Wei Seng Chicken Rice and double boiled Cantonese soup

wei seng chicken rice

Wei Seng Chicken Rice is a chicken rice shop located at Tabuan Jaya at the food court beside Choice Daily. It also boasts a repertoire of double boiled Cantonese soups in a heating element beside it which the proprietors actively promote.

wei seng soups

The double boiled Cantonese soups (broth) is held in traditional deep ceramic bowls and kept warm in a similar contraption to the double boiling method used to boil the soups. I was told that the soups have been prepared for as long as 24 hours for an authentic slow-boiling Cantonese soup. They have a lot of different soups on offer, ranging from Bitter Gourd soup to Ginseng Chicken soup.

wei seng chicken

I had their chicken rice (shared) with 3 other people and their chicken rice is alright, though not as good as other places like Suan. The rice portion is small, but cheap (a plate of chicken rice costs just RM 0.60, an unheard of price nowadays). The chicken rice itself is good, it’s seasoned well with chicken essence, but the chicken is nothing to write home about.

wei seng ginseng soup

Their double boiled Ginseng Chicken soup (RM 3) tasted good though. It has visible strands of ginseng floating inside and the broth is fairly clear (as all good broth should be). There are several chicken pieces inside and this place seems to subscribe to the less-is-more school of thought as the soup only contains ginseng and chicken.

wei seng ginseng

The Ginseng Chicken soup is a nice complement to the chicken rice – I ended up having two plates of rice. The ingredients in the soup are tender, with an almost melt-in-your-mouth texture to the ginseng. I would recommend this place for their RM 3 double boiled soups as it is hard to come by outside restaurants here. It’s best to go early as the soup seems to sell out really fast.

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Happy Valley Home BBQ

happy valley home bbq

Happy Valley Home BBQ is an eating establishment located just behind
the Happy Valley pub…and just like the name suggests – it’s a
residential house (!).

happy valley home bbq gate

There’s small gate and bridge that leads into Happy Valley Home BBQ.
There’s a sign on the gate that goes “No Outsiders Allowed!”. I’m just
kidding with ya – the sign goes “No outside food allowed”. πŸ˜‰

happy valley home bbq home

The interesting thing about Happy Valley Home BBQ is just
that…it’s a home that’s been converted into an eatery, with all the
coziness that the ambience allows for.

happy valley home bbq special

I started with Happy Valley Special – a drink that comes with all
sorts of Oriental Healthy Stuff (TM) that I can’t identify. It was very
“cooling” though. Jesus, what conformist words I’m using…seriously
though, it’s good. The interesting mix of ingredients makes the drink
sweet and piques the palate’s interest at the same time.

happy valley home bbq curry

This is their Curry Fried Rice, which one of my friends ordered. It
came with savory rice and crackers, in addition to a bowl of curry
chicken with prime cuts inside. It’s good!

happy valley home bbq chicken

Here’s Happy Valley’s implementation of Chicken Chop. I forgot what this one tastes like, my bad.

happy valley home bbq spagetti

I ordered some Spaghetti Bolognese…

happy valley home bbq chef

…and the Chef’s Recommendation of the Day – some mixed grill that
tasted sweet (probably coz of the glazed honey and sesame seed sauce).
It’s good.

happy valley home oxtail

There’s also a complimentary Soup of the Day (Oxtail Soup). Happy Valley BBQ makes a good bowl of Oxtail soup…hearty.

happy_valley_home_bbq_table.jpg

Having a meal at Happy Valley Home BBQ feels like eating at
home…with all the messiness and ambience of home cooking. The bill
came up for RM 60+ for three people, which isn’t too bad, considering
the fare.

