The Hungry Bunny

Kuching may not be known as a gourmet's paradise, but there are some must-try eats unique to Kuching. There's the famous export that's kolo mee. And there's Sarawak laksa, which, despite its name, isn't really laksa at all. As we only had one afternoon to try all that Kuching had to offer, we asked the hotel concierge for suggestions as to where he thought was the best Sarawak laksa. After a lengthy discussion with the bell porter and taxi driver, we were sent to this old-school coffee shop, just minutes away from the hotel. The coffee shop was filled with local Kuchingites having lunch, a sure sign of authenticity.  The Sarawak Laksa (RM$5.50 for large) is really more like our local mee siam, but totally unique and unlike anything we've ever had. The prawn stock base was spiced up by sambal belachan base and cut with sour tamarind and lemongrass, which gives it its sourish spicy flavours, reminiscent of mee siam, but with a nutty, smoky accent. Strips of o...

Sabai is one of the few Thai restaurants that's suitable for a business lunch. Its first outlet at Takashimaya is so hugely successful that it's spawned a new branch at the newly restored Customs House. This establishment, with its centralised location (it's walkable from the office) and picturesque view of the bay, was the perfect choice for our June L.A. Lunch. Obviously, the high rents of the CBD area has translated to the pricey menu and somewhat small-ish portions of the food. That said, the food's authentic and good, with a spice level that has stayed true to its Thai roots. Nothing's watered down here despite the presence of many Caucasians. Apparently, according to the grapevine, the owners of Sabai were originally from Thanying , another high-end Thai establishment. I think the food here is better than at Thanying though the dessert buffet at Thanying is without compare. We started off with Khao Dtang Nar Dtang ($16) wonderfully crisp rice crackers ...

Kuching's a fairly small city with an unusual history. Their rulers, called "White Rajahs", were actually white men. I learnt this little nugget of information from an Ipohite friend of mine. This probably explains the prevalence of extremely English names of many of the roads, why English is very widely spoken throughout Kuching, and the predominance of Christianity and Catholicism throughout Kuching. Also, I've noticed that Kuching is really quite a "neat" and clean city, which sets it apart from the other Malaysian cities I've been to, like Kuala Lumpur and Malacca, both of which are vibrant in their "messiness". Buildings are all laid out in neat lines so the city looks somewhat like Legoland, or Melbourne from the air. The vibe is quite laidback and the pace of life is more languid. In short, life is simple here. Of course, there aren't that many big chain hotels here, and definitely not of the super swanky Ritz type. The Riversi...

It seems that I'm only here when I'm having lunch with CC and Mr J. The last time I was here , more than a year ago, was also with the both of them. Since a year ago, there are less restaurants offering the Clarke Quay Weekday $15 Set Lunch Promotion . Tomo Izakaya is one of the best lunch spots under this promotion. Their bento set lunches usually make for a full substantive meal, and generally of reasonable quality. Tomo Izakaya has 2 different choices for the set lunch, 1 with fish and the other with beef. Set A is paired with simmered gindara, and served alongside tuna and salmon sashimi, chicken gyoza, prawn and avocado salad, rice, pickles and miso soup. The cod fish was fresh, creamy and mild, and everything else was fairly good, except the sashimi, which weren't particularly fresh. Set B is paired with simmered beef and potatoes, sides of deep fried sliced burdock, sashimi, prawn avocado salad, rice, pickles and miso soup. Save for the sashimi, the rest we...

We were in Kuching over the weekend to attend a friend's wedding. It's the first time we've ever been to Kuching, or Sarawak (Kuching is its capital city), or Borneo (Sarawak is one of the 2 states on the island of Borneo). Heck, we've never even been to East Malaysia (consisting the island of Borneo which is split into the 2 states of Sabah and Sarawak, and Labuan). Like I told my friend, I would never go to Kuching if not for his wedding. Hey, I'm not dissing Kuching okay. It's just that I'm not the kind of person who'd go to a place like that. I just don't like the rainforest. Which is in lush abundance in Sarawak. I'd rather go to the beach. Grab a book, a wide-brimmed hat, slap on copious amounts of sunscreen, and laze beside the pool all day. Despite all that my friend's told me (he claims that Kuching is just one big kampong), Kuching isn't filled with kampongs. It's doesn't look any different from Johor, or Ipoh. Defi...

There are a few names that pop up whenever a craving for South Indian-style fish head curry hits. Muthu's Curry , Banana Leaf Apolo, and Gayatri Restaurant are some of the notable purveyors of this local creation. There! That's at least one dish nobody else can claim is their creation. This truly is "Uniquely Singapore" dish. Even Wikipedia says so too! You won't find this dish anywhere in India. Apparently, an Indian Singaporean chef wanted to cater to the local Chinese palate, who view fish head as a delicacy, so he put the fish head together with his Indian spices and made it all into a curry! Bring to mind the phrase, "melting pot", doesn't it? To be honest, I can't tell the difference between all of their curry fish heads, they all belong to the thick, creamy (with lots of coconut milk) and spicy type. Not the assam type. If you want the assam type, head to Samy's Curry. So, we obviously had the Fish Head Curry ($25 for medium) with...

I've been down with a bacterial infection, so I was coughing and wheezing my lungs out. That meant no exercise until all the phlegm was purged out of my system. I finally got to go back to the gym after 2 whole long months, and man, have I lost my stamina! I was huffing and puffing away on the treadmill and could barely last all of the 15 minutes' slow jog. Still, exercise was bearable because I get to indulge, guilt-free, after the workout! Yes, I know some people think that they should keep to a healthy regime and eat sensibly and light, especially after they've worked out, so as not to "erase all of the hard work" at the gym. Well, I belong to the other camp. I'm one of those people who feel that I deserve to indulge, especially since I've worked so hard at the gym. I got the Fish & Chips ($10), fresh and smooth dory fillets, coated in a thin batter and fried to a golden crisp. This could have done with less salting though. Fries were generic b...

We revisited TCC for dinner the other night. We'd originally intended to try Nando's, just next to TCC, but it was a full-house and there was a long queue just to be seated. As you all well know by now, we hate queuing, so we made a beeline for TCC instead, which is quite surprisingly, really. Their food's good, ambience casual and breezy, prices reasonable, but there's always seats available in this cafe. Maybe it's because most people think that they serve only coffee? Hmm... We started off with the Spicy-hot Wings ($12.50) which was lipsmackingly juicy and moist but with an exceptionally spicy and peppery battered crust. I was quite stunned at how spicy this was, in a very Mexican, slow heat, peppery way. You have been warned. The Fiance got the Beef Stew ($20.80). This was braised so well it was fork tender, in a red wine and tomato veal jus, and paired with oven baked herb potatoes. I got the Shrooms and Splash Gratin ($16.80) of golden baked pe...

There's this old saying, what goes around comes around. I was just gloating to my colleague the other day that being on Invisalign really is quite a breeze, compared to people who've had to ensure the pain of metal braces. Really, I should have kept my mouth shut. Having just started on my 6th aligner yesterday, I'm in pain. There's a lot more straightening movement of the teeth with the 6th aligner, which means that I constantly feel like I'm having my teeth pulled. Without novocain. This also means that I'm on soft foods for now. Foods like ice-cream, which is both soft and refreshingly cold, helps soothe my very tender teeth and gums. So, I'm on an all ice-cream diet for now. While the Fiance had a proper meal at Coffee Club , I was relegated to the mudpies selection. Ah well, at least there's a silver lining. There are 2 Coffee Club joints at Wheelock Place. While the open-air outlet facing Orchard Road is open 24 hours and offers the full menu, ...