Top 7 Places to Eat Like a Local in Kuching

Anyone that has met a Kuchingite (a person from Kuching) would know that they take pride in their hometown food. Like, seriously GREAT pride. So, I took a 24-hour trip to Kuching last weekend and I am happy to share with you the list on what and where to eat like a true local Chinese in Kuching! No strings attached, just a list of pure awesome East Malaysian Chinese food.

1. Kong Pia @ Song Kheng Hai Market

This list is in no particular order but, Kong Pia from Stall 7 Rihga (Song Keng Hai Foodcourt) deserves to be first! Basically, Kong Pia is a traditional Foochow pastry that is small, flat and chewy, with sweet meat fillings at the centre. They are also known as the Foochow Bagels, how adorable is that!? The best thing about Rihga is that they do offer delivery services for orders of 10 pcs and above. Additionally, they would also pack the Kong Pia in bags with the fillings separated in a tub for customers who are taking it with them on plane (a.k.a. me).

RIHGA @ SONG KHENG HAI MARKET
No. 7, Song Keng Hai Market,
Padungan Road 93100 Kuching
Sarawak (East Malaysia)
12.30pm – 5.30pm daily

While you are at it, you need to try the refreshing drinks from Stall 1 Mao Zhong Drink Stall. The two (2) popular drinks there are the “Sugar Cane with Lime” and the “Sugar Cane with Coconut”. These cool drinks are certainly made to beat the Kuching’s heat!

MAO ZHONG DRINK STALL @ SONG KHENG HAI MARKET
No. 1, Song Keng Hai Market,
Padungan Road 93100 Kuching
Sarawak (East Malaysia)
12.30pm – 5.30pm daily

2. Kolo Mee @ Lau Ya Keng Foodcourt

The word “Kolo” means dry mixed and “Mee” means noodles in Chinese. Essentially, a bowl of Kolo Mee typically consists of springy thin noodles marinated in red sauce, with Char Siew, vegetable and meat topping. Lau Ya Keng is located right at the heart of Carpenter Street – a quaint street filled with eateries, cafes as well as local businesses selling furnitures. If this is your first time in Kuching, you definitely need to take a stroll down Carpenter Street on a weekend afternoon to see and hear what the local community is up to. Lau Ya Keng is located right opposite of the traditional Wayang Street Chinese Temple. You would definitely not miss it.

Other than that, the Kolo Mee stall at Lau Ya Keng also offers Vegetable Soup which is essentially clear soup with mixed vegetables and meat. This soup is ideal for sharing and it goes just well with the Kolo Mee!

We had our hopes up to try their famous Pork Satay. Unfortunately, they were not open yet that day (how sad!). If you are visiting, you have to try their Pork Satay. We have only heard good things about it, you can click here to find out more about the Satay.

LAU YA KENG FOODCOURT
No. 19, Lebuh Carpenter,
93000 Kuching
Sarawak (East Malaysia)
10am – 11pm (closed on Sundays)

3. Sarawak Laksa @ Chong Choon Cafe

A trip to Kuching is never complete without indulging in a fresh hot bowl of their Laksa. Chong Choon Cafe has been popular for its Sarawak Laksa breakfast for many years. Hence, it is always crowded! A good tip is to arrive earlier to beat the morning crowd.

CHONG CHOON CAFE
No. 275, Jalan Chan Chin Ann,
93100 Kuching,
Sarawak (East Malaysia)
6.30am – 12.30pm daily

4. Kuching Chinese Seafood Dinner @ Lok Garden Seafood 9

Here in Kuching, a seafood dinner is a MUST. There are plenty of Seafood restaurants around and they are crowded with people every night! Most importantly, locals would know that Lok Garden Seafood 9 is the place to be for a fulfilling seafood dinner. This place has been around in Kuching for more than two (2) decades. Here is a list of the local dishes we recommend to order.

LOK GARDEN SEAFOOD 9 @ BATU LINTANG OPEN MARKET
No. 9, Batu Lintang Open Market,
93200 Kuching
Sarawak (East Malaysia)
5am – 10pm daily

5. Kueh Chap @ Woon Lam Cafe 1999

In Hokkien, “Kueh” translates to flat noodles, while “Chap” means a mix of everything. Basically, Kueh Chap is a traditional dish of flat noodles mixed in a pork stew with various pork innards and different parts of pork meat. The best Kueh Chap in Kuching can be found in this humble unassuming coffee shop – Woon Lam Cafe 1999.

WOON LAM CAFE 1999
No. 187-189, Jalan Song Thian Cheok,
93100 Kuching,
Sarawak (East Malaysia)
6am – 6pm daily

6. Granary Cafe

Here’s a twist to the list, we have recently heard about a rustic-warehouse-looking cafe. Since we were just around the corner, we decided to drop by to have some drinks. However, it took us awhile to find it because it is (slightly) hidden. How exciting! Granary Cafe’s entrance is actually just about 50m behind its hotel lobby entrance. Therefore, you would need to walk in the alley next to its hotel lobby and you will find the grand entrance in minutes.

Unfortunately, my 24-hour trip could not fit in anymore additional meals in my stomach while I was at Granary, but the cakes menu were rather unique! Click here to read more about their food and dessert.

GRANARY CAFE
No. 23, Wayang Street
93000 Kuching,
Sarawak (East Malaysia)
11am – 11pm daily

7. Kuching Festival Food Fair 2018 (27 July – 19 August 2018)

Good news, Kuching Festival Food Fair 2018 has just started. So, we had the chance to try out their food! First of all, this Food Fair is so big and crowded that we walked for more than an hour and still could not cover the whole area! Secondly, this is not just a food fair, it has a huge stage set up in the middle for numerous local performances that are scheduled on every night. However, the limited photos shared here do not do justice. Trust me, you need to be there yourself to experience the food craze (!!!) There were various food stalls set up, including local Kuching food, Malaysian food, Korean food as well as Taiwanese food!

KUCHING FESTIVAL FOOD FAIR 2018
Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Selatan
Jalan Padungan,
93675 Kuching,
Sarawak (East Malaysia)
July 27 – August 19, 2018
4pm – 11pm daily