Rise and Shine! After a restful night, we are all ready to explore Miri!
The organizer passed us some quick snaps and our task is to take some pictures throughout the day. Easy peasy la! We are all bloggers after al;l and kampungboy said that me and bobo can probably finish 18 films within an hour.
But first, let me take a selfie!
Destination #1: Esplanade Beach
The esplanade beach is located at Luak, in the outskirt of Miri city. We were in awe as we saw the great beach front spanning kilometers!
Everything was prepared beforehand by the crews and the event team. So pinterest like!
I love those small attention to details such as these pastries from Chop Chin Leong Confectionary, a traditional pastry shop in Miri.
How can we do without Strongbow? Chilled Strongbow is essential for picnic lunch!
Food, glorious food!
We were having so much fun chilling out by the beach.
We found a comfortable spot while enjoying some icy cold Strongbow and be pampered by the sea breeze.
There is quite nothing like relaxing on the beach and enjoy each other’s company.
Destination #2: Chop Chin Leong Confectionary
Chop Chin Leong Confectionary is an institution in Miri. It has a long history and the third generation is actually manning the business. I love these old school air tight container embedded onto the wall. It has been there since 50 years ago.
Chop Chin Leong still hand made most of their pastries without any use of machines, hence the uneven shapes. We love these butter milk pastries with green bean filling so much that we bought quite a big bag of those back to KL.
Chop Chin Leong Confectionary
Address: 98008 1474 Jln Swee Khim Miri Sarawak
Phone: 085433375
Destination #3: Habibi Cake Shop
Habibi Cake Shop is the place to go for Sarawak Kek Lapis. It is so famous that you can opt to pay here and collect your goodies in the airport.
There were so many varieties and flavours of kek lapis inside the shop that one is spoilt with choices. We finally settled down with the oreo flavour and chocolate cheese flavour.
Habibi Cake Shop
Lot 791, Ground Floor, Bintang Commercial Centre, 98000 Miri, Sarawak
Lot 28, Ground Floor, Miri Airport, 98000 Miri, Sarawak.
Tel: +6085410393, +60128925657
Destination #4: Authentic Handcraft Centre
This center has various traditional handicrafts and pottery on display and for sale at the center. It is a good way to know more about the local cultures. For example, weaving is the works of art by the many tribal community here.
We were having fun trying out blowpipe, a weapon for the natives of Sarawak. It is used as an aid to track through the rain forest, and as a hunting tool for live food. I figure we need a lot more practice in order the hit the target.
Destination #4: The Grand Old Lady
We drove up to Canada Hill, a limestone ridge overlooking Miri City and offering excellent views of Miri and its surrounding.
Situated on top of Canada Hill, the Grand Old Lady is the first producing oil well in Malaysia. It is a significant landmark as it represents the petroleum history of Miri and how the city is known as a oil city. However, this oil well is no longer in production and it has been declared a protected historical site by the Sarawak Government.
Destination #5: Ming Cafe
Everyone in Miri knows about Ming Cafe, the most happening bar and cafe in town. The selection of menu from Indian to Western to Chinese to Malay food is vast!
Of course, our GAB mixologist was there to showcase his fine art of making beautiful and delicious cocktails made out of Strongbow cider.
We had Pork Lalapan to start and it was so good, especially when we had it with the fiery samba belacan. Fortunately we paired it with chilled and iced Strongbow, as it tones down the spiciness really quick.
| FIRST COURSE:- | |||
| NAME:- | |||
| QTY | INGREDIENTS | TECHNIQUE | GLASSWARE |
| STRONG BOW | |||
| 1/2 GLASS | STRONG BOW CHILLED | GLASS | |
| 1/2 GLASS | STRONG BOW WITH ICE | ||
For second and third course, we had the stir fried chicken with cashew nuts and stir fried paku-pakis. Those were the best paku-pakis that I’ve ever eaten – so crunchy and not fiberous at all! Lighter than having strongbow neat but just as flavorful and refreshing, the granitas made of caramelized strongbow was sweet and refreshing. My kind of drinks!
