Memorable Lunch at Hock Chu Leu

Something I have been thinking of doing for a long long time - to have a meal at Hock Chu Leu in Sibu.

Years ago I thought that if I did not have my wedding feast there at least I could have a very memorable celebration feast or two for something special there. That is being the Foochow in me. But I moved away from Sibu and events did not happen as I would want them to. I am not as systematic as Shi Huang Di  in getting things done (sigh) and life  just goes on.

There are several  Foochow /Sibu ways of inviting friends for a meal.

You can call up and say "Hey friend come and eat a ready lunch with me...siak bian dou".  And you might already be sitting at the restaurant  and you can order simple dishes but might even include sharks fin depending on the thickness of your wallet.

You can also say..."Come Come...let's eat play...siak ka liu". You can order some kang kong and some tou foo. But again you might try something really fancy or something new the Chef wants you to try.

Or you can invite only very good friends and say... " Come come...nothing to do...let's have a simple lunch and spend time to chit chat...chiar diuh pow" . For this kind of gathering you can order fried noodles and some dishes which can be stretched over time. And if the conversation is still very good you can order some more! And you let your hair down and have some chill time. that is if you do not have to clock in to work!

A pre-ordered Foochow meal is a different thing all together. You may have to take time to think about the different meanings of the dishes and the availability of the seasonal items.

But I know where my children are concerned they will already have their list ready when they are home for their annual holidays or special holidays. Bless their hearts.

But this trip back I had a reason to celebrate with good friends  and make a "down memory lane" kind of visit to the village where I spent my childhood . ML Wong and Tumi would smile at this.  It was good to meet up with Ing Chiong and Tony. Philip was away from town.  Blessings must be shared. And indeed God's grace was sufficient.

This is a very tasty and memorable Braised White Cabbage which only HCL can do ! Melt in the mouth and natural sweetness from the fusion of all the ingredients braised slowly in a low fire for a long time. We normally cook this dish at home once a year!


This is the Foochow style sweet and sour pork ribs . Very tender. Note the design on the crockery. Very imperial and auspicious.


You can tell how skilled and well trained a waitress is by looking at the way she manages the ladling of the soup. She has very graceful arm movements. And you can tell that she will do a meticulous job.


This is the special and must have Foochow Meatball soup. Traditionally served with mushrooms and some bamboo slivers. I think every one gets three meatballs.



Hi these are my church friends/ school mates (junior) / blogger friends from Sibu - and all picking up a meatball for my benefit. Cheers and thanks!!


Siew Mai is a special long time favourite. We used to get them (air flown of course when someone visits) to us in Singapore and Miri by my mother!! Love is a packet of Siew Mai from HCL!! They are really big and well made. You won't be short changed here because they are really big and full of good value ingredients. Some shops in Miri sell "Siew Mai from Sibu".

I have a special liking for this dish : kai lan with fresh liver as topping which is really generous as you cannot see the vegetables.

Unfortunately I forgot to take photos of the steamed tapah because our conversation was too animated. . Next time I will order a bigger one and take a good picture! Tapah is my favourite fish. May be Steve has a photo of a big dish of steamed tapah from somewhere that I can borrow....(shy lah)

We were given white rice to go with the delicious food and free flow(?) Chinese tea. The bill came to a small and unbelieveable figure. Guess how much I paid?

So here is a wish : we will dine here again and soon!!