Thursday, March 15, 2012

Have food will travel

According to wikipedia, "Have gun will travel" was an American Western television series that aired on CBS from 1957 through 1963. I was only two in 1957. However, the phrase is still popular these days except it is used variably to suit the situation. In my case it was "Have food will travel". Family friends and regular readers of my blog probably knew that I am not a traveler by choice, but then, I will consider traveling to places where I know I can get great food.  Last weekend I went to Sibu in East Malaysia to visit with some blogger friends and merely to sample all the wonderful food there.
Sibu is a township in the Sibu district of Sarawak state, in East Malaysia on the nothern coast of Borneo island. The population consists primarily of Chinese immigrants from Fuzhou (Foo Chow), and indigenous Malay and Iban people. The Fuzhou Chinese arrived in numbers of about 1,700 in 1901 after a deal was made several years earlier with the white (English) Rajah of Sarawak, Sir Edward Brooke, to open up farming and commercial enterprise on the Rajang River delta, a ripe and fertile ground. With that background in mind I knew that there were many food specialties associated with Sibu and influenced by the traditions of Fuzhous Chinese.
One of the first things I was eager to try is a bread called kompia, a well known specialty from Sibu. These are flattish buns rather like a bagel and are available with different flavors and a variety of fillings. Here are some photos which will give you some idea how kompia is made.

Two flavors of kompia were sold at this bakery. A plain, sweet variety and a saltish bun with sesame seeds. They can be eaten as they are or with your choice of fillings. They are out of this world DELICIOUS and you can ONLY get this in East Malaysia. Sibu examples are boasted to be the best. I was very curious about the ingredients used in making the kompia so I googled immediately and found that they are very similar to a bagel. I am very eager to try making some at home. Once I have finished the forty pieces of kompia that I brought home, I am going try making some and have tongpo pork to go with it. Here are the two types of fillings with deep fried kompia that I had. One was minced meat in thick dark sauce and the other was sliced pork belly.


Another well known local dish that we tried was kampua. Kampua is a noodle similar to won ton mee, and at a glance seems quite plain and simple. However the taste is memorable and to watch the preparation is a bonus show  of exaggerated toss and catch by the deft chef. The texture of the kampua is different from any noodles I have tried so far.  Smooth and not too firm with a soft, yielding mouth feel. As for flavors this largely depends on the ingredients used. Very simple preparations might simply include some light soy sauce with fried onions. Other ingredients that are common include char siu (bbq pork) and rich black sauce. The one ingredient most common is the use of pork lard for frying that imparts the rich flavor associated with Kampua.  

As for the piansip, it is something like wantan but the skin is more transparent and much thinner.

I was recommended to try the Fook Chow zhaochai hoong ngan noodles. I am glad I did not miss this one because this is something I cannot get in Kuala Lumpur and the taste was so unforgettable.

When I was at this coffee shop for the famous kampua, I saw something really interesting. A LOST scene in West Malaysia. A Muslim food store in a Chinese Coffee shop next to a Chinese food store selling kampua which consist of lard on the right and a Chinese sambal kueh teow store on the left which also uses lard.

Another thing that was interesting to me was the lady making roti canai. It is almost always done by a man. Getting the flat grilled roti just right is an acquired skill which this lady had obviously mastered.

Other than the wonderful street food in Sibu, we also tried café and restaurant food. The café we went to is called simply "Noodle House" and below are some of the food and drinks that we had. The highlight of the day was the Mille Crepe cakes. I have tried making this once. I nailed the taste but not the looks. I am eager to try making this again and hopefully I get the looks right the next time. The drinks were rather special because I have not seen them in the cafe in KL. The colourful drink on the left is mulberry lychee and the two drinks on the right is Horlick dinasaur and Horlick Gozilla. I love Fook Chow mee sua with chicken in red wine soup and I am so happy I got to try the authentic one. On the right of the mee suah is beef noodles which I did not try. My friend who tried it said it was delicious (for those so inclined).


