Thursday 19 July 2012

Indian Food @ Tandoori Palace - Kuching


Tandoori Lamb Sheek Kebab.........

Mmmm well actually it wasn't! 
When the dish arrived at the table I asked the waiter what it was and he replied "Lamb Sheek" When I challenged him on this, replying that it wasn't lamb but infact chicken, he wandered off and another member of staff arrived asking "What is the problem, Sir." I said that there wasn't a problem, it's just that I had ordered lamb and received chicken to which he replied "Oh no sir, this is lamb!" Which it quite obviously wasn't, the main reason being, that lamb is 'red' meat and chicken is 'white' and my kebab was most definitely white! After further investigations with the waiter he eventually told me that they use a  mix of lamb and chicken because "lamb doesn't stick to the skewer!" Now this, I know, is  complete nonsense! Firstly, I've cooked lamb sheek myself on the barbecue at home! Secondly I've eaten lamb sheek many times in England, as well as in India! At this point The Little Nibbler was speachless and couldn't believe her ears!!! But there was no way that this was a mix of meats either, so I looked him in the eye and said "But this is chicken, isn't it?" To which he conceded "Yes" and walked away!!! Now what I don't understand is, if they didn't have any lamb why not come over and just tell me so, then I could have made another choice, simple! Instead they tried to pass off a more expensive meat for a cheaper one. Also I guess we were 'just tourists!' I really should have asked for a discount on my bill, but hey, I don't like to cause trouble! 


Tandoori Fish Tikka

Thankfully the fish was fish! Quite tasty though the fish itself was a little mushy. Not sure which fish they use but a meatier variety would work much better.


Palak Paneer

This is The Little Nibbler's favourite dish in an Indian restaurant, mildly, spiced, spinach curry with Indian cheese. This was pretty good.


Onion Bahjee

These were great, deep fried, sliced onion in a mildly spiced batter.


The naan were very good too!


Mango Lassi

A perfect drink to go with spicy Indian food!


Tandoori Palace occupies the sweeping corner at Leboh Wayang, you really cant miss it!


Outside eating area.



The Bill : 1x Tandoori Lamb (Oh no, I mean Chicken!) Sheek Kebab, 1x Tandoori Fish Tikka, 1x Palak Paneer, 1x Onion Bahjee, 1x Naan, 1x Plain Rice = 81.40 MYR

Even though they tried to pull a fast one, I really enjoyed the food at Tandoori Palace! The Little Nibbler was less impressed! A great improvement in customer service is much needed I think.
And why didn't I ask for a discount!!!

Sarawak Kolo Mee - Chinese Barbecue Specialist - Jalan Padungan


Back at Chinese Barbecue Specialist, this time for a delicious bowl of Sarawak Kolo Mee. We first discovered this dish on a previous visit to Kuching. We decided to sample it this time at CBS, being drawn in by the tempting photographs displayed on the vendor's counter. I'm pleased to say the Kolo Mee didn't disappoint, and check out that price!!!



The red kolo mee caught my eye, which was in fact chilli sauce, quite mild not too hot. The sauce went lovely with the noodles, char sui and minced pork.


The Little Nibbler had the regular kolo me, basically the same ingredients as above but without the added chilli sauce. 
Thumbs up all round!


All washed down with a Kopi O Ping and a Ice Lemon Tea.



The Bill : 2x Kolo Mee, 2x Drinks = 7.90 MYR

I cannot recommend Chinese Barbecue Specialist enough, next time you're in Kuching pop in for a bite to eat!

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Booze @ The Junk - Kuching


After our delicious meal at The Junk Restaurant, we decided to sit back and relax with a few drinks in the Backstage Bar. The Junk as a whole has amazing decor, it is, quite simply, very, very funky. We just love the place! The drinks are pretty good too! I opted for a Classic Mojito while The Nibbler had a Vodka & Lime.


Next up, 2 Vodka & Limes, although strictly speaking they were Vodka Lemons, but by this point we couldn't have cared less!!!


Amazing artwork!


The Junk is funky!


The Bill : 1x Mojito, 3x Vodka & Lime = 90 MYR

If you don't like The Junk, I think it's fair to say, that there's probably something quite wrong with you!!!

Western Food @ The Junk - Kuching


No trip to Kuching would be complete without a visit to The Junk. A fantastic maze of several bars and restaurants inside an amazingly decorated old Chinese shophouse. It's a great place to roam around and discover all it's nooks 'n' crannies! Tonight the place was packed and getting a table for two in the restaurant upstairs or downstairs proved to be a problem! We were eventually sat in the Backstage Bar - a great bar, but not somewhere where we wanted to eat, so we asked if we could have the next available table in either of the restaurants. Unfortunately our request wasn't met, so we took it upon ourselves to keep checking for available tables, which was a pain, but our determination payed off and we were eventually seated upstairs. 
So with our wine ordered it was time to choose our mains. I opted for the Lamb Rack which came with dressed salad and mash. The lamb was perfectly cooked and smothered in mint and a cream sauce, delicious!



