OODLES OF NOODLES: ORIENTAL PARK, KOLO MEE

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B
efore we begin, I wish to inform you that I am fully aware that this is my second Kolo Mee post in a month. I would also wish to inform you that I was guilty of not being able to help myself. It’s Kolo Mee, and I was in the area! Julian, the brilliant photographer who takes all these beautiful food shots for your reading pleasure was also with me at the time so as the saying goes, Carpe Diem.

Traversing through alleyways to get to my destination
The location of the coffee shop known as Oriental Park is best known for being in the very close vicinity of the old Cathay Cinema. Unless you’ve grown up coming here with your family, been a movie-goer of the Cathay Cinema days or stumbled upon this by foot, you are not going to be able to find this especially if you are driving around the main road area. Its obscurity and walking through alleyways to get there is all part of Oriental Park’s charm. Do not worry about directions though, because as usual I have a map provided below.  
http://www.susanbkason.com/2014/09/03/the-cathay-cinema-on-borneo/#.VTXnniGqqko

Oriental Park was best known in the days of old when Cathay cinema was still a cinema and not an abandoned building, as a place where movie goers would go grab a meal before a film or some candy to enjoy said film with. Soon after Cathay closed its doors, the food business in Oriental Park was in jeopardy of losing its major clientele. Needless to say, practical food stall owners chose to depart.


Mr Thian, an ex-See Hua Daily newspaper employee who at the time ran the Candy operations in Oriental Park had no plans to leave despite everyone else doing so. He and his wife knew though that selling candy was not going to be sustainable, so they took over the stall that belonged to the previous Kolo Mee stall owner. Along with a new take on how to make Kolo Mee that was different from the previous owner and with the support of his wife, Oriental Park has been selling Kolo Mee and has been family-run for more than 20 years.


Mr Thian, the proud owner of this establishment may be too shy to tell this story, but his lovely wife would be more than happy to speak to you. I enquired if she was scared when her husband left his stable desk job to sell candy and then proceed to sell and make Kolo Mee of all things; her answer was a swift, “Not at all”.

The cause of this bravery is not clear to me, but judging by the crowd that always make it over to Oriental Park despite the obscurity, I’d say it has something to do with the Kolo Mee.



Like most stalls of the like, there are a few choices of noodles you may partake of but today like most days I prefer to play it safe with my noodles.

Speaking of the noodles, the straight ones were well blanched as they came springy and firm, though not as dente as I would normally prefer them. The “Mee Pok” or linguini-like noodles do provide that firmness if that is what you are looking for.


They are also well accompanied by strong flavours of drizzled lard that coat these noodles so well, along with fried garlic that brings a nutty sweetness. Unfortunately they were out of spring onions that day, but believe me if they were present, it would have really brought the flavours full circle with the added light crunchy texture. Coming early is the lesson learnt!


Fortunately, what was available that day was the minced meat and Char Siew. The minced meat is as you can see, juicy and it brings a good saltiness to this bowl.


What does make this bowl special and different from most shops is the Char Siew Pork being made in-house. If you happen to be lucky you may see a Barbeque Pit on the side of the restaurant, where Mr Thian barbeques this Char Siew to a juicy inside and crunchy outside. 



The fact that it is barbequed instead of oven roasted also means that its skin has a smoky flavour to it. You will also notice from time to time, Mr Thian will go to the end of the shop to freshly cut up the Char Siew to make sure that no cuts are left out in the open too long to be dried up.


Another note on the Char Siew is the “Ang (Red)” if you want to “Pang (Hokkien for “put”. At least I think so. I’m not a very good Chinese) Ang” on your noodles. What the “Ang” means is the Red Char Siew Oil and said “Ang” if you choose to drizzle it over your noodles, will also be a sweet delightful experience. 


The sweetness of this has a good porky body to it and does not taste like sugar and food colouring like so many other Angs you may find in Kuching, so yes. That is a good thing. A very good thing.

Oriental Park has gone through a lot, but it is inspiring to see brave people do so well for so long when they have put their minds to it and are determined. From candy to noodles, you know that the experience will be sweet regardless.

Candid while having found a seat amidst the full house. Come early!
Oriental Park opens every day from 6am – 1pm or till they sell out.

