: : From Miri : :

In another 10 more hours, the weekend break is over and it’s back to Kuching for Wena. Spent a great time with family and all that. As for food, I had many many different things. Enough to make Tubs salivate more. :p He is always complaining about mum-mum.

On another note, got mentioned in the Borneo Post on Saturday. 🙂 Will take a picture of the article and put it online on Monday.

Cheerio.

: : Miri : :

I’m going home tomorrow night back to Miri!! It’s been awhile since I was there. The last trip was in Christmas last year. So, it’s definitely time to make a trip back home to see what’s happening there. Also needed to take a nice break to see my parents and cousins.

msg was asking me where are the nice places to eat in Miri. Hmm… of the top of my head, these are the places that I do know. New places, I’m not sure.

Wawasan 2020

This is a coffeeshop that’s jam packed every morning. Serves great dimsum at cheap prices as well as other delicious fare.

Ais Kacang Shop at Taman Jade Manis

One whole shop specializing in iced drinks as well as rojak and other fried snacks. There is another branch at the Krokop Market that is also great.

Apollo Seafood

One of the cheaper places to eat seafood especially Drunken Prawn!!! Yum. The best place to have it in the whole of Sarawak. Kuching doesn’t do it right. Can also have fresh seafood.

Best Western, Grand Palace Hotel

The best rack of lamb in the whole of Sarawak. Beats Hilton and Crowne Plaza any day. The amazing thing is that the lamb is not dry at all but moist and with just the right amount of seasoning.

Han Palace, Grand Palace Hotel

Great dimsum buffet at RM30, Hong Kong style! Need I say more? I’ve a fetish for dim sum.

Pete’s Deli

Better than Dave’s Deli any day. Their chicken pie and steak pie is to die for. Just the way it’s supposed to be made, the British way. The owners spent quite a number of years in UK before coming back to Miri for good.

Miri Cafe Brighton Cafe Miri

Great kolomee and roti canai. The curry is better than most I’ve tasted at various roti canai place.

Mee Sua Stall in Lutong

I never knew the name of the shop as seldom go there but it serves great mee sua. Mmmmmm…

Tasconi’s Pizza

Better than PizzaHut any day if you ask me. It’s a small franchise from Brunei. Been in Miri for years.

Hopoh Plaza Association

There is a food court there which serves great tanghoon and fishball noodles as well as kua chap. Yummy.

I don’t know the new places. The ones mentioned above were the ones that I remember over the years. Then again, my parents makes a mean roast belly pork and baked tom yam fish! By invitation only, of course. :p

No posting over the weekend. I need a break. See you all next week!

: : Native Food : :

There’s this little corner coffee shop in Muara Tabuan, Kuching which sells great native food. Think it’s called Bidayuh Food Court. Went there yesterday with Benji but since it was only the two of us there and a bunch of total strangers, felt a bit shy to talk pics. So, she and I went back there with a few other friends today and with crowd, I have more confidence to take the picture.

The green veggie is stir fried daun upi @ wild tapioca leaves which is cooked in garlic, ginger and salt. The leaves are pounded after boiliing it for awhile (boiled to remove the sap) and then fried. My favourite.

The white shoots on the left hand side are palm shoots from a coconut tree that is cooked in coconut milk and chilli. Ooohh!! Definitely spectacular and a must try for everyone.

Behind these two great food is sweet and sour shark. Yep, shark meat although not the great white shark. Not sure which species it is from but it was definitely cooked until it was soft. Also, it wasn’t too sweet or too sour but just nice.

Front and centre is cempedak cook in coconut milk and chilli. Yep, cooked the same way as the shoots mentioned earlier but there is a different taste due to the cempedak. Behind this on the right hand side was some chicken slices cooked with corn and black fungus. And the green stuff is obviously the daun ubi.

