Location: Jumbrella Cafe, Sibu’s Gateway.

Tourists and locals often come to Sibu’s Gateway and hang out in the evening. Jumbrella is a bistro located right in the middle of action. But you know that I have serious problem with eating places located at tourist areas. My past experience told me that usually these places made expensive but awful food.

We arrived tonight. A beautiful evening indeed. We didn’t know what to expect.

We ordered a Tiramisu Coffee Blended, Champagne Ice Blended and a Big Beef Jumbo Burger.

I had enough. No flowery reviews.

The food was awful and expensive.

The Tiramisu Coffee Ice Blended looked better than it tasted. It had annoyingly coarse ice cubes, the blended ice wasn’t smooth at all, the coffee was boring and the milk foam placed on top was not milky or creamy. I couldn’t taste the coffee, couldn’t taste the ice cream, couldn’t taste the chocolate, It’s just very very blank. Highly forgettable. And that cost me RM 7.50.

The Champagne Ice Blended was even a bigger joke. Again, I couldn’t taste much of its flavor. I don’t know how to describe. It tasted like some chemicals. Avoid at all cost.

The house specialty, The Beef Jumbo Burger, consisted of soggy buns, fried egg, fried frozen beef, cheese slice, welt lettuce and what else but lots of ketchup and mayonaise. Just poorly made.

Jumbrella perhaps is a good place to hang out with friends and family, to unwind yourself and gazing at the night sky. But in terms of the food, just as I feared, typical tourist food.

We are being nice actually to award Jumbrella with 1 1/2 star.

Cafe And Restaurant, News

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Food: Roasted Chicken Rice
DateLocation: Oasis Elim Cafe, Floor 5, Wisma Sanyan.

I’m not a Christian, didn’t have any intention to be one soon. I don’t like shopping and have had some horrible experience eating in a shopping complex. And by the way, chicken rice is easily my least favorite dish. Period.

So why was I eating a chicken rice in a Christian cafe located inside a shopping complex?

I wished I knew.

Oasis Elim Cafe is located on the fifth floor of Wisma Sanyan. The moment I walked in, had to admit, I felt relaxed. Away from the crowd outside, I felt free. It’s a wonderfully good calming experience. Perhaps its the soothing music and perhaps its the huge window panels that allowed me to take a good view of the city below me.

I ordered the Roasted Chicken Rice. Because the menu stated its 100% Charcoal! Anything charcoal roasted gotta taste good.

And I was not to be disappointed. The chicken meat was really tender and juicy. The meat just fell apart from its bone effortlessly. The sauce was flavorful, a bit sweet and savoury at the same time. The pickled cucumbers were okay. The rice had good lemon-grass aroma and flavor, but was way over-cooked. Too soft for my preference. But again the chicken was really nice.

Maybe there is some good food in shopping complex after all. Maybe I should try more chicken rice from now on. Maybe I can become a good Christian.

Food for thought indeed.

Roasted Chicken Rice in Oasis Elim Cafe gets 3 stars.

Cafe And Restaurant, News, Sanyan Plaza Area

Location: Hokkien Cuttlefish and Chandol, Second Floor, Sibu Cental Market.

I think Stall 121 Hokkien Cuttlefish and Chandol is by far, the best place to eat Cuttlefish Kangkong in Sibu. In fact I even dare to claim that this is the best in Sarawak!

This is actually a rather common and simple snack that basically consists of blanched cuttlefish and Kangkong (local spinach) accompanied by fried Tauhu and to be eaten by dipping with sticky sweet-spicy sauce.

Everyone can blanch cuttlefish and KangKong. And everyone can fried Tauhu. So there’s really no secret there. It is all down to the sauce that makes the huge different.

And that is why I think Stall 121’s sauce is the best I have ever tasted.

And I shall make no intention to hide the fact that I have started eating their Cuttlefish Kangkong when I was a kid. So there is some sentimental influence here, I affraid.

I came during noon time and ordered the Fried Tauhu with Kangkong. I was never a big fan for Cuttlefish anyway.