Italiano’s Pizza and Pasta review

italianos kuching

Italiano’s Pizza and Pasta is an authentic Italian eating
establishment located at Abell Road in Kuching. The place is owned by
an Italian and it’s been in operation for quite a while, and with a
reputation for authentic Italian food to boot (no pun intended).

italianos interior

The interior of the place is nicely done, there is a lot of wood
based furniture and a large replica of the outline of Italy strung
together with cloth with the colors of the Italian flag on the ceiling.

italianos napkin

Italiano’s has a set lunch promotion going on for RM 9.90, with a
choice of four different main dishes. I went there for lunch just now
with my co-workers Penny and Mancy. We each ordered a different main so
we could try the different variations.

italianos waitress

The person in charge of our table was friendly and attentive – the
service at Italiano’s Pizza and Pasta is great, and the waitress was
kind enough to accommodate unusual requests like customers asking to
take photos of her. πŸ˜‰

italianos soup

The meal started with the soup of the day – it’s a tomato based
creamy soup, with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower,
carrots and various other ingredients. It’s a hearty soup, nice and
filling.

italianos pizza

This is one of the mains that we ordered. Pizza Margherita
is described as “pizza bread baked with tomato sauce and cheese”. It
has a thin base and is unlike the topping piled American style pizzas.
This is a more authentic Italian pizza with just tomato sauce, cheese
and herbs. It’s great – I give this two thumbs up!

italianos risotto

The second main dish that we shared is Risotto Francheska
which the menu bills as “Italiano’s style tomato rice cooked with
tomato sauce and vegetables”. I liked this dish as well; the risotto is
rich and creamy, with a lingering aftertaste.

italianos pene

The last main that we ordered is Pene Arabiata,
which is “short tube pasta cooked with tomato, dry chilly, olives, and
garlic in tomato sauce”. This is a spicy dish, and that always scores
points with me. It tastes good and it’s always fun to stab penne rigate
with a fork. πŸ˜‰

italianos mirela

I wanted to order tiramisu, unfortunately Italiano’s were out, so
Mirela recommended another dessert. At least, that’s how I remember the
spelling as she enunciated it out for me. She’s not from Italy, as I
assumed, but is of Bosnian origin. She’s really friendly, and has this
fragile beauty about her…but I digress, we should be talking about
food.

italianos pudding

This is the pudding type dessert that Mirela (pronounced MIER-la)
recommended. I don’t know what it’s made of, but it’s very creamy, with
a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a sweet aftertaste. It’s has cherry
sauce and chocolate drizzled over it, but it’s not cloyingly sweet, it
manages to allow the creamy taste to dominate the pudding. It’s
wonderful.

Italiano’s Pizza and Pasta comes highly recommended from me. The
food is good, the ambience is warm, and the service is great. You can’t
go wrong with Italiano’s if you’re looking for authentic Italian food
in Kuching.

Li Garden Chinese Restaurant

li garden chinese restaurant

Li Garden Chinese Restaurant is located in Hock Lee Center. It’s one
of the premier Chinese restaurants in Kuching. I have also been to the
recently renovated Tsui Hua Lau restaurant, but unfortunately, I didn’t
bring my digicam coz I thought it was just going to be our weekly
meeting. A slightly similar, but different, fate befell me yesterday at
Li Garden Chinese restaurant. I didn’t take as many photos as I wanted
to, coz it was a company dinner to accommodate a guest from Taiwan. I
didn’t think it would be polite. πŸ˜‰ Hello JP!

li garden interior

Li Garden Chinese restaurant was pretty full when we got there last
night. It’s a nice place, with sealed off rooms for banquets. The decor
is not as extravagant as the newly redecorated Tsui Hua Lau though, I
didn’t see sharks swimming in large tanks. Heh!

li garden soup

The course started with soup double boiled in a classic soup holder.
It’s made with thinly chicken stomach (gizzard), a yellow date-type
thing and pepper. The double boiling method makes the soup very rich
and invigorating. The heavy pepper flavored soup is hearty and the meat
is nicely tender and chewy.

li garden peking duck

Li Garden Chinese Restaurant is famous for it’s Peking Duck. It’s
the only establishment in Kuching where they actually bring out the
whole duck on a cart and the chef expertly slices off the skin of the
Peking Duck in front of you.

