Local specialities:
The Sarawak Laksa
Sarawak is famous for its Sarawak Laksa, a local Chinese-style vermicelli
dish served hot with chicken and egg shreds, prawns and beansprouts in a
bowl of spicy coconut soup cooked with tamarind. This version of laksa is
very different from the curry laksa found in other Malaysian sates,
thereby proclaiming the uniqueness of the Sarawak Laksa. This delicious
yet cheap meal (RM 2.00-3.50 depending on size) is a favourite amongst the
locals, and is eaten as breakfast or as a light meal throughout the day.
However, you will find that most stalls stop selling laksa by noon. Laksa
is conveniently available in hawker stalls or coffee shops as well as
restaurants. Other similar local noodle dishes that must not be missed
include the popular Kolo Mee, fried Kway Teow, fried noodles (Mee Goreng),
Kueh Chap, and Mee Sua.
Seafood
South East Asia's finest seafood is best savoured in Sarawak. Most towns
in Sarawak are strategically situated close to the sea, and thus receive
fresh daily supplies of seafood either from the South China Sea or
imported from the waters of Thailand, Indonesia and Sabah (especially
during the monsoon season at the end of the year).
Local ikan (fish) come in a wide range, such as the pomphret, red snapper,
garoupa, Spanish mackerel, kurau, haruan, terubok and the ray fish.
Restaurants serve these fish in numerous ways - steamed, fried, baked,
curried, grilled or with sambal - a mild, spicy mixture of Malay origin,
made up of onions, dried chillies, candlenuts and belacan (prawn
paste).
Crabs, prawns, lobsters, clams, squids, oysters and bamboo clams are
equally plentiful and fresh. One can easily find seafood in local
restaurants and seafood centres. Seafood centres specialise in seafood
dishes and they usually have a frozen assortment of seafood on display for
the customers' selection. Alternatively, those with more time to spare
ought to travel by car to the nearest seafood village located by the beach
for a more natural and peaceful ambience while enjoying the catch of the
day.
Jungle fern
The locals greatly indulge in jungle fern such as the midin and paku, both
much sought after for their crisp texture and great taste. Both ferns are
usually served in two equally delicious ways - fried with either garlic or
belacan.
Eating out
Eating outlets in Sarawak range from exquisite, air-conditioned
restaurants to small, simple-looking hawker stalls and coffee shops in
shop lots. There are plenty of restaurants that serve Chinese, Malay,
Indian, Western, Korean, Japanese and Indonesian cuisine. The stalls and
coffee shops are mostly family businesses owned by the Chinese, Malay and
Indians that serve local specialities, also considered as the local 'fast
food', and are found everywhere in town.
Kuching and
Kuching Area
Restaurants in Kuching:
Business dinners and lunches
The main hotels, most of them have good
local and international cuisine.
Seafood
restaurants/ centres
Teck Seng Seafood Centre
Location: Pending - an industrial area located at the Pending port -, 10
mins away from the city centre.
Menu: Mainly seafood dishes, and includes almost any kind of local Chinese
dishes.
Speciality: Fried buttered prawns, cuttlefish in sesame seeds, steamed
pomphret with ginger and sour plums, steamed or deep-fried terubok,
"Beggar's" chicken, baked chicken with salt.
Capacity: 20 tables
Service: Many of the waitresses speak little or no English, so
communication can be a little bit difficult. Food is usually served
quickly.
Pricing: Moderately cheap
Opening Times: 12:30 pm - 11 pm daily
Comments: A wide range of seafood dishes is offered here, as well as many
interesting chicken dishes. A popular one would be the Beggar's Chicken,
which is chicken with Chinese herbs in thick, sweet and salty gravy.
There can be mosquitoes in the evening, therefore it is advisable to wear
long pants or shirts for precaution. The place may not look very upmarket,
although it is worth going for the food.
Bangkok Thai Seafood Restaurant
Location: Jalan Padungan
Menu: Primarily Thai food and seafood, Chinese dishes
Speciality: Grilled chicken wrapped in pandan leaves
Seafood Tom Yum
Grilled Tiger prawns with sambal
Pineapple rice
Coconut puddings and tapioca cakes
Capacity: approximately 25 tables, 3 private rooms
Service: usually very good
Pricing: Relatively expensive
Opening Times: 11pm - 10pm daily
Comments: Delicious authentic Thai food is served here, and the seafood
can be served both Chinese-style and Thai-style, with the latter having a
more sour and spicy edge. Bangkok Thai is very well decorated thereby
giving the place a pleasing ambience to dine in.
