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The fascination with the food here is as old as the buildings that house them. As you can figure, these places are old. Really old. Most of the buildings you see here have withstood the test of time since the late 1800’s and it really is a treat to be able to have a peek into our past, even while all around us the world is changing and growing. If you can’t tell by now, I’m a sucker for the charm of Old Kuching.
So here we are today in Carpenter Street. Rarely are there these many eateries in Kuching as famous as the ones here that can be found within a single street spanning 350 metres. You must be wondering how on earth can this guy fit all those eateries in one post. I won’t be. I’ll be taking this journey with along with you from the beginning of this Street to each notable eatery to the last eatery. Trust me! It’ll be fun. So here we go, PART 1. We visit the famous, Lao Yea Keng.
Apart from the much loved Kueh Chap, Laksa or Kolo Mee, we
will be looking at what this famous opera house to me is known for. Yes, you might be wondering why I spelled it that way, but let's just say that everyone has their own way of translating what they've heard from Chinese to English. That, and the fact that the Borneo Post spelled it that way too. Click here for proof.
But before I enter the Lao Yea Keng, I’ll grab myself some
banana fritters. This specific stall serves different kinds of fried stuff
during tea time, but what I’ll be here for is the banana fritters. This isn’t
the kind that you will see in most coffee shops currently that actually use
bananas and is topped with cheddar and drizzled with condensed/evaporated milk.
These fritters are made from a different kind of banana
called the plantain and are just roughly sliced plantains coated in a light
batter. In this case, simple is simply delicious. The lady who
makes them knows what I’m talking about as she’s been in the business for about
40 something years while her mother and grandmother have been doing it for
around 40 and 50 years respectively. These guys know what they’re doing.
Once I’m done I’ll head inside and if I’m lucky to find a
seat during this hour, I’ll be ordering from this shop right here.
Unfortunately, I can’t read any form of Chinese so I won’t be able to tell if
their name is written on their sign. Someone in the comments section, help me out?
While waiting for my order, let’s have a bite of some Banana
Fritters.
From the frying, you’ll notice that the heat has caused the
banana to ooze out of the light batter. When eaten fresh, the light crispiness
of the batter coupled with the oozed caramelized banana, brings a crispy kind
of sweetness to the already sweet soft gooey banana within.
Normal bananas when fried this way for fritters sometimes
become too soft and a lot sweeter than they already are when cooked. Plantains
when cooked this way maintain its firmness and becomes just the right amount of
sweet. Please note that this opinion is coming from someone who doesn't enjoy the
sweeter side of food.
For one of the lighter things to eat here, the Fish-Ball
Tauhu Soup is a particular favourite. The Tang Hoon glass noodles are made
beautifully as they’re just the right amount of springy and possess a very
light bite to them. The light pork broth that they’re swimming in, though
having noticeable MSG flavour when tasting is perfect to complement the theme
of the noodles.
The fish/meat balls are delightfully springy too upon biting,
while the Tauhu that hugs the pork is also very soft and light but if I have to
be honest, the pork in the Tauhu doesn't really taste like anything. The common
theme with these noodles is how light it is, and it makes sense as this is
typically a tea time kind of meal. You wouldn't want to have something heavy so soon after
eating lunch and so soon before dinner.
What I come here for, and what most people I believe flock
here for are the Pork Satays, which are slices of meat skewered on a thin stick
and barbequed. The Satay usually takes a while depending on the size of crowd
but they’re worth the wait.
The sweet and savoury flavours of the meat from the Satay
are achieved by being beautifully marinated just enough to infuse flavour
without taking away any of the natural flavours of pork. You’ll notice how well
they’re cooked from how juicy they are and from the way you see the juices dripping
onto the plate.
This Satay is good enough to eat without the classic peanut
sauce, but you’ll be missing out as the Peanut Satay Sauce is delicious. You’ll
notice the consistency of the sauce is thick enough for you to scoop it up and
stick to the Satay, while also not being as thick as Peanut Butter. The sauce
just sings of savoury peanut flavours while having sweetness to balance it.
What you’ll notice from eateries like these, like most of
the places we will soon visit is the connection the people have to good food. You’ll
notice grandfathers that would come here as children, bringing their own children and grandchildren of their own to enjoy the food of their youth. You’ll notice how
good food brings people to good relationships and long lasting bonds.
These shops reviewed are open from 1pm to 4pm daily or till everything is sold out. They are open every day except on Fridays and Mondays.
Wow, you're still here? Well thank you! Here's a sneak peek at next week's post while you're still here :)