li garden peking skin

I was surprised at the skilled manipulation of the chef, that
harvested all the Peking Duck skin (the part which you eat), leaving
only a juicy naked duck, white and steaming hot, on the platter, which
is then wheeled away. You don’t eat the meat of this dish, just the
skin.

li garden peking platter

Here’s what Li Garden’s Peking Duck looks like. The large platter is
served with the skin of Peking Duck, freshly sliced off the duck. It’s
served with folded round pastry, spring onions and cucumbers, and the
Peking Duck sauce.

li garden peking wrap

Basically, you take one of the folded pieces of pastry, unfold it to
reveal a round, flour dusted pastry and put a piece of Peking Duck skin
on it, with spring onions, cucumbers and sauce to taste. The pastry is
then folded like a taco and you bite into it. I love the texture of Li
Garden’s Peking Duck. The flavors are complex and heavily infused into
the crispy, yet surprisingly chewy, Peking duck skin. Divine!

li garden prawn

Next up is a plate of very nicely done deep fried butter prawns.
There’s plenty of “butter shavings” (i.e. the fried butter batter) to
complement the large prawns. The prawns are crispy and partly peeled,
with just the right amount of crunchy shell for that extra Oomph.

li garden 3 egg

There’s also a green vegetable based dish cooked duck meat and three types of
eggs – salted eggs, century eggs and normal eggs. The normal eggs are
scattered into a nice mess and the salted eggs and century eggs are
partly whole. I enjoyed this unique presentation to a simple vegetable
dish. This is where the meat from your Peking Duck goes.

li garden cabbage

The next course comes in two dishes – the main dish and a plate
containing the cabbage wrap. The main dish is a meat based one with
chai bo and it’s meant to be heaped into the cups of cabbage wrap and
eaten like that.

li garden fish

The final dish is a medallion of fish on top of rice vermicelli
cooked with various savories. It’s served on top of a large mussel
shell. I also enjoyed this dish tremendously. The fish the good part
that has the right mix of oil for a good mouth-feel and slippery and
smooth fish. Nice!

Li Garden Chinese Restaurant is a great place for a Chinese style
dinner. I’ll love to go for the Peking Duck again, but I have an
uncomfortable feeling that I won’t be able to afford it. πŸ˜‰

Life Cafe review

life cafe

Life Cafe is a little quaint place hidden along a narrow street. The
place exudes a charming old ambience, with its wooden chairs and
constructs, the sliding doors, and the intentional ancient decorations.

life interior

The interior is air conditioned, with minimal incandescent lighting.
There’s a narrow brick walled enclave to the side and normal sitting
arrangements on the other side. The place makes you feel like you’ve
stepped into some old-fashioned place out of time.

life tatami

There’s also a private dining area at the back, which is walled off
from the main area. This tatami style section is raised, with a short
table and mats, cushions and futons for sitting. Basically, you sit on
the floor and the table clearance doesn’t leave much room for your
legs, but it’s comfy.

life pie

The waitress recommended a range of pies that were freshly baked.
She assured us that it was good, and my coworker, who’s been here
before, agreed. We went for the chicken pie.

life chicken pie

It’s good, the pastry is crispy and the meat filling is just nice.

life coffee ice cream

I was recommended their Life Ice Cream Coffee. It’s coffee, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to replace the ice cubes.

life herb egg

I ordered a boiled herbal egg for starters. It’s served whole and un-cracked, in a saucer of soy sauce.

life herbal egg

The herbal egg tasted of herbs, and is colored green, even the yolk. It was alright to me.

life lamb rice

I went for the Life Mutton Spiced Rice for the main. The mutton is nice and tender, great dish.

life lamb noodles

My coworker had Life Mutton Spiced Noodles. It tasted about the same
but the noodles are infused with something I can’t put my finger on.
It’s good.

life croc soup

Life Cafe also has an unusual specialty – Crocodile meat soup with
red dates and ginseng. It’s RM 12 for a bowl, which we shared, and the
soup is boiled to perfection, with the ginseng flavor shining through
brightly.

life croc meat

The crocodile meat was good too. The boiling process made it tender
and it tasted strange, but nice. Kuching has a crocodile farm which
rears crocodiles and sells the meat to various food establishments here
and I believe it’s exported as well.

