An Unconventional Swimming Pool

I realised that swimming pools in Miri are not as popular as the swimming pools in Kuching.

The reason? Miri is a city by the sea and therefore beaches are just a short drive away. Many people prefer beaches to swimming pools.

With beautiful sunsets, I would too. Of course, people still frequent the swimming pools in Miri. I'm not saying everyone prefers beaches.

To go to a beach in Kuching, one would have to drive for at least 45 minutes !! That alone can deter people to go there if they simply want to have a "dip in the water".

However, nowadays people in Kuching come out with clever ways to satisfy their whims. No need to drive all the way to the beach or squeeze with others at public swimming pools.

Just go to that new shopping mall called The Spring ..........

Credits to the person that took the video.

Truly a new retail beginning!

Part Time Boy Wanted

Spotted at Boulevard, Kuching:


The sign doesn't have the right ring to it. Successful applicants better be careful when bending over to pick up any footwear.

Top 10 Places In Kuching To Eat Laksa

Ahh... laksa! What's there to hate about it? For those of you who do not know what laksa is, allow me to give a brief introduction..............

Now that we have familiarized ourselves, here are the top 10 places in Kuching serving the best laksa. The list is done with the following assumptions:

1. I'm aware that there are many variations of laksa, such as Asam Laksa and Curry Laksa. However, the list strictly comprises of Sarawak Laksa.
   
2. The maximum price of the laksa being contested in the list is RM5.
   
3. I place a high importance on the gravy.
   
4. The list is done based on the my personal view. If you are offended in any way, then go suck on a lollipop.
   
5. I do not have weird fetishes when it comes to eating laksa, such as ordering laksa kosong (Believe me, some people do order that!).
   

Without further ado, I present you the top 10 list, bottom up.


#10 - Sin Chong Choon Cafe

Sin Chong Choon Cafe is located at the Green Heights commercial center. And yes, the cafe apparently have relations to the famous Chong Choon Cafe at Abell Road, which is also in this list.

The laksa tastes nothing like its counterpart though. It has rooms for improvements, particularly in the quantity of the ingredients.


#9 - Combo Laksa

The Combo Laksa shop is at the Pending commercial center, near the Dua Puluh Sen Store. Rumors have it that once upon a time they served laksa in coconut shells.

The color of the gravy looks fantastic but unfortunately not as fantastic in taste. It needs a little less coconut milk and a little more spice.

Combo Laksa also sells the most expensive laksa I have ever seen - Abalone laksa for RM128!! A more realistic RM10 option would get you clams in your laksa.


#8 - Barrett's Laksa

Barrett's Laksa is being sold in a cafe called Tiang's Cafe at the Bormill Estate, Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce.

They go the extra mile by adding fish balls and fish cakes into your laksa - an ingredient desirable but non-essential. The gravy is rich in spices.

You can also buy their laksa paste or sambal belacan if you like it.


#7 - Madam Tang's Cafe

Despite serving one of the best beef noodles in Kuching, the laksa at Madam Tang's is somewhat mediocre.

The flavor of the gravy is bland and diluted. A regular laksa comes with prawns you can barely see. You might want to size up your laksa to the RM10 option if you want your prawns truly visible.


#6 - Jin Ming Cafe

Jin Ming Cafe may be hidden from the usual hustle and bussle of the Sekama main road, but the laksa here commands a fair number of faithful eaters.

The laksa here is enough to satisfy one's cravings for the food. Decent, but not spectacular. The only complaint I have is that the prawns are sliced in half and placed outer-side up on your laksa, giving you an impression that prawns are aplenty.


#5 - Golden Arch Cafe

The "golden" laksa of the Golden Arch Cafe at the Golden Arch Commercial Center is above average. In the mornings, the cafe is usually packed full of people and parking can be quite a hassle.

The laksa is savoury and deserves to be one of the most popular laksa spots in Kuching. I, however, do not frequent this place.

#4 - Foody Goody Cafe

Foody Goody Cafe can hardly be missed if you know where the Kuching Specialist Center is. The cafe not only sells laksa, but a host of other local delicacies.

Sometimes I think the laksa here is overrated and overhyped. Many people have agreed with me that there is nothing so spectacular about the laksa.

Among the most popular stalls is the one that sells Yu Cha Kueh (Fried dough sticks) fresh out of the frying wok.

What happens if you add these crispy fried dough sticks to laksa?

Almost as good as eating strawberry and cheese together I suppose.....

3 - Hak Guan

Hak Guan is located at a house-like establishment near the traffic light at 4 ½ Mile. The cafe is always thronged by hungry Kuchingites every morning.

