Belaga Food Talk

A friend was asking me yesterday where is Belaga ah? How does it looks like ah? Why was it called Belaga? Belaga is actually a pot in Malay. As we all know very well where Belaga is right? Belaga is a small town on the Rejang River inMalaysia’s province of Sarawak.

Whilst the village can be explored in well under an hour, most visitors arrive in Belaga in order to explore the  longhouses as well as the interior of Borneo.

Most people arrive in Belaga by boat from Kapit and further downstream, Sibu. Boats leave from Kapit at 9am and cost RM30 which will take you 5 hours except when the water level is too low and the express boats could not get pass Pelagus rapids.

It is a very scenic boat ride, and if you are in need of some fresh air the boat roof is a good place to take in the jungle river banks. Express boat interiors are usually air-conditioned to a point of freezing which makes the ride on the roof much more convenient option. Just remember that the sun in Borneois fierce even though it is cloudy.

Rejang river is an easy ride most of the way and the only notable rapids are those of Pelagus. Just follow the locals, if they stay on the roof you should be safe as well. But of course, boat is one of the options. If you love adventurous ride, then i would suggest you to go by 4×4 along the long, windy and unkept logging road from Bintulu.

By the time you pull into Belaga after long journey up to Rejang, you may feel like you have arrived at the very heart of Borneo, in reality you are only about 100 Km from the coastal city of Bintulu. Despite this, Belaga certainly feels remote.  Trust me with all this adventurous ride, its worth the money and time. Of course, you will see the beautiful scenic along the way to Belaga and enjoy the longhouses view.

With all these adventure and beauty of Belaga, never forget to talk about the foods that i was having during the visit. The foods there are so good and CHEAP! Yes, I mean extremely CHEAP! Compared to the foods with have here in Kuching, Sarawak.

First of all let me share with you one of my favourite and unforgettable food – Mee Goreng. Yes, Mee Goreng was my first and favourite foods i ever taste when i arrived in Belaga. This Mee Goreng is like the Mee Goreng we have here, but the things  is Ummm….EMmm….*Nom Nom Nom* Taste GOOD! Folks, when you guys have a chance to stop by in Belaga, i would like to recommend you to this cafe i went to “Kafetaria Mesra Murni -Muslim cafe” located at Jalan Temengong Mat.

The dish only cause about RM 3…Isn’t it cheap and affordable for the price? I don’t think anywhere in Kuching would offer such a big portion and such a delicious Mee Goreng that i ever tasted here. The signature drink is the frsh Limau Ais which known as Iced Lime Juice.  Its yummy yummy taste is still running in my mind. Although they got the best Mee Goreng in town.

There are still several local dishes which we can’t find elsewhere except here, Belaga are  the Delicious Bamboo Clams which only cost you RM 5 per plate,  Sapo Tahu Seafood which  made of tofu, mushroom, carrot, squid, shrimp, mixed and cooked a special spice, taste a bit hot and spicy, perfect for dinner specially when it rains out there, you feel a bit cold, this dish suits the mood perfectly.

Served in a pot clay called ‘mangkuk sapo belaga‘ cost  RM 8 per pot. FYI, that’s was my lunch. They also have Nasi Tumpang which is also similar to Nasi Lemak with a unique packing and its quite pricey for its portion size though so i didn’t go for it.

As for dinner  i decided to try few of their local dishes in one of the cafe so  i ordered couple of ala carte set such as Belacan (Shrimp paste) Midin (fern),  Nasi Dagang with curry beef served with a glutinous rice or known as pulut rice, Nasi Kerabu ikan kembong which you have to mixed the rice together with the side veges and the fish together with spiced sauce before eating it and lastly for my dessert i tried their locally made Kuih Lompat Tikam (Jump Stab Cake) which was made by coconut milk and coconut husk as the cover for the kuih. My dinner cost me about RM 15 and not to mentioned about the portion.

It’s Big! Again i believe the peoples here eats a lot like me, huh? Ok! That was my honest confession from me towards FOOD. Unfortunately, im only able to taste their foods for 1 night only and early in the morning i have to make move back to Kuching without tasting all those delicious delicacies which i have not try yet.

Thank GOD! I have the chance to eat my favourite Mee Goreng at the same Kafetaria for the last time before leaving Belaga. Besides the all those delicious foods i taste, i want to thank the tour guide who show me around and all the peoples there for giving me such a warm hospitality and a great pleasure.

I told myself on the boat this morning, that i will come back again next trip soon, i mean VERY VERY SOON!

Yeah! Make Belaga as your first choice of destination. We’re waiting to serve and give you the first touch of homestay in the heart of Borneo. Feel free to Contact Us.