N.E.S.W. - East (Kuching, Day 2, Part 4)

Date: 30 October - 1 November 2009, Friday - Sunday
Venue: Kuching, Sarawak
Occasion: Weekend get-away with 2 high school friends


Alas! Here's the last part of the Kuching trip (Day 2). I know, I know, this post has been delayed for half a month *sigh* Time really flies....

Here's to share what you could do & see in Kuching city. All you need is your "bus #11" a.k.a. feet to walk around the whole of Kuching city :)

Carpenter's Street a.k.a. Kuching's Chinatown
Basically, all you can find here are old shophouses, mostly in the carpentry or furniture line (as its name speaks). One of the best Mee Kolo in Kuching city is also found here!

General Post Office, Jalan Haji Abang Openg
One of the older buildings in the city, this building, built in 1931, stands magnificent in the heart of Kuching city. It still functions as a post office 'til today :)

Kuching's Textile Museum, Jalan Haji Abang Openg
Formally known as "The Pavillion", the museum's architecture is a mixture of the English Renaissance and English Colonial. Constructed in 1907 as a medical centre, it later became the headquarters of the Education Department before it was converted into the Textile Museum. It houses and displays authentic local textiles and costumes made by the ethnic community of Sarawak. Admission is free.

Inside the Textile Museum

Kain Songket displayed

Traditional costumes & materials used for making traditional costumes

St Thomas Cathedral, McDougall Road
This Anglican church was founded on 25th August 1849 by Revd. Francis Thomas McDougall, priest and doctor (who later became the first Bishop of the Diocese). More of the church's history can be found here.

Large "Kekabu Tree" in Padang Merdeka, McDougall Road
I was just fascinated with such a tall tree right in the middle of town :P This tree could be easily more than 100 years old! Mighty tree....me like! Read more about it here.
Natural History Museum
We didn't visit this place, but it was around the area of Sarawak's museums. There were at least 4 museums in this area! Admission is free.

Art Museum
Yet another museum that we didn't enter. I reckon it would be interesting to visit this place. Admission is free.

Ethnology Museum
You'll find all sorts of ethnic-related items in this museums; from animals, to buildings, natural resources of Sarawak, & even Sarawak's culture. Admission is free.

Seashell display
Some of the seashells can only be found in the deep sea area of Sarawak. You'll come across some really unique seashells that'll make you go "oooh" & "aahh".

Happy Theng beside a seashell-adorned pillar

Ling beside some whale's skeleton

Another whale's skeleton

Outside Kuching's New Museum
I found this very interesting....just some soil & broken plates/ceramic!

Tun Abdul Razak Hall/New Museum
Nothing much in there....at least not that I did notice :) Admission is free.

Sarawak's Chinese Museum, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman
Right in the middle of town is this small museum (Kuching surely has SO many museums!) that displays items & information of the Chinese community in Sarawak. It's quite interesting to know which dialect of the Chinese descent arrived in Kuching first ;) Admission is free.

In Santubong
We were supposed to go for the Irrawaddy Dolphin Cruise, but it was raining cats & dogs :( Too bad, really. In the end, we were sent back to our hotel *sigh* We really wanted to see the dolphins!

End of Day 2
Here's how I look at the end of the day...the top hand is Ling's, the middle foot is mine, while the bottom left hand is also mine...check out the contrast! I was SOOOOOO burnt :S Beyond recognition! *lol*

It was a really activity-packed day for us...I was tired, burnt, & exhausted (after all the walking!!). Our final day, Day 3, was yet another walk-a-lot day..."nasiblah tak sewa keta" (too bad since we didn't rent a car)...hahahaha...


