The Adventures of Bruce and Ian

After a quick morning cab ride to the airport, we boarded a flight to cross the South China Sea and arrive in Kota Kinabalu. Life in Eastern Malaysia moves in a different fashion at a different pace than life on the mainland. While it does feature active urban centers like KK, the sense of natural mystery and wonder that is endemic to the island of Borneo permeates every aspect of Eastern Malaysia.

…Also, it was way more humid.

Our initial plan to drive from Kota Kinabalu, up the west coast of Borneo to the tip of the northern state of Sabah. But after experiencing the lane-swerving madness of KL, and seeing the looks on locals’ faces when we told them about our plans for Sabah, we began to have second thoughts. Heck, we were still freaked out by the whole “driving on the left side” deal.

Thankfully, our stunning, intrepid and fearless friend Sarah came to our rescue, and agreed to meet us in KK to once again act as our guide (and chauffeur), this time in the exotic climes of Borneo. Sarah had never ventured over to the other side of Malaysia, so the trip promised to be as exciting for her as it was for us…with some unexpected results.

We rented a car and loaded up on road snacks. Ian and I had by now developed tastes for a couple of local chip brands, and were happy to find plenty of Krating Daeng, the original Thai inspiration for Red Bull. Guided by Sarah’s GPS, we headed north…

At mid-afternoon we arrived at our destination: the Rungus Longhouse. To back up a bit, for months we’d been planning on visiting the longhouse, one of the many traditional homes still maintained by indigenous Malays in Borneo.

Ian in particular had become attached to the idea of visiting the longhouse. Whenever the subject came up (or even when it didn’t), Ian took great delight in saying the name of the place. And it never was just “the longhouse”, it was always “the RUNGUS Longhouse”, with plenty of rolled R’s and extravagant pronunciation. By the time we arrived in Kota Kinabalu, I’d lost count of how many time Ian had asked taxi drivers, hotel concierges, waiters, and just about anyone else whose ear he could bend about the Rungus Longhouse. Like I said, I think he just enjoyed saying “Rungus”.

Set at the end of a winding country road amidst picturesque jungle, the longhouse was a…well, it was a long house set on stilts. We met up with Maranjak, the head (or “Rungus”) of the family who built the longhouse. He gave us a tour of his home, and graciously agreed to sit down to answer some questions about it and the traditions behind it.

Our video of our visit to the Rungus Longhouse.

The Asam Laksa is known throughout South East Asia as one of the best noodle soup dishes ever. Penang apparently is THE place to get the real deal.

Now, I had read stories online about Penang Asam Laksa and all its majesty. I desperately tried to find it back home, but the best I could come up with was coconut laksa – and I wasn’t too impressed with it either.

Before I continue, it should be said that I have a high bar set for noodle soups. As I’ve noted before, I myself am Vietnamese – with that I have known the world champion of noodle soups – Pho. I also know the light and middleweight champions: Bun Rue and Bun Bo Hue.

So when I heard that the Asam Laksa is perhaps a worthy challenger, I owed it to myself to see it it was true. In Penang, I finally had a chance to try their acclaimed noodle soup.

It definitely is a very tasty soup dish. Its stock is complex in flavour, not bland by any means, and the combination of ingredients makes for a hearty dish.

The tamarind based broth has a nice tart kick and the whole dish is steeped in a seafood aroma.

The broth isn’t a runny soup, but a slightly thicker sauce.

Thick and chewy rice noodles gave it a nice texture, and toppings of meats, fish, and vegetables provided a nice variety.

Topped off with basil and mint leaves, (as well as a pungent, horrid smelling shrimp paste..ugh…)the Penang Asam Laksa sure earned its title as Penang’s signature dish.

Chowing down on Penang Asam Laksa.

BUT…

It isn’t better than Pho. It’s a bit unfair comparing the two, since they both have very different base stocks, however if we’re talking about pure tastiness it loses out.

I found it actually very similar to Bun Rue, a tomato-based crab noodle soup dish from Vietnam. Both are seafood based and have a tart broth, and so this is probably a better comparison. I still like Bun Rue better =P

Some say I have to eat Penang Asam Laksa from Stall No.11 on Gurney Drive – maybe that’ll turn the tide for me!

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After a quick nap and a hot shower (both well deserved), we hit the town in search for some trinkets and whatsits at Batu Ferringhi’s huge night market. What used to be a calm sidewalk by day, ... [Continue reading this entry]

The hotel we were staying at in Penang was one of the many which sit on the beachfront strip of Batu Ferringhi (Foreigner’s Rock), Penang’s most famous resort district and nightspot. The popularity with visitors to Malaysia which gave the ... [Continue reading this entry]

The Penang curry still warm in our bellies, we drove to the foot of Crane Hill and prepared to climb up to Penang’s most recognizable cultural landmark: the Buddhist Kek Lok Si Temple. Built into the side of the hill, ... [Continue reading this entry]

After a subpar stay at a hotel just outside of the KL airport which shall remain nameless (grungy room, malfunctioning AC and moths the size of HOLY EXPLETIVE!), we headed to the airport at the crack of dawn to catch ... [Continue reading this entry]

We got a bit turned around during our tour of Malacca’s old quarter and weren’t entirely sure how to get to our next stop, the antique and curio district of Jonker Street. Given how small and centralized Malacca is, I’m ... [Continue reading this entry]

We went to a food court just near our hotel after exploring the town square - and after all that walking we were famished. Before I get into each dish we ordered, let me say something about Malaccan food in general.  ... [Continue reading this entry]

We had an impressive list of historical sites to hit up during our visit to the famed colonial city of Malacca. Thankfully, Malacca’s old city square is much as it was hundreds of years ago, with most of its attractions ... [Continue reading this entry]