The entire state of Sarawak experienced a total blackout last night with confirmed areas being affected including Sibu and Kuching. The traffic lights were not working and I’m sure quite a few fender benders occurred when two unyielding parties collide (pun intended). 🙂
It felt like going back to the Dark Ages (haha) with all the shops closing down (probably to prevent theft and also due to the non-functioning electricity-dependent POS machines) but most restaurants remained open. We made the most of the ambiance…romantic candlelight dinner konon. 😉
Siong Kee is one of the most famous kampua noodle stalls in Sibu. Siong Kee Mee Kampua is located in Taman Muhibbah. The proprietor is the one manning the stall and has almost acrobatic displays of noodle handling from the pot of boiling water to the bowl.
This friendly and unassuming owner is a Guinness World Records holder (!) though not for kampua noodles. He is credited under Most weddings attended by a best man. Mr. Ting Ming Siong from Sibu, Sarawak has been best man at the most weddings in the world with 1,393 occasions and counting. His record holder status can be verified here.
He even has a name card that lists his achievements in…er, matrimonial services, and he is also the Malaysian Book of Records holder in that department. Siong Kee Mee Kampua is very busy almost every night due to the good noodles that he churns out (and I suspect his acrobatic feats and record holder status as well).
Kampua noodles is actually very simple to make but this man is the only one who makes it entertaining to watch:
1. Blanch noodles
2. Throw noodles up in the air (no one else does this except him) and catch it again
3. Mix noodles with a lard based sauce
I’m not sure if the noodle throwing actually adds anything to the flavor (though rumor has it that it makes the noodles more pliable) but it certainly makes for a very lively performance.
Everybody loves kampua throwing!
I’ve been told by kampua aficionados that you should always eat the noodles plain to gauge the taste properly. Kampua is served plain de facto but you can opt to have it with soy sauce, soy sauce and chilli, or chilli sauce.
I ate this one plain and I pronounce it good!
I was searching for his record in the Guinness World Records website and chanced upon a record that I could easily beat – Most Ferrero Rocher chocolates eaten in one minute which currently stands at a meager five (5).
Watch out Reuben Williams! I’m gunning for your record. I can do six easily. 😉
I took unpaid leave to go to KL for three days and two nights to attend to her banquet details over here. It was so hectic to meet with the parents from the other side and decide on the details – my sister is a bit of a stickler for details. She and the fiancé is in New Zealand and the marriage ceremony is going to be held there but the banquet will be held in KL and then Sibu.
My sister has been in NZ for more than 10 years so I don’t see that much of her. But hey, being the only sibling she has, she’s counting on me to arrange her banquet details on this side. My dad is working and my mom couldn’t go due to a family emergency (my maternal grandmother has Alzheimer’s) so I was the designated Poh representative.
They’re both doctors so I’m not sure how the marriage would work out though with health care professionals working such long hours and all. 😉
Clare has left for Kuching just now and bought me breakfast at Mitsu Tea House in lieu of sexual services rendered during her stay here. 😉 I’m kidding of course, I was just little more than her personal driver during the week she was in Sibu.
Mitsu Tea House is just about the only place you can get decent dim sum in Sibu. There is an al fresco seating area at the bottom…
…and an air-conditioned enclosure at the first floor. Mitsu Tea House was totally packed this morning – it seems like it attracts the Sunday morning crowd in droves!
We finally managed to snag a table after a short wait and a waitress took our order. You can tell I woke up at an ungodly hour from my ruffled hair. I usually don’t do Sunday morning breakfasts. 😉
Mitsu Tea House has the ubiquitous dim sum carts doing the rounds but you can order a la carte from their menu as well.
Mitsu is one of the more successful eating establishments in Sibu with Mitsu Shabu Shabu offering Japanese cuisine and Mitsu Tea House with its impressive dim sum portfolio.
We ordered Chrysanthemum + Green Tea (RM 4 per pot), a mixture of two different tea leaves (and flowers). It came in a store branded teapot and cups, much like the eating receptacles over here.
Steamed Pork Meat and Abalone Sauce Buns. This is pretty good stuff…it’s a little like “little dragon buns” where the sauce is sealed in the bun pouch itself…
…and can be eaten as you eat oysters. Slurp it down. 😉
Lo mai gai (sticky glutenous rice) is another dim sum staple but Mitsu Tea House’s version disappoints. It was under flavored and lacking in carnivorous content.
Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (har kau) was very good though. It has two shrimps in each dumpling and tasted exquisite!
We also had Baked Cream Custard Pastry from their Dim Sum Pastries menu and it was alright….tasted like a Portuguese Egg Tart.