Life Cafe is a good place to have a quiet lunch – grab the tatami
style seats at the back if they’re not taken. It’s the best spot in the
place. πŸ™‚

Hot Pot Herbs & Spices Mutton Soup

hot pot herbs and spices mutton soup

This is Hot Pot Herbs & Spices Mutton Soup, the newly opened
outlet which caught my attention when I went past during lunch hour.
It’s located in front of Ang Cheng Ho and the signage can be easily
seen while driving down Jalan Padungan. I decided to drop by and sample
their mutton soup just because I liked the sign board so much.

hot pot vivid

This is the very vivid mascot (of sorts) of the place. It’s a
harmless little sheep in a bathtub. The imagery couldn’t be more
gruesome – the sheep is not enjoying a luxurious hot bath, as its
shower cap would lead you to believe…it’s being boiled alive! You
killed it when you ordered your soup! Yes kids, mutton comes from
sheep, not your local butcher. πŸ˜‰

hot pot counter

The counter of this eating establishment is adorned with sample
dishes from their menu offerings. I opted for their specialty – the
Herbs & Spices Mutton Soup at RM 8. I must also mention that this
establishment gets two thumbs up for being photographer friendly. The
proprietor (photo above) jokingly asked for a copy of the prints since
she noticed me taking photos of everything. πŸ™‚

hot pot clean

Back to the ambience, the place was full of the typical crowd of 9-5
workers (except I’m 8 am – 5 pm), it’s common for newly established
outlets to be packed with people wanting to try the latest and
greatest. The seating arrangements consist of mostly 6 person glass
tables, and they were thoughtful enough to leave a Kimberly-Clark
tissue dispenser and a glass ashtray on every table. You won’t be
seeing any unsightly metal flimsy ashtrays or tissue boxes over here.

hot pot meal drink

It’s worthy to note that they do not serve conventional drinks, only
“natural drinks” which includes things like red bean drink, green bean
drink, barley drink and the like. I opted for the barley. The food
turnaround was very slow, but that’s because they cook every single pot
individually as can be seen in the open kitchen. I estimate it took
about 30 minutes for mine to arrive.

hot pot herbs spices mutton soup

The soup can only be described with a single word – divine! It is
spicy and hot and very substantial. This isn’t watered down
broth…it’s (very) hearty soup! I can only imagine about what goes
into the hot pot but I could detect a plethora of different spice
notes, and all of them good. The mutton was generous, there’s much more
mutton than can be seen from the photo, the dish is well worth the RM 8
and it comes with rice. There is a variety of different cuts in the
pot, so if there’s one you particularly favor, it’s likely to be in
there.

hot pot mutton rice

Hot Pot Herbs & Spices Mutton Soup. i’m lovin’ it.

New Zealand Herbal Lamb Soup

new zealand herbal lamb soup

I went on a site visit today to Choice Deli (Tabuan Laru) and
noticed this particular product on offer…NZ Herbal Lamb Soup. It’s
the plastic containers flanking the bottom left of this photo.

nz herbal lamb soup

It retails for RM 5.00 per plastic takeaway bowl and it certainly
looks tasty from the photo. However, they didn’t have a spoon (and
neither have I, there is no spoon) so I had to pass this one by.

It was only later that I realized…I could just have drunk the soup
and then picked up the meat with my fingers and eat that. Doh!

I shall return, herbal lamb soup…

…and when I do, you’ll be like…er, lamb to the slaughter

or something. πŸ˜‰

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