Since Kan Pua Mee is a Foochow cuisine, I asked one of my Foochow colleague to recommend the stall that he considers sells the best Kan Pua Mee in Kuching. So, off we went to a coffee shop located somewhere after Sebor office, Pending area. It’s the first left turn after Sebor, at the very end of the road. The shop’s name is in Chinese and coming from a banana, the translation is “Syn Hung Yang“.

I thought it was too dry for my liking but the portion of the noodle was huge compared to the one at Chopstick. The ingredient that gives the “Oomph” to a Kan Pua Mee is the lard which was not really identifiable when I tasted it.

My rating : 2.5 out of 5

The very first cheesecake that was ever created was made at the height of the Greek empire by Marcus Porcius Cato. At that time he probably had no idea that his creative recipe would become one of the world’s favorite desserts even today. Nevertheless, cheesecake has never lost its appeal.

While it is interesting to note the background of cheesecake, you probably would be surprised to hear just how easy it is to actually make a cheesecake. All you need is sugar, eggs and either ricotta or cream cheese. Of course, today’s cheesecakes are topped with numerous things like tropical fruits, strawberries, chocolate and even maple syrup in Canada.

New York cheesecake is the world’s most popular type of cheesecake. Italian cheesecake, which is made from ricotta cheese and vanilla, is also quite popular. Regardless of which type of cheesecake you prefer, each is equally as delicious.

Every country has its own version of cheesecake. For instance, in Germany quark cheese is used while Greece uses a combination of Mizithra cheese and Mascarpone cr?me and in Brazil, guava marmalade is added. You will even find a version of cheesecake in Asian. Here it is known as flan and you will find eggs in the recipe.

You can also find vegetarian versions of cheesecake that use tofu instead of cream cheese in its recipe. While this may sound very health conscious, surprisingly you will also find that this tastes just as good as the original version of cheesecake itself tastes.

Tim’s Steak, located at Top Spot Seafood has one of the best chicken chop in Kuching city. We were all so engrossed with the food when it arrived that I had totally forgotten to take a photo. The chicken is always tender and juicy, cooked to perfection. Other food available from their menu are steak, mushroom soup, fries, garlic bread and satay.

Photo of Chicken Chop updated:

Kan Pua Mee is dish which hails from Sibu, Sarawak and is a favourite among the Foochows. It’s also one of my favourite breakfast meal even though I’m not a Foochow. The one you see below is the plain option - you can ask the hawker seller to add black sauce to the noodle. The noodle also comes with chilli sauce on a separate saucer but I’ve no idea why since I never used it myself. I actually like the mee in its original taste.

Once again this is from Chopstick at Yoshi Square, Pending. One of the best in Kuching and perhaps one of the more expensive kopi tiam (coffee shop) price at $3 per plate. Regular ones usually cost $2.50-$2.80 per plate. Yet, that does not put off customers as the regular waiting time is 20 minutes to 1/2 hour.

Verdict : 4 out of 5

Foodie Goodie located at Tabuan Laru (a few doors away from Kuching Specialist Centre) definitely has one of the best Sarawak Laksa stall in Kuching.  The price starts at $4 for a small bowl (pictured above). The prawns are slightly bigger than those at other stalls but what makes it stand out from the rest is the super spicy taste. If you’re a person who love hot and spicy stuff, make sure you do not miss this one. I ‘d give it a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

While you are there, I’d recommend you try out the Yau Char Kway or You Tio (Chinese Crullers) from the stall in front of the shop. The crullers are fried on the spot and sold at $1 each. They are a huge hit too.

One thing that cakes have in common  is that they are all made from flour, sugar or syrup, eggs or a combination of gluten and starch, butter or shortening and some form of liquid (milk, water, fruit juice or soda).  From there, you will find a lot of different types of cakes.  These include:

1. Yeast cakes -  This is the oldest type of cake.  It is similar to baked bread.  Oftentimes these are decorated on top instead of simply frosted.
2. Cheesecakes - As is suggested by its name, there is cheese in this type of cake.  Usually this is either mascarpone, cream cheese or ricotta.  There is also very little flour in these cakes outside of what is used to make the sweetened crust that lines the cake.  You can find cakes like this as far back as ancient Greece.
3. Sponge cakes -  These are the first type of non-yeast based cakes to have been invented.  Air is used inside of the mix to help the cake level while it is baking.  In order to cause this leveling, eggs are beat with a whisk.  Sometimes a pinch of baking powder is also added though.



4. Butter cakes - The name here suggests that there is a lot of butter and eggs used in these cakes.  Of course, this is true.  Baking powder can also be added as a leveling agent in order to make the texture even better.  Herein the most popular types of butter cakes include pound cakes and devil’s food cakes.

I celebrated my birthday with a simple lunch at Mr.Ho’s Fine Foods which is located at the Ground Floor of Crown Towers. I was actually craving for a hot bowl of spicy Sarawak Laksa but when we reached there, we found out that they only had Curry Laksa. There weren’t any Sarawak Laksa in the menu. So, we decided to try the Curry Laksa and the Fried Rice with Roasted Pork.

Here’s a look at the food we had:

Curry Laksa with roasted pork, eggs, char siew & prawns

Fried rice with roasted pork and egg

Here’s my verdict:

Atmosphere : 7 out of 10

Service : 5 out of 10 (rather slow)

Price : 6 out of 10

Food : 6.5 out of 10

Sushi in Japanese, means vinegared rice. Sushi rice is made from white, short-grained, Japanese rice which are  mixed with a dressing made of rice vinegar, sugar, salt and occasionally sake. They are usually topped with other ingredients such as thin slices of fish, seafood like clam, fish roe, squid, crab and oysters, vegetables, tofu and eggs.

The main ingredients of sushi, raw fish and rice, are naturally low in fat but high in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Check out some of my favourite variation of sushi below: