BRUNCH @ RESTORAN WOH, JALAN CHEMPEKA, SD12/2, SRI DAMANSARA, SELANGOR

Having had Indo Mie Goreng the previous night, this is my first meal out having arrived in K.L. the day before. This looks like a popular eats judging from the Sunday crowd. Despite its name, this is actually a corner coffee shop with a zi-char at the back of the shop; I guess, that qualifies it as a bona fide restaurant. Its "economy rice" section certainly has a lot to show for on its kitchen's effort, and the line forming around the hot trays testifies its popularity.

RUBY TUESDAY

This is the favorite haunt of STP- a place where he can call his own. Believe it or not, this is my first visit, and therefore I have to resort to dropping name to get things I want, as the waitress is clueless as to what I'm mumbling about. I guess having a name as STP is bigger than Gu-Chia-Ling (bullock cart's wheel), if the simile fits.

We start off with ordering the drinks while we rummage through its menu. Even we stumble badly from the starting block when trying to order STP's coffee; all the hand gestures and superlatives in the world can't save the night, until the owner steps in to take the order. From then on, it's smooth sailing.

I can't recall what's the coffee is called,other than STP's coffee, which apparently only the owner understands. It's like espresso whipped to a frenzy with a layer of froth on top. The owner says it will keep us awake till 3 in the morning. Ha, no such luck here, for I begin to get a shut eye feeling at 11 when having Tong Sui beside Delta Mall. There's no doubt that coffee feels extra strong, yet not having the bitter taste; somehow, the caffeine fails to kick in.

BREAKFAST SAMPLING @ HUI MEI WEI RESTAURANT, JALAN PEDADA, SIBU

Fish Chow-Chai Hung N'gang

The blocks of shoplots behind the Rejang Medical Centre house a number of eateries. And this one is at the end of the road where Uncle Dom is, beside a roundabout. One can't miss this place with its pink sign that stretches the whole perimeter of the eatery. The bare minimum of decor makes this more like a make-shift eatery than a full fledge restaurant. It professes to serve China's Chinese-styled food, but its menu states otherwise...

NOODLE BREAKFAST @ SI ZIĀ XIAO CHI, LRG. PAHLAWAN 7B1, SIBU

I've been here a few months back, and am determined to find out what other different dishes the chef has up his sleeves, apart from the Tawainese Beehoon we tried before.

LAST DINNER OF 2009 @ GOLDEN HAPPINESS RESTAURANT, JALAN CHENGAL, SIBU

This is, indeed, the last of the last dinner of 2009. The dishes seem like a repeat of the last time, except this is a last-minute reservation, and the place is packed with a wedding dinner and last family reunion dinner for the year. And I take back my words on what I said the last time of this place...

LAST DINNER 2009 @ NICE HOUSE RESTAURANT, JALAN KAI PENG, SIBU

I swear, I 've written on this place before, but I can't seem to be able to find it in the archives. Therefore, I'm not too sure of the name of the road it's located - it's a toss between Jalan Osman and Kai Peng. But one thing you can be sure, it's next to Art Friend Photo. This place, among other things, is famous for it Butter Baby Kailan (above). But that's not all...

LAST DINNER 2009 @ BLUE SPLENDOR, WISMA SANYANG, JALAN SANYANG, SIBU

Yes, this is the last meal I have at this place for the year 2009. It happens to be a Welcome Dinner for Andy & Sandra/**** Golf Tournament/**** Birthday, all roll into one. I just tag along for the free meal. It's a hush-hush affair, thus there is not a single newspaper vulture (advertisement solicitors preying on your wallets) in sight.

And there's a rumor that this restaurant will close or move from this premises soon, and then this has been disproved; only one of the shareholder will bow out, furthermore, the landlord has a stake in the enterprise, and this plugs any rumor there's over any rent dispute. Whatever it is, we'll still get a taste oft the Blue Splendor in one form or the other, I'm sure.

NOODLE & SUCH @ LOT 10 KOPITIAM, RAMINWAY, SIBU

This coffee shop has two nice noodle stalls going for it . This is a vast improvement over days of yore, when the noodle stall was strictly kampua. How times have changed people's acceptance of deviant from the norm. But then, there's always the security blanket of the kampua to fall back on for those less adventurous.

BREAKFAST CAMPURAN @ LADY CAFÉ, JALAN LANANG , SIBU

Here I am, pining for a bowl of lor mee or even a sambal (fried dried shrimps) fried koay teow, alas it's not meant to be. Ghim Eng has hung up her apron. The lady of the house has taken over the rein of sambal koay teow, however, the lor mee is history.

MUST HAVE KAMPUA @ LIAN YEW CAFÉ, ISLAND ROAD, SIBU

This is the de facto kampua whenever I'm in town; preference is subjective, but having this as far as I can remember, it's the undisputed best in town, according to my book. It used to kampua "pan-lak" (with chilli sauce) in the old days, these days kampua eng tau-eu (with dark soy sauce) is the order of the day.

WTF???!!!!

GO TELL THE SPARTANS!

WELL, I'VE NEVER BEEN TO SPAIN....

... BUT I'VE BEEN TO HOLLAND!

--*Strike that out*-- HORLAN, to be exact! The above photo shows the road leading to Farley Supermarket. You'll be forgiven if you think this is Holland by the pile of dirt on either sides of the road. This is Sibu's way of countering any Monsoon flood. Never mind the downpour, the mudslide, water clog. or getting your vehicles dirty This is engineering at Sibu's best. Yikes!!! Dykes Dikes!!!

In other news...

FARLEY'S SPECIAL @ FARLEY FOODCOURT, JALAN SALIM, SIBU

Here's a gorgeous looking bowl of dessert that will brighten anyone's day. It's a cornucopia of sorts with a variety of fresh fruits. The coconut-shaped bowl that is holding everything together is made of shaved milk-ice drizzled with flavoured syrup - a kang tong! It's a dainty creation for a Sui-Kou Ping (fruity ice). If you have a passion for ABC (Air Batu Campur), you'll have no trouble wolfing down this.

X'MAS DINNER

BELACAN KAMPUA @ MAS CORNER CAFÉ, JLN. KPG. NYABOR, SIBU

It's been quite a while since I had breakfast here. The fish/shrimps chow chai hung ngan that is associated with this coffee shop is no longer here; a new zi-char kitchen has taken over. However, on that day the kitchen has taken a holiday. I want to go elsewhere...

CURRY FISH HEAD @ SWEET HAPPINESS SEAFOOD, LORONG CANNA, STUTONG, KUCHING

Curry Fish Head

I finally managed to snag the infamous curry fish head that everyone is raving about. True, it's RM20 dirt-cheap for a claypot filled with chopped fish-bits, okra (lady's finger) and dried tofu sticks. The first thing that strikes you is its nice amber color of the curry soup; soup, as in watery that you can drink it, rather than the saucy type that you blend with your rice. It tastes like the home-made Nonya curry with the fragrance of the coconut milk, but doesn't entail the coarse thick texture of the first-pressed coconut milk. Although it's called Fish Head Curry, you'll be hard pressed to find a head in there.