February 12, 2014

More on the Menu at The Summit Cafe in Miri

The Summit Cafe at Centre Point near the so called Water Front Miri serves up some interesting indigenous dishes if you wish to have a somewhat different lunch for a change.

At any one time you can order from the fast food section a variety of dishes. Each helping is priced at RM1 per portion in a small blue bowl. You can also ask for an economy rice plate with three dishes all placed together in your rice plate and you get a good lunch at RM4 . the price is the same if you order your rice and three small bowls of different dishes.

Drinks are the usual fare from the three tea special to a very nice but sweet iced lemon tea. You can also order a very nice hot Chinese tea in a large glass. Be sure to ascertain the size of the cup or glass. Sometimes you can get a mug which is bigger than expected. In a local coffee shop always take care to ask about the size of the drinks and whether the milk is condensed(Kopi ) or evaporated (Kopi Si). Black coffee or black tea is kopi 0 or teh 0.


Chopped up chicken (bite sizes) cooked with torch ginger - a local indigenous delicacy which is loved by all the races except those who do not like ginger of any type.

This is sweet and sour tripe cooked to the tenderest state. Somehow one cannot reach this delectable standard at home. So for a small price of RM 2.00 you can have a great portion.

This is young banana flowers cooked in coconut milk for those who have a stronger stomach and a liking for something really exotic. For the uninitiated there is an element of tatex stickiness which may not be favourable.

This is my favourite which is young shoot of oil palm and is cooked with bite sized chicken meat with lots of local flavourings like pepper and ikan bilis stock.

Here is a dish that takes time to prepare: fish floss stirred fried with lots of onions and fresh chillies: excellent for those who do not have much appetite for a large meal but definitely not for non fish eaters.

This is a very economical dish : pork fat cooked with salted vegetables from the Chinese grocers. The soup is nice actually and you can throw away the fatty bits if you don't like them. Others would just chomp away as pork fat is really quite a favourite amongst the different races. In fact in many parts of Southern China large slabs of salted pork fat are sold in the markets to the delight of the local people. It is the same theory of eating. When people work hard at their farms and food is hard to prepare some fat and some salt would be the only meal they have when out in the farm for days.

This beautiful yellow green mesh is actually pounded tapioca fried to the right consistency and temperature state. O la la...easily the best dish in Sarawak in my biased opinion.

These dishes are not authentically Orang Ulu as the society transforms itself fusion takes place especially in culinary arts. It is difficult to say which is definitely Iban cuisine or Kayan cuisine. One can be safe to say that these are local delicacies from the indigenous people of Sarawak using local Sarawak ingredients.

Have an exotic culinary experience! Try the Summit Cafe before 12 noon (except Sunday).

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