RAINFOREST GARDEN CAFE: CAFE EPISODES

The great thing about Kuching is that it's an ever developing city. There's bound to be something new almost every month whether it's a trend, event, eatery etc. One of the amazing things here in Kuching is that you can find just so many new cafes and eateries opening each year. Each one of them has something different to offer.

Today, we'll be adventuring to a pretty new spot in town, with a very interesting concept - dining in a forest like atmosphere with a pottery shop just beside. Its name is Rainforest Garden Cafe.

This has an open air hawker food centre like setting, with individual food stalls inside offering a different variety of food. They have local food, drinks station, western, breakfast sets and also a durian food stall selling all types of desserts made with durian. This cafe is also filled with hipster chairs, wooden tables, and around the stalls are cement bricks and some pottery art. A really interesting place for nature lovers.

We came here during the night, and decided to try some of the local delicacies here. They have lots of local stir-fry dishes here, we decided to go with the cantonese kueh tiaw. Also, we also decided to try the local drink, White Lady. White Lady basically compromises of different types of fruits, all in one bowl, topped with syrup and milk on shaved ice. This White Lady was definitely a stunner as it came in a big portion, piled with a heap of shaved ice, and on the bottom were all the different fruits such as longan, mango, papaya and even nata de coco. For this drink, they did not used syrup, but instead a puree of fresh mango. When mixed together, tasted so refreshing and delicious. It tasted really fresh and was not too sweet either.

The cantonese kueh tiaw was not too bad as well. It had a nice wok flavour to it, with the right amount of heat put to it when stir fried. The gravy was flavourful, and wasn't too starchy. It had chicken strips, vegetables, processed crab meat and fish balls in it. The kueh tiaw was seasoned and fried well adding that extra flavour to this dish that is always the most important element when making cantonese kueh tiaw.

Besides noodle dishes, they also had other interesting delicacies such as corned beef fried rice, thai fried rice and even their drinks section had a durian shake and soursop shake too. There's also many more interesting items on the menu.

Here at the durian stall, they have all sorts of durian gelato, as well as fried durian. There are durians fried in spring rolls, snow fried durian, durian crepes and even durian pancakes.

Rainforest Garden Cafe is definitely an interesting place to dine at, especially for nature lovers when you just want to relax and have something with a nice cosy and foresty ambience. If you have not been to Rainforest Garden Cafe, this is a new place you would definitely want to give a try.




Rainforest Garden Cafe opens daily from 6am till 11pm


Rainforest Garden Cafe
Lot 774, Block 226, 
5th Mile, Penrissen Road, 
93250, Kuching, Sarawak.

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

-

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

FUJIYAMA HOKKAIDO ICE CREAM: ICE CREAM EPISODES

A few weeks ago, The Makan Post adventured to Kuching's famous gula apong ice cream spot to have a taste of that popular trending dessert to locals. This week, we adventure to a place known for a dessert that's somewhat similar to the previous. Yes, it's ice cream, but this time, not a local delicacy but rather, Hokkaido ice cream. It's Fujiyama's Hokkaido Ice Cream located in the Old Bazaar Cafe, selling your favourite Hokkaido flavours for only RM3 per cup.

Fujiyama Hokkaido Ice Cream is still quite new in Kuching's food scene and many still have not discovered of this interesting corner. It's pink banner suggests customers try their Matcha and Hojicha flavours.

Flavours available that day were coincidentally Matcha and Hojicha.

They serve their ice creams in cups, however, Dorayaki ice cream is also available for purchase at RM5. Dorayaki is a soft sweet pancake commonly eaten with ice cream stuffed inside in Japan. Their Dorayaki ice cream is only available during weekends, 8pm onwards.

Besides Hojicha and Matcha, they also have Goma, which is the black sesame flavour. You can also purchase toppings such as cornflakes and rice cakes, also known as dango.

Cute miniature Japanese decorations were placed on top of their counter as well.

There you have it, their specialty, Matcha and Hojicha. Hojicha, which is actually roasted green tea is the brown one as seen in the picture.

The ice cream had a really good texture of a soft serve. It was creamy and smooth, I would say soft, but still maintained its shape.
Both were not too sweet and carried authenticity in flavours. The Hojicha had its roasted tea essence to it which made this a very interesting ice cream flavour. The matcha had a pure bitter taste to it but not overpowering. It was well balanced with the sweetness.



Overall, a pretty decent small corner in Kuching selling authentic Hokkaido ice cream. Now it's your turn to give it a try.



