Pinggai Cafe

Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Highly Recommended)

Address: 37, China St, 93000 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/JgSixw5LMgQuKPqN8
(Please refer to the Timings provided in the Google Map Link for the Operating Hours.)

Nasi Goreng Dabai = RM28.00
Sup Kasam Babi = RM15.00
Sarawak 3 Layer Blue Tea = RM10.00
Tempoyak Ikan Bilis = RM18.00

No Service Charges

 Here is the Full Menu of the Eatery/Restaurant.
Prices are Accurate as of the Date of the Post.


 
This was a Beautiful little cafe tucked in the corner near the famous Carpenter Street Retail Street that specialize in Iban/Dayak Cuisine. 😋 The interior of the cafe is very beautifully designed, very cleanly kept. 👍 The staffs are very friendly and I felt very comfortable eating at this place. 👍

Nasi Goreng Dabai = RM28.00

This has a Beautiful Presentation. Dabai is a Seasonal Fruit and I was lucky that it was available when I went. According to the staffs, it is also considered part of the Olive Family. 🫒🤔 It has a very unique taste. Very Saltish and Sourish fruit with a meat consistency that taste like Sweet Potato. 🍠🤔 The taste also reminded me of Chinese Preserved Black Salted Beans. 🫘

After you mix up the Rice with the Dabai, the Very Sharp Saltiness and Sourish taste hits you immediately 🧂🤔 but it gradually grows on you the more you eat it. Very interesting, I have not eaten anything that works like this. 🤔
The Sambal is deeply complex with hints of Mashed Prawns. 🦐 It is bitingly spicy and don't taste at all like a Malay Sambal. TBH I felt it had more of a Thai Influence. 🇹🇭🤔 There is also a Yellowish Condiment on the side and it is actually a Very Citriusy Ginger Paste. 🫚 This reminds me of our Singapore Chcken Rice Ginger Paste but with a Strong Lemony Kick. 🍋 

I don't recognize the side of vegetables on the side but it is fried crispy with an undercurrent of subtle sweetness which is very unexpected. 🥬 I had not expect this to taste sweet at all.


The Rice itself... WOW! 🍚😳 There is a very strong aroma of Yam, and I think this is a Yam Rice and inside is chocked full of Salty Bits of Ikan Bilis. 😋 Combining the Crunchy Salty Ikan Bilis with the Salty Sourish Pieces of Dabai and the Slightly Sticky Consistency of Yam Rice makes this a very Complex Tasting Fried Rice. 😋 There is alot of Thought being put into the Design of this Fried Rice and personally for me, this is absolutely Worth the Money. Amazing!

Sup Kasam Babi = RM15.00

This is actually Chinese 冬瓜汤. 🍲 It has a noticeably Saltish Taste and the soup actually taste very Chinese. I love that they took the effort to Char the Pork Pieces beautifully before adding them into the Soup. 🔥🐷  This part of the technique is different from Chinese way of preparing 冬瓜汤. 🍲🤔

The Pork Pieces are not the Super Soft Type but still soft enough. The Fat to Meat ratio is Superb and they have a noticeable Stronger Porky taste with a Smoky Aftertaste. 🔥🐷 Personally for me, I would say while the portion of ingredients is not alot for the price, this is ultimately just Chinese 冬瓜汤.

Sarawak 3 Layer Blue Tea = RM10.00

3 Layer Tea is a Classic Drink in Kuching and the variation here uses Blue Pea Flower. 💠 Really beautifully made with the layers prominently shown. Mixing them together however makes it look like "Star Wars Blue Milk". 🥤😅  I guess this is the closest thing we can get to taste a Drink from a Galaxy Far Far Away. 😅 Its very Malty, Creamy and Sweet and I found it abit too Sweet and Malty to my Liking, but it was still worth a try just because of how beautiful it looks. 👍

Tempoyak Ikan Bilis = RM18.00

Tempoyak is Fermented Durian. It originated from Indonesia 🇮🇩 and is used more like a Condiment like Sambal. I've personally made Tempoyak before although i've never tasted the Real Thing, so I was really excited to compare mine. 😄 The Tempoyak here is served Hot with some Salted Ikan Bilis. 🔥 Upon tasting, the comparison is like Heaven and Earth. 😳

OMG, Real Tempoyak has an EXTREMELY STRONG and RICH Durian Taste! ❤️ It is noticeaby salty and in addition to the Durian Taste, has a very deep rich fermented soft of taste too. Hahaha My Tempoyak in comparison isn't even 1/10 its taste lor! 😅 The Consistency is very Thick, Custardy and Creamy and its almost like a Hot Durian Pudding. 🍮🤔 The Ikan Bilis is there to provide an additional Salty Crunch. 🧂 Together with the already Deep Complex Fermented Rich Tempoyak, this was insanely good! 😋

Heck, it tasted so Good, I ate this like a Dessert! 😅 Hahaha as I mentioned, Tempoyak is meant only as a Condiment, so all the staffs were wide eyed looking at me while I ate it plain like this. 😅 They probably think I'm crazy. But I kid you not, it is that good that you really can eat it like a Hot Durian Pudding Dessert! 😋 Truly, I felt I had eaten from a Tempoyak Master. Hahaha if I can make Tempoyak at this level, I can probably bottle it up and sell it as a "Durian Jam" here in Singapore. ❤️

So far I am really loving Iban/Dayak Cuisine. 👍 They have a very smart and creative approach to cooking and perfectly utilizing and optimizing the unique ingredients that they have. 👍 Absolutely Amazing place, this Pinggai Cafe. Culinarily Creative, Really delicious foods and Friendly Staffs, I can absolutely recommend everyone to come give this a try. 👍