Mitsu Tea House also serves noodles and we saw a lot of other tables ordering this. The waitress told us the Dry Fried Noodles with Beef was one of their specialties and we finished off the brunch with this carbohydrate laden dish.
Mitsu Tea House has just about the best dim sum you’re going to get in Sibu. It’s the only specialized dim sum place in town but be forewarned – the crowd can be oppressive. There wasn’t an empty table to be seen in the entire establishment!
Hmm…there’s something about tea leaf divination… 😉
I had promised to buy a curry fish head dinner at Sheraton for some fellow bloggers who had helped me out in the Oreo and Heineken posts and they never really let me forget it. 😉 Unfortunately, Sheraton was closed for the week due to the proprietor being out of town so STP suggested that we head to Phoenix Court at Paramount instead.
Now, the interesting thing about Phoenix Court’s curry fish head is that the chef was originally from Sheraton (which has a legendary flagship curry fish head dish) but apparently the proprietor was the only one who knew the exact ingredients so the chef didn’t have the complete recipe for it.
Thus, the original Sheraton curry fish head secret recipe is still intact and Phoenix Court does a passable, but inferior version of the dish. However, that didn’t stop Phoenix Court from promoting the curry fish head as one of their flagship dishes. The other flagship dish of Phoenix Court is the the giant prawns in gravy. It’s served with a fried dough that’s cut into slices like a cake.
I’m sorry I ordered Tiger beer, the place doesn’t have Heineken. 😉 Oh, I read in the papers today that it seems like there’s going to be no alcohol served at the Chelsea – Malaysia friendly due to certain religious affiliated political parties being unreceptive to the idea. Oh well. Anyway, The Mysterious D (TMD) had also saw it fit to grace us with her presence so it was a bit of a “Welcome Home!” occasion for her as well.
You pay RM 2.50, you get peanuts. 😉
The curry fish head (RM 40) at Phoenix Court resembles the famous Sheraton curry fish head in all but taste.
It still tastes pretty good though, but they really shouldn’t be comparing themselves to Sheraton.
The giant prawns cooked in a special egg sauce (RM 42) is, in my opinion, the real flagship dish of Phoenix Court. The sauce is probably the chef’s secret now, and they should be promoting this instead.
It is served with a side dish of a huge chunk of fried dough much like a cake. It serves well to soak up the delicious gravy of the dish.
This comes highly recommended from me – it’s really that good.
Thanks to STP, Mary and D for helping me out with the posts! Cheers! I know, my Photoshop skillz is really POHfessional. 😉
The total was about RM 107.30 which is on par with Sheraton. Nowadays, napkins also RM 1.20 okay.
Fisherman Restaurant is located at a rather decrepit part of town and maintains an unassuming facade. I’ve always wanted to check the place out and went with a couple of friends last night for dinner.
The place even has it’s own 24 hour security detail…living out of cardboard boxes. I’m sure that provides a very nice ambiance for some people, but it didn’t do much for me. 😉
Fisherman Restaurant’s main claim to fame is being featured on TV3’s Jalan Jalan Cari Makan. They’re the first in Sibu to get on the TV food program as an eating establishment serving authentic Melanau food.
Complimentary keropok (local prawn crackers) is served when the diners are seated. It’s actually made of fish and expands to a gigantic size when deep fried.
The service at Fisherman Restaurant is excellent, with a lounge waiting area and attentive waitresses in uniform. The proprietor also came over to ask how the food was, which is a nice touch.
We ordered mainly from the TV3 selected menu for their program. This was recommended by the owner as the best of the best.
This is Umai (RM 10) which is hands down the most well known Melanau dishes out there. It’s made with raw, thinly sliced black pomfret (a kind of fish) marinated in onions, chillies, and calamansi lime juice. It’s a staple of Melanau fishermen out at sea and eaten with sago.
The proprietor also recommended the Paku Santan (RM 7) which is a special that’s not on the menu. It’s local jungle ferns cooked in a rich coconut milk sauce with shrimps and chillies. I loved it but the two girls didn’t like the Spice Factor (TM) of the dish.
Lokan (RM 9) is another one of Fisherman Restaurant’s flagship dishes and it’s supposedly “the only one in Malaysia”. I’m a little skeptical about this claim since I’ve had the very same molluscs in Sabah. Lokan is a shellfish from local rivers.
This implementation takes the lokan flesh and minces it with a combination of other ingredients before stuffing it back in and deep frying it. It tastes great, this is easily the best dish of the night.
The final dish was also recommended by the proprietor since we didn’t want to eat rice. It’s Melanau Fried Bee Hoon (RM 3.50). Bee Hoon is rice vermicelli and the owner was so proud of this that he insisted we try the rice vermicelli instead of noodles. It’s actually pretty good, and the only dish that the two girls ate any significant amount of.