- Ruth

N.E.S.W. -East (Kuching, Day 2, Part 3)

Date: 30 October - 1 November 2009, Friday - Sunday
Venue: Kuching, Sarawak
Occasion: Weekend get-away with 2 high school friends

Apologies for yet more delay. I haven't had the time to blog as I was busy with office work & the Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP) camp is coming up in a few weeks time! I'm the YLDP 2009 Chairperson & there's just so much to be done! *get anxious* It'll take me some time before I could get the next post out....really sorry, my faithful readers... :(

Anyways, this post shall be on Fort Margherita, one of the few must-visit historical sites while you're in Kuching. We took the sampan/small boat across the river to the fort. From the little jetty opposite the Hilton Hotel to the other side of the river, the sampan ride costs RM0.50. Upon getting down from the sampan, walk through the village & you'll come to Fort Margherita. It's not that difficult to find your way there. There are signboards leading you to the fort :)

Stall at the village selling local & western food at night

There's even a tuition centre in the village :D

Road towards the fort

You'll have to walk up a narrow & slightly steep pathway to the fort

In the middle of the village/"jungle", you'll see a school, right before the fort

We even saw a horse grazing in the village on the way to Fort Margherita!! *gasp in excitement*

Can't miss the DUN Building again...it's the nicest-looking building in Kuching :P

Finally at the Fort Margherita! :D
The fort looks like a white castle. The structure is still pretty much solid & stable, & there isn't any eery or spooky feeling when we entered into the fort.

Inside the fort

One of the observatory decks at the fort

Near the 'death chamber'

Beside the 'death/torture chamber'

Ling said she looks like Mr Skull

Canons - Anyone wants to get blown up?

One of the entrances of the fort

Tombstone in memory of James Brooke's wives

Stairway to the top of a tower at Fort Margherita

One of the many rooms at the tower

At the top of the tower

Somehow, I just liked the formation of the leaves on this tree :P

Boat trip back to town
I was burning hot & red! Just check out the photo...sunburnt!! *wergh* Half a day passed with just the boat ride & exploration around the Astana & Fort Margherita areas. Fuh...more to come!

Do stay tuned with PerutBesi! I really have so much more to share with all of you, but time is really very tight for me *sigh*


- Ruth

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Find out more: PerutBesi's Archive


- Ruth

N.E.S.W. - East (Kuching, Day 2, Part 2)

Date: 30 October - 1 November 2009, Friday - Sunday
Venue: Kuching, Sarawak
Occasion: Weekend get-away with 2 high school friends


Finally!! *ergh* breathes* I'm taking SUCH a long time to process these couple of posts...work consumed more than 3/4 of the day already, & by the time I get back, I'm either too tired to bother 'bout the blog or I really needed to get other more important things done. *sigh* I feel like some clown juggling the responsibilities in my life! :S

In less than a month to come, I'll be at the national-level youth leadership camp organized by TRAC. Time really flies. I have a list of things to get done before the major camp...apart from work, that is :P I'm in the camp committee, & I'm in charge of the Fun Night, as well as the team building groupings & I'm also taking up one of the Level 2's session....*lol* I'm gonna go even more bonkers soon...

Anyways, here's Part 2 of Day 2 in Kuching :) It'll take you on a journey by water through the city of Kuching. In this post, you'll see that we only stopped at the Astana for some photo shoots, after which, we traveled to the Fort Margherita in the next post :) Enjoy!! (as usual, less words more photos yeah?)

Cat Statue 2 in the middle of the city, right in front of Riverside Majestic

Riverside Majestic Hotel
I felt that this was one of the nicer looking hotels :) However, the smell that you get around the hotel area ain't that pleasant....the river doesn't smell very nice :S

Santubong River @ Kuching Waterfront
Ling & I on the sampan/small wooden boat ride on the Santubong River. We decided to give the sampan ride a go instead of taking the taxi/bus. It was relaxing & very fun, especially for city girls like us :) It's much cheaper too if you're just taking the sampan to get across the river; it's only RM0.50 to cross the river.