Front and centre again, only this time it is pumpkin but cooked in pork. The shop is non-halal. Pattycake mentioned that she never had it cooked with pork before but it tasted good. Daun ubi on her plate as well. In fact, it was on everyone’s plate. :p

This was a great condiment to go with the food. It is kedondong (not sure what it is… assam? mango? anyway, a local fruit) with belachan and chilli. Very sour to the point it had a sharp, tart-y taste and spicy as well due to the chillis and belachan.

Definitely going to be one of my regular lunchspots.

: : Ulam : :

Had this on Saturday with the lemang and bamboo chicken. Simple and yet delicious!

Could not recall the name of the veggie in Malay but the English name is four angled beans. It went well the belachan.

Check with different ppl for the name but still dunno what is the name.

Suggestions anyone?

Update from shahrizal : Kacang Botol.

: : Making Espresso : :

After having dinner at The Junk, 3 cousins and a gf went to have some homemade espressos.

Right. The necessary equipment to make espressos.

Yen : He got a posh looking one.

Ming : Bought it from Boots.

Then, of course, we have to have some coffee powder.

Put the strainer into the holder in the picture above before putting in the coffee powder.

Now put the holder into the bottom pot : shown on right hand side of the picture. BTW, those are Hui Ling’s beautiful and slender fingers.

Add hot water into the bottom pot.

Put the coffee pot on top of the bottom pot. Then put it on a stove on a slow fire. The coffee will start to come out of a thin tube within the coffee pot.

This is the little tube seen from the inside. The coffee starts to come out from the top and into the coffee pot. And, that is how one makes espressor the old-fashioned way.

I can still smell the coffee.

Yen : I used that cup to feed the dog.

He was kidding. Of course.

: : The Junk : :

It’s been awhile since I’ve met up with cousin Yen. So, when his brother asked whether I wanted to meet up with him, I agreed. We met up at The Junk Restaurant on Saturday night for a nice meal at very very reasonable prices. Also, was interesting in hearing Yen giving his views and comments on the food. This cousin of mine is a great gourmet chef and I do GOURMET.

To start off the dinner, we all had an appetizer. The soup of the day was cream of broccoli. Yen ordered this, hoping that it will be accompanied with plain bread. Instead it came with garlic bread.

Ming, Yen’s bro, had the mushroom salad. Wow! Seriously big and mighty. He had helped from his gf, Hui Ling.

Two nights in a row, I’ve been having crab. This time, it was a tempura crab salad with 3 soft shell crabs. Had to share this with Hui Ling. It was just too big an appetizer for one person.

The salmon steak in terriyaki sauce was delicious. This is what I always have at The Junk. Else, I’d be eating pasta. Anyway, the portions are always huge and worth every penny.

Ming had the rack of lamb in creamy sauce. Looks mighty tempting to me. I just love cream and it’s pretty hard to get good cream down here in Kuching. Sigh. I miss having double cream with mince pies during Christmas. Lolly, please bring some back to Miri!!!

Yen decided to try the lamb shank that Hui Ling mentioned was pretty good. Huge portion, with or without the leg bone. Underneath the lamb is a bed of homemade mash potatoes. None of the quick-mix type.

Hui Ling had some fettucine cooked in cream sauce. Temptation temptation temptation. 🙂 Will try that the next time I’m there.

Some pictures of the restaurant. Aptly named, you’ll one loads and loads of old stuff in this restaurant. There is a miniature Vespa scooter, old school tables, pictures, meat holders found in old old chinese shops, cash register and high court judge chair! This place is definitely a haven for interior designers. Everything on show is arranged by the couple that owns the restaurant. Note that it’s also a restaurant that does not serve pork. Halal? Think so but am not sure. Can always call to confirm. I do now that some of my Malay collegues at work do frequent this place.

Address Details :

George Ling / Roselyn Ling

The Junk

80, Ground & 1st Floor,

Wayang Street,

93000 Kuching, Sarawak.

Tel : 019 857 1870 / 016 889 2044

Open 6:30 pm – 12:30 am except on Tuesdays

Note that if you are interested of eating at The Junk during weekends, please remember to make reservations. It’s that popular. Weekdays are fine.

A note to technoLAHgist : The food was under RM150 for everything.