The tauhu was fried to perfection, golden crispy at the outside and tenderly juicy inside. The Kangkong was also blanched perfectly, crunchy and sweet. It is so easy to overcooked your Tauhu and Kangkong. Sounds simple but still requires lots of attention to fine details.

And their sauce tasted exactly the same after all these years. Never once I was disappointed. Unlike some sauces that are too slimy and gooey, which I thought was disgusting, their sauce was runny, sticky and unbelievably smooth. Sweet, spicy, thick and delicious. Generous sprinkle of ground peanut powder added even more flavor, aroma and texture to the sauce. And unlike many others who pre-made their sauces beforehand and stores in big containers, Stall 121 makes their sauce fresh everyday. There many stalls out there that flooded the sauce onto the Cuttlefish Kangkong like a salad dressing, but the owner here insists that the sauce is for dipping purpose.

I have eaten many Cuttlefish Kangkong all over the country. And I still think the best is right at my hometown Sibu.

Many came over the years in effort to learn or even buy the secret of their sauce. But I was told today by the owner that no one has fully managed to crack this 40 years old secret recipe.

The fried Tauhu and Kangkong tasted absolutely delicious when dipped in the sauce. I could even eat the sauce all by its own.

And that’s the end of the review.

Simple, delicious, affordable and healthy.

I truly believe that this is a 4 Star performance.

Food Stall, News

Location: Tiong Hua Road Kompiah Stall

Tiong Hua Road is a quiet residential area in Sibu. There’s really no special reason why you should travel to this area unless you are an old school Kompiah lover. Located along the Tiong Hua Road, there is a family running a Kompiah stall at their hourse. When first started many years ago, this stall was a regular hangout for school students looking for a casual and budget snack.

Today, it has transformed into a Sibu’s household name, famous for its Kompiah served in traditional way. Instead of deep-frying in oil, their Kompiahs are considered as Wet Kompiahs as they are soaked in light broth seasoned mainly with Five Fragrance Powder. The result is their Kompiah is soft and has absorbed all the flavors from the broth.

We arrived today just for the occasion.

We ordered three Kompiah with and without the pork. We also ordered the Ice Kacang. The environment was fairly relaxed and homey. As I grew up eating their Kompiah here, I did feel a bit sentimental as the house basically stayed almost unchanged as if time has forgotten its existence.

The Ice Kacang arrived in glass with crushed ice cubes instead of my preferred shaved ice. But my real problem was that the Ice Kacang wasn’t creamy or milky. The red beans and jelly were not up to mark as well. I was quite disappointed. I remembered their Ice Kacang tasted much better than this.

Anyway, the Kompiah arrived. They certainly looked and smelled exactly how I use to remember it. The presentation was also very rustic and almost non-existence. The Kompiah with pork did look a bit awkward with thin slice of pork scattered around the plate. I remembered the pork was supposed to be the filling rather than the garnishing. And certainly I remembered the pork used to be a bit bigger and fattier.

But the Kompiah tasted exactly the same; moist and spongy. The Kompiah’s bottom were softer while the Kompiah’s upper crust still retained chewy texture. The sesame seeds on the Kompiah also added good nutty aroma to the dish. The broth was infused with light Five Fragrance flavor. The thin pork slices however were tasteless and dry. I would recommend to order the one without pork instead.

The Kompiah without pork is RM 0.40 each and with pork is RM 0.60 each.

Well, the old taste of childhood’s Kompiah is definitely still well-preserved here. But my concern is whether the younger generation without the shared childhood memory like we did, will still appreciate their Kompiahs.

I mean if I wasn’t born and raised in Sibu and schooled nearby, to be perfectly honest, I might even feel that there’s really nothing special about their Kompiahs. Technically its just Kompiah soaked in broth, that’s all to it. And I personally know many locals who actually preferred the crispy Kompiah over their soggy Kompiah.

The old taste remains. But the expectation is changing.

I was glad that I returned to taste the old Kompiah. Done it, been there…but what’s left? Perhaps I will return again for sentimental reason. But not for culinary reason.

