What to eat in historic Lundu?
Every local we know pointed us to Feng Ling Cafe which is actually a rustic kampung style zhi cha place.
But, the day we were in Lundu, Feng Ling was closed. So we settled for Ah Hang Seafood, a little zhi cha stall next to the Lundu Tua Pek Kong temple. Truth be told, I was at first a little disappointed by this unexpected turn as I heard so much good things about Feng Ling Cafe.
This was supposed to be "second best", plan B option but it turned out that I enjoyed Ah Hang Seafood very much 😋
Ah Hang Seafood stall is popular with local families. Almost all are locals as Lundu is not a tourist destination.
We were the guests of Master Bong, a renowned figure in the world of Hakka lion dance. Master Bong lives in Lundu and we were invited to his home 🙏
Master Bong ordered and treated us to lunch at Ah Hang Seafood 🙏
One of the dishes Master Bong ordered was Lemon Chicken. My first thought was, why leh? 🤔
I mean it is a "happy meal" dish for children right? It is my son's favourite dish and he will want us to order lemon chicken no matter where we ate.
I still remember the day the waiter at Kuala Lumpur's Overseas Restaurant rolled his eye when we asked for lemon chicken 🙄 My son, 35 this year 😮, is still fond of lemon chicken today 😬
Anyway, back to Lundu.
Turned out, Master Bong was right.
The chicken was fresh, tender and juicy sweet. The batter was softened by the thick starchy lemony sauce which together complemented the natural chicky sweetness very well.
Order lemon chicken when you are here, okay 👌
You will not regret.
Ah Hang is Teochew, so a steamed fish is a natural choice.
This thick meaty slab of fresh threadfin fish was soft tender and sweet with a bit of savouriness and zest from the sauce and aromatic garnishes like ginger, spring onion, tomato, etc.
Nice.
When in Borneo, wild deer meat is common. Try it if you haven't. The deer meat is real as wild deer is common in Borneo's tropical forests.
The deer meat slices were stir fried in a dark savoury sauce and aromatics like onion, ginger and spring onion.
The lean deer meat slices though thin, were still slightly chewy to the bite. The savoury salty dark sauce dominated the flavours, so you will not taste any deer gaminess. Wish there was some as I wanted to know what wild deer naturally tastes like.
Stir fried sayur manis vegetable. One of my favourite local greens with lots of fibre, and a slight green sweet taste enhanced by simply stir frying in a savoury sauce and eggs. I like the subtle chewiness of the fibrous leaves.
When travelling I always felt roughage is very important 🤭
When in Sarawak, must eat as much sayur midin (and sayur paku) as possible. Sayur midin is a fern. Its stem is fleshy, soft tender, and tastes subtly sweet. The savoury sauce and garlic provided the balancing saltiness and bitter to the dish.
Pork and chicken innards with vegetables soup. So homely good! Fresh ingredients make everything better!
Back on the road again after our sumptuous and delicious lunch with thanks to Master Bong. Don't laugh at me but I love the lemon chicken at Ah Hang 😋😁 The other dishes were nice too.
Stall name: Ah Hang Seafood Corner 潮州小炒
Address: Pekan Lundu, 94500 Lundu, Sarawak, Malaysia
Tel: +6016 892 6256
Hours: Lunch
Written by Tony Boey on 30 Jan 2024
JOHOR KAKI Blog you're one of the few who goes off the beaten track.
ReplyDeleteFong Ling Cafe is good, but Ah Hang not bad too.
Too bad the few times I was at Lundu I came alone and could not order much.
After a full meal, a visit to Tua Pek Kong temple and walking among the old shops of Lundu Bazaar... Nice local experience.