We also went to two different Chinese restaurants for dinner during the two evenings we were there. The food from both restaurants was delicious and such a bargain compared to Kuala Lumour eateries.

Dinner at the Ruby Restaurant, these are the dishes we had:
All the above inclusive of drinks for 8 adults and a kid, cost only RM140.00


Dinner at Ming Mei Shi Seafood Restaurant:
All of the above food cost RM337.00 for 11 adults plus a kid. In case you wonder why there are 9 of us in the photo, one is the camera man, and the other is camera shy. LOL!

Other than having wonderful food in Sibu, we got to do some sight seeing. Sibu is also known as The Swan City. Why Swan city? This is what I found out. 


"In order to promote itself to tourists and for branding purpose, Sibu Municipal Council under the former Chairmanship of Datuk Robert Lau, adopted the swan as the symbol of Sibu town. According to the Sibu Chinese community, when the early Chinese immigrants arrived in Sibu in the mid 19th century and early 20th century, the present Rajang River reminded them of Swan River in Fuzhou, China where they came from. However, due to the fact that such a bird is non-existent in the town (except for the numerous huge artificial swan statues) or anywhere in Malaysia, the majority of the Sibu community, especially the natives, feel that such a choice is too artificial and does not invoke any special or deep feeling toward the so-called “Symbol of Sibu"."
I was told that the Sanyan building is 
the tallest building in Sarawak
On the left is the Rajang River and 
on the right is the Sungei Merah,
both are the landmarks in Sibu

There were many things that I have seen in Sibu that reminded me of my hometown, Ipoh when I was living there in my younger days:

I had a great time in Sibu and I enjoyed all the wonderful food. It was great meeting our generous host, Arthur of Still Crazy After All These Years and his family along with my Kuala Lumpur blogger friend, Small Kucing and family again. I was also delighted to meet with blogger friend from Ipoh, Claire of Caring Is Not Only Sharing and family and my Blogger friend from Kuala Lumpur, Yee Ling of Ling In De House for the first time after chatting on facebook and commenting on each other's blog posts for sometime. 


I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to Arthur for his hospitality, and gifts, and for being such a great host. I would also like to thank Small Kucing’s Daddy for driving us around, Claire for a good time singing and dancing with me at the karaoke, Yee Ling for your thoughtful gifts and lastly my dear friend, Peng for accompanying me to Sibu and helping me to carry all the food and goodies I brought back. You guys are the BEST!! 


119 comments:

  1. All that food makes me hungry ! What an enjoyable food trip , not only eating all those delectable food but also meeting all those wonderful bloggers ! :D

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    1. Anne, if you wish to visit Sibu, let me know, I will check with Arthur if it is okay for me to give you his contact so that you can get him to take you to eat all the delicious food.

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  2. It was certainly great meeting you, Quay Po! I still remembered vividly the facial expression of the china dolls upon us entering the massage centre...ahahahhah...

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    1. yup..agreed with Ling. Wah you so fast can finish the post. Me still uploading to FB not yet sort for blogging.

      Mmm...the Zhao Chai Hung Ngang was really nice. I had it again just before fly home

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    2. hahaha, yes lah, now I know why they don't welcome us. We are wasting their time lah.

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    3. Kathy, you guys sampled do much more food than I. In beh tahan! Hehe

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  3. What a trip, Quay Po! Good food, great companion.

    I'm feeling hungry looking at the kampua and zhaochai hoong ngan noodles found in Swan city.

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    1. I don't blame you Yvonne. I feel hungry too when I was posting up the food photos. Makes me want to fly back to Sibu.

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  4. By the way, I am gona curi your last photo which my camera didnt get to snap...

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  5. Oh my Veron, you're making me homesick for all the dishes back home. :( But it's great you get to enjoy all that food!

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    1. Sharon, I didn't know you are from Sibu. Oh yes, I enjoyed the food to the max.

