‘Delicious food and delightful friends make life sweet.’
– Unknown
LABOUR Day this year was memorable for me, not because I attended any Labour Day rally or listened to Labour Day speeches.
Instead, I spent it on relaxing, recharging, hanging out and sharing food and conversation with my son, Patrick, daughter-in-law, Amelia and grandsons as well as some colleagues from the Sarawak Tribune.
My Labour Day fun actually began just before noon on Friday when my son and his family picked me up at home.
He told me we were going somewhere. I only knew we were going to Mile 17 or Siburan about half way through the journey.
Siburan, a fast developing district in Serian District, is located about 26 kms from Kuching.
It is home to the famous Jong’s Crocodile Farm, a popular spot to see crocodiles and other indigenous wildlife and Semenggoh Nature Reserve, a renowned centre for rehabilitating orangutans.
No, we were in Siburan not to see the crocodiles or orangutans.
We were there to explore the latest food fads and gourmet trends.
You see, Patrick and Amelia are foodies; they often seek new dining experiences and go out of their way to try new restaurants and food centres. They do not mind travelling long distances for a culinary experience and they appreciate food for its quality and flavour.
I guess I am lucky to have such a son and daughter-in-law.
If I’m alone, I think I will not travel that far to explore the latest food fads and gourmet trends.
When we reached our destination, a coffeeshop called ‘Chung Chai Poh ABC Rojak’ in a housing area, there was already a big crowd there and many vehicles of various types were parked inside and at the entrance of the house compound.
Nevertheless, we were lucky to find a vacant big round table at the coffeeshop and quickly went for the chairs there.
Amelia asked for a plate of “Mee Cangkok”, a plate of noodles fried with ‘Cangkok Manis’ (commonly known in English as Sweet Leaf or Star Gooseberry).
‘Mee Cangkok’ (or ‘Mee Cangkok Manis’) is a beloved dish in Sarawak, often highlighted in local food scenes and popular eateries.
The noodles, known as ‘Bee Hoon’, are thin rice vermicelli noodles made from rice flour and water. They are stir-fried with the leaves of the plant, garlic and dried anchovies for enhanced flavour.
Besides ‘Mee Cangkok’, my son also ordered ‘Rojak Hitam’, ‘Chai Kuih’, ‘ABC Buah’ and ‘Kuih Bawang’.
When the different food items came, they all looked delicious.
ABC in Sarawak stands for ‘Air Batu Campur’ (mixed ice), a popular colourful shaved ice dessert which serves as a refreshing dessert to beat the tropical heat.
My grandson, Raidon, and I liked the ‘ABC Buah’ which contained large chunks of watermelons and thin strips of apples.
We all loved the ‘Chai Kuih’ which were steamed vegetable dumplings filled with savoury, stir-fried jicama and dried shrimps.
The ‘Rojak Hitam’ was also very tasty. A popular Malaysian fruit and vegetable salad tossed in a thick, dark, sweet and spicy prawn paste sauce, it contained crisp ingredients like pineapple, cucumber, jicama, peanuts and fried dough fritters.
Our visit to Siburan ended with a visit to the town proper. There, we stopped in front of a shop which sold ‘Bee Pang’, a traditional Sarawakian rice cracker snack made from deep-fried, fragrant rice mixed with caramelised sugar or maltose syrup.
At the shop, Amelia bought many packets of ‘Bee Pang’ for herself, her parents and me.
Yes, Siburan is also famous for its ‘Bee Pang’. Known for its sweet and savoury, crunchy texture, the snack often contains shallots, peanuts, black sesame or floss.
I went home full and very happy that I had spent time with my son, daughter-in-law and grandsons.
In the evening, I continued my food adventure with some colleagues, mostly graphic artists, from Sarawak Tribune, where I worked.
Our self-sponsored dinner date was at Raia Hotel & Convention Centre Kuching, a four-star, award-winning hotel located directly across Kuching International Airport.
Chief graphic artist, Rozyiah Saleh had been planning the Labour Day dinner since last year. She had also been patiently collecting RM10 monthly from each of us for a year.
On Friday night, 13 people, including a graphic artist’s teenage daughter, turned up for the All You Can Eat Friday Night Buffet Dinner at the hotel’s Kenyalang Restaurant.
The dinner, which featured Malaysian and local dishes, ran from 6.30 pm to 10.00 pm and was priced around RM88 nett for adults with discounted rates for children and senior citizens.
The dress code for the night was black and white and everyone arrived at the dinner dressed to kill in black and white.
Needless to say, the food was mouth-watering and the company good.
Among the dishes which caught my attention were the Roasted Lamb, ‘Assam Laksa Utara’,’Stir-fried Prawns’, Braised Lamb Cubes, Potato & Carrot, Salad, ‘Sambal’ (chilli-based condiment, paste or hot relish) and fried ‘Tempoyak’ (fermented durian paste).
I also loved the cappuccino which came from a machine.
Some of my colleagues also loved the wide varieties of mouth-watering cakes available at the buffet.
At the restaurant, my colleagues and I posed for many group pictures together.
When the years have passed, I’m sure these pictures will remind each of us of the camaraderie we enjoyed as co-workers in the Sarawak Tribune as well as the delicious food we ate at the All You Can Eat Friday Night Buffet Dinner at Kenyalang Restaurant one particular Labour Day.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at adelinel888@gmail.com.
