Malaysia - Top 10 places to eat and drink in Kuching, Sarawak
- lorisolan
- Mar 18, 2018
- 6 min read
Walking through the streets of Kuching, Sarawak in Borneo it is evident that food is a huge part of life here as with all parts of Malaysia and well, Asia really. There are heaps of food stalls, budget to upscale restaurants, hawker centres, food courts and coffee shops all clustered together within a 2km radius.
We had so much fun and enjoyment tasting lots of different foods and below are my top 10 food and drink places. I owe a lot of our choices to Thanis Lim, a chef and incredible food blogger who put the most extensive list together for Kuching food, so much so there is a part 1 and 2. Without these articles, I am not sure we would have found so many gems in such a short space of time.
See all of Thanis's many recommendations in the below link.
1. Asam Laksa at Chong Choon Cafe $
This was by far my favourite breakfast dish in Kuching. The flavours were tongue tingling, mouth watering goodness from the very first bite/sip. Laksa is a flavourful, spicy and tangy noodle soup usually accompanied with prawns and in this case chicken and is an absolute must try when visiting any part of Sarawak. I couldn't believe in the half hour we were there just how many bowls this stall worked on getting out to the masses, actually I probably could as it is just that good. One bowl is just 6RM ($1.50USD).
2. Seafood feast at Topspot Food Court $$
Topspot is not only listed as a must-do on countless amounts of Malay blogger sites but it was also the first place that was highly recommended to us by our Grab driver and also one of the first tips to do from the receptionist at our hotel (Batik Boutique Hotel). It is renowned for it's exceptionally fresh, succulent and delicious seafood. We visited Top Spot twice over our 5 day stay because it was just that good. Ling Leong Seafood was our favourite stall as their seafood selection was exceptional, their sauces were unbelievably good and their staff were amazing. They also had a stall at either side of the food court so I guess they must be in demand.
My Recommendations:
Black Pepper mussels
Dry Chilli Squid
Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup
Giant King Prawns in a Chilli Sauce
Sarawak local vegetable Midin in a garlic sauce
3. Bee Hoon at Open Air Market, Elektra Cafe $
One of the things I have yet to get my head around living in Malaysia is their hawker centres. It seems a lot of the time we go to these type of food places, there are only some of the stalls open for business at different parts of the day. I am guessing that some are morning food and others solely evening dishes. However we go to one in Kuala Lumpur every Friday night and 3/5 Fridays our favourite stall will be closed with no explanation. The point of that rant being that we arrived at Elektra Cafe / Open Air market at around 9am and we were met with a similar situation. We had read that stall number 39 was the place to go for the famous Tomato Char Kuey however he was closed so as a back up we selected Bee Hoon from a very friendly Malay man. It was my first time to try Bee Hoon and it won't be the last. Bee Hoon is the name for the noodles in the dish and you can have them dry or in a soup. We opted for the soup which had chicken, tomato, spring onions, fried shallots, chilli, greens and a soft boiled egg which are all immersed in a wonderful chicken broth soup.
4. Kolo Mee at Goyog Cafe along Jalan Jumbusan-Semadang $
Kolo Mee is a dish that originates in Kuching, Sarawak. It is popular for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Kolo Mee is a type of Sarawak dry egg noodle. Usually served with pork however there are a handful of stalls where you can find chicken only versions. Kolo Mee is quite similar to wantan mee however Kolo Mee is stringier and served in a transparent sauce rather than a dark soy sauce. We had Kolo Mee for the first time at a small roadside cafe called Goyog Cafe which is found on a quiet road driving from Annah Rais Longhouse to the Fairy Cave. It was served with a tasty bowl of broth and both were so good. The cafe was set up on the front deck of someones house so real homemade cooking in a real local environment, its not even on Google maps!
5. Ayam Penyet at Pak Somet Ayam Penyet Kopitiam $
Ayam Penyet is an Indonesian dish and is extremely popular throughout Malays. Malay people love fried chicken so it is easy to see why this dish is a favourite. The piece of fried chicken is usually served on a banana leaf alongside a portion of steamed white rice, slices of cucumber, fried tofu and delicious sambal sauce. I have had lots of different penyets all over Malaysia however Pak Somet Penyet does one of the better ones. The chicken is cooked perfectly and the small, crispy bits of tofu are so tasty.
6. Dumplings at Life Cafe $$
Dumplings are one of my all time have to have Chinese dishes. They are just little steamed or fried bundles of goodness. Melbourne used to be the best place to get dumplings and since I have moved to KL it has been very hard to find any dumplings, let alone great dumplings. Life Cafe in Kuching have some of the most incredible dumplings I have EVER had, no lies, no exaggerations. The fillings are so tasty, the outer casing so smooth and the dipping sauces or sauce they are served drowning in are exceptional. We were so impressed and obsessed with the flavours that we visited twice more before we left.
My recommendations:
* Spicy Chicken Dumplings
* Fried Vegetable Dumplings
* Celery Omelette
* Fish Fillet in Pepper Sauce
* Red Date Wolfberry Tea
7. Tomato Kueh Tiaw at Song Kheng Hai Ground Food and Recreation Centre $
We had heard that Tomato Kueh Tiaw was one of the most famous dishes to try in Sarawak so we went on the hunt one afternoon. As with it's Kolo Mee counterpart, Tomato Kueh Tiaw can be ordered throughout the day with no specific meal time. It is a dish that comprises of thick noodles that are fried along with fish cake pieces, prawns, a handful of greens and lathered in a tomato gravy.
I had read about the Song Kheng Hai Hawker Centre right near our hotel so we decided to give it a go. Like a lot of the hawker centres only some stalls were in operation during the day. Luckily stall 15 was open for business. We ordered and sat down to eat with our kelapas (coconuts in Malay). The tomato gravy had a terrific smoky taste and the noodles were really smooth.
8. Lepau $$
Lepau is one of the more tourist type restaurants in Kuching. Lepau's open-concept decor is quite traditional - the ceiling is adorned with handcrafted lampshades and there are lots of native ornaments from the different ethnic Sarawak groups as well as soft lighting and an abundance of greenery dotted around the inside and outside areas. On arrival there is the peaceful sound of the Sape which is a Sarawakian lute. The only fault with Lepau is the wait times. It was at least 45 minutes after we ordered until our food arrived however when it did eventually get placed down in front of us we forgot about the hanger and focused on the beautiful, fresh looking dishes and the smells that were emanating from them. My favourite was the Lepau Special Fried Rice and Stir Fried Jelaut with Garlic.
Cafe Latte at Black Bean Coffee
Black Bean Coffee is a really small coffee shop serving some of the nicest coffee I have had. They use Sarawak Liberica beans which are grown in the South of Sarawak. They are brought to Kuching and roasted by the owner to ensure the best quality. Black Bean offer Robusta and Arabica beans as well however the local coffee is always the best to have. The coffee is smooth and needs no sugar additives to enhance the taste because it is that fresh and flavourful.
Happy Hour at Drunk Monkey
If you are looking for a good happy hour after a long day of sightseeing and exploring then Dunk Monkey is that place. We went to a handful of bars throughout our time in Kuching and this was by far the best for selection, atmosphere and really great staff. You can sit in the really cool laneway that has lanterns, high chairs and tables and great street art on the walls either side and on the building across the road. Or you can sit in the air conditioned bar that is decked out with of an array of different spirits and whiskeys across numerous vintages. Their most expensive item is a 12-year old Japanese whiskey called The Hakushu.
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