Kuching, Sarawak - Day 5 (Kuching Town)

Choon Hui Cafe is famous for its Sarawak Laksa. It's 6 minutes drive (2.2km) from Hilton, Kuching. (Grab fare - RM 6). We reached there around 9.20am and was lucky to find a small table for two person. As usual my partner ordered teh ping (milk tea) which taste a little bland for me. He ordered a bowl of kolo mee with extra toppings, popiah and Sarawak laksa.

Kolo mee comes with big prawns and red bbq pork. Springy noodles and it's flavourful. However it doesn't come with a bowl of plain soup. Popiah is a fresh spring rolls filled with jicama or yam bean, vegetables, peanuts and homemade sweet sauce. They served it with a sweet, salty and spicy sauce. Overall it's good. Sarawak laksa on the other hand is spicy and bee hoon (rice vermicelli) is a bit hard for my liking. I get very thirsty too after eating. Guess I still prefer the Sarawak Laksa that we had at Chong Choon Cafe.

We walked over to one of Oloiya's branch and bought some dried chicken and pork meat. This is one of my favourite brand but sadly it's a bit too oily for my liking. We took a Grab ride back to Hilton, Kuching and as usual they have yet to make up our room. (Grab fare - RM 4). I decided to chill at hotel room while my partner went for 1 hour foot massage at Rafflesia Wellness Centre located on the 1st floor.

He came back 1 hour later looking very disappointed. He mentioned that the foot massage was so bad as he can't feel any massage pressure at all. The massage therapists wasn't well trained and that was the worst foot massage he ever had! He can't complain because the massage therapists is also the receptionist. Ended up he just let it slide away.

Choon Hui Cafe

Teh ping (milk tea) - RM 1.80

Popiah - RM 4.50

Popiah sweet, salty and spicy sauce

Kolo mee - RM 9

Laksa - RM 10

Address:

Choon Hui Cafe

No. 34, Jalan Ban Hock,

93100 Kuching,

Sarawak.

We decided to check out Sarawak Museum in the late afternoon. So we took a Grab ride and instead of Sarawak Museum the driver wanted to drop us at Borneo Cultures Museum. Seems that he got confused with the location and finally he brought us to the correct destination. Basically Sarawak Museum is just opposite Borneo Cultures Museum. (Grab fare - RM 5).

The museum is temporarily closed and we have no idea about it as it did not show in the Google map. Ended up we just explore the park before crossing the pedestrian bridge that connects Sarawak Museum to Borneo Cultures Museum. It's easier for us to get a Grab ride from Borneo Cultures Museum as there's no proper pick up point at the Sarawak Museum.

Natural History Museum (temporarily closed)

Sarawak Museum (temporarily closed)

Taman Museum Sarawak

Heroes' Monument Park

Tugu Pahlawan

Pedestrian bridge connects Sarawak Museum to Borneo Cultures Museum

Borneo Cultures Museum (crowds on weekend)

Address:

Borneo Cultures Museum

Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg,

93400 Kuching,

Sarawak.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday - 9am to 4.45pm

Saturday, Sunday and Public holidays - 9.30am to 4.30pm

Last admission at 4pm

We took a Grab ride from Borneo Cultures Museum to Swee Kang (Grab fare - RM 4) for tea break. We ordered ais kacang, white lady, belacan bee hoon (shrimp paste vermicelli), sotong kangkung (water spinach with cuttlefish), cucur udang (prawn fritters) and fish balls. Ais kacang comes with gula apong, condensed milk, sago, cendol, red beans, peanuts and grass jelly. Not too sweet and I like the gula apong taste. However, cendols are in a bright green colour that seems a bit artificial to me.

Another type of special iced dessert in Kuching is white lady. It's a refreshing ice blended lime juice drink that comes with evaporated milk, longans, lychee, grape, jellies, aiyu jelly, lemon slices and peach. Not too sweet and the moment I had my first sip, I fell in love with this drink. Apart from that, I quite enjoy the belacan bee hoon (shrimp paste vermicelli). It comes with squid, century egg, shredded cucumber and calamansi. Some might say it's a stinky dish as they add in dried shrimp paste. It's a spicy, sweet and tangy dish. Sotong kangkung (water spinach with cuttlefish), cucur udang (prawn fritters) and fish balls basically just so so for me.