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    2. haha, no not from Sibu but Kuching. Sibu is like 20 mins by flight from Kuching. But we eat almost all the same stuff you have posted. :) I LOVE the hoo ngan.

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    3. Yes, the Hoong ngang is very special. Do you know how to cook it? You have the recipe?

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    4. Well, we have our home version, http://www.featsoffeasts.com/ham-choi-soup/, but i think the one you tasted, they added more stuff like fish head, chilli powder and some other seafood if im not mistaken? My mom always buys the noodles and we make ourselves at home. :) I just love it!!!

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    5. Sharon, thanks so much for pointing me to your ham choi soup recipe. MUAX!! I will definitely try making it soon. I LOVE ham choi.

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    6. you're welcome veron!! Always glad to share!

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  6. Enjoy looking at all the pictures. You guys had a very great time together.

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    1. Yes, we did! Waiting for Claire to organise a karaoke party in Ipoh and hope you will join in the fun so that I can meet you in person.

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  7. 看到那个光饼和干盘也让我想起阿么的家乡-Setiawan.
    谢谢你的分享,原来sibu也有那么多的美食。太好了!

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    1. I would love the check out the kompia from Setiawan someday.

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  8. The Bakery looks delicious.




    http://homeinterdesign.blogspot.com/

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  9. I like these food here! All with classic taste !

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    1. You are right. Classic is the right word to describe the food there.

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  10. wow.. i miss midin soooo much.
    I ate this dish everyday when i was holiday in Kuching.

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  11. Lau hau Sui when see all the foods here.

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  12. Hi Veron,
    Nice compilation of your trip....can die waiting to read from Arthur's..heheheeh.What's next?Your shopping loot, perhaps?:)

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    1. Shereen, SO nice to see your comment. I did not know you got a blog? Now I know and I am going to gate crash your blog. kekeke Many more about the trip to come. Wait for next change and coming soon! You make sure you come back and comment okay? XOXO

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  13. What a wonderful trip! What wonderful food! Would love to try those buns, you must make them and share the recipe. The Mille Crepe cakes have me intrigued.

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    1. Yes, yes, I am going to try to make those buns. Definitely will share the recipe if successful. The Mille Crepe cake is also in my list to try again to perfect it, then I will share the recipe also.

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  14. What a fantastic holiday! ... short as it was. Also a great roundup of the different foods they have. I'm taking all this down in my leaky head for when I do make a trip there. Can you believe I've never been to Sabah?

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    1. I can believe you because most people will visit other countries first before visiting places in their own country. If you decided to visit someday, don't forget to ask me for Arthur's contact. With his guide, you will sure to eat at the right place.

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  15. No wonder you took longer time than us, QP.. your post is so "professional-like".. mine is "fast fast post up" without facts and information whereas yours needs "digging" and "researching", something I wont do.. (lan chu is me!)
    I think I missed a lot of food, especially those from Ruby's and the chicken wine.. Do I have to fly there again for those? hhmmmm... by the way, I love the last picture, I think I wanna "curi" it too .. hehehe..

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    1. Haiyah, where got professional, just write what I know only ma. Sure you "lan chu" lah, you over eat lor. Learn how to cook the chicken wine so you won't have to fly to Sibu to have it. Arthur can give you the recipe. No need to curi the last picture. Just take:D

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  16. The foods do looks very delicious! I would loves to taste that Crepes Cake as I have yet to taste it. Lovely photos here.

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  17. Whoa, what a trip! So much fun meeting up with blogger friends this way. Btw, East M'sia has the best wild fern shoots ever. And those bakery looks very interesting! Thanks for sharing. Hope you're having a lovely evening, Veron.
    Kristy

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    1. A great trip for me. Good food, good fun and great company! I really enjoyed myself.

