Foodie Friday: Food Must Have When Visit Kuching

UPDATED VERSION as at 5th May 2017
NOTE: Non-Halal Food Post

Kuching has a number of notable and famous local dishes that mostly served in hawker stalls. In this updated version, I even listed down which shops/stalls are recommended to try for their respective dishes. I didn't manage to visit all but you are welcome to give feedback and comments which shops/stalls you think served the best one. 

1) Kolo Mee

Who doesn't know this, the most famous noodle of Sarawak - Kolo Mee? A flash-boiled egg noodles that classically served with crushed garlic and shallot, minced meat, sliced of barbecue pork known (char siew), white vinegar and sometimes with chicken cutlets.  This is one of my favourite food that I can have it almost every day whenever I was in Kuching - whether for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even for supper. You can have this simple noodle as low as RM3.00 per bowl in Kuching. It's dirt cheap and sometimes the hawker is generous with the amount of char siew.



Usually, this simple noodle comes in two flavours - whether in plain or seasoned with red sauce (basically it's the char siew sauce which makes the noodles taste slightly sweeter). In certain stalls, you could request to be served in soy sauce or even in black vinegar. 

Recommendations for Best Kolo Mee
- Sin Lian Shin at 182, Green Road
- Oriental Park Cafe at Cathay Street
- Kim Joo at Carpenter Street
- Mee Kolok Mohammad Lim at Jalan Green Hell (For halal kolo mee)

2) Kuching Laksa

Cooked in shrimp based broth which made from sambal belacan, lemongrass, tamarin, garlic and thickened with coconut milk, this dish is served along with vermicelli rice noodles (bihun), omelette strips, shredded chicken, prawns, beansprouts and sliced deep fried tofu. This is one of Anthony Bourdain's Top 10 favourite dishes. 

Recommendations for Best Kuching Laksa

- Golden Arch Cafe at 3rd Miles

- Choon Hui Cafe at 34, Jalan Ban Hock (Anthony Bourdain, the world-renowned travelling & celebrity chef came here twice just for the laksa. Don't forget to try the popiah and kaya toast too) 

- Chong Choon Cafe at Jalan Chan Chin Ann (6.30am to 12pm)  

3) Kueh Chap

Kueh Chap, a flat and wide ricecake strips served in a herbal broth with assortment of pork internal organs, pork meat, skin, deep fried tofu, and hard-boiled egg. 

Recommendations for Best Kueh Chap
- Lao Ya Keng at Carpenter Street
- 3rd Mile Market at 3rd Mile
- Bintawa Kueh Chap (Tabuan Jaya) at Tabuan (4.30pm to 10pm on Tuesday to Sunday)
- Woon Lam Cafe 1999 at Jalan Song Thian Chiak

4) Tomato Kuey Teow

Another favourite of mine, Tomato Sauce Kuey Teow. Some people found it weird to eat this rice noodles served in the tomato sauce-based gravy but for me, it is one of the most heavenly delicious dish I love the most in Kuching. Some of the stalls in Kuching do serve in crispy deep fried noodles or bihun and you can request whatever ingredients you want to add into this meal. For me, I prefer chicken, pork and fish cakes.

Recommendations for Best Tomato Kuey Teow
- Song Kheng Hai Hawker Centre at Jalan Padungan
- Fu Yu Kopi Shop at Sekama
- Stutong Baru Tomato Fried Kiaw
- Hui Sing Hawker Cenre

5) Belacan Bihun

Belacan Bihun - a rice vermicelli served together with cuttlefish slices, century egg mixed along with sweet and spicy shrimp based broth (belacan).

Recommendations for Best Belacan Bihun
- Song Kheng Hai Hawker Centre (Stall No. 14) at Jalan Padungan
- Swee Kang Jalan Haji Taha at Haji Taha Road
- Old Rex Cucur Udang Cafe at Rubber Road

6) Traditional Kek Lapis (Layer Cake)

Most of the food above are inconvenient for you to bring back or even give to your friends and family as souvenires, unless they have to go Kuching by themselves. But no worry, as there are always something you can bring back as a gift from Kuching, none other than Kek Lapis or Layer Cake. There are many flavour with different kind of patterns and motifs. Most of the shops they will give one for free when you purchase at least 10 kek lapis. 

