14 Best Places to Visit and Eat in Kuching


Hi, friends! Welcome back to my blog :)

2019 is coming to its end. It's already OCTOBER! (**That's how horrible the time flies *_*) School holidays are approaching and it is the period where many people would like to go for a vacation. If you haven't decided on where to spend your holidays, you can definitely consider Kuching, Sarawak as a spot for your short getaway.

Here's the 14 things you can do in Kuching, Sarawak:

1. Sarawak Cultural Village

As a Malaysian who comes from Peninsular Malaysia, I, personally, feel that Sarawak Cultural Village is a must-go spot as this is the place for you to experience Sarawak's cultural diversity. You even have the chance to take part in their traditional games and ceremonies that are performed within and outside the ethnic houses. It is located at Pantai Damai, Santhubong which is 40 minutes drive from Kuching. If you don't drive in Kuching, Kuching-Damai shuttle service is provided at Grand Margherita Hotel.

The admission fees are as below:
Adult (Non-Sarawakian): RM 60.00
Adult (Sarawakian): RM 25.00
Children (2 to 12 years old): RM30.00

The operation hours are shown in details in the photo below.



You will be given a passport-looking booklet after purchasing the ticket. It doesn't only provide the information regarding Sarawak Cultural Village, you can also collect the stamps from each station in this booklet.



Look how beautiful the scenery is! I was so close to the nature yay! :D







Remember to apply sunscreen while coming here as you will need walk a lot under the sun.


Here's the portrait with my Sarawakian friends!! Thank you for bringing me here :D


You MUST NOT miss the cultural shows that start at 11.30am and 4.00pm respectively. It is definitely the highlight of the whole tour! The show takes around 45 minutes. Do go in 10 to 15 minutes earlier to secure a good seat before the show starts.



2. Darul Hana Bridge and Waterfront Musical Fountain

Darul Hana Bridge is an important link between north and south of Kuching. You can visit Darul Hana Bridge during the night time as it is spectacularly lit up. It is located at the strategic position where Astana State building and Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) will become a great spot for capturing the wonderful moment there.





Don't miss out the interesting Waterfront Musical Fountain if you visit Darul Hana Bridge during night time. It offers two shows from Mondays to Thursdays at 8.30pm-8.45pm and 9.30pm-9.45pm, with three shows from Fridays to Sundays at 8.30pm-8.45pm, 9.30pm-9.45pm and 10.30pm-10.45pm. It is so beautiful and most important of all, it is free of charge!! Just choose a good spot and enjoy the show with your friends and family.




3. Lau Ya Keng Food Court

Lau Ya Keng Food Court is located along Carpenter Street.


There are a variety of food being sold here. You can find Kueh Chap, Kolo Mee, Sarawak Laksa, pork satay and a few to mention here. My friends recommend me to try out the well-known Kueh Chap. For me, Kueh Chap in Kuching tastes a bit blend as back in Alor Setar, Kueh Chap has stronger herbal taste which is to my liking. However, it is still a must-try since it is a signature of this food court.



Here comes another dish I am anticipating for-PORK SATAY! (**Drooling...**) It was my first time trying out pork satay and I LIKE IT! We also ordered Yong Tau Fu with glass noodles from one of the stalls.


4. Fishpro Lekor Sarawak

Even if you are not a fan of Keropok Lekor, trust me, when you see the crowd in front of the stall, you will still line up for it. Because I did that! (**Hahaha...**) You will find the queue getting longer as the time passes. The owners of the stall didn't even have a second to take a break. Luckily we were there quite early.

Look at the queue! There was, in fact, another line at the other side.



(**Taadaaa...**) Here comes the long awaited Keropok Lekor! It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.


The owner gave us two different sauces. One was the sweet sauce while the other was the spicy sauce. I like the spicy sauce better!


The stall opens at 5.30pm along the river side at Kuching Waterfront (normally during weekends). The owners will update the opening hours in their Facebook page from time to time. Do check out their page to avoid disappointment.

5. Kek Lapis Mama Su

I believe most of you know that Kek Lapis is the multi-layered traditional cake in Sarawak. It is well known for its rich taste and vibrant colours. We came across this stall by Kuching river side as we were strolling along the river.


There are plenty of flavours to choose from. The owners provide the customers some samples for tasting. I was so confused after trying so many of them out (**Facepalm**)


Kek Lapis is definitely a decent souvenir to take home with you. People around me love it!


6. Seafood Padungan Bay

If you are in Sarawak, don't forget to try out their unique local delicacies. Seafood Padungan Bay is famous for its fried oyster balls (a.k.a. Ojian in Hokkien) and seafood but we were actually coming for its midin and cangkuk manis (a.k.a. mani cai).


We ordered fried oyster balls, stir-fried midin with red wine, stir-fried cangkuk manis and salted prawns.

Fried oyster balls are definitely something new to me haha! The dish comes with a peppery dipping sauce.