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  18. How wonderful to see a young sifu artfully making kompia.
    I can see you gals were spoilt rotten by dear Arthur ^^ So nice!
    Once again, great pics :)
    +Ant+

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    1. He stopped school after Form 1 or Form 2, not academically inclined. I told him to work hard - don't gamble, don't smoke or drink...and he would be more successful and richer than any university grad one day.

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    2. Yes, he is very skillful and Arthur is right, he would be rich at a young age with the thriving business if he has no vices.

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  19. this is definitely a foodies trip with good company and awesome food. nice!

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  20. Wah so much of good food! Mille crepe was in my list to try last year when we went back to M'sia. But it didn't happen, in fact 90% of what I marked down to try also "tak jadi" becoz we got sick during our whole holidays. No joke, my family saw 5 doctors in 4 weeks. Food poisoning, cold, fever, sorethroat......Next time must try it at Food Foundry in SS17!

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    1. What a pleasant surprise to receive a sms from you today. So sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your holiday the last time because of food poisoning. Glad that nothing serious happen to you and your family. Are you saying section 17 in PJ because SS17 is in Subang.

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  21. Thank you so very much, Quay Po, for coming to my small and humble town - it really was a great honour to have you here...and I am glad that you had a wonderful time and you loved the food here. I was quite worried that you and the rest would be disappointed after coming all the way. Thanks also for the gifts you brought and for picking up the tab time and again when as the host, I should be the one treating you all.

    You are certainly most welcome to come again anytime - I'd love that a lot and look forward to it...and the invitation is open to any of your friends (Ya, thanks, Peng, for coming too! I hope she liked it here and enjoyed herself as well!) - just tell them to get in touch with me and I'll take it from here.

    P.S. Those were my beef noodles beside your mee sua, not the kway chap. It wasn't that great - we have some much better ones elsewhere.

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    1. Arthur, Thanks for being such a good host and quaypo for letting me tag along. What wouldn't I do for good food :-)

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    2. Oops, so I am "LUCY" again and got he name of the noodles wrong. Thanks for the correction, Arthur. You just wait, we will be back, this time with my Quay Lo.

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    3. Oooo...Gary wants to come? Welcome! Welcome! Would love to have him here.

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    4. Wah I checked the biz class fare, it SO expensive!!!!

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  22. The food all looks so good! I enjoyed seeing all your pictures. Looks like you had a very interesting visit.

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    1. I am glad you enjoy the pics. It was a VERY interesting trip and I met a bunch of interesting people.

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  23. P.P.S.
    What, Shereen? Patience makes the man...and isn't it best to do it slowly and steadily? Pointer Sisters: "I love a man with a slooooow haaaand!!!" LOL!!!

    And Claire, yes, you MUST come again! We have things to discuss, remember? Muahahahahaha!!!!

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    1. Arthur, you play poker ka? What slow hand, fast hand. I only know you got short pocket long hands. Have to sneak off to the cashier without your knowledge to pay the bills. You very "Ma Fan" lah! hehehehe What things you got to discuss with Claire in secret?? Good things must be shared. We are friends or not? Tell lah! LOL!

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    2. Yalor, you people! So shy lah...invite guests to dinner and in the end, the guests pay for the food. So malu lah like that, dunno where to hide the face... Secret? No leh, no secret at all... LOL!!!

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  24. WOW!!! So many delicious foods!
    I also looking forward to travel for foods…………

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    1. Yes, food is the biggest incentive to travel for me.

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  25. fantastic post! so much delectable food!

    I love piansip 扁食 as well! hard to find at all in Singapore!

    Now i know who to look for if i ever need information on Sibu!

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    1. Yala,I have not seen piansip in Singapore before. When want to go to Sibu, must contact Arthur.

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  26. Wow the food at Sibu looks delicious. I see Small Kucing.. cute boy ;)

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    1. Yes, food there is not only delicious, very cheap too. Small Kucing is a very cute kid. I had so much fun with him. I taught him to sing "One Way Ticket" Indian style and he did it so well, shaking is botak head and with the showing his cute little palm. Hilarious! His Daddy told me when he dreamt also singing "Oneler, warla tiket to the mooo un!" hahahah

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  27. All the food at Sibu make me hungry! Can see you had a great time with good company!