The Boatman
The pakcik/uncle suggested that we "tour" the city by water, so we gave it the "green light" since we've never really done such a thing before. He took us from one end of the waterfront to the end of the waterfront, which is around 1.5km stretch & back. He even made a stop for us at the Astana to take some photos, after which he dropped us off at the jetty to Fort Margherita. Total? Hahaha....from a RM0.50 ride, we paid RM10.00/person. Ok-lar, MUCH cheaper than those silly "River Cruise" on some air-conditioned medium-sized ship. Plus, we get to see the city from a different point of view ;)

Old grandpa getting off the sampan
Villagers from across the river get to Kuching city centre by sampan. Even old uncles like this one had no other choice but to get onto a wobbly wooden boat & off the boat back to his village! *fuh*

Majestic Building
One of the most stunning-looking piece of architecture is this building - the Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Sarawak a.k.a. Sarawak's State Legislative Assembly building. Out of all the buildings in Kuching city, this was the one & only that caught our attention from afar. If there were more powerful lights at night, this building would look really beautiful. It's located on the opposite side of the river & is a RM0.50 sampan-ride from the Kuching Waterfront (the other way by land is slightly further). It's still new & not 100% completed. According to the boatman, only the exterior is completed, while the interior is still work in progress.

The Astana
This is the royal palace of the Sarawak's Head of State. It was built in 1870 by Charles Brooke as a bridal gift to his wife Margaret.

Theng, me, & Ling on the sampan
This is one of the few photos taken together :)

Scenery of Kuching city from the river
State Mosque Kuching North Council (DBKU) far ahead
The boatman told us that it's the "masjid negeri", but thanks to my colleague, Kiew, he corrected me & told me that it's the DBKU, not the State Mosque =.=" (I was conned into believing that it's the State Mosque). He also added that this place is also where the Cat Museum is located!

City's Mosque

Villages near the river

One of the old dockyards, Brooke Dockyard

At the Astana

View of the DUN Building right in front of the Astana

Waiting for the boatman after our photo shoot at the Astana

Theng & I on the sampan after our visit to the Astana

It was a really, really hot & sunny day, but the weather was good for a humble sampan ride :) Our next stop is Fort Margherita! Stay tuned ;)


- Ruth

N.E.S.W. - East (Kuching, Day 2, Part 1)

Date: 30 October - 1 November 2009, Friday - Sunday
Venue: Kuching, Sarawak
Occasion: Weekend get-away with 2 high school friends
Halal: No (for breakfast & lunch) & Yes (for dinner)

There are just too many photos taken on Day 2 in Kuching! *lol* I've decided to share Day 2 with my readers in 4 parts.

Part 1 - Food information i.e. where to eat, what to eat, & how to get there
Part 2, 3, & 4 - Travel information i.e. places of interest, activities, etc.

******
So, here's Part 1! *woots!*

Breakfast was at Chong Choon Cafe, Jalan Abbel. We woke up a 'lil earlier to ensure that by the time we get to the coffeeshop, there will still be food sold. We were told by friends & bloggers to get there early, but it's a Saturday! Girls like us won't want to wake up too early on a Saturday just for some good breakfast....(unless it's a MUST EAT).

We walked to Chong Choon from Tune Hotel. It took us roughly 10-15minutes to get there by foot. It's quite easily located. Once you're on Jalan Abbel, you'll see Maybank on your left & Chong Choon is somewhere further down, opposite. You can't miss it ;)

Note: Make sure you don't get there too late. The place is usually packed & we had to wait for a table!

Sarawak Laksa (RM3.50/small bowl)
Yums! I kinda enjoyed this laksa, although it's my first time having it :) I can't make a comparison since it's my first, but I'll give it 4 stars out of 5 for its taste :D It's very different from the usual curry laksa/asam laksa in the Kuala Lumpur. The soup is like a cross between curry powder + prawn noodle's soup, & the bee hoon is slightly more coarse, so it doesn't soak up the soup so quickly. Nice.