Fujiyama Ice Cream
5, Wayang St, 
93000 Kuching, 
Malaysia.


Fujiyama Ice Cream opens daily except Mondays from 1.30pm to 1am.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fujiyamaicecream.kch/

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

-

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

NAM NAM CAFE: VIETNAMESE CUISINE

Vietnamese cuisine, now popular in many countries, have also made its way to Kuching. Known for delicacies such as the phò and bahn mi, authentic Vietnamese food can be found at quite a few restaurants here in Kuching.

Today on The Makan Post, we adventure to try delicious and authentic Vietnam cuisines at Nam Nam Cafe. Nam Nam is located at Jalan Song, a food district, which is also quite near to the city. Upon entering, tons of siracha bottles can be seen arranged and placed on top of shelves just behind the cashier.

We decided to try Vietnamese drip coffee here. It was served with a small cup filled with condensed milk at the bottom for the concentrated dripped coffee to fall onto. 

Once it finished dripping, you can stir it, and then consume it warm just like that, or you could pour it into a glass filled with ice and you would get yourself an ice vietnamese coffee.

It was strong, thick and wasn't too sweet either. I preferred the iced version of it.

Next, the famous Vietnamese delicacy which is the phò. There are a variety of phò served here in Nam Nam. We ordered the chicken, beef meatballs, briskets and beef steaks phò.

A generous serving of vegetables such as beansprouts, mint leaves, basils and lime slices were place on our tables, along with siracha, hoi sin sauces and chilli oil. These were condiments for the phò.

At a first glance, the chicken phò looked really simple, with its transparent like thin broth and came in quite a huge portion for one. However, as I took a mouthful of that broth, its taste was just delicious. The broth was so flavourful, and was a total contrast from what it looked like. It had the sweet essence from the chicken, blended with flavours from spices with a kick from the chillies, and a refreshing hint of herbs.

The rice noodles were cooked till perfect and the chicken strips were tender. This dish had the perfect balance of everything, especially with a squeeze of lime.

The beef phò was equally as good as the chicken phò as well. The broth was rich and had a flavourful beef stock along with the refreshing herbs and spices to compliment it. A heapful of beef slices and meatball were served on top. The beef meatballs were tender and juicy. The beef steaks and briskets were simmered till soft and flavourful.

We also decided to try vietnamese spring rolls. 

The spring rolls were huge and came with a garlic and oil based condiment. There were also fried shallots inside it along with a dark sauce. The spring rolls tasted refreshing, with slices of pork belly, eggs, lettuce, rice vermicelli and fresh prawns. The dipping sauce was really fragrant and flavourful. 

The strong aroma from the fried shallots lifted each bite as the garlic gave a nice flavour to the whole dish too.

We also ordered Vietnamese yoghurt, which is known as sua chua. It was rich and creamy, but was not heavy. It had a light taste to it and it was not too sweet as well.

Nam Nam Cafe is definitely a restaurant to go to if you're looking for authentic and delicious Vietnamese cuisine with a reasonable price. Come give it a try.

Nam Nam Cafe opens daily except Tuesdays from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm and 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Grd flr, 53-A, 

Lot 16709, Blk 11, 

Tabuan Heights Commercial Centre, 

Jalan Song 4b, Off Jalan Song, 

93350 Kuching, 

Sarawak, Malaysia

-

This is Jolynn signing off on this week's food episode. Stay tuned for next week's food adventure.

Check out our instagram at @themakanpost
Cheers!

BOMBAY SPICES: NORTH INDIAN CUISINE

Previously on The Makan Post, we made a visit to Lyn's Thandoori to try out some delicious North Indian cuisine. This week, we're about to have a take on the same type of cuisine at a different place.

Bombay Spices has opened 2 of its branches in the city of Kuching, one at Rubber Road and the other at King Centre both of which are air-conditioned and have a pretty good ambience with a reasonable price, nothing too fancy. Today we're headed to the branch at King Centre to taste more North Indian cuisine and delicious naans.

The mango lassi, which was always a definite must to try in Indian restaurants, was fresh and smooth, though I found it was a bit lacking of sweetness. It had more of a tangy taste to it.

The naan and roti was delicious, served hot and fresh from the thandoor. It was stretchy but still soft and fluffy on the inside. It had a fragrant aroma when eaten and had nothing too overpowering, making it great as a compliment for masalas and curries.