Tiong Hua Road Kompiah is famous. Tiong Hua Road Kompiah is sentimental. Tiong Hua Road Kompiah gets 2 1/2 Stars.

Aftertaste: While taking the photos of the Kompiah, the owner almost stopped me of doing so as he claimed that his Kompiah was too famous already and needed no more publicity. I have problem with people with big ego.

Chinese specialty, Food Stall, News

Location: Siong Kee Kampua Stall at Emas Corner 2002

Everyone knows that Sibu is famous for its Kampua Mee. You can find Kampua Mee almost everywhere and anytime you want. And everyone seems to have their own favorite Kampua Mee stall. But I was told that Siong Kee’s Kampua is perhaps one of the most well-known and authentic of all.

I was born and raised in Sibu. I don’t know how Siong Kee’s Kampua taste like and I don’t know what’s the meaning of “Most Authentic”. This morning I went to find up both.

Located inside the Emas Corner 2002 Cafe next to Wisma Sanyan, Siong Kee was probably the heartbeat of the establishment. I went in and saw almost everyone was having their Kampuas. You could spot their staffs wearing their trademark white caps, white T-shirts and red aprons.

I ordered the plain Kampua. That’s all. I found an empty table outside the cafe, in a small side-alley. I didn’t mind. Actually I loved it.

Soon my Kampua Mee arrived. You know I was told by some people that Kuching’s Kolok Mee is served in a bowl while all Kampua Mee is served in a flat plate. Well, the most famous and authentic Sibu Kampua was served in a tiny bowl. The end of the myth.

I tasted the steaming soup first. And I thought even the simple plain soup tasted really nice. It was lightly seasoned, had warming and clean taste. I was delighted. I was more ready now for my Kampua.

Forget about the meat, dry and tough.

And how should I describe the Kampua Mee? It’s not too salty or oily to start with. You could really taste the lard working into the flavor. The noodle was soft. It’s pretty average to be honest but I thought this Kampua Mee retained the old-flavor. This was exactly how Kampua tasted like when I was a kid. Maybe that’s why many call it “Most Authentic”. You can find better Kampua in Sibu. But if you ever wondered how Kampua tasted in the past, Siong Kee is the place to go.

Well, I finished the soup. The Kampua was not bad, but no WOW.

Siong Kee, I think, deserves 2 1/2 Stars for carry on the taste of the tradition.

Chinese specialty, Coffee Shop, News, Sanyan Plaza Area

Location: D.K. Curry House & Catering, Sibu Jaya.

We went to Kanowit this morning and on our way back, we pit-stop at Sibu Jaya for a quick snack. We noticed there were many modern shoplots being built compared to the last time we were here. But Sibu Jaya was still quiet and laid back with only a handsful of people sat lazily in the cafes.

As we walked casually surveying the area, D.K. Curry House caught our attention. There were a few flower bouquets placed at the cashier counter. The restaurant was clean and all. Must have just started their business not long ago.

We decided to go in for some Roti Canai. And we’ll see just how good their curry was. It’s a big claim to name their cafe “Curry House”.

We also ordered Ice Tea Madrash, basically was a light creamy milk tea with milk foam on top. The presentation was nice. The taste was creamy smooth and sweet. I liked it. Cost RM 1.80.

Our Roti Canai arrived. It’s thin with crispy outer crust. Cost RM 1 each.

We ordered two curries, the Chicken and Dhal. The curry chicken was really spicy, rich, and aromatic. It tasted very Indian. And the Dhal curry was thick and mushy, almost like a cereal porridge, which was good. I really hate people make Dhal curry watery and soupy.

And they both worked well with the Roti. After a while, I begun to understand why there is a steel pot containing water in every table. My frieds were sweating furiously and finished the whole pot of water. The curry really had a late kick.

Good curry makes you sweat.

Well, we were not disappointed to say the least. We thought the curry was very good. The Roti was good too.

And I think they have justified the name “Curry House”.

We’ll be back to do more serious tasting.

