William Chong

Ph: 082 232 211 (hotel); Lot 3631, Lorong 2, Rock Road, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia; drinks from RM1.00; food from RM2.50

Rating: None given

Sometimes you just have to smile at God’s humorous sense of timing. I previously expressed a yearning for some Malaysian food in my recent writeup of Kaya + Toast – and here I am in Kuching, Malaysia, only weeks later and fortunate enough to reacquaint myself with some of the unique tastes from my childhood. My dad and I stopped by Fullyin Café for a welcome taste of unadorned, Chinese canteen cuisine. Fullyin Café is on the ground floor of what’s primarily a budget hotel, and attracts mostly local customers and perhaps visitors to the nearby Timberland medical centre.

The place is homely, in a tattered and weathered way, when we step in. Last month’s Chinese New Year decorations are still up, and there’s mellow Mando-pop wafting amongst the smell of spring onion and fried shallots. White half-wiped tables and gaudy red chairs are tessellated amongst simple cooking stalls serving Kuching favourites such as kolo mee, won ton soups, tomato kueh tiaw, various congees (each stall is subleased to different chefs and cooks). A drinks station in the back corner of the café serves up an assortment of hot and cold beverages. This is the quintessential food court setup that is replicated, in varying styles, in cities and suburbs all across Malaysia.

I ordered a tomato kueh tiaw to start off with – it’s long flat noodle strips buried in a less Watties, more watery sauce. I got a couple of baby prawns, spinach and squid in mine – but overall was sorely disappointed with the underwhelming portion size.

To remedy my unappeased appetite, I moved on to a bowl of wontons (called “kiaw” in the local dialect). They’re petite and inviting in the bowl, yet without the shallots, spring onion and chilli there’s not much else in terms of flavour. I ate it all but somehow it wasn’t completely satisfying, as if I was eating something bootlegged.

All in all it was an acceptable meal – whether I’d willingly go back again however is a different story. With the low cost of eating out in Malaysia it’s easy to shrug off mediocre food as value for money. I’m sure, however, that there’s plenty of other food outlets that would serve it tastier, and for the same price.