One interesting and common masala dish is the spinach cheese masala. Basically it's made with shredded spinach leaves, cooked together with indian cheese known as Paneer, a type of cheese in which will not melt and will remain in its form when cooked. Usually, this colour of this dish would be dark green due to the spinach, but this dish here had a curry red colour to it.

U could taste the fluffy chewy cheese cooked perfectly, and the spinach was soft, and not too much to the point where everything becomes mushy. I like that it had more of a curry flavour to it so the flavour of the spinach did not overpower the whole dish. In most cases, this dish in which is usually dark green, would tend to have more of an overpowering spinach taste to it. In such cases if the spinach was not done right, it would have been a total disaster. This was just right.

The kaju gobi, known as the cauliflower and cashew nut masala was wonderful as well. The flavour of the gravy was delicious and had a nutty taste to it. The cauliflower still retained its crisp and freshness.

Next was the fish curry. The gravy had more of a sour taste to it along with the spices and a good amount of heat used. Fish fillets were used in this dish. I am suspecting it was dory fish used, but I think it was alright as this fish curry came with a low price. Overall, not a bad fish curry.

A side of freshly chopped cucumbers, carrots, onions and radish was also served as a compliment for our meal. The flavours were very light, it was only dressed with basic seasoning and a squeeze of lemon. A great refreshment for the meal.



Bombay Spices is a great place to try North Indian Cuisine when you're not looking for something too fancy. Decent food with decent, reasonable price and a pretty good ambience.




Bombay Spices

Lot 7894, Sublot 73,
Block B, Queen's Court,
Jalan Wan Alwi,
93350 Kuching,
Sarawak.


(Rubber Road Branch)
Lot 6 No. 10G, 
Lorong 4,
Jalan Nanas,
93400 Kuching,
Sarawak.

For exact opening hours and reservations, contact 016 8563142









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

-

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

BUMBU CABE: SUNDANESE CUISINE

Sundanese cuisine, originating from West Jawa, Indonesia has finally made its way here in Kuching. Sundanese cuisine is one of the most popular foods in Indonesia and here in Kuching, a restaurant called Bumbu Cabe have managed to bring this popular cuisine to Kuching. Bumbu cabe, in which translates to mix spices or seasoning (Bumbu) and chilli (Cabe), offers a wide range of Sundanese delicacies to feast on. Ever since its opening, many locals began to visit the restaurant and each time, the restaurant had more and more customers, thus led to their latest outlet located in CityOne.

This week, The Makan Post visited Bumbu Cabe at CityOne and we were greeted by their friendly staffs then ushered to a table. I will definitely have to say, service is top-notch here.

The restaurant had a very authentic Indonesian feel to it as the walls and floors were filled with bamboos. Indonesian antiques can also be found displayed on shelves and tables. Staffs wore traditional Indonesian costumes as well which was the Kebaya.

Here in Bumbu Cabe, they offer a mix fast food concept in which customers place their orders from the wide selection of Sundanese cuisine displayed. The dishes ordered will then be served at the customer's table along with ulam-ulaman which is raw vegetables with a side of chilli sauces.

This is the ulam-ulaman.

There were a total of 4 chilli sauces served with the raw vegetables and all had their own unique taste to them. One was made from green chillies which had a slight saltiness to it and the spiciest among all 4. It was called cabe ijo. The other had a similiar taste to the one made from green chillies and was made from red chillies instead. This was milder and called sambal tomat. The 3rd one was a bit more brown, and had a slight hint of belachan and sambal in it called sambal terasi. The last one was more of a chilli salsa called sambal bomba. It had small pieces of apples tossed in chilli. This one had a slight tangy and fruity flavour to it and was more sweet, but also really spicy, Overall, all 4 of them had their own nice individual taste and texture, serving as a good compliment to the ulam-ulaman and dishes, and definitely a favourite for those who can stand the heat.



One of the drinks we wanted to try here was definitely the Sundanese coffee.

We ordered an ice milk sundanese coffee and a hot black sundanese coffee. Both were strong and good coffee however, I think that it tasted quite similar to the local brew here. Not much of a difference.



We ordered Nasi Liwet, which was fragrant rice cooked with leaves, salted egg, anchovies, onions, garlic and ginger to accompany our dishes.

It was served piping hot and as it arrived, you could smell it's aroma of garlic, ginger and onion. It was soft, fluffy, really flavourful and wasn't over powering, which made it perfect to go with the rest of the dishes.