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    1. Tze, yes we have a great time. Want to go Sibu someday? We can meet up there.

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  28. wow.. impressive food journey! Must make a trip there.... :0)

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    1. When you go there? buzz me early and if I can make it, we can do another bloggers meet there and have another party with Arthur.

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  29. Very good pictures, I can imagine that you prefer your own kitchen to cook in.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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    1. Thanks Filip. Yes, it is always more convenient to cook in my own kitchen.

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  30. From start to finish...what incredible pictures! But my favorites have to be those buns (no surprise, I guess!) Thank you for sharing, my friend!

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    1. Monet, I am delighted to see you again:D Hope all is well with you and family. Yes, no surprise at all to hear you said your favorite is those buns. It is mine too.

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  31. Oh Veron, you definitely know more about my hometown than me...haha. Everything looks so family here to me but not the history....oooops :P So glad to know all of you had a great time. I wish I was there to join all of you! Maybe next time. Now I'm drooling over all the food....mmm. Thanks for sharing your trip with everyone. MaryMoh at http://www.keeplearningkeepsmiling.com

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    1. In fact the good thing about blogging is we learn something new everyday. I learned more about Sibu only when I wrote the post yesterday. My Quay Lo is fascinated with the history of Sibu. Yes, if you are there it will be even more fun. I know because you, you are going make us laugh so hard till our jaws drop. Hopefully someday we will meet in person, either, my place, your place or Arthur's place.

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  32. Everything looks so delicious!

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    1. Long time no see, it is nice to see you again. Must be very busy. Appreciate your dropping by.

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  33. Waaa....i am turning green with envy! I want to go! Look at all the delicious food! So jealous already!:P

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    1. Jeannie, when you want to go? Let's meet in Sibu!

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  34. I love your scenic photos...e.g. the one of the pigeons, the laundry hanging out to dry or the old wooden bungalow - really captures the heart and soul of Sibu town. Beautiful...

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    1. Thanks Arthur. I love everything I see in Sibu.

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  35. whoahhh looks like you had a great time there veron! i spot the kolo mee and buns and I'm like ...drool...

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  36. Nice trip over there...love the food, the place and of cos the best is with your lovely blogger friends....

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    1. That's why I plan to go back. There are still lots of yummy food I have not sample yet.

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  37. A very short but fulfilling trip right? Makes you think it's not enough and that you want to go back there some day I'm sure. Love your photos. Makes me feel like going to Sibu one day!

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  38. Excellent recap of your trip! It reminds me of our trip to Sibu back in 2010. Sibu is such an interesting place! Watching the baker make those kompia in the old-fashioned oven was so enthralling http://www.houseofannie.com/kompia-fatt-bakery-sibu/

    I also loved going to the Central Market http://www.houseofannie.com/sibu-central-market/

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    1. Ya, Nate. Quay Po asked me about Fatt...but I took them to another one at Rejang Park here- I prefer this one but some people prefer Fatt or Jason or another one near the Civic Centre.

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    2. P.S. She was here for two nights only so she missed the sago worms and the newspaper-wrapped chickens at the Sibu Central Market. You MUST come again, Quay Po!

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    3. Arthur, I know, I know, maybe after I return from US.

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  39. I'm drooling over all the food you posted! ;)
    The Kompia looks similar to the one I had recently at Sitiawan Perak, it's called Gong Pian there.

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    1. I heard a lot about sitiawan gong pain these two days. Now I am curious to find out if they taste the same. Must make a trip there just to eat.

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  40. Replies
    1. They not only look terrific, taste terrific too.

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  41. What a fun trip! Sounds like the best of all worlds, great scenery, fabulous food and good friends!

