by Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, July 2: Beef noodle lovers in Kuching City will almost certainly have Hainan Village Beef Noodle Cafe’s namesake dish on their list.
The establishment is located in the heart of a residential area along Jalan Pisang Barat. The almost half-a-century old cafe is often referred to by locals as simply ‘Hainan Village’.
The well-known beef noodle dish here has been served over the past 48 years by 72-year-old Li Thong Huat and his family.
With Li’s recent retirement, his son-in-law Kelvin Pui has taken over cooking duties.
The 41-year-old Pui is no stranger to the culinary world, as his mother is also in the food business in Kuching.
“I am not a trained cook or food connoisseur, as I am a Quantity Surveyor (QS) by profession. I always had kitchen experience with my family, and my mother, in particular, while studying in the United Kingdom and a few years in a well-known high street coffee house in Malaysia,” he revealed to DayakDaily recently.
Pui, who has been making beef noodles for his father-in-law at the cafe for three years, lamented that he no longer could continue the legacy as he is migrating to New Zealand with his wife soon.
He added that one of Li’s daughters is likely to take over the business.
“She is good at making the beef noodles and should be the one to continue what her father knows. I am confident she can continue the legacy,” he said.
“I know from my regulars and patrons that my father-in-law’s dish is one of three well-known beef noodles known in the city. Over the years, people have patronised his cafe and his beef noodles. So that is testament by itself,” he said.
When asked if the taste of beef noodles he prepares is the same as what his father-in-law made, he replied that the taste would be different if not made by the same individual.
“It could be better or different, but never the same. But most importantly, we have quality food that our locals enjoy. At our cafe, we like to maintain the taste, the quality, its environment and most importantly, the legacy.”
Pui revealed that while he sticks to the family’s recipe for savoury beef noodles, there have been some changes over the years.
“For me, I use imported beef and tripe, except the noodles I now buy from suppliers. My father-in-law made his own noodles before but it is time-consuming. We do not make noodles anymore as we do not hire helpers.”
Pui said he prepares the ingredients for the noodles as soon as he closes the cafe for the day.
“The cafe does not operate like before the Covid-19 pandemic where it operated almost all day. Often, our regular patrons queue up, and there are no seats. The place was also congested with customer cars.
He added the pandemic had affected the cafe and people had the misconception it was closed. That changed when a well-known food delivery company revealed in its application that the cafe is open as usual.
“Once it was known that we were open, customers came back and we continued to serve. I am happy patrons came back. We had many known public figures who were our regulars. They always have their usual seats at the cafe. I thank them for their support over the years and many have become friends.”
Pui said the positive response and good feedback from regulars and customers always make his day.
Hainan Village Beef Noodle Cafe is located along Jalan Nanas Barat (Nanas Road West). It also serves other types of dishes and operates from 7am to 12pm daily except on Sunday. For more information, call 010-963 0082. — DayakDaily
