Soon Fatt Cafe

G told me that this cafe served good Foochow cuisine. So I came to try some items and found myself disappointed, especially by the Zaocai Fengan.

Zaocai Fengan

The soup wasn't sweet enough, not infused with the preserved vegetables; ingredients were minimal - just the noodles, chicken breast, and zaocai. Sigh. No fragrance of red wine evident in the broth; so I asked for some .... and added it into the soup. This is certainly not a good bowl of Zaocai Fengan in my book. 

Kompia with minced pork

This is tasty because it's served hot. So the crisp pastry was really good! The meat filling was generous and tasty, but what I did not like was the bit of starch used to bind the meat together. The filling was starchy, gluey .... and I did not like it like that

I guess I had expected a mind-blowing bowl of Zaocai Fengan ... my expectations were too high, and I ended up being so disappointed. :(

Just Like Old Times

Philip Yancey's seminar was widely anticipated by many churchgoers. I, too, bought a ticket but could not go, but luckily C was going and she redeemed my book for me. She was even kind enough to get it autographed by Philip Yancey himself! 

Wow! My first autographed book! 

W and N, and many of my friends from Miri actually flew in just to attend this seminar. I did manage to catch up with them, some of whom I had not seen since I left Miri. W and N went for breakfast, and it reminded me so much of the good old days in Miri where we used to hang out every weekend. :))

W wanted to go to Ban Hock Road, where she could takeaway her favourite pulut panggang from Lee Coffee Shop. She bought 20 sticks to bring back to Miri. So many!

So we had breakfast at Yang Guan, just a few shops away from Lee Coffee Shop. 

Radish cake

 Laksa

Handmade noodles with pork belly slices

We also shared a pot of bak kut teh, which I found to be quite palatable. I'd eat that next time. The radish cake did not have the taste of radish unlike the ones I was accustomed to at home. Plus, I think they could do with a bit more of preserved radish or cai po as the entire dish was a bit bland. I had the laksa and I found it to be quite good actually. I liked the gravy which was thick and rich, and yet had a good consistency. It was also served very hot, so I liked it. I did not eat the noodles. :)) 

Saw many familiar places when eating around this area. A happening place to eat. :)) 

Lunch @ Foo Cheng Cafe

S gave me a call and said that she was super hungry. She was at Pending, while I was in town. We agreed to meet at Foo Cheng Cafe at Jalan Wan Alwi ....

Stir-fried Glass Vermicelli 

Cangkuk Manis and Wheat Vermicelli Stirfry

 Thai-style Midin 

The 2 noodle dishes were very big portions, and the use of ingredients were also generous. The glass noodles was a bit bland, but the generous ingredients gave the dish lots of texture. The wheat vermicelli dish was tasty too, topped with lots of dried prawn bits. Of the 2 noodle dishes, I preferred the glass noodle over the wheat vermicelli. The vegetables were crunchy, not overcooked .... but I find the chilli dressing a bit too artificial and too sweet. Price is reasonable, the air-con environment provided much comfort from the mid-day heat outside. :)) 

The Raintree Restaurant @ Borneo Convention Centre Kuching

So we saw from the banners hanging on the streets about this home and lifestyle exhibition called Perfect Livin 2015 at BCCK ... we just wanted to browse to get some ideas for doing up our apartments which would only be ready in a few years' time. :P

But of course lunch would be first priority before we visited any booths .... so the Raintree Restaurant was the most natural destination. For the both of us, it was our first time there ....

Bread roll and butter
I quite love the freshly baked poppy seed bread roll .... break open the crust and find it soft and fluffy inside ...

We ordered 2 set lunches ... comprising a main course and also a dessert.

Linguine Carbonara 

Raintree Club Sandwich

Chocolate Cake 

Food wise, I would say that the linguine tasted better than the club sandwich; at least the pasta was served hot, and tasted rich and creamy enough. The sandwich was rather dry ... and had a greasy taste and smell which I did not like .... the chocolate cake was dry too.

Each set meal was RM21.00 nett. We agreed that we wouldn't come back all the way for these ...