The map provided below belongs to a very talented blogger/writer from Kuching, named Anna. She did a very good piece on this shop as well, so do check her out HERE.

Urban Palate posts and tells it like it is every Tuesday from around 7-8pm Malaysian time. If you have enjoyed this article, please do share us on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram. Much love!


OLD KUCHING, CARPENTER STREET PART 5: ALADIN CHICKEN RICE

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I
n our final entry for our OLD KUCHING: CARPENTER STREET series, it might seem strange that we’re ending with something that doesn’t sound very Kuching at all. If you’re thinking like the many of us that a shop named Aladin would serve something Middle Eastern or at least gimmicky Disney products, then you’d be like the many of us that got it wrong. If just by their name, you guessed that they sell Chicken Rice, you’d be one of the few whom I’d also ask for advice on lottery tickets.



Yes I agree that it is a strange name, but just like its name – this shop embodies the fact that good things come in strange packages. In this case, really good things. Though tattooed up tough guys carrying knives may be intimidating at first, especially if you’re a specky skinny 20 something like I am, put that fear aside. Do that and proceed to request for some food and watch this charming family-run business cut up what they’ve been cutting up best for thirty something years. Chicken. 



For a while now, Aladin has been touted as serving the best Chicken Rice in Kuching but it may be unfair to say so and compare, as Aladin does not serve traditional Chicken Rice. As the guys over at Aladin call it, it is as original Aladin as Chicken Rice gets. One might wonder how different Chicken Rice can be from place to place as it is just put plainly, chicken and rice. You may be right, but when any food is served with love and care, it becomes more than just the sum of its parts.


When ordering any portion of Chicken Rice, what you will have that comes with it, is a helping of some Chilli Sauce and their signature Black Sweet Sauce. The Chilli Sauce is a perfect addition on top of something mild like their Steamed Chicken. It is because the strong flavours of Cilipadi and vinegar from the Chilli Sauce adds to flavours not present in the Steamed Chicken, as opposed to clashing with them. You may of course spray this on whatever you please, but that’s a personal choice.

The Black Sweet Sauce obviously has some heat judging from the Chilli seeds that can be seen, while the slight sticky consistency is most probably due to the presence of sugar. This is perfect for either the Roasted Chicken or the Fried Chicken, as the sweetness does well to lift the flavours of the already strong flavoured proteins.


As for the rice that also comes with every portion, it is pleasant while being cooked well in a manner that is similar to that of the Hainans with mild flavours of garlic, sesame oil and chicken stock. Though pretty basic, it accompanies the juicy chicken (which is all moist and juicy I might add) that it comes present with very well.

Steamed Chicken RM11.50 for this portion of chicken with one bowl of rice

We’ll start with personally my favourite version of the chicken that they cook, which is the Steamed Chicken. 




Rarely do people get Steamed Chicken right like it is done here, whereby the chicken is drizzled with a sauce that makes the already soft chicken even softer than it already tastes, while still being firm and juicy. The sauce that covers it has a flavour likened to Chinese Rice Wine and Sesame Oil that is quite common with Drunken Chicken.


What it tastes like is a mixture of sweetness that you get from wine, while having savoury nutty flavours of sesame oil. Added with the flavours of chicken that’s cooked well, results in a stark contrast to the usual tasteless Steamed Chicken that is usually in the market.

Roasted Chicken Rice RM5 per plate



The Roasted Chicken does not hold back either. The meat within is juicy as usual, while the skin is where this choice shines. 




It is not very common to have Roasted Chicken which has skin as crisp and light as this, with the seasoning of five spice and sweetness carrying the delectable tasting chicken.

Fried Chicken Rice RM7 per plate


 Last but not least, let us talk about the chicken of choice for most of y’all. The Fried Chicken. I will not lie. I can absolutely see why this always sells out within the first 2 hours, as not only is it juicy but just like the skin of the Roasted Chicken, it is delicious. Delicious in its simplicity, the skin is light but crunchy, with strong flavours of ginger. That chicken, when topped with the Black Sweet Sauce makes for a sandwich of textures.