I like the crunchiness of the stir-fried midin! Midin can be easily found in Sarawak as compared to West Malaysia. If you never try midin before, you must try it when you come to Sarawak!


The stir-fried cangkuk manis was a simple dish but it tasted good. The leaves taste sweet as you chew it.



The salted prawns were fresh but it was just average for me. (**Oops, sorry, forgot to take the photo of the dish**)

The drink I ordered was kedondong juice. The juice tasted quite similar as amla juice back in West Malaysia. It is sweet, sour and refreshing.


7. Fat Cat Café

Fat Cat Café is famous for serving good Sarawak Laksa. The laksa tastes very differently from the one in West Malaysia. You can taste the herbs and spices in the soup. The noodles are on the thinner side, slightly thicker than bee hoon (rice vermicelli).

It was my very first time having Sarawak Laksa. At first, I was not so used to the flavours but after a few bites of it, I found that I, actually, like it haha!


8. Song Kheng Hai Hawker Center

You won't be running out of choices when you are in Song Kheng Hai Hawker Center for lunch. I was here for the must-eat Foochow bagels (Kompia), belacan bee hoon and sugarcane coconut drink. Honestly, I love all of them!

Kompia looks ordinary but it's a boom hahaha! I ordered two pieces of Kompia with pork fillings. The bread is soft and fragrant whereas the pork is well marinated, juicy and tender. (**Thumbs up!!**) If only I can dapao them back home...



Here's the list of the flavours or fillings and their respective prices.




The bee hoon is topped with belacan paste, cuttlefish, cucumber slices and bean sprouts. I didn't order from the famous No. 26 stall but this was just nice to me. I like the combination!




Lastly, you shouldn't miss out the well-known sugarcane coconut drink in this hawker center. The sugarcane juice is extracted on the spot, mixed with coconut water and served with a generous amount of coconut flesh. The drink is so refreshing. Perfect ending for my lunch!




9. K.Y. Café

Kolo Mee is a dish that well represents Sarawak. And so, we were here in K.Y. Café for it. This restaurant is not as famous as other restaurants like Oriental Park for Kolo Mee but it serves the taste buds of people in Kuching for decades.



We ordered Kolo Mee with ordinary white sauce. It looks curly and tastes springy. I was too full to try the one with red sauce. If you ever visit Kuching, don't forget to try both of them as according to my friends, both of them taste differently from each other.


10. Sing Chong Choon Cafe

As you can see in the photo, Sing Chong Choon Cafe is famous for their three-layer tea (a.k.a. Teh C Peng Special).


Three-layer tea is made up of black tea, evaporated milk and palm sugar due to different densities. Remember to stir the tea well before drinking it as the palm sugar might sink and remain at the bottom of the cup.


There was a crowd of people in the restaurant even during weekday. You can try out their famous Kampua noodles (a.k.a. dry plate noodles in Foochow dialect) and Sarawak Laksa.




11. Open Air Market

If you are looking for affordable and nice local street food, do drop by Open Air Market. The market has two sections, separated by a road. The one we went to offers the famous Red Kolo Mee, Beef Noodles Soup and Sio Bee (a.k.a. Kuching Siew Mai).

I had a taste of Beef Noodles Soup and Sio Bee. The noodles were served with a generous portion of meat but the soup was blend for me. The dipping sauce did help to enhance the flavour of the noodles.



Sio Bee, together with the soya bean drink (be it cold or hot) are definitely a good match as snack or supper.





Don't forget to try the well-known Red Kolo Mee out if you ever come here. Too bad I was feeling too full to eat another bowl of noodles :( Do look out for a stall that has been selling Gula Apong Ice-Cream for decades in Open Air Market, too!


12. Commons

Formerly an old court house, it is now a café with good ambiance, service and food. The interior is spacious with a kind of colonial charm. (**Very Instaworthy, FYI!**)






There are a wide variety of food to choose from, be it western or local cuisine. They also serve mouth-watering cakes. We had Basque Burnt Cheesecake and it was very delicious. The cake was so moist and smooth.





Commons is certainly a perfect spot to chill out with family and friends. Thoroughly recommended!

13. Wing Hiong Enterprise Co., Jalan Padungan

Other than Kek Lapis, you can also look for Sibu Instant Kampua and Instant Sarawak Laksa as souvenirs for family and friends who would like to have a taste of Sarawak signature dishes. We found this shop selling the instant version of local cuisine along Jalan Padungan.



These instant noodles are approved by my Sarawakian friends. They said the instant noodles tastes almost the same like the local ones.




14. Friendship Park

Friendship Park is a memorial park located near Kuching International Airport. It was allocated by Sarawak state government in order to celebrate the diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.


There is a big statue of Laksamana Zheng Ho in the middle of the park where the tourists can take photo with.


Other than this, the park is a great place for evening jog and outdoor activities for the locals. No admission fee is required.



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Kuching is such a lovely and beautiful city :D Remember, not only you have to get your camera ready, make sure you have four stomachs like a cow when you are in Kuching as a food marathon is going to start here!



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Maira Gall