Fisherman Restaurant is a great place for authentic Melanau food in Sibu and it serves great food despite it’s unassuming exterior. The Lokan is a must try if you eat there.
Payung Cafe is a new eating establishment nestled in a quiet corner of town. It’s only open for dinner so not a lot of people are aware of the existence of this place yet. Payung translates to “umbrella” in the our fine national language.
Payung Cafe is meant as a secluded al fresco dining establishment that allows you to BYO wine. It has a nice, quiet ambiance that is well suited to conversation. The owner of Payung Cafe is also the resident chef.
The concept of Payung Cafe is to serve fusion food incorporating elements of the ASEAN countries. The seating arrangements are comfortable, with freshly cut orchids garnishing the tables. It’s nice touches like this that gives out good vibes to the customers.
The special of the day was the Green Tea Shake (RM 5) which most of us opted for. It’s made from freshly brewed green tea, not the stuff in cans. It tasted great, the milk doesn’t overpower the green tea and less milk is a Good Thing (TM) nowadays since I seem to have become lactose intolerant ever since I was admitted into ICU for overdosing and got renal and liver failure. Strange eh?
The Papaya Salad (RM 5) was the recommended appetizer which we shared. It has strong Thai influences and tasted surprisingly spicy (even for me). It’s nice though, chillies always get the appetite going, or so I’ve heard. 😉
Spring Rolls (RM 6) is the Vietnamese influenced starter and it tasted pretty authentic. I know coz I did a tour of duty back in ‘Nam during the 60’s. Me love you long time!
We also ordered the Mushroom Roll (RM 6). I have a lot of experience with the more magical variety of mushrooms and I’m sorry to inform you that this doesn’t contain that kind of mushroom. 😉
This is the Otak Rice (RM 8) that Joyce ordered. She missed the otak otak from her days in JB and have been craving for it since.
It was so good that she ordered another four (4) otak otak (RM 32) for us to try. Payung Cafe’s implementation of the otak otak contains a secret killer breed of chillies that makes it so spicy even the hardened ones amongst us (me and Kath) were tearing up due to the sheer Spice Factor and the others won’t even touch it. Heh!
I went for the Beef Ball with bread (RM 15). The presentation for this carnivore staple is great, with mint leaves garnishing the dish. However, it should be noted that the portions at Payung Cafe tends to be on the small side. It’s a little bit too small for a main dish.
There were about 3-4 large beef balls (not the dangling kind, the processed meat) covered with thick tomato based sauce…
…and three (3) minuscule slices of garlic bread accompanying it. I wouldn’t even go so far as to call it bread, it’s more like crumpets.
Colin had the Pork Chop (RM 18) which was also rather conservative in size. Size does matter, okay. It tastes good though, I had a small bite (which took up about 1/4 of the pork chop).
The proprietor was kind enough to serve us complimentary desserts though. He also handed me a pen and paper and asked me for my dubious guidance in naming the dishes. The first one was a baked banana pie sprinkled with powdered sugar. I wrote down Tropical Paradise, Bonkers for Bananas, and Banana Pockets.
The second dessert is a soft custard topped (heaped, more like) by ground peanuts, sultanas and raisins. I could only think of Nuts about Raisins and Tropical Shower. I don’t know if he’s going to end up using my suggestions but it was a fun exercise nevertheless.
The obligatory group photo thus ends this post. I’m the one in white. 😉
Payung Cafe is a quiet alcove nested in a town that has excellent service and great food. The ambiance is soothing as well. They could do with larger portions for the mains but overall, we enjoyed the experience. Cheers!
The Borneo Cultural Festival 2008 has come and gone and the closing ceremony during the weekend was a grand affair, with fireworks and performances to mark the end of the BCF 2008. I have attended the festival for most days of the week and the turnout was great, with the festival being packed full of people despite the drizzle.
This is a performance by TUKU KAME featuring Jerry Kamit during the closing ceremony. They’re also slated to perform at the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) later this week in Kuching.
I haven’t had dinner yet, and thus we went in search for food with Eddy, his nephew, Mary and Mr. Poh (not me). Last call for tuak and all that. 😉
We had pansoh ikan (fish cooked in bamboo)…
…and lemang (glutenous rice wrapped in pandan leaves).
I heard a haunting refrain of The Phantom of the Opera and went to film a video of the performance. You have to watch this – the vocal range of the female singer is amazing!
I also went to Simmy’s booth while I was there and talked to her about photography and models in Sibu for an upcoming project I’m doing. She’s a professional freelance photographer and she has a website with her photography portfolio.
The major hairstylists were out in force at the BCF 2008 with free haircutting sessions. I just got a haircut but went for it anyway just for fun.