Mee Jawa Special (RM4.00/small plate)
Mee Jawa special = Mee Jawa + 4 sticks of satay (3 chicken, 1 beef)
We ordered this to share cos I saw many people enjoying it. But it's just too different from the ones in KL for my personal liking. I don't like the thick, gooey sauce; it tasted very starchy. I much prefer the "potato filled-slightly spicy mee Jawa sauce with a tinge of sour taste from lime juice". Somehow, satay + mee Jawa is a strange combination to me...hahaha...the satay is also very different. It's practically just a slice of marinated chicken breast meat on a stick! There's no piece of skin/fat, & the satay was so flat....those that we get in KL are "full & thickly wrapped around the stick", not some flat piece of meat on the stick :P Oh well, this is just a personal preference ;) Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Teh C-Ping (RM1.80/glass)
Kuching is said to be famous for their teh c-ping a.k.a. Iced Tea with Evaporated Milk. You may be wondering, why is it so special in Kuching? Just check out the looks of it: 3 layers. That's what so special...they mix it in a way that the tea & milk looks separated upon serving. This drink is basically tea + sugar + evaporated milk. It is unlike its 'sibling', the teh ping, whereby sweet condensed milk is added to the tea. Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Map to Chong Choon coffeeshop

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Chong Choon Cafe
Jalan Abbel
93100 Kuching
Sarawak.
Tel: (+6012) 8571 811
Business Hours: 6:30 am - 12:00 pm


Lunch was at Yang Chun Tai Cafe, opposite a Chinese temple, in the middle of Carpenter Street. Once again, we walked over...hahaha...we actually spent the morning after breakfast on a simple "river cruise" (you'll find out more from the next 2 blog posts, coming up soon) 'til lunch hour. You'll find out in the upcoming posts that our main mode of transportation apart from foot is the "sampan"/small wooden boat :D

From our 'drop-off' at Jalan Bazaar, we walked to Carpenter Street. It's not too far away; you'll take roughly 10minutes by foot. Along the way to Carpenter Street, you'll pass by some museums & the main post office.

Carpenter Street is Kuching's "China Town". On both sides of the road, you'll see very old shops & of course, many carpenter/furniture shops! All through the street, you'll find many coffeeshops & food places, but smacked right in the middle of Carpenter Street is Yang Chun Tai Cafe. It's well-known among the locals & some tourists for their mouth-watering kolo mee & fish balls.

Yang Chun Tai Cafe
If you don't read Chinese, you will most probably not know this is the cafe that I'm talking about. The only indication is the temple directly opposite the coffeeshop & the large banners in front of the shop, which I believe is used as blinds :D The interior of the coffeeshop is very humid. Air-ventilation is certainly not good, but for the sake of good food, you'll just have to bear with the heat.

Kolo Mee Stall
Most people in Kuching speak Mandarin or Hokkien. I'm sure for tourists sake, they will understand English :)

Kolo Mee (RM3.50/small bowl)
I thought the serving was very generous! I can't even finish my bowl of noodles & needed Theng to help me finish it up. The barbecued pork/"char siew" wasn't excellent, but somehow the entire noodle dish just tasted nice :) I reckon it's because of the load of pork contained in the noodles! Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Fish Ball Noodles Stall
This stall offers a variety of fish balls & fish paste items. It's almost like the Yong Tau Foo. They also sell pork satay for RM0.50/stick, but at the time we went, it's not ready yet. It's only ready around 2p.m.

Assorted Fish Balls/Fish Paste Items (RM5.00 for the variety we chose ourselves)
I am not a fish ball fan, but I can confidently say that this is good. The texture of the fish ball is bouncy, yet firm (unlike those commercial ones with so much Boric acid that it could hit the ceiling when it bounces). I enjoyed the fish balls, beancurd stuffed with fish paste, & the fried fish balls :) The soup's not too bad as well, but I didn't get to finish it up as I was too full. Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Iced "Loh Hong Kor" drink (RM1.50/glass)
On a really hot day, this herbal tea is very refreshing...

Map to Yang Chun Tai Cafe

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Yang Chun Tai
Carpenter Street
93100 Kuching
Sarawak.


Finally, dinner was at Tom's, a Western cuisine restaurant on Jalan Padungan. This was a recommendation from a friend who works in Kuching as a doctor. Unfortunately, he was on-call that day, so we didn't get to meet up with him for a meal. This place is highly recommended although the price is slightly on the higher end. Oh yes, the price range is also quite wide. You can have a lovely & satisfying 2 course meal for less than RM25.00, to a lavish 4 course meal that comes up to more than RM100.00.

