taste of Sibu

There's plenty to eat in Sibu, Sarawak! I'll show you a few of the dishes that aren't available or very rare in West Malaysia, but are local yummy favourites in this little town.

#1 Kam Pua Mee

served plain with meat slices and fried onion

Although the ones you get here in Peninsula are very different, it's more commonly known as Gon Lo Mee. it's a very simple combination of cooked noodles + lard + soy sauce + MSG, but it's one of the best noodles ever. despite the amount of MSG, it's still on my must-haves list every time I visit Sibu. I usually have my favourite noodle here:

the cafe is situated along Lorong Lanang 2

you can't miss the Kam Pua Mee stall, it's the first stall at the corner.

#2 Bien Si

It's very similar to Wan Tan, only that they're more delicate, usually filled with meat, and always in soup. The dumpling skins are so thin, you can taste the dumpling maker's efforts. And plus when they're just cooked and served in hot hot soup, it's just one of the best things to have, even on a hot day. They're really good, trust me. I get mine from Hock Lock Hong cafe too. I absolutely love it!

see how delicate the dumpling skin is

#3 Sea Cucumber Soup

Although I must admit that the sea cucumber do not contribute much to the flavour of the soup, they're really tasty. This soup shares resemblances with Shark Fin soup's texture and taste. Add some vinegar, and voila! fantastic soup! Another must haves when I visit Sibu. Ok, so basically everything on this list are must-haves.

#4 Mi Ling

I think it's called Mi Ling, or at least that's what I've heard my mum call it. If not mistaken, it's also called Paku. It's a native vegetable, almost like a type of fern. The leaves of this vege curls and look nothing like any other leafy vegetable I've seen before. The texture of Mi Ling is almost like Okra, just a little less slimy, and taste a little rubbery. Best eaten when stir fried with ginger or belancan. oh la laa!

#5 Gong Peah

They're like mini hamburgers, complete with a sesame bun and meat filling, available in two variations: wet and dry.

The wet one is served with a slightly salty meat sauce. The bun is usually filled with a slice of thin meat and it's best eaten right after served, or else the bun will soak up too much sauce and be too soggy. There's no other bread varieties quite like the wet version, the dry version is more widely available.

The dry variation is usually filled with minced meat, some cooked to have a little sauce, and some just dry. After filling, the buns are popped into a mini toaster and cooked till brown and crunchy. Wah, very nice! They are available for about 60 cents each. I love them so much, my mum's friend buys them ready-filled for us to be brought back to Peninsula. We keep them in the freezer and when we fill like it, we just pop them in the electrical oven. It tastes as good!

#6 Pamelos

Being a member of the citrus family, I've only seen this variaty in Sibu. The flavour and colour is different from the ones from Ipoh. The flesh is usually of pale yellow and sweet. You know it's ripe enough when the skin is yellowish, but I usually can't wait for it to ripen so a green will also do.