She ended up butchering my hair a little, with one side longer than the other but people claim that it’s not very noticeable anyway, having the chubby face that comes with my weight gain.
I’m not very sure what to think of that. Blessing in disguise? Or friendly hints that I need to lose some weight? Hmm… 😉
The BCF 2008 is also about having fun and the carnival games is a place where you can get fleeced into paying RM 100 for a Made in China stuffed toy that costs RM 0.20 and yet have fun while doing it. Fleeced for fun. 😉
There are a lot of different carnival games ranging from bingo…
…to ping pong ball based games.
I managed to get a turtle key chain for my efforts.
“May you have a prosperous and beautiful future”. Wow, thanks turtle! =D
There is also a shooting game that I played in an inebriated state…
…doing the usual stuff people do when they’re less than sober. I love the expression of the guy next to me. 🙂
I find that I’m a little bit annoying (even to myself) when I get past a certain state of sobriety though.
It’s also not a good idea to be going for the dart games in an inebriated state. Look at how far the girl is dodging from my questionable aim. Hmm…I didn’t notice that until now. She memangsiam hui hui.
I managed to win RM 2 after spending RM 25…and I felt pleased. Jesus Christ…
I’m so childish sometimes, I amaze even myself…
Mary, rating higher on the sobriety scale than myself, managed to win two pillows. Hmph…
BCF 2008 is fun for all ages (and especially for the inner child in you). There are cultural shows, fashion shows, and games galore. You can drink yourself into a stupor and shoot less-than-straight photographs of the events (which is quite fun in it’s own right). 😉
I’m not sure if you’ll want to fly all the way here if you’re not from Sarawak, but the timing is good – right before the RWMF 2008 kicks off in Kuching, so drop by if you’re already here. Cheers from Sibu!
STP called me up this morning, awaking me from my slumber, to inform me that bongkersz a.k.a. Bong Chan Siong from KL has arrived. I called Mary up and told her to meet us at Ruby Restaurant to give bongkersz a dose of Sibu hospitality.
bongkersz has been craving for the butter cheese prawns from Ruby Restaurant and STP brought him there to indulge in The Good Stuff (TM). I arrived fashionably early due to my driving skillz (of which my repertoire includes running red lights and driving in excess of the speed limit) and Mary arrived fashionably late due to her being the tau keh nio that she is. 😉
This is STP’s famous ice blended coffee which I didn’t partake in, preferring to go for Heineken instead. Catch sixthseal.com on Wednesday, there’s a surprise in store for football (soccer) fans. 🙂
Mary is probably going to do an XY Chromosome post on bongkersz and we’re having this friendly competition going on, so I dragged the nearest XX Chromosome (which happened to be the waitress) for a photo shoot. 😉
I have been told that my XX Chromosome entries are biased to a certain extent towards people of a similar ethnicity and I’ve addressed that issue in the annals of sixthseal.com – it’s not about racial relations but a more pragmatic reason – there are just more Chinese in Sibu than other races.
I have put this up once and for all to debunk the myth that the XX Chromosome category favors aesthetic looking people from a certain race. It doesn’t. XX Chromosome in sixthseal.com is pro affirmative action. =D
Sushi Tie has opened another new outlet in Wisma Sanyan, Sibu. This sushi juggernaut has established itself as the only Japanese food outlet here that actually manages to thrive and expand from it’s original location to a major mall and having a third outlet in the construction stage.
This outlet maintains the much of the warm and friendly ambiance of the first Sushi Tie but the impact is somewhat lost in such a huge area. The place always looks empty due to the sheer amount of floor space available there.
The seating arrangements has been upgraded with numerous Japanese style sitting pit (don’t know what the proper term for this is) and there are several new items on the menu as well. I went there with my latest conquest, I mean, my dining companion to check out the menu during lunch. 😉
I ordered the new Gindara Set (RM 15.90) for lunch. It came with the standard trimmings – miso soup, the tofu thing, rice and slices of watermelon.
Gindara means silver cod fish in Japanese and it’s a whole fish deep fried in tempura batter and served whole.
My dining (lunching?) companion opted for the Chicken Katsu Don (RM 11.50).
There are other new items on the menu for appetizers. This is the Salmon Salad Sandwich (RM 4.90). We both agreed that it was rather bland (we actually said it sucked but that’s not proper terminology for a food review). 😉
The other one is the Salmon Burger (RM 4.90). This is an interesting fusion of Japanese and Western influences.
It contains a piece of deep fried salmon sandwiched between two layers of vinegar rice with a piece of lettuce with mayonnaise inside and a swirl of 1k island sauce on top. It’s actually pretty good. 🙂