Seegood Food Centre
Location: Jalan Ban Hock
Menu: Seafood and Chinese dishes
Speciality: Bamboo clams in turmeric
Steamed Tiger prawns with ginger
Fried crabs with egg and tomato sauce
Fried midin/paku with belacan
Capacity: 18 tables
Service: Good
Pricing: Moderately cheap
Opening Times: 11:30 am - 11pm
Comments: Bamboo clams belong to the mussel family, and non-locals may not
find the bamboo clam dish inviting at first due to its uncanny resemblance
to worms, but it is nevertheless an exotic and tasty treat. Seegood also
has a fine and wide selection of wine and liquors.
Hornbill BBQ Steamboat Restaurant
Location: Jalan Ban Hock
Menu: A range of raw seafood, meat and fish balls, meat, noodles and
vegetables, to be selected by the customer for steamboat
Speciality: -
Capacity: 15 tables
Service: Self-service (buffet style)
Pricing: Adult : RM 16.00
Child: 5 - 11 years RM 8.00; under 4 years - Free
Opening Times: 5pm - 11pm daily
Comments: Lively place; value for money although a penalty of RM 5.00 is
imposed for every 100 g of left-over food.
Teo Seafood Centre
Location: Buntal Seafood Village - approx. 20 km (40 mins) away from city
centre.
Menu: Seafood and Chinese dishes
Speciality: Oyster omelettes
Grilled ray fish with sambal
Fried buttered prawns
Fried crabs with herbs
Fried rice with salted fish
Capacity: 20 tables
Service: Good and swift
Pricing: Cheap
Opening Times: 12pm to 11pm daily
Comments : One of its specialities, the oyster omelette comes in a round,
large (9") and crispy layer of egg fried with small oysters and
herbs, to be eaten with a peppery soya sauce mix. There may be mosquitoes
in the evening, especially in the evening - it is therefore advisable to
wear long pants and shirts.
Sin Soon Lee Seafood Restaurant
Location: Muara Tebas - approx. 20 km (40 mins) away from the city centre,
located at the mouth of the river.
Menu: Seafood and Chinese dishes
Speciality: Steamed terubok fish
Fried kangkung (morning glory vegetable) with belacan or garlic
Fried midin/paku with belacan or garlic
Fried baby squid with salt
Fried crabs with herbs
Pandan coconuts
Capacity: 18 tables
Service: Good
Pricing: Cheap
Opening Times: 11:30 am to 11pm daily
Comments : The pandan coconuts make a refreshing drink. The coconut meat
is sweet in taste and its juice has a distinct pandan fragrance. The
terubok is full of fine bones and extreme care is needed when eating it.
It is nonetheless very delicious and is probably one of the tastiest
fish.
Chinese restaurants
Lok Thian
Location: Jalan Padungan, just above Bangkok Thai
Menu: Chinese dishes
Speciality:
Capacity: 30 tables in air-conditioned space
Service: Very good
Pricing: Expensive
Opening Times: 11pm - 10pm daily
Comments : The place is always very busy, so it is advisable to make
reservations.
Tsui Hua Lau
Location: Jalan Ban Hock
Menu: Chinese dishes
Speciality: Roast duck
Shark's fin soup with crab meat
Capacity: 30 tables, 6 private rooms in air-conditioned space
Service: Very good and fast
Pricing: Expensive
Opening Times:
Comments : The place is always packed, so it is advisable to make
reservations.
Peter's Special
Menu: Chinese dishes
Speciality: Grilled mutton
Oxtail stew
Assam fish
Capacity: 15 tables
Service: Good
Pricing: Moderately cheap
Opening Times:
Comments : Customers frequent Peter's Special for its oxtail stew dish, a
tasty dish accompanied with rice. The place also has a great selection of
wine and liquors.
Food Courts
Food courts are vast
open-spaces that house many hawker stalls of all sorts, serving Chinese,
Indian and Malay food all in one compound.
1. New A La Carte Food Court (with air-conditioning)
2. King's Centre
3. Top Spot Food Court
4. Lau Yar Kaeng
Top Spot Food Court:
It is very popular among the locals and tourists. It is an open air food
court above a big car park, near Hilton. It is extremely busy sometimes.
Food Markets
Sunday market:
From Saturday afternoon till Sunday: very busy fruit and vegetable market,
where many local producers offer their tropical products on sale. In the
evening you may also eat at some of the many stalls there, that offer
local dishes.
Pubs, bars, etc.
Ground floor of Riverside
Suite Building: several bars where you can sit outside overlooking the
river, happy hour from 7:00 pm to 9.00 pm. Hangout for the local
expatriates and business people, very popular.
Behind Hilton and Top Spot Food Court: many up-market bars that
seem to be very popular.
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Kuching river front |
Miri
Many of the big hotels have good local and international
cuisine. Near the waterfront there are several very good fish
restaurants.