Tom's at Jalan Padungan

Cutlery at Tom's
As you would have noticed, this place is quite dim & lighting is certainly insufficient for good photos to be taken.

Mushroom Salad (RM18.50/serving)
Paying RM18 for a salad certainly sounds absurd, especially when you can DIY at home. But I reckon that's the price you pay at restaurant, even at places like Itallianies (maybe more). I enjoyed this salad SO much that I could just have this for dinner & it could make me very happy.

What can you find in this mushroom salad? Generous serving of assorted mushrooms - golden, straw, button, & oyster mushrooms + green & red salad leaves, shredded carrots, & some slices of cucumbers & tomatoes. The dressing was excellent in taste. It's very simple, if I'm not wrong, there's lemon juice, some crushed black pepper, herbs, sugar, & salt. There could be more, perhaps my 2 friends could help me out here...I was just digging in with glee! :D No regrets. Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Salmon Skin Salad (RM19.00/serving)
This was interesting. I've never had this before, but because I just love mushrooms, I didn't order this "'new' type of salad in my little world". The salmon skin was sliced into strips & it's crispy. The fishy smell is not very evident, but you could still taste the salmon through its skin. Apart from that, the salad is the same as the mushroom salad, just without the mushrooms ;) Unique. Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Spinny Lobster Anglio Olio (RM18.50/serving)
This tasted quite Malaysian! Hahaha...it reminded me of the Ranjit's pasta at Leornado's. Angel's hair pasta served in anglio olio style with chili flakes, salt, crushed black pepper, herbs, finely chopped garlic & without doubts, lobster chunks! *drool* The only reason why I ordered this dish was because I wanted some pasta & I thought lobster pastas don't come very easily (at such a price!). Hmm...no regrets as well although I felt it was a tad too salty to my liking. Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

Australian Lamb Chop (RM39.00/serving)
Just looking at it brought me to near tears....*looks at pasta, looks at lamb, looks at pasta, looks at lamb....eats pasta without regrets* Theng said it was good, & so it was! Tender lamb chops, nicely flavoured. The broccoli & vegetables are also well done - not over-cooked, not raw. Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Rump Steak (RM38.00/serving)
Another dish that brought me to near tears *stares awhile, snaps a photo or 2 of the steak, gets back to the pasta* The meat was a little tougher than I thought, but the flavour was just nice. I like the presentation of the dish...colourful & appetizing!! *can't stop drooling* Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (cos of the texture)

Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake (RM10.50/slice)
Not too sweet, soft yet firm cake texture, & filled with strawberry fragrance with every mouthful. Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Dessert: Apple Crumble (RM7.50/serving)
Wow. Check out the size of the scoop of ice cream! Generous *gives extra points* The apple crumble didn't have oats in it, to Ling's delight. It was served warm, 'crumbly', crispy-ish, & the apple mixture tastes lovely, especially when eaten together with the vanilla ice cream! Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Ling with her Lavilla Red Wine (RM16.50/glass)
It's actually not very expensive for a glass of red wine. Ling said it tastes okay. It's not very smooth though...

Theng enjoying her Irish Cream Latte (RM8.90/glass)
It was so addictive that she had 2 glasses, while Ling ordered one glass for herself as well!

Map to Tom's

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Tom's
(Thomas Yii, Proprietor & Head Chef)
82, Jalan Padungan
93100 Kuching
Sarawak.
Tel: (+082) 247672
Cake reservations/Enquiries: (+016) 8603 133 or (+082) 247672
Business Hours: Monday - Saturday, 11:30a.m. - 11:00p.m. Close on Sundays.


Ratings:
Presentation: * * * *
Price: * * *
Environment: * * * 1/2
Taste: * * * 1/2
Service: * * * 1/2


Overall:

At the end of the day, we were all SO satisfied & could sleep happy...the amount of food that we took in wasn't TOO much, but feels a lot...hahaha...it was a great "makan" day! It's indeed a "jalan-jalan cari makan" time for us! ;)

Stay tuned with PerutBesi for more updates on the Kuching trip!



