MY VILLAGE BAROK: AYAM PENYET ACROSS THE RIVER

Jolynn and I took a road trip across the river to a restaurant. If you've been through the bridge you'll see the awesome scenery of the riverside, especially at night. It's a great view.

Outside the restaurant is where they barbeque the poultry and seafood. It actually looks like a long house, packed with customers and on the inside is where people sit and eat on the floor on the mats. It is actually authentic malay food with the environs as well. You would also get to wash your hands before you eat, in the Malay culture, using a teapot and a small basin.

The ayam penyet was served with a top notch spicy sweet chilli sauce. I cannot tell you how spicy it is. I have to admit my spiciness level isn't pretty high so maybe to others it's totally fine. But well for me I needed some of milk to douse the flames.

Chicken, just barbequed, charred on the top, with some cool vegetables and rice. We also ordered some umai. Umai is made from raw fish but with some citruses in it, chilli and shallots. Sarawak's local delicacy. I'm sure there's more to it but there was so much flavour in it, I'm not sure what else is in there.

Also, the lamb penyet, with its stunning flavours, was still tender and juicy. Of course, not forgetting the really spicy level in each bite.

Village Barok also serves dishes found in Seafood restaurants such as this bidin stir-fried with shrimp paste, also known as belachan. They also stir-fried this dish with big onions to add that extra flavour.

Tom Yam soup was rather cooked in Malay cuisine style, where you can get those mixed vegetables like carrots, corns, cabbage all in one bowl. Squids, prawns and slices of chicken were also added. It has an interesting tom yam flavour to it, I would say a rather localised taste. But not such a good idea to order this spicy soup as a compliment to go with the other really spicy dishes.

Grilled seafood was a specialty here as well. There were scallops, mussells and shrimps being grilled non stop at the pit. This was the griiled scallop. It was topped with a brown sauce and a good dose of sambal. The heat from the chillies was also as much as from the ayam penyet. However the sauce went really well with the soft and juicy scallops. They also tasted really fresh.

I really recommend you guys coming over to get some ayam penyet. If you're looking to experience a real Malay culture in Sarawak as authentic as possible, this is the place to go. It's a huge wooden structure at the end of the road, you won't miss it. If it's not authentic already enough for you, you can choose to take a scenic route across on the sampan. Just take it towards the food court across Waterfront.

It's open everyday from 6pm to 11pm and it's full with people at night. So it's better to get in there early or if you don't mind the wait. There's also a satay shop just outside it, if you don't mind.


My Village Barok
7, Jalan Brooke, 
Kampung Boyan, 
93050 Kuching, 
Sarawak, Malaysia.




Until next time. This is Sharon signing off, stay tune every week for more:)

SUKHA: CAFE EPISODES

Sukha I think is one of the many popular cafes to visit in Kuching. They have what all good cafes have, great ambience, good food and service. I’ve been there a few times and I enjoyed my visit each time.

This café is of moderate size, with high ceilings and decorated with interesting antiques, like an old radio, and bikes above the customers. And of course the paper cranes they use as their café logo, delicately placed with strings and dangling mid-air, placed in a corner.

Sukha serves different variants of food, Asian, western and Asian fusion. Their creations are quite innovative, like the beef rendang pasta. I never heard of that one before. And there is also the typical traditional Asian meals, like spicy thai chicken rice. Though these are all delicious, however they are most famous for this western dish, fried chicken with buttermilk waffles. Hot damn, I never had such good fried chicken in my life.

This is usually the meal people order when they come to Sukha. It’s a specialty dish that is more commonly eaten as breakfast in America. It is what it is, deliciously marinated and well-seasoned crispy fried chicken and fluffy and light buttermilk waffles. I think making waffles with buttermilk, has it built with more flavor and packs a nice taste in one’s mouth. They serve it with garlic sauce, which I think combines a taste of sweet and salty from the chicken.

It’s a big helping, and with the sweetness of the waffles, has one very full quickly, even though I wanted MORE. 


My friends tried waffles with ice-cream and cinnamon apples, what can go wrong with vanilla ice-cream and waffles, absolutely nothing. The cinnamon apples were alright, I mean cinnamon and apples usually goes pretty well together, it’s a classic pairing. Tangy and sweet, the spice heightening those flavours.