But for the meal that we had, The D.K. Curry House gets good 2 1/2 stars.

Cafe And Restaurant, Indian Specialty, News

Location: Family restaurant located 20 minutes drive from Igan Bridge. About an hour drive from Sibu town.

So why on earth did we spend the whole evening driving and searching for this nameless roadside restaurant? Because we wanted to taste some authentic dishes cooked by a former chef who used to head the Hock Ju Lao’s kitchen, once the top restaurant in Sibu back in the 80’s. But we loved the idea. There are many top chefs in the world actually opened their little restaurants in the middle of nowhere yet still cooking really good food.

After an hour of driving, we arrived at this family restaurant. Run by his family members, I could hardly see the chef inside his tiny little kitchen but I still believed the food would be excellent this evening. When you still got it, you got it.

We ordered a tableful of food, many which, used to be Hock Ju Lao’s signature dishes.

We ordered the Ji Quan, type of old Foochowdeep fried meatballs. It had crispy outer crust and soft meat filling inside, with strong aroma of Chinese Five Fragrance Spice flavor. The meat was rather mushy. Very rustic in presentation and flavor. Like I said, very unrefined food.

The steamed Siu Mai (Siow Bee) was probably using the same mince meat as the Ji Quan caused they had the same taste and texture. The outer skin was made of glutinous powder, sticky and light. Its a better idea to dip with some soy sauce and chilli sauce for extra flavor.

And then the Stir-fried Midin with Chinese Red Wine, always my favorite dish in Sibu. The used good Midin, tender and crunchy. Loved it. But I would beg for more red wine in the dish. Overall, I really liked it.

The Stir-fried Cangkuk Manis with Egg was another brilliant dish. Very flavorful. The Cangkuk Manis (type of sweet local vegetable) was cooked with garlic and egg. Very flavorful. Cangkuk Manis is not an easy dish to cook. As the leaves will welt tremendously, you need a bit oil to make the dish work. Too much of it will spoil the dish. Too little, the whole dish will be dry and inedible. I thought the Cangkuk Manis was cooked really well.

The Mixed Vegetable Soup had many ingredients such as bell pepper, cauliflower, tomato, red carrot, fresh mushroom, fresh baby corns, black fungus, Gua Chai (local bitter green) and pork. The soup tasted really well balanced, a bit of salty, sour and sweet at the same time. Again its very flavorful.

Then came the Gong Bao style Stir-fried Baby Clams with onions, ginger, dried chilli and celery. Because red wine was added during the cooking process, the smell was absolutely dynamite. And it looked really well too. The sauce was thick and very flavorful; sweet, salty and spicy at the same time, but not over the top. We could still taste the sweetness from the clams. I have tried many similar dishes everywhere in Sarawak, but I thought his, was one of the best. Very memorable.

But I might not want to return for the next, the used-to-be-my-favorite dish, Duck steamed with Hong Zhou (Rice Wine Deposit). My problem with this dish was that despite it had good red color, there’s hardly any red wine taste in the dish. The duck was fatty and tough too. Didn’t like it at all. Severe drop of quality.

Well, so there we had it. But certainly we came hoping for something more refined. Maybe we needed to take into account that he no longer had a full professional staffs to work with or fancy ingredients to play with. We paid RM 65 for the meal.

I don’t think the evening’s food was bad or anything. But when your customers make an effort to drive half a world to reach here, you need to be impressive. I thought the food was a bit too rustic. And I disagreed with the price too. With that kind of price and the amount of petrol we needed to burn in order to come here and return, I thought its hard to persuade anyone to make the same trip.

I had tremendous respect for Hock Ju Lao and the chef himself. They were a huge part of my childhood memories. They were the standard of the old foochow food.

But if you were not born during the 80’s in Sibu, you’ll probably never heard of Hock Ju Lao. And you’ll probably won’t want to come here in the first place. But we glad we took the journey. The way coming here was in high spirit. The way back however, was a bit dark and creepy.

We looked at the night sky and saw Two fading Stars.

Cafe And Restaurant, Chinese specialty, News