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  42. Oh, I have travel envy! Those sights and the food look spectacular. Thank you for sharing all of your photos. That kompia looks particularly wonderful.

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    1. No need to envy, just plan a trip to Sibu. I am sure Arthur will be pleased to take you go sample all the heavenly food there if he is available at the time you are there. Yes, the kompia is awesome!

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  43. I wish I could have had a day out with you, that food looks so yummy and so many exciting things to see. Diane

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    1. Diana, that is exactly the same feeling I have when I see all your photos of all the beautiful places you visited. Any chance you will plan to visit Malaysia someday?

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  44. wow, jalan2 cari makan!! i'v enever been to sibu and most of the food you had there i have not eaten! it's really nice to have a local there to bring you around to taste the most and authentic food in sibu. what a fun makan trip! i also saw some of your karaoke photos at claire's blog, that must be so enjoying..so now, are you still in hour glass shape, pear shape or watermelon ??

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    1. Lena, it was an ENJOYABLE trip. Lots of good food, good fun and good company. After eating SO MUCH food in Sibu, no chance for an hourglass shape. Lucky if can still maintain my pear shape. OH NO! watermelon shape is exclusively belong to Arthur!!! I will not steal something that is synonymous to a good friend. :P hahahaha

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  45. I don't have a problem with traveling but.... the scary notion is that nowadays, when I travel with friends, especially in the city, it is non-stop eating... :(

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  46. Shirley, I appreciate your concern. When I was working as a Sales Manager and had to travel frequently, my distributors would feed me with good food on all 3 meals a days.

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  47. The food looks delicious! I would travel there just for the food :) Thanks for sharing such wonderful experience and culinary delicacies.

    Have a great weekend.

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  48. I wanna try your homemade kompia too!! Have never been to Sarawak before :(

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    1. I will definitely share the recipe if successful. You are so young, there are plenty of time for you to visit places:D

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  49. Thanks for sharing your adventure in Sibu. Just one visit to a Malaysian bakery would be awesome. I love learning about other cuisines and you did pack a lot of pictures of that in this post as well as pictures of some of the local sites. Glad I stopped in, this was an enjoyable post!

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    1. Tina, I am so glad you enjoyed the post:D Maybe you might consider planning a holiday to Malaysia and I will be pleased to go with you to Sibu:D

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  50. I would just adore traveling for food like that. So how long did it take to eat all that food? That would be my only problem I would have to eat in small segments so I could try everything. I always like to see when bloggers meet up. thanks for taking us along!

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    1. Yes, food and visiting with friends are the incentives for me to travel because I am not so much a traveling person. Maybe too much traveling when I was working as a Sales Manager in a Corporation:D

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  51. What an absolutely gorgeous, mouthwatering post. I loved traveling with you but now I am just aching for a taste of everything. I am so pleased it was such a fruitful and lovely trip for you. The happy smiles say it all.

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    1. Claudia, I think if we travel together, it will be great fun. I wish you would plan a holiday to visit Malaysia so that we can eat till we drop!! hahaha

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  52. Nice food travel. confused with the name of the food. kampua mee, kompia etc etc =)

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    1. haha June, me too, kampua and kompia so similar. I think the key to remember this is pia in foochow is biscuit if I am not mistaken.

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  53. Sorry for taking so long only drop by here to " drool" over the food !!

    A very nice write up!! You make my hometown Sibu , a small and quiet little town sound so interesting and " attractive"!

    Next time when people ask me , what to robin Sibu or anything interesting , I will give them this link and and ask them to read .

    Looking at the food picture make me drool again ! Remember , when you make kompia , please remember me !!!

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  54. Those are really good picks if you travel to Sibu. Kampua mee and the so called Sibu burger. If you ask me, I can go with the pork inside or without it. It still tasted great in both ways.

    Anyways, here is a link that I would like to share with you. Other than Sibu you will get a glimpse of other parts in Sarawak.

    http://www.facebook.com/sarawakborneotour

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