Food being sold here include kueh chap and porridge but the main attraction has got to be the laksa. The gravy is superb - not too spicy, strong or diluted. Prawns are big and fresh.

The only thing that can be improved is maintaining consistency of the taste in their gravy.

#2 - Mei Mei Food Centre

In the not-so-faraway land of Chong Lin Park, lies a cafe selling one of the best laksa in Kuching. Parking is hassle-free as there are plenty of parking spaces. There are also more than enough tables to cope with the current stream of customers.

Mei Mei's laksa is delightfully aromatic and rich in ingredients. The price of the laksa as shown in the picture below is only RM3.20. Imagine what you would get for a RM5 option.

Not only is the laksa delicious, but the drinks here are also fantastic. Order a kopi peng or teh-c-peng and you would get a smooth-tasting drink with froth.

Mei Mei's laksa also needs to maintain more consistency in the taste. Sometimes the taste of the laksa may not achieve its "full potential". In fact, this is the reason why it lost out on the #1 spot in this list.

#1 - Chong Choon Cafe

Its no secret that many people think Chong Choon Cafe at Abell Road serves the best laksa in Kuching. Just look at the number of customers there! The laksa is usually sold out around 10am. The place is crowded and seats are limited.

Tips for securing a seat at Chong Choon Cafe:

• Don't be afraid to ask people if you can share tables with them. Remember to be polite and courteous!
  
• Locate and position yourself nearby people who have finished or almost finished their food and stare at them until they leave. Remember to be polite and courteous!

The laksa? Simply breathtaking.

Pay For Breathing

There is a particular eatery that's infamous for charging for every little thing. The name of the kopitiam shall not be revealed (It's the kopitiam near Thompson's Corner, Nanas Road!!!).

You are welcomessss.

During a recent visit there, I did not see the signboard/menu that indicates the charges for items which we would normally get for FREE at other eateries. It's a good thing I snapped a picture of it a while back.

Now imagine if you are a foreign visitor that ONLY speaks English. It would be pretty shocking to see this.....




Extra air for 30 cents "only". I knew that one day oxygen would be costly!!

So make sure you take a deep breath before entering, gobble up all your food, pay and leave before you die of suffocation.

Best Lui Cha in Kuching?

I usually cringe at the at the slightest mention of Lui Cha or Lui Teh but one fine day I decided to give it a go. Destination? The residential house at the Jalan Intan - Jalan Tengah junction near Green Road.

The Lui Cha here is reputedly one of the best in Kuching. I cannot judge, simply because I DON'T normally eat Lui Cha. Apparently there are only 6 or 7 tables here and they don't sell any drinks.

You are allowed to choose between bitter or non-bitter Lui Cha. Naturally, I opted for the latter.

The soup looks so much like gunk scooped out of a nearby drain that the only thing missing is a few fishes swimming in it. BUT it tastes nice. One thing about Malaysia is that we have food that looks/smells like crap but tastes heavenly.

For non-Lui-Cha-fans, its a good place to start.

The Most Deserted Stall at Kuching Festival

It's that time of the year again where the most "sinful" food in Kuching congregate and tempt you to a night of hot and passionate gluttony - its the Kuching Festival Food Fair.

The Kuching Festival doesn't excite me as much as it did 10 years ago.

Maybe because it was not me who was driving through the mad jam 10 years ago. Perhaps now it is the thought of pushing through a sweaty and food-lusting crowd.

Or maybe its because the festival is almost the same every year - too predictable up to the point that I can guess where a particular food stall is located.

The festival this year is somewhat different. No, not because the SugarBun stall is at a different location this year. It's nice too see a number of well-known stalls such as Mango Tree and Igloo dominating the scenes instead.

At almost EVERY stall, you can see a small crowd or at least a few people waiting for their order to be prepared. With the obscene number of visitors to the food fair, I can safely assume that most stalls can command a steady stream of customers and make a decent profit.

However, one thing that remains the same year after year, which in my opinion is the most DESERTED and EMPTY stall ever........

Kuching Chicken Porridge

Starter:
I was at "World Wonder" Saberkas browsing pirated DVDs when i felt the floor beneath me shook at certain intervals. Anybody else has a similar experience?

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Judging from the extremely faded signboard, I assume that Kuching Chicken Porridge at Jalan Nanas (Nanas Road) has been in business for a long time. Despite living in Kuching all my life, it was my first time there. Yes i know shaddap!

I don't normally eat porridge for dinner, but if you do then head out to Kuching Chicken Porridge. It only operates nightly from 7:30pm to 10:30pm, Monday to Saturday.