Recommendations for Best Kek Lapis 
- Kek Lapis Dayang Salhah at Jalan Gersik 
- Mira Cake House at Jalan Brooke (Opening Hours: 

(Take a boat across from the Waterfront 7-Eleven and turn right until spot a green mosque. Kek Lapis Dayang Salhah is just behind the mosque while Mira on the left side. There are signboards for both. No worries)

7) Kompia

This Foochow snack is famously found in Sibu but in case you don't have time to go Sibu, you can find it in Kuching too. It's a soft and crispy bagel coated with sesame seeds filling with minced pork cooked in a sweet gravy. Now they have many different flavours like stuffed with garlic, ham and more. Most of the stalls selling each for RM1.00 only.

Recommendations for Best Kompia in Kuching
- Song Kheng Hai Hawker Centre (Stall No. 7) at Jalan Padungan

8) Kampua Mee

Another famous Sibu staple food which look like Kolo mee but the significant differences would be Kampua mee is more thicker and less curly than the latter one. In term of taste, kampua mee is more dry than kolo mee. Commonly served with sliced of barbecue pork and the noodles can be served in plain or soy sauce.

9) Sio Bee

Sio Bee is Kuching's version of siu mai. I never noticed this until my recent trip back there. The difference between siu mai and sio bee is that siu mai contains both pork and shrimps while sio bee is completely stuffed with pork only. No wonder they taste totally different from siu mai when I had my first bite.

Recommendations for Best Sio Bee
- Sin Kwang Heng at Open Air Market opposite Electra House

10) Sarawak Popiah (Spring Roll)

Popiah Sarawak Style might look so common like the one in West Malaysia and Singapore but actually their fillings are more toward dry version.

Recommendations for Best Sarawak Popiah

- Choon Hui Cafe at 34, Jalan Ban Hock

11) Three Layer Milk Tea

Three Layer Milk Tea locally known as Teh C Special. This three lay­ers are often made up of tea which is on the top, evap­o­rated milk in the middle and Gula Melaka syrup in the bottom part. Not just three, there are some shops even served in five layers. Cool!

Recommendations for Best Three Layer Milk Tea
- Everywhere in Kuching

12) CocoCane


Cococane is a combination of freshly squeezed sugar cane with scrapped coconut flesh and coconut juice. The drink is so refreshing and cooling and best to drink to beat the hot weather. Besides Cococane, you could also opt for Honey Sea Coconut juice.

Recommendations for Best Cococane in Kuching
- Song Kheng Hai Hawker Centre (Stall No. 24) at Jalan Padungan

13) Sunny Hill Ice-Cream

This famous and legendary ice-cream parlour has been operated for more than 50 years and many local were actually grew up with the companion of this ice-cream shop. There are only certain of flavours will be served on the specific days and most of the time, only two flavours are served; strawberry flavour on every Monday and Tuesday, pandan or corn flavour on every Wednesday to Friday and chocolate flavour on every Saturday and Sunday. Whereas for vanilla flavour, it will be served on every single day.

Business Hours:

Sunday - Thursday: 8:00 am to 10:00 pm

Friday: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm

Saturday: 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Check out my old post on Sunny Hill Ice-Cream

14) Ice-Cream Gula Apong

Palm sugar, or gula apong is the sweet substance processed from the sap of the nipah palm. Nipah palm grows naturally and abundantly along the coastal areas throughout Sarawak. You can topped Ice-Cream Gula Apong with variety of topping such as crunched peanuts, orea, cornflakes and nestum.

Recommendations for Gula Apong in Kuching
- Open Air Market at Jalan
- DP Ice Cream Gula Apong

15) Ah Yeo Ice Kacang

From my point of view, Ah Yeo Ice Kacang served the best ABC in Kuching. I'm not a really big fan of ice-kacang but Ah Yeo changed my mind. So far, they have created more than 200 variety of menus with special and funky name. I was so surprised but at the same time, laughed for non-stop when I heard the name. Their ABC are freaking dirt cheap too where you can get as low as RM2.20. Gosh!



Address: Jubilee Ground Hawker Centre
Opening Hours: 11am to 5pm

Another famous one is Swee Kang Ais Kacang but I haven't try it yet. Will be in my list to do when going back Kuching again. 😁

16) Midin

Midin is a local fern picked from the wild and used a vegetable. Typically, it is stir fried with garlic and even with belacan and chilli. This dish is commonly found in any coffee shops or restaurants.

There are more food I haven't try yet especially the native dishes such as Ayam Pansuh/Manok Pansoh and Kacangma and I can't wait to be back to Kuching again for another food adventures. Beside the local dishes, there are also few cafes that are worth to try when one in Kuching. This will be next in my upcoming post. Oh boy! I can feel that my waist is expending soon. 

[Credit to: Says - 20 Sarawak Dishes You Need To Try Before You Die, MY Eat Play Love FB Page]