One of their best selling dishes here is their Ayam Bakar which translates to grilled chicken. Here they have ayam bakar kicap which was grilled chicken marinated in soy sauce, ayam bakar sambal, cili and so on. Today we went with the ayam bakar sambal.

Our ayam bakar was grilled again before serving, and topped with delicious spicy looking sambal. The chicken was soft and tender and still had it's juices inside. The sambal was spicy and when eaten with the chicken, gave a nice kick to it accompanying the grilled flavours very well.

Another spicy dish we had was the Cumi Cabe Ijo which was deep fried squid tossed with the cabe ijo that was served earlier with the ulam-ulaman.

This dish was the spiciest. The squid was deep fried well, and were marinated till flavourful. It was an interesting combination and the squid was very tender as well, not rubbery.



We also ordered a mix vegetable dish which consisted of sliced cabbages, bean sprouts and long beans cut into small pieces. This dish resembles coleslaw a lot.

The vegetables were tossed in a brown gravy and I could taste that peanut sauce was used in this gravy. It was a non spicy dish and was refreshing as it helps to cool your taste buds  from the other spicy dishes.


The Tempeh is one thing I wouldn't miss ordering whenever eating Indonesian food. Tempeh is basically deep fried fermented soybeans, shaped together to form a square.  Here in Bumbu Cabe, their tempeh is braised in a dark sauce.

It was soft and so flavourful  and is actually one of the best tempeh I have ever tried. They did a good job on the marination and braising process as so much flavour has been absorbed by the tempeh.


It was a stunning meal and experience for us hear at Bumbu Cabe. Prices are reasonable for the quality, portion and not to mention, the service and experience you will get. Also, spicy food lovers will definitely enjoy dining here. Come give it a try at Bumbu Cabe.


Bumbu Cabe at Icom Square:

Ground Floor, B128 - B129,
Icom Square Jalan Pending,
94450 Kuching, Sarawak.

082 266966





Bumbu Cabe at City One Mall:

Ground Floor City One Mall,
Jalan Song,
93350 Kuching, Sarawak.

082 532666


Opening hours:
Everyday except Sunday from 11.30am to 9.30pm

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

-

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

OLD REX CUCUR UDANG CAFE: TEA TIME EPISODES

For many years, Old Rex Cucur Udang has been the no.1 go to place for me whenever craving for belachan bi hun, golden crispy cucur udang (prawn crackers) and sweet spicy chilli sauce with crushed peanuts. Also one of Kuching citizens' favourite eats during tea time - a bowl of abc or special, rojak, sotong kangkung, belachan bi hun and cucur. This place has it all.

One interesting and refreshing drink they sell here is the Ngo Mi Teng.

It contains barley seeds, agar-agar, nata de coco, and fruits topped off with syrup and shaven ice. This is perfect for a hot day as it is cooling to the body as well. It was a light and sweet drink, and you could smell and taste a slight fruity fragrance in the syrup.

Old Rex Cucur Udang also sells other delicious drinks such as Special, ABC, Cendol and the other typical tea time refreshers to go with your cucur udang.



Next, a not to miss delicacy when eating at Old Rex. It's the belachan bi hun.

This brown savoury broth is full of flavour, you wouldn't want to miss a single drop of it. It was rich and of a thick-like consistency, filled with dried shrimp goodness and the belachan which made the broth slightly sweet. The beansprouts and cucumber strips complimented this dish perfectly as well. The squid pieces were very soft too. This dish can also be ordered with preserved egg also known as century egg.

This is the famous cucur udang.

Each cracker were deep fried then cut up into quarters. It was cooked till crispy, and even the prawn shells could be eaten. The batter had a nice savoury taste to it, with a hint of prawn flavour. When eaten with the chilli sauce, adds a nice sweet spicy kick to this cracker.

Their chilli sauce was also delicious, and flavourful enough. It wasn't too spicy either, and goes well with almost any of the deep fried food they sold at this cucur stall. A generous amount of crushed peanuts would be also given when requested.

This stall sells many other types of deep fried delicacies but some of the recommended items other than the prawn crackers are the dragon head, cheese tofu, seafood tofu and bishop's nose.





Come try these famous local tea time delicacies at the famous Old Rex Cucur Udang, and taste them for yourself. Definitely the no.1 place to go to for delicious belachan bi hun and crisp to perfection prawn crackers.





Old Rex Cucur Udang Cafe
437-438, Rubber Road 
93400, Kuching, 
Sarawak, Malaysia.

Opens everyday from 6.30am to 5pm except Mondays.

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

-

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