Eating in Kuching 2011 - Dinner at Hoi Ting Lau Restaurant

Hoi Ting Lau Chinese Restaurant used to be located in Continental Hotel. It was doing reasonable business - but never quite made an impact in the local food scene. They moved to a new venue about 2 years back - started serving pork and voila - now they are one of the hottest Chinese Restaurants in town. I think the reason is the food is quite good and prices reasonable. Lately they are also getting a bit more creatively with their menu.

We had dinner there recently and this was what we had. Special Appetizer Platter. Mostly made with fish paste - taste-wise not bad and each item has a distinctive taste and texture.

Roast Suckling Pig. They do it differently here. The pig has been deboned - marinated, roasted and served whole. You eat the skin together with the meat attached. I must say it was very good - you can taste the crunchiness of the skin and the porkie goodness of the meat at the same time.


Grilled Fish - this is an unusual dish for a Chinese restaurant. Served with a spicy dipping sauce - this was quite good as the oiliness of the fish lends itself very well to the preparation.


Mixed Veggie - again slightly different from the normal - here they have included pumpkin and celery to the mix.


Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk. A different take on the buttered prawn - the prawns are deep fried and coated with powdery salted egg. It looks dry, but actually the prawns have retained their natural sweetness and succulence.


Rice with Chinese Sausage and Char Siew. This simple looking dish was surprisingly tasty.


Hoi Ting Lau has now cemented itself as one of the top Chinese restaurants in town. Definitely worth a try.