By Sarah Hafizah Chandra & Noor Syahhira Hady
KUCHING: The Kuching Food Festival is never short of exotic food and beverages for food lovers who are brave enough to try something unique.
After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest food event located at the car park area around the Kuching South City Council (MBKS) community hall beside the SJK (C) Chung Hua No 3 commenced on Friday (July 29) until August 21.
Besides some 330 stalls, the event is also offering visitors lucky draw and there are exhibitions for various booths promoting local and branded products, accessories, decorations, services, and wedding packages among others.
The food festival also features a Garden Show where visitors can roam and take pictures.
CROCODILE HERBS SOUP & BBQ
Alice Cham, who is the director of Borneo Crocodile Centre Sdn Bhd, said her stall is raising awareness and promoting to the people about how crocodile meat is healthy white meat that can be consumed.
Her stall is selling crocodile herbs soup for RM10 per bowl and BBQ crocodile meat for RM45 per pack.
“We are also selling crocodile oil and stir fried crocodile meat. We want to promote and raise awareness on how crocodile meat can be consumed.
“This is the first time we are joining the food festival and we are very excited to see the response from the local people,” she said.
Alice said while the company is based in Sabah, it has a license and farm in Kuching.
KOMPIA SALMON TEMPOYAK
Kompia House which is based in Matang is also participating in the food festival for the first time.
Co-partner Awang Amir Hamzi said the tempoyak salmon kompia is a new menu specially created for the food festival.
“I would say it is a unique taste of the peninsula spicy masak lemak and tempoyak. The usual tempoyak uses fish like ikan patin or catfish, but we wanted to do it with salmon,” he said.
He said they are targeting to sell 2,000 kompia buns in a day and expressed hope for visitors to try what they have to offer.
“We are very excited to be part of the festival. The response has been great so far and we wish to see more people stopping by the Kompia House in Matang too,” he added.
BAGELS
Visitors who are looking for pastries such as bagels will be spoilt for choice if they stop by at Caws.
Caws is offering 10 different types of bagels with cream cheese that are made from scratch.
Co-owner Alex Sim said the premium truffle and avocado which go on sale for RM10 each are the best sellers.
“We are also offering four basic flavours which are RM7 each and each bagel comes with cream cheese,” he said.
Alex encouraged visitors who are fans of bagels to stop by at their stall and they are targeting to sell 600 bagels a day.
“It is quite challenging to find nice bagels in Kuching so they must try our bagels because it’s good and different,” he said.
IS IT AN ICE CREAM OR A FRIED CHICKEN?
Amy Law’s stall will definitely make visitors passing by to stop and take a second look.
The 26-year-old is selling chicken drumstick ice cream which looks exactly like any fried chicken drumstick, but it is in fact vanilla with yogurt flavoured ice cream.
“This is a new idea we thought of and want to try. We wanted the people to see and question whether it is a fried chicken drumstick or an ice cream,” she said.
Selling each chicken drumstick ice cream for RM12 that comes with strawberry and chocolate syrup dip, she said they are targeting to see 150 pieces every day.
“We are still testing the market with this product. While we are unsure what the response will be like, we hope the people will be intrigued and want to try,” she said.
AL-AMAR LEBANESE CUISINE
According to Nizar Madi, the director of Al Amar Lebanese Cuisine, they are testing the market in Kuching and looking at the potential of opening a branch here.
He said they currently have two branches namely Al-Amar Lebanese Cuisine in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and Al-Amar Express at Fahrenheit 88 in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
“This is our first time participating in the food festival and hopefully it is not the last time. We actually do not have a specific target as we are testing the market.
“If everything goes well, we are thinking of opening a restaurant here and most probably at the Kuching Waterfront area,” he said.
Ranging from shawarma, kunafa, baklava and chicken briyani, Nizar hopes the response will be encouraging especially among the Muslims visitors.
PIZZA LA BORNEO
The Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) is offering six different flavours namely Lamb Keema, Spicy Diavola, Mexican Fiesta, Verdue and Sicilian Pepperoni to pizza lovers at Stall 23.
BCCK chief executive officer Eric van Piggelen said this is the third time they are participating in the food festival.
He said they are eager to make serious money with target set at selling 200 to 500 pizzas in a day.
“Pizza is a beautiful thing; we know that there is not going to be many stalls offering pizza, so we wanted to give it a go.
“This is something new that we are embarking on and will continue after the food festival,” he said.
He pointed out that with 70 per cent of stalls selling food items relating to pork, chicken and duck, BCCK’s Pizza La Borneo would surely stand out.
WHITE RABBIT DRINK & RAMEN MILK TEA
Having participated in the food festival selling beverages in previous years with sales reaching up to 20,000 cups, Ben Ho is hopeful to exceed the achievement.
He said the White Rabbit Drink is popular among visitors and he expects the response would be encouraging.
“We are selling one White Rabbit Drink for RM11.90 but we are encouraging visitors to get two at the price of RM23,” he said.
As for Ken Lee who is selling Ramen Milk Tea, he hopes to sell 200 to 300 cups per day.
He said his stall offers different unique beverage each time they participate in the food festival.
“The Ramen Milk Tea looks like a ramen, but it is a milk tea that you can drink. The ramen is made of jelly and pudding which can be eaten,” he said.
He expressed hope for people to come and try the Ramen Milk Tea because it is something different.
“The Ramen Milk Tea goes on sale for RM13.90 each, but if you buy two cups it is only RM27,” he said.
