Dinner @ Meng Chai Yet Again

My cousin J came to Miri, for a business trip, even though she'd swore the last trip that she did not ever want to come back here. Lol.

"I want to eat fish maw," she said to me over the phone. "Let's order a few other dishes as well ...," she added.

Well, lol. She was thinking of fish maw and other goodies, even before she got here! So of course, we ordered the steamed fish fillet with fish maw ...

Here it is ...... again, it did not disappoint. The fresh ingredients, coupled with the umami gravy, delivered a wonderful flavour indeed. 

We ordered clams .... J wanted it in soup, so she was kind of disappointed to see it steamed. Compared to the fish maw dish, the steamed clams were flavoured with a heavier dash of wine. Too strong for J, but I liked it. 

Steamed clams

Most people would grill the squid rings with sambal ... but we wanted ours deep-fried. 

Deep-fried squid or calamari rings

The calamari was coated with crispy batter, and then deep-fried. It was quite yum. I loved the chewy texture of the squids. 

But our favourite of the night was .... 

Grilled sardine

We loved the sweetness of the firm flesh, and when eaten with the mandatory sambal and lime dip, aaarrrhhh .... I could just sigh as I savoured the textures and flavours.

Sambal, with a squeeze of lime

For the vegetable dish, we opted for stir-fried cangkuk manis with egg. 

Stir-fried cangkuk manis with egg ... 

The version here was good ... moist, and redolent with the taste of egg. 

For J, being away from home, her only consolation was to comfort herself with good food. I'm glad she enjoyed the meal. Thanks to her for the treat!