- Ruth

N.E.S.W. - East (Kuching, Day 1)

Date: 30 October - 1 November 2009, Friday - Sunday
Venue: Kuching, Sarawak
Occasion: Weekend get-away with 2 high school friends

There are just too many photos to be shared with all of you! In total, we took 350 photos in 3 days! It's a lot of photos to me...if I own a DSLR, I reckon there would be more photos to be processed!

What I'm gonna do is just to share with you the places we have visited as well as the food places to look out for when you're in Kuching city :) Oh yeah, one thing to take note, we didn't get out of Kuching city & all we did during the 3 days was to explore Kuching city on foot! It was supposed to just be a time of bonding & catching up after all ;)

Ling & Theng on the Air Asia flight to Kuching

Lovely weather in Kuching when we arrived

On the Tune Hotel van from Kuching International Airport to the hotel (RM8.00/way)
This is the cheapest way to Kuching city from the airport, if you're not traveling in a large group. If you have more than 4 person, I reckon the airport taxi would be slightly cheaper, RM26.00/taxi.

Our room in Tune Hotel, Kuching
We opted for Tune as we were on a budget weekend-getaway. For 2 weekend nights, we paid only RM100.92 for a room with air conditioner, shower heater, & a queen-sized bed. Not too bad ;) Especially when the cost is split among 3 persons! :D

The bed
It was comfortable enough for a budget hotel. The view wasn't any good, but at least it has windows! The room that I had in Tune, Kota Kinabalu didn't have windows....I couldn't even tell the difference from day to night!

The bathroom
As you can see, it's quite clean :) The power-shower comes with a heater & you basically have all that you need. We were slightly unlucky as one of the pipes in our bathroom was leaking, so our bathroom got somewhat damp all the time *sigh*

The doorway in the room
Once you enter the room, the bathroom is on your immediate left & the bed comes after that...

As soon as we were done unpacking, we made our first "makan" trip in town. Ling had a friend's cousin who hails from Kuching & he recommended us some food places. We ended up at one of his recommended places, but it was a disappointment. Food wasn't to our satisfaction :(

Hong Kong Noodle House, Jalan Padungan
Our 1st meal in Kuching. Almost every coffeeshop was closed by the time we wanted to have our lunch, so this was our 'best' bet. It was walking distance from Tune hotel & is located opposite Bing! cafe.

Roast Duck Noodles (RM5.50/plate)
The roast duck skin wasn't crispy & has red coloring added to enhance its color. The duck meat was not too bad in texture & taste, and there was nothing to shout about for the noodles. Not a "wow-yummy!" lunch :(

BBQ Pork Noodles (RM4.50/plate)
The waitress claims that this is the Sarawak's Mee Kolo. We were quite skeptical at first, but we thought we would just give it a try. Points: 2 out of 5. The BBQ pork wasn't juicy & tasty as we hoped it to be *cries in disappointment*

Stir-Fried "Sayur Manis" with Egg (RM4.00/small plate)
This is the typical veggie that you can find in a bowl of 'pan mee'. I didn't enjoy this dish as much as I did when I was in Sabah. We felt that the oil was reused a little too many times that it has a stale smell & taste :S The dish was also a tad oily.

Tomato Sauce Bee Hoon (RM4.00/plate)
I thought I would try this dish out as I really miss my grandpa's signature ketchup bee hoon. I reckon I could cook a better tasting ketchup bee hoon than this one....hahaha...okay, my comments on this restaurant is really not very encouraging :P 'Nuf said.

Map to Hong Kong Noodle House, Jalan Padungan

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Ratings:
Presentation: * * *
Price: * * *
Environment: * * *
Taste: * *
Service: * * 1/2


Overall





After lunch, we walked around the city to get our supply of water & tidbits. Unlike KK in Sabah, Kuching's supermarkets are dominated by this company called Everrise. Prices of items & food in Kuching aren't that cheap either. It felt very much like Kuala Lumpur! The lifestyle here in Kuching is surely slower as compared to KL.