Swee Kang Ais Kacang

Ais kacang - RM 3.50 and White lady - RM 4.50

Belacan bee hoon (shrimp paste vermicelli) - RM 6

Cucur udang (fried fritters) and fish balls - RM 4.90

Sotong kangkung (water spinach with cuttlefish) - RM 8

Address:

Swee Kang Ais Kacang

Jalan Kulas - Haji Taha Interchange,

Kampung Bandarshah,

93400 Kuching,

Sarawak.

Our next stop is Lau Ya Keng Foodcourt at Carpenter Street, just 6 minutes drive (1.2km) from Swee Kang Ais Kacang. (Grab fare - RM 4). We were there on our 1st day in Kuching but the shop is closed. The food court was quite packed and we ordered satay, kueh chap and a glass of ambarella juice. There's minimum order for the satay and we have to order at least 5 sticks. My partner loves the pork satay. Kueh chap on the other hand consists of flat rice noodles, tofu puff and pork meat served in a soy sauce based broth. It's a unique dish for me with a strong taste of pepper. Our ambarella juice came last. Not too sweet nor sour with a grainy texture.

Lau Ya Keng Foodcourt

Kueh chap - RM 8

Chili sauce

Pork satay - RM 1 each minimum 5 sticks

Ambarella juice - RM 4

Address:

Lau Ya Keng Foodcourt

No. 19, Carpenter Street,

93000 Kuching,

Sarawak.

Old Court House is just within walking distance from Lau Ya Keng Foodcourt. Ranee of Sarawak gallery is located inside the Old Court House and admission fee is RM 10. I expected to see more but it's definitely not worth the RM 10 entrance fee. The toilet inside the Old Court House requires a password and we got it form the front desk lady at the gallery. The toilet is clean and comfortable.

The Round Tower

Ranee of Sarawak gallery

Toilet with password

Toilet

Address:

Ranee of Sarawak gallery

Kuching Old Courthouse

No. 7, Jalan Barrack,

93000, Kuching,

Sarawak.

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday & Public Holidays - 9am to 4.45pm (last entry at 4.15pm)

Entrance fee: RM 10 - adult

I love soft serve ice cream and happen to see that this Desserto Sharifah has 5.0 rating in the Google review! The shop is just 4 minutes walking distance (290m) from Kuching Old Courthouse. So I ordered a French vanilla with gula apong and peanuts ice cream. You may choose either nestum, peanut, rainbow sprinkles, oreo crumbs or chocolate rice toppings. (RM 0.50 for each topping). There's 5 types of sauce - French chocolate (RM 0.50), apong (RM 0.50), Belgium chocolate (RM 1), mango (RM 1) or strawberry (RM 1). Ice cream is delicious. It's creamy and smooth. However the peanuts no longer fresh as it's soft and gula apong is a bit too sweet for my liking.

Desserto Sharifah

French vanilla with gula apong and peanuts - RM 5.90

Address:

Desserto Sharifah

No. 37, Jalan Gambir,

93000 Kuching,

Sarawak.

On the way back to our hotel we walked past Darul Hana Bridge, Square Tower, Celebration of Sarawak Sculpture and Chinese History Museum.

Square Tower at Kuching Waterfront

Celebration of Sarawak Sculpture at Kuching Waterfront

We had our dinner at Ceylonese, just 4 minutes walking distance (300m) from Hilton, Kuching. We were lucky because the waiting queue was short and the restaurant was very crowded. We ordered banana leaf briyani lamb, Tandoori chicken and cheese naan. The briyani lamb was so good that we decided to try their briyani chicken as well. However, compared to the lamb, briyani chicken was so so only. I love the briyani rice which is soft and flavourful. Tandoori chicken on the other hand is not so flavourful and cheese naan for me is just normal. I prefer my cheese naan to be charred and crisp on the outside yet insanely soft on the inside.

(Total bill - RM 56.50)

Ceylonese Restaurant

Iced water

Banana leaf briyani lamb - RM 21

Banana leaf briyani lamb

Curry

Banana leaf briyani chicken - RM 14

Banana leaf briyani chicken

Tandoori chicken - RM 9

Cheese Naan - RM 12

Address:

Ceylonese Restaurant

23 22, Jalan Green Hill,

93100 Kuching,

Sarawak.

After dinner, we took a stroll at Kuching Waterfront. We crossed the Darul Hana Bridge and the timing was so perfect as we get to see a water fountain show at 9.25pm. The fountain show lasted about 15 minutes. We walked back to our hotel after that and call it a day.