As for the exhibition, it was quite fun to browse, though I felt that the choices were still limited. Of all the things that I saw .... I was interested in only a daybed and also a wall laundry rack. :))

Izakaya Sushi @ The Club Lobby Lounge, Riverside Majestic Hotel

Izakaya is a casual drinking hole, somewhat akin to a pub whereby people wind down after a hard's day work. Food is served alongside with drinks. PH bought via Groupon a deal for a Japanese Izakaya Sushi at The Club Lobby Lounge @ Riverside Majestic Hotel. Each of us paid RM44.00 for the deal. The pictures featured in the deal ....... 

The six of us went last Thursday night. 

Lounge Seats

We sat right at the back of the lounge ... 

We went to the food counter and got these ........ 

Eat as much as you can .....

So there was salmon sashimi; 2 other types of fish were available, a few types of nigiri sushi, 3 types of tsunami, and yakitori ... and that was about it

We had our fill of the food ... and soon we were like sated pythons after a satisfying meal. 

Food & Fellowship @ Cafe Cafe Rubber Road, Kuching

We quite enjoyed ourselves tonight, just chatting and enjoying the food spread. It was a great time of fellowship among the few of us. 

Cafe Cafe, Rubber Road

Food was pre-ordered, and I just waited to let myself be surprised by the selection. :))

Potato Tuna salad

Potato and tuna in a sweetish mayonnaise dressing ... and I loved the hardboiled eggs to go with them

Tuna Toast
Not bad.... we enjoyed the generous topping of tuna and melted cheese 

Fried rice

Lol, we thought we were having Western food .... and then came this dish of fried rice. Loved that it has served hot!

Fish Fingers

Very crusty! For those who love the munch the crunch ... 

Pasta

Quite rich and creamy in taste!

And 2 types of chicken .... 

Chicken in soy and vinegar .... 

We loved the tender thigh meat, coated in a sweet, tangy sauce

Baked chicken 

The chicken was marinated with spices .... lemongrass among other things ..... and they were baked till browned ... and the spices tasted bitter .... hmn ... 

I guessed we all enjoyed the mix and match of Asian and Western food .... this is after all an Asian fusion eatery. Please don't mind the photos, for we were eating in the dark. All of us commented about the dim interiors. We would love to see what we were eating. So a bit more light would have been good!

Thanks for organising anyway! Should do this more often. :)) 

Bako Seafood Restaurant

We've been talking about going to Bako for a seafood meal for a long time. Cheap and sumptious, we've been told, the food there was. Somehow, as weeks passed, we were always caught up with work. But finally, last Saturday, we made an effort to drive out.

It was drizzling as we made our way from Kuching. It's actually not too far, a mere 30 minutes drive away via Pending and Sejingkat to the old Bako Bazaar. And it is also here that the jetty is situated. It is from here that one takes a boat to Bako National Park.

The roads here are narrow, packed with cars ... and many locals and tourists strolling about and possibly looking for fresh seafood to buy. Plenty of fish, prawns, cuttlefish, and flower crabs among others.

Bako Seafood Restaurant faces the river, the Bako River.

Bako Riverine Village is across the river ... 

And locals commute to and from their village via little boats like this ....  

Bako Seafood Restaurant looked quite sorry - housed in an old time-worn shophouse. The few tables and plastic chairs looked worn and shabby, not looking like a very conducive place to eat at all. However, people came by the droves, and soon some had to stand to wait for others to vacate.

To avoid the crowd, we went as early as 10.30 a.m. We ordered what we wanted to eat, and waited 30 minutes for our food to arrive. There were only 3 of us .... and we had 5 dishes to share. Suffice to say that we enjoyed the meal very much.

Midin stirfry with red rice wine

Not overcooked, the vegetables were crunchy and the red rice wine gravy was very tasty. Portion wasn't big, though.

Signature tofu

The tofu was tasty as well - a combination of silken tofu and seafood, deep-fried to crispy perfection 

Bamboo clams stirfry with curry sauce
This is the best dish! The clams were really fresh and sweet, and the curry sauce was very yummy - robust yet not overpowering, spicy, aromatic! Absolutely recommended! 

Gong Bao Cuttlefish
This is slightly bland and tasteless; nonetheless we enjoyed the succulent texture and the freshness of the cuttlefish. 

 Our finale : Crabs in spicy and fragrant sauce (香辣蟹)

The crab was small, we ordered 3 pieces; The sauce wasn't that great .... could not compare with the way crabs here at Gui Lin Restaurant were cooked!  

With 3 drinks, we paid RM70.00. We went home happy and satisfied with our meal. Till next time! We intend to come back to try the signature fish beehoon. :))