Feast of Sarawak Cuisine @Carpenter Street Cafe, Sunshine Square, Bayan Baru

March seems to be a very busy month for me. Many happenings in Penang as well as Kuala Lumpur that I am literally running between KL-Penang almost every week, sometimes between days from one trip to another. So couldn't update my food blog quite often.

Anyway, since I will be travelling to Hong Kong and Macau the whole of next week, so I better get myself busy by updating some first. Else, it became old news hehehe. Anyway, I was supposed to fly to Kuching on the 25th March for our quarter annually account meeting and was planning to extend my stay until the 28th for my my mum's birthday. Suddenly I got the bad news that the meeting was cancelled due to some technical problem. Huhuhu .... Only God knows how heart-broken I was really, really missing some of my favourite Sarawak food. Then suddenly remembered that Chef Peter (Chairman of Chef Association Malaysia, Penang Chapter) posted about this cafe on Facebook.

Words can't describe my excitement when I saw the signage with the hornbill logo :)

So when I arrived from KL last Monday, my driver Zaki and I went to search for this place at the Sunshine Square, Bayan Baru area. It didn't take us that long to locate this place though Chef Peter road instruction was "behind Sunshine Square". It is actually located at the shop row behind Sunshine Square, and along the same row as Old Town White Coffee Kopitiam and CIMB Bank.

Proud that they have about 80% of the Sarawak food in the menu like including Foo Chow Mee Sua and Kacang Ma.

So the following day I made appointment with Sue Anne, Vincent and May for lunch here and lunch was on me. Hehehe suddenly felt so proud of myself eventhough just "belanja makan kolo mee". I think I owe them this lunch as they were always the one who treat me and I really really want to have the honour. Plus I really want to show them that I am their friend not another of their acquintance.

Anyway, except for Vincent who had been to Sarawak before and love the Foo Chow Kampua Mee, Sue Anne and May never tried Sarawak food before. So of course I prided myself to be the hostess and ordered Kolo Mee (original), Kole Mee (with Char Siew Oil), Tomato Sauce Mee, Kiaw Soup (also known as wanton soup), and Sarawak Laksa washed down with Sarawak 3 layer Teh C Peng Special ( 3 layer milk tea).

3 layer Teh C Peng Special - Tea (top), Evaporated milk (middle) and palm sugar (bottom)

Before (R) and after (L) stirring hehehe - never miss this drink in Kuching.

Tomato Sauce Mee - I had a friend who love this so much.

Sarawak Kolo Mee (original)

Sarawak Kolo Mee(original) is quite similar to the Peninsular Malaysia Hakka Mee except that Sarawak Kolo Mee is springier and saltier. Hakka Mee sellers here tends to add in soya sauce to add some taste and to make it not too dry. Sarawak Kolo Mee on the other hand counter the dryness issue by adding some lard or fried onion oil so as to create some fragrance. Having said that, the similarity was due to the fact that many of the Kolo Mee sellers in Kuching are Hakkas. I met one Sarawakian lady here and she told me, the food in Penang is "over-rated" in terms of tastiness ... Ouch... but having said that, yes, Sarawakians in general don't actually like to flavour their food too much with soy sauce.

Sarawak Kolo Mee (with Char Siew Oil) - in Kuching if we want this version, we just say "Kolo Mee merah"

Sarawak Lor Bak - I find Sarawak one to be a bit drier.

Sarawak Laksa - I am very selective about laksa but Carpenter Street Cafe got my thumbs up!

Glorious Sarawak food ... in Penang. Syiokkssss wo!

Initially I was afraid that the food may turned out not like the one in Sarawak. I had been to few cafes reported to be owned by Sarawak people. Unfortunately, they had changed the menu so much to cater to the local taste that made me dissatisfied. By the way, I wish the waitress or waiter here were friendlier like the Sarawakians. They looked so unwelcoming.

May captured me in "savouring the food to my heart's content" pose... yummm hahaha

My guests for the day ... Vincent, May and Sue Anne posing with all the empty bowls and glasses hahaha

If in Kuching, no way I would pay RM 7.90 for a bowl of Kolo Mee. In fact the maximum price you should pay for a decent bowl of Kolo Mee is between RM 2.50-RM 3.50. Having said that, the most expensive Kolo Mee I had ever eaten was the RM 12.00 Kolo Mee Special in Ten Mile Bazaar last Chinese New Year trip.

Happy to see that Sue Anne and May finished all the Kolo Mee plus Lor Bak, Vincent clear the kiaw soup and I was left to handle the laksa hahahaha. I wish they also sell beef noodle soup. Next time I come here, I will definitely try their kacang ma dishes.

 

Proof of that the RM 7.90 for a bowl of Kolo Mee was worth it hahaha

Money can't buy friendship.

May asked me if Carpenter Street have any significant to Kolo Mee. Hmm to be honest, I don't remember of any famous Kolo Mee shop at Carpenter Street but asked anyone from Kuching, they would definitely know that place. I passed this place to go for my tuition school near Crowne Plaza and took a bus at the Kuching General Post Office. In Kuching, my favourite spot for a Kolo Mee session is at the open air market opposite Electra House. My dad who is a Penangite love the 7th Mile Huat Huat Cafe Kolo Mee and sometimes when he missed Penang Sar Hor Fun, we will go to Jun Jun Cafe (no longer open I think).

So for those who would like try Sarawak food (especially Sarawakians who missed home food)... just head to Bayan Baru and give this cafe a try.

Carpenter Street Cafe – Your 1-stop Authentic Sarawak Food
Add : 54, Jalan Mahsuri (Grd Floor), Bandar Bayan Baru, 11950 Bayan Lepas, Penang.
Tel : 04-6436588, 012-4194178
Business Hours : 11.30-3.00pm, 5.30 to 9pm