The Little Nibbler ordered a rare Ribeye Steak which came with the same accompaniments as my dish but with a black pepper sauce. Now here's a slight problem, The Nibbler is no fan of black pepper sauce and there was no mention of it on the menu, which when you think about it is kind of strange! My advice to The Junk would be to make the menu more detailed, giving their customers all the information needed on any given dish! Fortunately the sauce wasn't too strong and the steak was perfectly cooked so no fuss was made.


A lovely bottle of white wine!



The Junk is closed on Tuesdays.



The Bill : 1x Lamb Rack, 1x Ribeye, 1x White Wine = 223 MYR

Customer service could be a touch better but the ambience and food @ The Junk is fantastic!

Pork Satay @ Lau Ya Keng - Jalan Carpenter


Another first for me, Pork Satay! Have to say, I loved it! The pork was very tender and tasty, great dipped into peanut satay sauce, lovely!



We went to Lau Ya Keng hawker centre a few times in the morning because of the delicious Laksa that used to be served there, but I'm sad to report that the old gent who used to run the stall is no longer in business.


Lau Ya Keng hawker centre is located along Jalan Carpenter at the Harmony Arch end opposite Sang Ti Miao temple.



The Bill : 6x Satay = 3.60 MYR

Delicious Pork Satay, give them a try next time your in Kuching!

Drinks @ Deli Cafe - Jalan Main Bazaar


Time for another drink stop, this time at Deli Cafe, a nice, clean delicatessen that doubles up as an Art Gallery!


Not being a coffee drinker I opted for the Ice Blended Chocolate topped with squirty cream and chocolate sauce. Nice!


The Nibbler loves Latte's so that was todays choice and by all accounts it was, lovely!


Deli Cafe is located along Jalan Main Bazaar.



The Bill : 1x Ice Blended Chocolate, 1x Latte = 18.80 MYR

Nice Drinks, Nice place!

Laksa @ Chong Choon Cafe - Kuching


We came across Chong Choon Cafe, as it was one of Kuching's eateries displayed in our hotel lobby, describing it as a must try, recommending the Laksa especially! Well readers of this blog should know by now that I just love Laksa and I'm more than happy to sample Laksa at any given opportunity, bring it on, that's what I say! The Laksa was dark and spicy with prawn, chicken, omelette and beansprouts topped with some nice, fresh corriander. Delicious! 


The Little Nibbler spotted a stall selling Popiah so we gave that a try along with Pumpkin Cake (we think thats what it was). Both items were very tasty indeed.



Chong Choon Cafe is located along Jalan Abell, I'm sure it's no secret to locals, as the place was packed when we visited.



The Bill : 2x Laksa, 1x Popiah, 1x Pumpkin Cake, 1x Teh C Ping, 1x Kopi O Ping = 16 MYR

You can't beat a spicy Laksa for breakfast!

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Booze @ Green Hill Corner - Kuching


There's nothing I like more than drinking in Coffee Shops, it's cheap, it's lively, there's usually tasty food on offer and I'm guessing, it's a non Muslim Malay tradition along the lines of us Brits going to the Pub! Green Hill Corner occupies a large corner lot on Jalan Green Hill no less. There's plenty of eating options with food vendors inside and out though we just stopped by for a drink. Green Hill is popular with locals and backpackers lodging in the nearby guesthouses.





The Bill = 2x Heineken Sets = 24 MYR

Stop by Green Hill Corner for a few drinks and some great looking hawker food.

Arabic Food @ Hubbaba's Arabic Kitchen - Kuching


Kebabs are something I miss here in KK, so when I get the chance to eat Kebab I take it! In Kuching there's a Restaurant called Hubbaba's Arabic Kitchen that specializes in said food. The Little Nibbler loves Hummus and I'm quite partial too! So to start our meal we had Hummus with homemade flatbreads, the flatbreads were very good indeed, though with a little longer cooking time the breads would be perfect in my opinion. The Hummus was nice and garlicy topped with olive oil, paprika, a couple of olives and a wedge of lemon, a great start to our meal.



My Kebab of choice was the Beef Kafta, minced beef mixed with Arabic herbs and spices, threaded onto a stick and grilled to perfection, topped with salad, sauce and wrapped in a flatbread, really tasty, though my only complaint would be that there wasn't enough meat.


The Little Nibbler had the Lamb Shish, tender, marinated Lamb combined with the same ingredients as above, again very tasty but more meat needed!!!


Hubbaba's is nice and clean, it's located along Leboh Wayang around the corner from Tandoori Palace.



The Bill : 1x Hummus, 2x Kebab, 2x Soft Drink = 29 MYR

Great tasting Kebabs @ Hubbaba's, just needs more meat!!!