Spicy Thai chicken, I, for the life in me, cannot handle spicy food. I had a bite of it, and I just can’t eat anymore. From what I heard though, it was quite good. I’m sorry I cannot elaborate. It was in my mouth for a few seconds before I quickly down my tea with it. The thai chicken was served with rice, and a fried egg on top of it.

Sukha’s chef really has good presentation. They plate the meals wonderfully, the cinnamon apples made into tiny roses on top of the waffles, they takes skill, my friends.

My friends and I shared a plate of churros. I had my share of churros, and my experience has been mixed. The worst one was in London, in a Christmas market. The churros dry, chocolate sauce was alright, it was just the churros I had a hard time swallowing. You would think in London, at a Christmas market, they would serve good food.

So back to churros, it was seasoned well, cinnamon and sugar, crispy, softly snaps as you break it. It was crunchy and wasn’t too oily when you consume it. The chocolate sauce I think had hints of banana to it. Overall, delicious, something you snack on, with no regrets.

I ordered a red tea latte, which I have to say was hugely overpriced. The meals there are mostly above ten ringgit, maximum of eighteen ringgit. It’s quite pricey but I think some of the meals would be worth it. But if it’s the tea, it's not worth it. Though the froth was prettily designed.

Here’s the link below of their facebook page for more information:

https://www.facebook.com/doyousukha/timeline?ref=page_internal

Sukha opens daily from 11am to 10.30pm except Wednesdays. Contact no: 082 454 158

Sukha

Ground Floor, Lot 11963, 

Block 16 Brighton Square, 

Jalan Song, 

93350 Kuching, 

Malaysia.

This is Sharon signing off this week's episode on The Makan Post. Stay tuned for more.

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The Makan Post brings to you weekly food adventures, so be sure to catch us every week for new episodes and don't forget to subscribe to us. Cheers.

LOK GARDEN SEAFOOD, BATU LINTANG: SEAFOOD EPISODES

In Sarawak, seafood restaurants can be found packed with people, regardless of age. During the night, from all to young, at almost anywhere, in shop lots, houses or in a building, you’ll be able to find many having their family dinners, gatherings, birthday parties, business meetings and so on at the tables. In fact, some seafood restaurants actually do start operating from day time as well, catering to the lunch crowd. It’s also a norm for Kuchingites to bring their friends from other countries visiting Kuching, to have a meal at a seafood restaurant.

In seafood restaurants, customers will then choose their seafood, vegetables, meat from a wide variety of the freshest catch offered, and then select the style for their chosen dishes to be cooked in, For example, it can be steamed, deep-fried, stir-fried, etc.

Today, we’ll be adventuring to a seafood restaurant located in Kuching town, which always will be packed every night with customers and your dishes might also sometimes take 30 to 40 minutes to arrive.

Whether or not you’re having family dinners, casual outings, or introducing some delicious seafood to tourists, Lok Garden Seafood located at Batu Lintang Seafood Centre offers delicious seafood at a reasonable price. Batu Lintang Seafood, an open air food hawker centre consisting of various different stalls selling seafood can be seen packed with people every night. With lots of tables from different stalls spread throughout the entire area, customers would still be waiting to get a table.

Lok Garden Seafood is also well known for their fragrant rice, and indeed it brings a really nice aroma when it gets served in front of you.

Years ago, I could still remember that they would exhibit packets of fragrant rice they would serve just next to the seafood on display. Though no longer shown today, many could still tell that Lok Garden uses good quality rice to serve to us customers.

Let’s move on to the dishes.

Many would have bidin, kangkung or manicai in their orders, either stir-fried with sambal belachan, garlic, red wine and ginger or oyster sauce. We’re gonna kick start our order with bidin stir-fry with belachan.

As you can see, they were really generous with the gravy. The gravy had a really good kick of spiciness in it and the belachan was fragrant as well. The flavours were just nice and it isn’t too salty either. The bidin was done perfectly as it had a slight crunchiness to it as well.

Moving on to the deep fried pork belly.

Ah, the glorious pork belly, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. This dish is marinated with red bean curd sauce as its main ingredient and then deep fried. When served, a squeeze of lime is normally added over the juicy meat to give it an extra boost of flavour. The pork belly was also really tender and not rubbery and hard.

Next up was steamed fish.

