First time visitors will realize that Sarawak is not only famous for its caves, national parks and other natural wonders, but it is also famous for its unique and delectable dishes. In terms of food, Sarawak has many of its own specialties that are unique and delicious.
Coffee shops, food centres, Chinese, Western, Indian, Indonesian and Japanese restaurants, as well as restaurants that serve seafood, steamboat and vegetarian food are found in Sarawak, particularly in Kuching. |
Go al-fresco Sarawak style
Dine at open-air hawker stalls - which offer the most scrumptious food at amazingly low prices. And during cool nights, just treat yourself to dinner under a canopy of stars on a river cruise. Food courts are vast open-spaces that house many hawker stalls of all sorts, serving Chinese, Indian and Malay food all in one compound. Among the popular ones in Kuching are New A La Carte Food Court (with air-conditioning), King's Centre, Top Spot Food Court and Lau Yar Kaeng. The Top Spot Food Court is especially very popular among the locals and tourists. It is an open-air food court above a big car park, near Kuching Hilton.
Visitors may also visit the Sunday market, which apparently starts from Saturday afternoon till Sunday it is actually a very busy fruit and vegetable market, where many local producers offer their tropical products on sale. In the evening you may also eat at some of the many stalls there, that offer local dishes.
Sumptuous Seafood
It is said that South East Asia's finest seafood is best savoured in Sarawak. Most towns in Sarawak are strategically situated close to the sea, and thus receive fresh daily supplies of seafood either from the South China Sea or imported from the waters of Thailand, Indonesia and Sabah (especially during the monsoon season at the end of the year).
Local fish come in a wide range, such as the pomphret, red snapper, garoupa, Spanish mackerel, kurau, haruan, terubok and the ray fish. Restaurants serve these fishes in numerous ways - steamed, fried, baked, curried, grilled or with sambal - a mild, spicy mixture of Malay origin, made up of onions, dried chillies, candlenuts and belacan (prawn paste).
Crabs, prawns, lobsters, clams, squids, oysters and bamboo clams are equally plentiful and fresh.
Five-star dining
Besides the variety of local delicacies, five-star hotels in Kuching and Miri have fine dining outlets offering both western and oriental cuisine. A number of Japanese, Korean, Thai, Mediterranean and Western restaurants dot the streets and business areas of these two cities.
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