: : Re Josh! : :
BTW, if anyone was inspired to try their hand at cooking the step-by-step dishes on this site (I know, it’s mediocre), do let me know. Would like to read about the success or failure (!!!) of it.
: : Apollo Seafood Restaurant, Miri : :
Well, it wasn’t fun tonite having one’s computer crashing more than 10 times due to some buggy error problems trying to update a software. Bah! If you see this page, you’re in luck because that means I’ve managed to post something up without having the PC crashing on me.
So, what’s cooking? How about a posting on a wonderful welcome home meal on Friday nite at Apollo Seafood Restaurant in Miri. Seafood is cheap in Sarawak compared to West Malaysia. Also, think Dad remembered that I just love drunken prawn and it’s definitely a must-have whenever I’m back home. The other absolutely must-eat dish is dimsum but that was already pre-scheduled for Saturday morning.
The last time I was back in Miri was in February to attend a friend’s wedding. Stepping out of the aircraft, it didn’t feel at all like the Miri Airport that I knew. The renovations that started a few years back was completed and it looked suspiciously a lot like KLIA. For a moment there, I thought I boarded the wrong plane.
Since I haven’t had dinner as was rushing to catch to 8 p.m. flight, dear Daddy and Sina’ (Kelabit word for Mother) took me to Apollo Seafood Restaurant in town. A good choice, that’s for sure. Also, surprisingly a number of families were still out and about eating dinner at 9:30 p.m. when we got there.
Veggie dish was midin cooked in FooChow Red Wine. I’ve taken enough pictures of midin that it’s starting to get a tad bit boring.
And here comes the food : drunken prawn. Well, not the authentic one where live prawns were put into a bowl of wine until they were drunk before cooking them. This one was something simpler, the prawns were cleaned and cut and cooked with Chinese rice wine (samsu), ginger, some chilli powder (I think. Have to check with parents on how they did it at home) and black fungus. The prawn are the freshwater type so they’re pretty big. This one was fresh out of the aquarium. Sina’ had some of the spicy, tangy soup whereas Dad helped to finish off the prickly and painful claws. Now, eating the claw takes some getting used to because of the sharp thorns on the outer skin. Pricked my fingers many times that nite but it was worth it.
Then Dad craftily walked off and ordered some mussels! Wah! Serious pampering going on that night. It came cooked in oyster sauce (ironic isn’t it) and ginger. Needless to say, Dad and I polished off the dish. Sina’ had some too but she was full from having an early dinner that nite.
Phew! Was so full that I couldn’t sleep early that nite! What a nice welcome home from parents.
Needless to say, they also planned a family get together on Saturday evening. Which they forgot to tell me until lunchtime on Saturday. It was a pleasant surprise though. That’s for tomorrow! :p
: : From Miri Part II : :
A little bit more about Borneo Post. Thanks to autreyu. 🙂
As for making kolomee, it’s not absolutely compulsory to use lard (pig fat) to make it. You can use normal vegetable oil. Chilli Peppers makes great HALAL kolomee as well as other HALAL chinese food. It has practically destroyed the myth that good Chinese food must be made by the Chinese. Hope this is helpful, Nick. :p
: : 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.