We ordered tilapia fish, and personally, I think tilapia is one affordable fish that actually tastes really good when steamed. This is what they call the clear sauce style of steaming, in which they would steam the fish with ingredients such as tomatoes, salted vegetables, chilli, garlic, ginger and sour plum.

This dish had a nice savoury and sour sauce which complimented the fish very well. The sauce was also balanced in the flavours of the ingredients making it light enough to taste the freshness of the fish. Not anything too strong that would overpower the flavours of the fish itself.

Next, this dish is a must order if you are to dine here. A pretty odd one for some, because you can’t normally find this dish at any other seafood restaurants.

This is baby corn, stir fried in sambal belachan and you’ll be able to see most tables having this dish as well. Not only do they stir fry the baby corn with sambal belachan, they added minced dried shrimps as well, to further enhance the flavour. The spicy taste from the sauce just coats the baby corn scrumptiously and when put in the mouth, gives the right amount of everything; the sweetness from the baby corns, saltiness from the gravy and a spicy kick from the chillies. A must try!

Next, a common dish whenever one goes to a seafood restaurant; the butter prawns.

Here at Lok Garden, customers can request for this dish to either be cooked with some butter gravy or dry. Personally, I prefer my butter prawns with lots of gravy. Also, I would always request for them to get rid of the shells. This way, I would get to have those prawns with a generous amount of coating all around it. The prawns were really fresh and when I took a bite, those prawns were just so springy. Also, this dish was also infused with curry leaves and a hint of chilli so you will be able to taste a slight spiciness accompanied with the flavours from the curry leaves. The sauce was rich and creamy, sweet as well. So good when eaten with those fresh springy prawns.


Now for another pork item, this is the braised pork leg.

Just look at that amount of fats surrounding the juicy meat. The skin was just so slippery and silky, coated with the generous amount of dark sauce. The pork was very tender, and it’s skins and fats were not too soft and was still firm, but could be cut through easily with a spoon. Perfect.

It had a sweet and savoury thick sauce to go along with it, full of flavour from the marination, all coating the pork leg. One satisfying dish.

Also another common dish found at any seafood restaurant. The sea cucumber soup, known as ‘hai suam teng’ in the Hokkien language.

This dish has just the right amount of thick consistency to it, and I would say it was done very well as some sea cucumber soups you get outside has too much starch in it till it’s just too thick. This soup also had generous ingredients in it such as crab meat, chicken meat, mushrooms, sea cucumber, egg and so on. It was packed full of flavour and when eaten with a dash of black vinegar, tasted just right, warm and comforting.

Lastly, this is the ‘O Jien’ also known as the oyster pancake. Usually, this dish would consist of a layer of pancake deep fried together with oysters till crispy. Just like eating crispy oyster crackers. In this case, Lok Garden is one of the seafood restaurants offering O Jien in another different version upon request.

In this style, the pancakes would be deep fried till crispy and set aside, then the oysters would be cooked with a generous amount of sauce, then poured over the crispy pancakes before serving. I personally prefer this version of the O Jien as you would be able to taste more juicy oysters along with the thick gravy.

This is one of my most favourite dish whenever I come to Lok Garden, so do give this a try.

There are many other seafood stalls as well at Batu Lintang Seafood Centre, but I definitely would recommend you foodies to give Lok Garden a try. This is quality, tasty food with a reasonable price. As for the crowd and waiting time, I would sometimes go there at about 6pm, so I would suggest going there around that time if you can't wait. That way, there would be less people and your dishes would most probably take about 10 to 15 minutes to arrive. It usually happens when I go there around 6pm. Be sure to reserve a table as well too.

This is Jolynn signing off this week's episode on The Makan Post. Stay tuned for more.


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Lok Garden
Batu Lintang Seafood Centre,
Jalan Batu Lintang,
93200 Kuching,
Sarawak.

For their specific opening hours, reservations and further details, Lok Garden can be contacted at  019 886 3683.

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The Makan Post brings to you weekly food adventures, so be sure to catch us every week for new episodes and dont forget to subscribe to us. Just click on the Follow button below. Also, check out our instagram page @themakanpost. Cheers.

themakanpost@gmail.com

ENGLEHAM 31 THAI FOOD & BBQ: THAI DELICACIES

Here in Kuching, we have plenty of restaurants that sell international delicacies such as Chinese, Japanese, Vietnam, Indonesian, Korean, Malay, Nyonya, Western and Thai. You can pretty much get all sorts of international cuisines here in Sarawak and today, we’ll be adventuring into one of these international cuisines which is; yes, you guessed it, Thai.



