Pinggai Cafe — Restaurant in Sarawak

Nasi Goreng Dabai = RM28.00 Sup Kasam Babi = RM15.00 Sarawak 3 Layer Blue Tea = RM10.00 Tempoyak Ikan Bilis = RM18.00 No Service Charge

This was a Beautiful Little Cafe tucked in a Corner near the Famous Carpenter Street that specialize in Iban/Dayak Cuisine. Very Beautifully Designed and Cleanly Kept. The Staffs are Friendly and I felt Comfortable eating here.

Nasi Goreng Dabai This has a very Beautiful Presentation. Dabai is a Seasonal Fruit and I was lucky that it was available. According to the staffs, it is considered part of the Olive Family. It has a very Unique Taste. Very Saltish and Sourish fruit with a Meat that tasted like Sweet Potato. The Taste also reminded me of Chinese Preserved Black Salted Beans

The Rice... Wow! There is a very Strong Smell 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. The Very Sharp Saltiness and Sourish taste hits you immediately but gradually grows on you the more you eat it. Very interesting. There is alot of Thought being put into the Design of this Fried Rice. Amazing!

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 Chicken 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.

Sup Kasam Babi This is actually Chinese 老黄瓜汤. 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 the Chinese Style of preparing 老黄瓜汤.

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 老黄瓜汤. This one i would say 勉强 worth the price to try.

Sarawak 3 Layer Blue Tea 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. 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 Tempoyak is Fermented Durian that orginated from Indonesia and is used more like a Condiment like Sambal.

The Tempoyak here is served Hot with some Salted Ikan Bilis and has an EXTREMELY STRONG and RICH Durian Taste! It is Noticeably Salty and in addition to the Durian Taste, has a very Deep Rich Fermented sort of Taste too.

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! Tempoyak is meant only as a Condiment, so all the staffs were wide eyed looking at me while I ate it plain like this. 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.

Absolutely Amazing place. Culinarily Creative, Really Delicious Foods and Friendly Staffs, I can absolutely recommend everyone to come give this a try.

Thanks for Reading. Come join my Facebook Food Blog: "A Solo Singaporean's Guide to JB Foods" to view the Full Review...

Undoubtedly the best cafe to serve Dayak Char Siew in town. Serving you a handful amount of unique Dayak menu around. Filled with the delicious taste of the local ingridients in every dish served. You wouldn't forget any single bite you have here as I am a repeating customer to this cafe. The drinks also come with a huge range of drink coming from the signature Dayak drinks, Dayak alcohol, canned drinks, and their signature coffee series. For sure, any single drinks would slough off those thirst of your throat, especially the Honey Longan. The atmosphere is really suitable for those love birds who are looking for a special time together or who planned to bring their family during holiday and have quick lunch. As for improvements, I wished they would provide a larger toilet as the current toilet is quite small considering I am onfly 5ft 7". Would be great also if they extend their service hours as they will be...

We had the pleasure of trying their manok pansuh and daun empasak tapioca leaves, and we were blown away by the flavors and textures.

The manok pansuh was a real standout - a dish that was new to us as local Chinese. The chicken was cooked to perfection, and the flavor of the bamboo and other herbs used in the dish were perfectly balanced. The soup that accompanied the dish was also incredibly delicious and flavorful.

The daun empasak tapioca leaves were another highlight of our meal at Pinggai Cafe. This dish also had a unique taste that was new to us, and we enjoyed the way the leaves were cooked to create a dish that was both savory and...