Sabah culinary delights: Yee Fung Laksa
Food is a major part of any travel experience and one of the many joys of visiting Sabah is that its diverse blend of cultures results in a wide and eclectic variety of cuisines on offer. Needless to say, there are many restaurants keen to attract both local and visitors custom alike and as part of the blog we’ll focus on some of favourites.
Today we’re right in the heart of Kota Kinabalu in Gaya Street (127 Jalan Gaya to be precise) visiting one of our favourite restaurants, YEE FUNG LAKSA where we’re catching up with Mr. Cheng, the friendly and welcoming owner and Head Chef. Mr Cheng comes from Johor Bahru on peninsula Malaysia, but he’s resided in Sabah for almost 38 years so he’s pretty much a Sabahan!
Yee Fung Laksa, Gaya Street, Kota Kinabalu
Yee Fung history and background
The story begins in 1984 when he rented and operated a small noodle stall within the current premises. In 1997 he expanded renting the whole shop lot, and in 2010 purchased the block outright. It’s a family business as Mr Cheng’s wife Susan is the restaurant’s ‘Front of House’ and at busy times their daughters Azzelle and Azzie also help out.
Yee Fung signature dishes
Yee Fung has three signature dishes and the first of which we’ll talk about is Yee Fung Laksa which is a mild spicy soup noodle served with prawns. The origins of laksa are uncertain but it’s believed to have originated as a result of the mixing of cultures as Chinese traders travelled by ship to trade goods and married local wives in places such as Malacca and Indonesia. Whatever the origins it’s a delicious, elegantly spiced but not over-spiced dish. With laksa it’s all about the quality of the soup and Mr Cheng’s is a winner! He tells me he learnt to make the laksa in neighbouring Sarawak but has over the years refined the recipe to make it a truly Sabah taste. There are around twenty ingredients in the soup including red chili, onion, ginger and cinnamon but the rest remain Mr Cheng’s secret recipe! Oh, and if you’re feeling adventurous add the accompanying Sambal sauce that is a Malaysian condiment containing chilies, shrimp and lime juice. Delicious either way.
Yee Fung Laksa and sambal sauce
The second dish is Claypot Chicken Rice, another one of our favourite Yee Fung dishes. Obviously the key ingredient is chicken and it’s prepared by marinating the chicken in a mix of oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, black pepper and Chinese wine. Mr Cheng is keen to point out that the marinating process is only one hour which leaves the chicken juicy and succulent whereas an overnight marinade would result in the chicken being ‘dry’ and lacking in taste. The dish is served on a bed of high-quality Thai rice, that has turned golden-brown as a result of being mixed with soy sauce and sitting in the piping hot claypot and is accompanied by an egg. Diners are provided with an oversized spoon to mix all the ingredients.
Yee Fung Claypot Chicken Rice
The final signature dish is Yee Fung Ngau Chap which we would know as beef noodles again served in a soup, this time containing only nine ingredients including Chinese herbs. Mr Cheng was keen to empathise that the beef must be good quality, ‘clean’ and that the mee (Chinese Noodles) must also be of high quality.
Ice Umbra Juice also highly recommended!
Drinks are also a delight. I’ve selected Ice Umbra Juice. It’s made from the local umbra fruit that’s also known as kedondong in Indonesia and ambarella in Sri Lanka. I’ve never seen the fruit but one of Mr Cheng’s team brings one to our table. It’s pale green, oval in shape and the size of a small tomato. The dark-green juice served with ice has a unique taste, that’s difficult to describe…it’s a little sweet, which may be a result of the accompanying plum, but the sweetness is dominated by a sour taste but don’t let that put you off. In the heat of the day this is a healthy and refreshing drink that will cool you down.
Ice Umbra Juice accompanied by a slice of umbra
It’s now 4:30 p.m. and the restaurant is busy but not packed. Throughout an extended lunch period the restaurant is incredibly busy and there’s normally a queue outside, but don’t worry you won’t wait more than a few minutes for a table. Serving hundreds of customers every day, and enjoyed by locals and tourists alike, many Asian tourists from China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan are now making a special visit to Yee Fung on a friend’s recommendation. Some months ago, I was speaking in the restaurant with a couple from Hong Kong on their fourth visit to Kota Kinabalu and they said “We come to Yee Fung because we cannot find this taste in Hong Kong” – high praise indeed.
The restaurant has been featured on food programmes in China, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan and of course Malaysia and when asked Mr Cheng said the thing he enjoyed most about the business was making friends with some of the customers, keeping in touch and meeting them again on their return visits.
As mentioned, one of our favourite local restaurants and thoroughly recommended.
Top Tip for Visitors
The restaurant is open 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday-Friday and open until 4:00 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday – our tip is to visit during one of the quieter periods, either before 11 a.m. or after 3 p.m.
Blue Kinabalu are happy to schedule a visit to Yee Fung Laksa as part of our Kota Kinabalu city tours.
About Martin
Martin is a British expat living in Kota Kinabalu who arranges tailored tours within Sabah primarily for British and Western tourists on behalf of Blue Kinabalu Travel Agency.