Located at the heart of Kuching, Engleham 31 is one place you would definitely want to go to for a fusion of Thai food and BBQ (as the signboard suggests). I like how they give a different concept to others by adding BBQ to the normal Thai menu concept you get. This thai and bbq can definitely be spotted as you’re passing by. There are just so many cars parked just outside it. If you’re planning to park there, be prepared to wait or, park somewhere else and take a few minutes stroll to this place.

Upon entering engleham, you would be able to see the divided sections of this eatery from the outside. One, the non-smoking section which is air-conditioned, and the other, the smoking section which was non air-conditioned. When we entered, the whole bistro was full, but we managed to get a table at the non air-conditioned section after a few minutes.

In terms of looks, I would say this place has a fun, happy, joyful theme to it, perfect for people to hold birthday parties, family gatherings and special occasions here. We also couldn’t really find any Thai elements in their deco, this was more of a fun, warm, inviting setting, rather than a typical Thai restaurant setting.

Their menu had interesting choices of Thai food, and also other bbq items such as hot plate oysters, seafood and so on.

Because there were a lot of people, we had to wait for quite a long time for our orders to be served. Also, the staffs were going up and down asking each table whether car plate numbers belong to them. Yes, the parking there was really bad so cars upon cars were definitely blocking each others’ exits.

Ok, enough of the parking issues. Where is our food?

I was getting hungry

Our first item was Sambal Thai Petai. I was really craving for Petai as it has been awhile since I last ate them. The thai petai used in this dish had a different texture compared to our local petai. It was much crispier but hard at the same time. The sambal sauce was really spicy and if taken too much, would overpower this dish with heat. However, it had a really strong sambal-belachan taste and smell to it.

Next up was the prawn omelette. 

You should be able to find this dish in any Thai restaurant. I like how the omelette had a nice fluffy consistency and it was still juicy on the inside with flavours from the prawn. This dish was also served with their homemade chilly dipping sauce. The egg was well seasoned, and when cut into, the moist texture of the omelette can still be seen. Really fragrant, lovely dish and you can taste those bits of prawns in every bite.

Moving on, Thai green curry. 

Another typical order at any Thai restaurant. This curry has lots of unusual ingredients in which you wouldn’t put into your normal curry.

It actually had many different types of fruit in it. Some in which I’ve never seen before. Besides those unusual ingredients, there were your usual coconut milk, potatoes, chicken, mint leaves, chilli and spices. Overall, it had a mild spiciness to it, good flavours from each ingredients in it, balanced with the richness of the coconut milk. Those fruits definitely lifted this dish and made it something special and different.

Here we have the Pandan Chicken. This dish, I would definitely order at any Thai restaurant I go to. It’s actually pieces of chicken (size varies depending on different restaurants), marinated and then wrapped around Pandan leaves and then grilled, bbq-ed or sometimes pan-fried.

Here, this dish was served with Thai chilli sauce. It was really fragrant and was really juicy as well upon unwrapping the Pandan leaves. You could still see the juices around the meat.

 It had a really nice grilled savoury flavor to it and was marinated really well.

It was also soft and tender, making you want even more after each bite. It also went well with the Thai chilli sauce. However, I would prefer eating it on its own. It was flavourful on its own, no condiments needed.

This is sizzling oyster omelette. Not the typical o-jien you get at seafood restaurants, this is more of a teochew style oyster omelette. This was served on a hot sizzling plate along with a handful of chives on it and chilli dipping sauce to go with it. Indeed, the whole thing really looked appetizing. Sizzling appetizing. They really didn’t skimp on the oysters as well. The oysters were really juicy and when eaten with the sizzling hot omelette, some chives, dipped in the spicy citrus chilli sauce -  just indescribably delicious. It really had me wanting more. The textures of the juicy oysters, semi crispy semi soggy omelette made this dish incredible. This, is really a must have and you would definitely want to give this a try the next time you make a visit here.

I really love some of the orders we had from engleham 31 and would definitely make a visit again to eat those. Do give this place a try too. 