It was drizzling when we finished our late lunch, so we didn't really do much walking around. As soon as we got our essentials, we went back to the hotel to chill 'til dinner time. The weather kinda dampened our spirits. It was raining every evening around 4p.m. onwards while we were in Kuching! *sobs*

Unfamiliar tidbits for a PJian
Theng was fascinated by the types of junkfood that she hardly finds over in KL. Soft shell crab Pringles, anyone? I didn't like it though...hahaha...it was too salty & has a 'fake seafood' taste...

Bonding time with each other

Perhaps I'm just a 'plain Jane' that going out for a meal won't take me too long to get ready. For these 2 friends of mine, it's the opposite...hahaha...each time we wanted to get out of the hotel, they will surely put on some cream, make-up, & whatever nots... they claim that without some 'color', they look sickly & pale....right....I'm not into such things yet :P

Ling & Theng getting ready for dinner (not a grand dinner :D)

Dinner: ABC Seafood @ Topspot Seafood Centre
I read from either someone's blog or some recommendation from friends that this is one of the places in city that I shouldn't miss, so I gave it a try. Satisfied :) Topspot Seafood Centre is located on top of a multi-storey green-colored carpark building, right behind the Standard Chartered bank building & beside the Tun Jugah Shopping Complex, plus it is walking distance from The Hilton Hotel & Tune Hotel! It's quite easily located.

Theng & I before our dinner spread was served
It's like a food court here! Every stall serves seafood *woots* I read that this seafood 'stall/restaurant' is quite good & there was one, Ling Loong Seafood that I should avoid as the customer service isn't very friendly. Hmm...not too sure if what I read 'bout Ling Loong Seafood is true...

ABC Seafood Restaurant's Deco
I find the 'deco' quite interesting :P Very neat, colorful, & makes my mouth water too!! Fresh food are always appealing :D

Fresh Prawns @ ABC Seafood

Ok, here's what we ordered that night! *drumrolls*

"Orh Chien"/Fried Oysters with Egg
This was very different from the "orh chien" we have in the Peninsular. The batter is supposedly crispy like biscuit (ours was somewhat soft already) & there are oysters all over the fried batter. I somehow prefer the Sitiawan & the Penang "orh chien", both are equally delicious & unique as well! The Kuching "orh chien" is although unique, not as yummy - plus the oysters aren't very fresh :(

Sauce that came with the "Orh Chien"
It's mainly soya sauce, pepper, & oil! The "orh chien's" batter was well-seasoned so there's actually no need for this sauce.

Stir-Fried Midin with Sambal Belacan/Spicy Shrimp Paste
Midin is a type of vegetable/plant from the fern family. It's alike the "paku pakis" a.k.a. ferns, but it has a more 'sappy' taste & is not as crunchy as the fern. Quite nice. I kinda like it :)

Grilled Squid
This was unexpected. Little did we realize that grilled squid to the people in Kuching is served with spicy shrimp paste. This dish was surprisingly the best among the many dishes that we ordered! Thumbs up!!

Deep-Fried Nestum Prawns
In our opinion, this dish failed. It may be Kuching's style of Nestum prawns, but it's certainly not something that appeals to the 3 of us. The nestum weren't dry & crispy. Instead, it was slightly damp & clumpy...quite strange...hahaha....the prawns weren't excellent as well. This dish ranked last on our table *aww....* Oh, nothing could beat the authentically steamed prawns I had in KK, Sabah....

Grilled Sting Ray/Ikan Pari Bakar (RM18.00 for our serving)
Yum yum...yet another version of wet, spicy shrimp paste on a piece of grilled sting ray. Not too bad....This dish came from another stall (I've no idea which one as one guy came over to our table with the offer). The fish with the sauce was very fragrant & the piece of sting ray was also quite meaty :D Me kinda liked this...it's quite different in taste from the ones we have in the Peninsular. Oh, it tastes slightly 'peanutish' too!