| SECOND & THIRD COURSE:- | |||
| NAME:- | STRONG BOW GRANITAS | ||
| QTY | INGREDIENTS | TECHNIQUE | GLASSWARE |
| 1 NO | LEMON PEEL (GARNISH) | FILL GLASS UP WITH CRUSHED ICE | SHOOTER |
| THEN POUR CARAMELIZED | |||
| 660ML | STRONG BOW (BOTTLE) | STRONG BOW IN.ZEST SOME | |
| 5 TABLE SPOONS | FINE SUGAR | LEMON OILS IN. | |
| MELT SUGAR OVER LOW HEAT TILL SUGAR BEGINS TO MELT.POUR 1/2 BOTTLE OF STRONG BOW & CONTINUE TO STIR TILL ALL SUGAR DISSOLVED THEN POUR REMAINING (1 1/2 BOTTLES) STRONG BOW IN.REDUCE UNTIL SEMI THICK CONSISTENCY ACHIEVED(LIGHT HONEY TEXTURE).SET ASIDE & ALLOW IT TO COOL DOWN BEFORE USE. | |||
Fourth course was grilled ikan pari topped with chili sambal paste. Again, the cocktail drink that went with it was awesome! I love the light hint of lychee flavour from the lychee liqueur. The tartiness from calamansi was very good in whetting our appetites for more food.
| FORTH COURSE:- | |||
| NAME:- | TWISTED ARM | ||
| QTY | INGREDIENTS | TECHNIQUE | GLASSWARE |
| SMACK MINT LEAF THEN SQUEEZE | HI BALL | ||
| 2 NO’S | CALAMANSI | CALAMANSI.POUR PUREE & RUM | |
| 10ML | JC LYCHEE LIQUEUR | & STIR.FILL GLASS UP WITH ICE & | |
| 15ML | BOIRON PEACH PUREE | TOP UP WITH STRONG BOW & | |
| 6-8 NO’S | MINT LEAF | STIR. | |
| 15ML | WHITE RUM | ||
| TOP | STRONG BOW | ||
| CUBE ICE | |||
Our sweet ending comes in the form of apple pie! The drinks we paired it with was a pleasant surpass. Made of chamomile tea, cucumber syrup, cucumber cube and of course Strongbow cider; it is sure something different and unique!
| FIFTH COURSE:- | |||
| NAME:- | THE CALM CIDER | ||
| QTY | INGREDIENTS | TECHNIQUE | GLASSWARE |
| SHAKE ALL INGREDIENTS.STRAIN | HI BALL | ||
| 60ML | CHAMOMILE TEA | INTO GLASS THEN FILL GLASS UP | |
| 10ML | GIFFARD CUCUMBER SYRUP | WITH ICE.TOP WITH STRONG | |
| 8 NO’S | CUCUMBER CUBE | BOW & STIR. | |
| TOP | STRONG BOW | ||
| 1 NO | ROSEMARY SPRIG (GARNISH) | ||
| CUBE ICE | 5 TEA BAG + 1 LITER HOT WATER | ||
| ALLOW IT TO SOAK FOR 5 MINS. | |||
Obligatory posing picture with bobostephanie.
After dinner, we returned to Borneo Jazz Festival for more good jazz music!
And of course more Strongbow!
We were having a ball of a time at the Borneo Jazz Festival chilling out, enjoying pints after pints of chilled Strongbow and listening to all the great performances brought to us by different performers from across the globe.
Good bye Miri! Thank you Strongbow Malaysia for this great opportunity to experience the lively atmosphere of the Borneo Jazz Festival as well as the local culture in Miri, Sarawak. Credits to the crews and organizer for all your efforts in planning a well-organized and educational trip. It was also a fun-filled trip, thanks to great travel companions like Bobo and Jo!
Visit Strongbow’s Malaysia FB page for more photos and videos.