Be wary that they might start operating from 7:00pm. When I was there around 7:40pm and wanted to order a side dish of chicken meat, they said that it was sold out. WTF!! Only 7:40pm! The porridge may also be sold out by 9:00pm, so arrive early.

The porridge itself is thick and fragrant. There is a distinct aroma that separates it from the rest of the porridges sold in Kuching. Add minimal pepper and light soy sauce as the taste is sufficiently rich.

The Mushroom Chicken Leg side order is a must if you like chicken feet. It's tasty and complements the porridge well.

Did I mentioned that the regular porridge is only RM2? Where else can you find great-tasting porridge for such an attractive price. Head there right away and take me with you.

Deceitful Starbucks!

Starter:
I have added a new label called "Only In Kuching" since a lot of my posts are about Kuching.

---

Not that I'm a fan of Starbucks Coffee, but it has finally hit the shores of Kuching. Miaoland's first Starbucks outlet is at the Kuching International Airport, of all places!

I'm particularly careful when ordering at any Starbucks outlet. They have a deceitful way of squeezing as much money as possible from you.

For example, they might ask what kind of syrup we would like with our coffee - Hazelnut syrup, Someothernut syrup or Whateverocipalanut syrup that will cost you an additional RM1.70 when in fact we can simply decline it and opt for coffee WITHOUT syrup.

Adding whipped cream will also cost you RM1.70 when the price of a kopi peng at most kopitiams will cost less than RM1.70. I suppose its fine if you would like to visit Starbucks once in a while and drink the ambiance.

With that being said, I noticed something peculiar, or should I say, redundant about the Store/Opening Hours signboard.....

Hmmm.....

Fried Wantan in Tomato Gravy

This is a steaming plate of fried wantan in tomato gravy, or locally known as Char Chiaw Char Kiaw. Not only is it a unique dish in Kuching, but the place is quite hard to find if you are a first-timer at the BDC Resettlement area.

Remind me to have a plate of it before I leave.

World Wonders from Kuching

Starter:
I'll be attending and helping out at Shen's wedding at Damai. Updates will be posted after my weekend getaway.

---

The skyline of a city holds great importance. It symbolizes the greatness of a city and the image a city projects for the world to see.

In many parts of the world, the city skyline is so important that the architectural interface of old and historical buildings are preserved even though the interior of the building may not exist at all! Some of these "buildings" may look like museums but are actually open space car parks.

In conjunction with 7th July 2007 (07.07.07), a new set of Seven Wonders of the World will be announced during the Official Declaration ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal. The New Seven Wonders of the World is a proposed revision of the Seven Wonders of the World, organized by a Swiss-based, corporation called New Open World Corporation (NOWC). The selection is being made by free and paid votes, through telephone or online.

Not only is the Sydney Opera House a candidate in the final 21 finalists, it was also recently added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. It was quite an achievement for a futuristic arts complex that was completed in 1973.

I'm disappointed that only 2 properties in the World Heritage Sites list and none in the Seven Wonders of the World candidates belong to Malaysia.

There are many monuments and properties in Bolehland that deserve an award. Therefore, I present to you 3 buildings from Kuching that should have been a world wonder candidate.

In 3rd place.....

Forget The Great Wall of China. Let me introduce The Great Eyesore of Kuching.

Once when I was a few thousand feet high in an airplane above Kuching city, I spotted an outstanding monument. Then I realized what it was:




Yes! Its none other than the Everrise building in BDC - flashed in "Sunquick" orange and "kaya" green. Nothing speaks louder than a building painted in bright contradicting colors. Shocking...

In 2nd place.....

When I saw the picture of this building before the actual thing, I thought the picture had been photoshopped. It was not!




Sitting in the heart of Kuching city where tourists and locals alike bustle around daily, its indeed a sight to behold. While we were busy trying to keep up with the latest movies at Star Cineplex (a tenant of Medan Pelita), the management at Medan Pelita were busy pimpin' up its building. It looks like a multi-level multi-colored kindergarten for the "Special Color-blind Children".

Its an extraordinary human feat to have selected and coordinated the painting of so many colors on one single building. At the time of writing, the paint works have yet to finish. Who knows what other colors they might unleash to us innocent Kuching citizens.

And finally, the prime candidate for a world wonder...

In 1st place...



Wisma Saberkas! Why you might ask. After all, it looks more decent than the rest.

Take a closer look...

Various section of the walls are painted in disgusting pink! I thought they would have painted the entire building with several shades of pink that would have made Xiaxue proud. But NO! Only a portion of the building. There is nothing worse than an unfinished bad work.

The pink portion of the building reminds me of something. Something all so familiar indeed......




That's it!!

Now which building is your "favorite"?