Engleham 31 Thai Food and BBQ is opened daily except Wednesdays from 11.30am to 2.30pm and 6pm to 10pm.

Engleham 31

47 Jalan Tabuan,

Kuching 93100,

Malaysia.

Contact no. : 082 253131

This is Jolynn signing off this week's episode on The Makan Post. Stay tuned for more.

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The Makan Post brings to you weekly food adventures, so be sure to catch us every week for new episodes and dont forget to subscribe to us. Cheers.

themakanpost@gmail.com

KCH CLEAN FOOD CAFE : CAFE EPISODES

My parents can be so picky with food, well not just food, with everything, but let's not go there. It's a very deep well. Anyways, as I was saying, my parents are very opinionated and have absolutely high expectations. So you can imagine how my childhood was like. I'm kidding, mom, if you're reading this, I love you.

As I was saying, my family would go to the same place over and over again, because that's how it is with them. If it works why change it? The same rules apply to our family dinners, we have the same number of places to go, because we already know that it's good. I have ceased trying to introduce them to other restaurants because after the first time I brought them somewhere else, my parents have to this day not let me forget how horrible it was. *Cue eye rolls* Kidding, I love you guys so much.

I think it's because I've forgotten how they can be when I was away overseas, so when I came back, I introduced them to this place, KCH Clean Food. Now thinking about it, I should have thought it through, we don't want a repeat of the steakhouse incident.

But to my surprise, and my relief, they liked KCH Clean Food, and we've been there twice now. So when both Mr. and Mrs. Lim like the place, then we all know that the food is freaking terrific. Joking..I love you mom and dad.

So this cafe is nestled in between streets, on Rubber Road. They have a facebook page:

 https://www.facebook.com/kchcleanfood, 

where the location, phone number and opening times are but I'll write it out at the bottom of the post anyway.

By the name suggests, it's food is prepared to make sure you get a healthy meal. They have options instead of mashed potatoes you get like rice, if you wanted to eat so, and their drinks are freshly made, no sugar added, aimed to those watching their weight. As you can see from their facebook page, that's what they're all about.

So I tried like I think a couple of dishes, chicken salad, salmon salad,the striploin steak, rack of lamb, salmon aglio olio, a chicken burger, though the last one I did not take a pic of. And mint lemon drink. I did not eat this all in one setting, please if I could I would but I'm not made that way. A shame really.

First of rack of lamb, like the steak they are both marinated with a bbq sauce, which I think is made of typical bbq sauces, but this one is their own, the meat was a little charred at the side, and I had this both dished twice and their consistency of preparations isn't the same. The first time I had the lamb and I took some of my brother's steak, it was so bloody delicious, and I don't mean bloody as in bloody but, you get what I mean. 

It was soft, melts in your mouth and sweet yet salty yet smoky. But the second time, it wasn't so great as the first time I had lamb and steak, but it was still quite good, kind of charred, but alright. The mash potatoes, the option can be made to switched it to rice, was kind of cold, I think it's because they prepared before hand, and just served it once they grilled the steak and lamb. Its not a large portion but I finished my meal and was quite full, probably cause I have a small appetite. Haha, wasn't expecting that were you? You probably thought I was one of those people who eats like a mountain of food, but sadly I am not. I get full easily which is why the food getting into my mouth needs to be worth it. They served it wit some mushroom sauce, but to be honest the steak and lamb was already marinated enough and there was no need for it. It was also quite cold. 

And then I had the salmon salad and salmon spaghetti.
Okay, both salmon in both dishes were really good, cooked well. Flaky meat, not dry at all, still very moist, that's how I like my salmon. But the spaghetti was kind of salty, a tad too much seasoning for my liking. And in the salad I believe there was some potatoes and tomatoes and some salad leaves, the ceasar dressing for the salad was scrumptious, not to creamy, just right.

I have to say overall, the food was really good, the price range just good enough and it was also one of the best steaks and lambs I tasted in Kuching. I recommend you try this cafe. Excellent service as well, friendly waiters who would try to make you comfortable as possible. And they maintain their posture under my mom's wrath, her drink had ice in it, when it wasn't supposed to be, she was not happy. Which made me respect the waiter even more.

It also have a delivery service I believe. More can be said on their facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/kchcleanfood. Please visit it for more information.

