The Hungry Bunny

After we checked in for our return flight from Kuching to Singapore, we decided to find a cafe/bistro/coffee joint to while the time away. We didn't bother going into the departure area, because there really isn't much in there. We chilled out at the only cafe/bistro/coffee joint in sight, which happened to be the only Starbucks that we've seen in the whole of Kuching.  I'm always curious to try out the localised concoctions of the international brands in any country, and Kuching had a variant of my favourite green tea frappe, the Black Sesame Green Tea Frappuccino (RM$8.70). Tiny little sesame seeds were sprinkled on top of the frozen concoction, which was blended with savoury aromatic ground sesame powder. This was really quite delicious, I really think it'll be a hit in Singapore if this was brought in here.Update 7 July 2011: I saw this available at the DBS Building Tower Starbucks, yippee!! Starbucks Coffee Kuching Airport Malaysia

We were terribly hungry after the wedding dinner so we went hunting for some Ramly burgers. Unfortunately, the ones the taxi driver brought us to were closed, so we opted for the convenience of a 24-hour room service at the hotel. Come to think of it, we've never had a holiday without at least an order of room service. I guess we're just the kind of people that would order overpriced food purely because we're happy to pay for convenience. I chose the Poulet Grille (RM$34.80), a succulent grilled chicken thigh with micro greens and sumptuous pumpkin mash, finished with a drizzling of chicken jus and lime barbecue gravy The Raja Ayam Penyet (RM$21.80) of a crispy chicken leg, home-made sambal, local fresh greens ulam-ulam, pickled fruits and fragrant brown rice wasn't great. The chicken was over-battered and under-marinated, while the rest of the dish was just incredibly ho-hum. The dessert of Sago Gula Apong (RM$19.80) with Malaysian sweet fresh mangoes, ...

Marrybrown is one of Malaysia's premier fast food chains, specializing in fried chicken. Of course comparisons are bound to be drawn with KFC, the international chain of fast food restaurants specializing also in fried chicken. While the chicken at Marrybrown is better than the KFC in Singapore, it's not as good as the KFC outlets in Malaysia. There was a Marrybrown outlet at the adjoining shopping mall to the hotel where we were staying at, which was so convenient for a late-night snack. We got a piece each of the Original and Hotouch Chicken (RM$6.10), the equivalent of KFC's original and crispy.  We opted for the chicken thigh meat of the Original, which was lipsmackingly juicy and flavoursome. While the Original wasn't as uniquely and distinctly seasoned like KFC's version, this was still a really delicious piece of fried chicken, mostly because the chicken was fresh, plump and succulent. No frozen meat used here. The clincher was th...

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...

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...

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...