What I mean by sandwich of textures, is the sticky layer of Black Sweet Sauce covering the light crunchy gingery skin that wraps around the juicy succulent meat of the chicken. Now, for my followers overseas who are reading this in the late of night, I hope you’re feeling hungry.

#Adorbs
Aladin has earned a strong following over the course of time that it has been open, garnering support from young and old customers for good reason. I could list a few starting from their bright smiles, colourful tattoos, charming old layout all the way down to how good the food they serve is.

They open daily from 10am – 2pm and 6pm – 9pm. You’ll need to come early to grab yourself a table big enough for your family, and if you have to wait – It will be worth it.

If you liked this post, please like, share and comment. Much love!

Urban Palate posts every Tuesdays around 7pm - 8pm Malaysian time.

OLD KUCHING: CARPENTER STREET PART 4. BLACK BEAN COFFEE

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H
idden away at the edge of Carpenter Street, you might be wondering why such a small café might be full (It’s not just because they only have three tables). Being a café located in the part of town where cafés are usually designed as “tourist bait”, selling expensive foreign coffee equivalent to black watery dirt and faking their way into unsuspecting hearts with their “local” decor, Kuching-ites may feel wary in trusting just any café. Besides, who could blame them?

If you can suspend your scepticism and stop by to soak in the stained columns, white coated walls and charming setup, this shop which epitomises Classic Kuching might just entice you to grab a seat. If you have, you might have also been enticed to grab a cup of coffee. Once you’ve had your coffee and taken your first sip, congratulations! You now understand why so many stay and why it’s worth the wait even when this place is full. You now understand that this is not just any “tourist bait”. Quite the opposite. You’re experiencing the real deal of what Local Sarawak Coffee is like.

Opened in 2001, Black Bean has managed to take local Liberica coffee beans to new heights by steering away from the norm of promoting Arabica beans. Arabica beans have rightly so been the Coffee species of choice, yielding a large array of different flavour and aroma profiles. What Liberica beans do provide though is a different matter. Not better, but different. What kind of different though? The good kind of different.


Unlike beans that we are used to that are pre-roasted and packed for us, Black Bean is one of the two prominent cafés that roast their own beans. What in-house roasting does is present us with a flavour that is exactly the way the owner intended for us to taste. It is the attention to detail from the way these beans are personally picked after acquiring them from a local plantation, to the way it is roasted to form the flavour you are picking up with your palates.

Now the way you’ll want to pick up these flavours starts from a single cup of espresso which is the base for our favourite coffee drinks. The water to coffee ratio in the espresso here is estimated to be 1:3 so it makes for easier drinking and upon first sip, you will want to take a whiff of your coffee before spraying it on your tongue by said sipping.


Before we continue, I might add that it takes years to pick up all the notes from your cup of coffee and though I do not have the experience, I can do my best tell you what most of us who are not coffee aficionados might pick up.

You will be able to pick up hints of berry and nutty aromas while the flavour spraying your tongue will carry an earthy and mildly dark chocolaty flavour. It must be noted as well that this espresso is a blend of Liberica and Robusta and the latter brings about a pleasant bitterness that we are so fond of in our coffee. This is only possible due to the care that is taken from the roasting process all the way to manually pulling the espresso unlike many cafés you might encounter. You will not find many places in Kuching that not only do this, but proudly serve beans that make up 2% of coffee produced in the world.

There are many things that could have gone wrong with this cup, but for all the things that could have gone wrong.. What Black Bean has done by no easy feat, is create a good cup of coffee.

Now because the base of your coffee is done right, we know that we do not have to worry too much about how the rest of our coffee choices will turn out.



As for these choices, you may choose to add brown sugar which is a good additive if you like something a little sweeter while adding a fuller body, or even milk that Black Bean does well to add enough of said flavour and body that you require to enhance your coffee experience.

Iced Latte 
Iced Cappucino
Cappucino 
Latte
Regardless of what you choose to add, I will never go so far to say that these additives will contaminate your coffee experience, but done well like in Black Bean, these will enhance what you enjoy most with your coffee and trust me; Black Bean is one of those rare cafés that does it well.

 Black Bean is open from Monday to Saturday and from 9:00am to 6:00pm.

 You may find them using the following Google Map Location found below and if you have liked reading this post, please like, share and comment to share your views! Much Love!

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