This is Sharon, signing off this week's blog:)  See you guys in the week after next.

KCH CLEAN FOOD

Lot 298 Ground Floor, 

Lorong 9 Rubber Road, 

93400 Kuching, 

Malaysia.

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thurs:

08:00-23:00

Fri-Sat:

08:00-00:00

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Catch The Makan Post every week for a brand new food adventure. Come follow us here and on our instagram @themakanpost for more updates to come. 

Oriental Park Kolo Mee: Breakfast Episodes

One of the many meals one would have during a typical breakfast here in Kuching is none other than a bowl of Kolo Mee, paired with a nice and refreshing glass of Teh C Peng Special or Kopi Peng Special. Yes, Kopi Peng Special. Here in Sarawak, we can make anything special.

Kolo Mee is one of the most highly consumed breakfast meals here in Kuching. In fact, kolo mee is also consumed during lunch, tea, dinner, supper, you name it.
So what could be a better way than for The Makan Post to kick start our Breakfast Episodes with this amazing and popular local dish: Kolo Mee.

Oriental Park Kolo Mee, one of the most famous Kolo Mee spots here in Kuching, also one of the most talked about kolo mee stall in Kuching, is well known for their char siew also known as roasted pork meat, as well as their authentic bowl of kolo mee. Here we are, about to give this hyped about place a shot.

It’s located in the midst of a few shop houses, I would say it’s actually quite noticable as you would be able to see the many cars parked around it when they’re open. Also, if you are familiar with the old Cathay Cinema, it’s actually just located next to it.

It would be great if you can manage to find a table there, or if not, just be prepared to wait at least 15 minutes or so to get one. If you have been to Noodle Descendants along the streets of Padungan, you would be able to find some similarities in their ordering system. The rules are simple: No walking up to any of the staffs to order, just wait till we come and get your orders.

Wondering who made these famous bowls of kolo mee? It’s this uncle right here. 

Apparently he has been making these for many years as generations from all sorts, young to old, claimed to have been eating these bowls of noodles that were made by him ever since their younger days in school.

We ordered two different varieties to try, one which is the usual original kolo mee and the red sauce kolo mee (red char siew oil).

Mine came with a strand of noodle hanging on the side. 

Decorative don’t you think? Jokes.

As I dug into the bowl of noodle, mixing and tossing them, I noticed that it’s fairly dry, not your typical bowl of kolo mee you normally get outside in most kolo mee stalls where they are served drenched in sauce. For this one, it had totally no sauce or gravy found in it. Upon taking a bite in to these noodles, I noticed that the texture of the noodles are very springy and bouncy, a great perfect kolo mee texture you would want to have. The noodles themselves however, tasted a little more towards the salty side. Actually, they are slightly saltier than average. It was overpowering too as I could only taste the saltiness of it, even though there were small bits of pork lard in it.

I was very curious to have a taste of the char siew, as we heard this place is well-known for it, as the char siew are actually barbequed at their pit located just outside the shop.

The char siew was flavourful, and you could taste the smokiness from it. It did bring some sweetness to balance out the over-powering saltiness from the noodles itself. I would say the char siew was alright, but also, it was nothing much special compared to most char siew found in other kolo mee stalls.

As for the red sauce kolo mee, I expected it to have at least a bit of sauce but it was indeed still sauce-less, and as dry as the original plain kolo mee. The sweetness from the char siew oil did give the noodles a better balance in flavours- the salty and the sweet. The good thing was, it definitely was not coated with a cheap red colouring like some stalls use for this dish, you will be able to tell its sweetness is the type that comes from the juices of the char siew. This dish was a better version than the original kolo mee.

Overall, I would say this place brings just an average kolo mee to my taste buds. Nothing special about it as well, I would have to say I’ve definitely eaten better ones. Nevertheless, I’m pretty sure you food lovers would like to give this place a try too as well and see for yourselves. Here are the details below:

Oriental Park Kolo Mee
Jalan Market
(Next to Old Cathay Cinema)
Kuching, Sarawak.

Opens daily from 6am to 1pm. (Might sell out earlier than closing time).

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Stay tuned for new food adventures and episodes coming from The Makan Post every week. Do subscribe if you love reading about our adventures and also, be sure to check out our instagram page: @themakanpost
Cheers.