Second night of our 6 day Kuching self drive holiday, we enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at The Post 驛站 restaurant and bar in Siniawan (about 20 km southwest from Kuching city centre).
We didn't get to visit the famous weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) Siniawan night market stalls as it was raining cats 🐈 (pun intended 🤭) and dogs the whole day and night when we were there. Still, it didn't dampen our spirits at all thanks to the good food and great company.
Stepping into The Post, it is a rustic bar and restaurant. It felt welcoming and the atmosphere was friendly, cheerful like inviting us to go in to explore, sit down and enjoy ourselves.
We had been travelling since day break but felt energised once we stepped into The Post.
Love the energy here.
We gathered at a long table in the courtyard further inside, just beyond the bar.
The Post's owner Dylan Lai regaled us with many stories about Siniawan. Dylan's family have been in Siniawan for five generations.
The Post 驛站 is named after the Siniawan trading post. Siniawan is a strip town with two rows of 48 century year old shophouses which in the past served as provision shops, lodging houses, eateries, opium dens, gambling houses, brothels for miners, traders and travellers using the Sungai Sarawak Kanan river. Rivers were highways, transport arteries of the past.
The first edition of Siniawan served the old Bau mining town in the 1840s - 1850s. It was abandoned in the 1850s, after the old Bau mining town was razed to the ground in reprisal for the miners' attack on Rajah Brooke's palace in Feb 1857.
The current Siniawan town was rebuilt from the ashes of the previous town by a new wave of miners who arrived in Bau district in the 1870s. During its heyday in the 1840s (before it was abandoned in the 1850s), and when it was revived in the 1890s, Siniawan was a cowboy town.
Of course, with modern highways, Siniawan lost its old riverine trading post role but has reinvented itself as a historic destination for shopping, wining, and dining. The lively spirit, hustle and bustle of old Siniawan is coming back.
Our dinner was a quick succession of delicious dishes and nice drinks which we enjoyed with much laughter and banter. They were Hakka dishes with a bit of indigenous touches.
Ulam Ulaman. Crunchy, juicy, fresh raw vegetables with spicy chili dips.
Lamb Stew. This is one of The Post's signatures. Lamb meat and shank stewed in a soup with preserved vegetables (kiam cai or salt preserved mustard). The recipe came from a Siniawan police officer during get togethers with Dylan's father who was the Siniawan village chief.
Mei Cai Pork, a quintessentially Hakka staple of pork belly stewed till tender with umami savoury soy sauce and preserved vegetables (mei cai).
Pork leg and belly stewed in soy sauce, another Hakka comfort dish.
Midin Thai. Soft crunchy sayur midin fern and raw onion, shallot doused with a zesty sour spicy savoury sweet Thai inspired sauce.
Mee Apek. Noodles stir fried with mani cai served with Hakka fried pork and crispy fish crackers.
Hakka Fried Rice. Similar to mee apek but with fried rice (instead of noodles) with sayur manis and Hakka fried pork.
So much food, I had to wash it down with some imported malt juices.
And, a few sips of local flower juices 🤭
Already say just a sip...., but seriously tuak is potent 😵💫
Want some more? 🤭
The Post restaurant and bar in Siniawan, a great place to hang out.
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