entertainment. The lady sang another song, the Hetty Koes Endang classic, before she left to do her shopping at the supermarket in the vicinity.
This was truly unprecedented and I really enjoyed myself so much. That sure brought a lot of pleasant memories of those wonderful days when I used to frequent pubs and music lounges to have a drink and listen to the live music at those places.
Oopssss!!! To get back to our lunch that day, my girl decided to try their Sarawak laksa, biasa (RM8.00)…
…which was very vaguely like what it should be. I guess one look of the colour would tell you that. They have a lot of so-called specials on their menu including one Sarawak laksa Pattaya where it is served in a bowl lined with a thin piece of omelette. There are others with extra prawns and clams (lala) – the extra sweetness may help enhance the taste, I wouldn’t know.
I wanted to try their belacan bihun – I did not like the one I had at one place in Kuching but I really enjoyed one at another place so I thought I would give the one here a try. However, when I opened their menu, I saw that they had ikan keli (catish)…
…so of course, I asked for the pecel lele/nasi keli penyet (RM15.00)…
…instead. The sambals that came with it were so very nice – I must say that I really enjoyed what I had that day – I am quite sure it wasn’t because of the nice music in the background.
My missus had the nasi ayam geprek (RM14.00)…
Initially, she did not know what that was and wanted something else but I encouraged her to give this Indonesian dish a try. That sure was a lot of sambal on the chicken and they also give another one in a saucer by the side…
My missus said it was nice and yes, she did like her order as well.
The two ladies had their teh tarek ais (RM4.00 a glass)…
…while I just had the complimentary soup that came with my order since I am on a low/no-sugar diet.
This place opens throughout the whole day starting at 7.00 a.m. until 10.00 p.m. The girl whom I asked noticed the surprise on my face and she quickly added that they worked on shifts here, not the same people the whole day through. Yes, I must say the service was very cordial and very efficient and when I wanted to pay for my bill – customers are supposed to do that at the cashier’s counter themselves, I told the girl that I was not that mobile (pointing at my walking stick) and the sweet girl happily did everything for me.
The ladies went browsing around at the supermarket while I sat there waiting for them, enjoying the music. She did play some English songs – John Denver’s “Leaving on a jet plane” and Lady Gaga’s “Always remember us this way”, just to name two. I wonder if she will be there every day – if she is, I sure would not mind dropping by a lot more frequently.
MAT LAKSA (2.308351, 111.820696)…
…is located at No. 67 & 69, Jalan Kuda 2, Kampung Nangka, right across from Cabe Ijo in the next block, both facing the main entrance of Bisonte Grocer & Deli.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
The colour of the laksa broth doesn’t look like the real authentic Sarawak laksa. It looks more like the soup of chao chai hung ngang…🤣🤣. I would not touch that ikan keli with a 10ft pole. Seeing it already makes me shivers. What your missus had looks pretty good.
You are just like my missus – she feels exactly the same way about ikan keli! My girl…and all in my family love it a lot. We like the natural ones – there are farmed ones these days – bland, not sweet, not so nice…and of course, there is the very expensive unagi in Japanese cuisine. We love that! VERY expensive though, more expensive than salmon.
According to my girl, the laksa broth tasted like something from the bottom of the pot that was not well-sieved. There is laksa that looks a lot better at the coffee shops here, never mind Malay or Chinese and some are quite nice too. This one simply does not make the grade! They need to go back to the drawing board and see what they can do about improving the appearance…and also the taste!
Some of these buskers have exceptional vocals and they are so talented. There is a duo currently doing a stint at the mall near me and I also dropped a contribution into their box in appreciation of their effort. If there is one thing I wished, it is to have a good singing voice hee..hee…
I used to sing a lot – I enjoyed it so much but one fine day, I just lost my voice for no reason. Now I can only screech and shriek. Now I can never sing again. So so sad!
A nice place to hang out and enjoy good singing while ladies go shopping. Sounds good to me.
Some buskers sure have good singing voices. I don’t mind give tips to them.
At least, they are trying to earn a decent and honest living. Many unemployed turn to crime instead. This girl was in a wheelchair, all the more reason to lend a hand.
The price of pecel lele seems high, over here they’re a bit cheaper.
Generally, the things at these upscale Malay restaurants are a bit more expensive – not much cheaper at the coffee shops either (I paid RM10.00 the other day, or was it RM12?). I guess they need to make up for the small Malay population, not that much business compared to your side. As far as I am concerned, as long as there is value for money, quality in what they serve, I don’t mind.
Good on you for being a leader. Sometimes it just takes one person to get the ball rolling.
She’s very talented…and I feel sorry for her, being confined to a wheelchair. That was why I felt like I simply had to help a bit, never mind how small.