Black Pepper Crabs
*fuh* This is Kuching's or mainly Sarawak's famous - pepper dishes. As Sarawak is well-known for its fragrant pepper, we decided to order the black pepper crabs. It was VERY spicy!! *on fire* The crabs weren't very fresh, in our opinion. The flesh was slightly soft (instead of 'springy') & they were stuck to the shell, so it was quite hard to eat the crabs clean...

Our dinner spread for 3 young ladies
Note: A glass of orange juice was RM3.00. It wasn't some pure no-water-added juice *sigh* Me & my high expectations.

Enjoying the dinner spread

PerutBesi Ruth at work on the crabs...
I feel that I look like some 'kid' with 2 ladies =.=" I shall console myself that I just look much younger than my peers...gah...

Must try: Sugarcane with Lemon (RM2.50/glass)
I read online that this is a drink that I must try, & I loved it! It's very different & I thought it was VERY refreshing as well. After a full & spicy meal, something cool like this is excellent! Various variants of sugarcane drinks are offered by this particular stall at the food centre. There's the pure sugarcane, sugarcane + lemon, sugarcane + salted plum/'shimui', & sugarcane + lemon + salted plum. A small glass costs RM1.50, while a large glass like what I had costs RM2.50. By default, they serve the large glass.

So what's the damage for the satisfying meal that we had that night? *drumrolls* Was it of any damage....? *ROFL* It costs us only RM83.00 for the 5-course seafood meal ("orh chien", squid, prawns, crabs, & midin)!! I was so full that you could literally just roll me on the ground & I won't complain....hahahaha...I was too full to walk! Ling & Theng were laughing away at the way I walked....my hands were on my extremely filled-up belly...oh, glorious dinner...

Topspot Seafood Centre on a wet night

The sugarcane stall
You don't really need to walk over to order the sugarcane. One of the guys from that stall will stop by every table to ask if you would want his sugarcane drink.

Map to Top Spot Seafood Centre

View PerutBesi in a larger map

Ratings:
Presentation: * * * 1/2
Price: * * * *
Environment: * * *
Taste: * * * *
Service: * * * 1/2


Overall:

It was only right to walk around Kuching city at night after a full meal. It was quite cooling to walk around the city after the pour. Thank goodness it wasn't raining heavily anymore after dinner (it was raining during dinner =.="). We managed to take a stroll at the Kuching Waterfront before we headed back to the hotel for a night's rest. Ling & Theng stopped by a small bar/lounge, Cat City, for some drinks, while I headed back to the hotel to shower (since I don't enjoy drinking anyways). It was quite a nice, relaxing day 1 in Kuching :)

One of the main roads on a Friday night - SO quiet...
Photo was taken at 8:44p.m! My, my...at such a day & hour, KL could be jammed!

Posts for Kuching Day 2 & Day 3 + more posts on the recent JB trip will be coming up soon! Do stay tuned & bear with me for the delay in posts. I've been working 'til 8+p.m. every night since 2 weeks ago & by the time I come back from office, I'm actually quite tired to work on the blog posts already. Nevertheless, I will still post it up in due time.

Thanks for all the encouraging comments & support! Stay tuned with PerutBesi!!


- Ruth

Happy Meal Breakfast

Date: 23 October 2009, Friday
Venue: Office
Occasion: McDonald's breakfast with colleagues

This is just gonna be a short post. I was looking through my collection of photos & realized that I haven't posted up this particular collection, which I felt I should :)

Any meal is best eaten with loved ones.

I enjoy having breakfast & any meals with my gang of colleagues, & I look forward to meeting them every morning for breakfast. On this particular day, QQ, one of my colleagues, decided to treat us to a McDonald's breakfast. Oh, it's truly a Happy Meal :)

Toby, unloading the breakfast from the 'breakfast bag'

Everyone waiting for breakfast to be served

Happy faces with their Happy Meal

My breakfast *yums* :)

Toby decided to have a more 'wholesome meal' by having some added protein & vitamins

My Happy Meal was Happy too! :D

When was the last time you had a 'happy meal' with your colleagues? ;)


- Ruth