Red Wine Mee Sua & Pork Knuckle @ Lido Restaurant, Sitiawan
May 20, 2010 | 18,456 viewsOkay, I did promise a post on Foo Chow/Fuzhou (or Hock Chew) food in Sitiawan right? Before we headed over to Swiss Garden Golf Resort & Spa at Damai Laut to jump start the week, we detoured a short distance to Sitiawan for lunch.
I have written a considerably aplenty number of posts on Sitiawan food, ranging from the seafood delights to Foo Chow cuisine, or what you can devour in half a day flat. In short, I LOVE food hunting in Sitiawan-Seri Manjung, for you can find a diverse array of cuisines there.
Red Wine Mee Suah (Rice Vermicelli Noodles) – A classic Foo Chow delight, just don’t watch Saw, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or even any of the Twilight saga before having this!
Lido Restaurant in Sitiawan is another one of those air-conditioned restaurant that opens for lunch and dinner (not unlike the famous Bei King), and from the looks alone you can pass judgment on its long-standing legacy, and most-revered reputation amongst the locals, and tourists alike.
The ‘menu’ on the wall, almost reaching the ceiling. Though sadly, I could not decipher even one dish. Pathetic eh? No worries, for I’m ever the thick-faced one and proceeded to ask for recommendations from the captain himself.
Lido’s Signature Crispy Beancurd
With no intentions to stuff ourselves silly (this was barely lunch hour, after all), we settled for FOUR dishes; all of them came highly recommended.
One thing you can’t miss is the Red Wine Mee Suah, a classic Foo Chow dish that might just conjure up memories from the olden days (and inevitably, the ensuing grandmother stories…) if you drag along the elderly to this restaurant. The red wine of course, refers to the fermented concoction from the red yeast rice, NOT the red wine originating from grapes, and definitely not related to the merry-stomping-and-squashing-on-the-grapes-with-bare-feet wine production technique.
XO Sauce Four Heavenly Kings
Comparing Lido’s red wine mee suah (Mee Suah is a type of very thin rice vermicelli noodles, very famous and also produced here in Sitiawan itself) to Bei King’s, me and Tall Gal unanimously agreed that Bei King did a slightly superior version; with a little more kick in the soup. And don’t worry, you don’t get intoxicated or tipsy by merely sipping or slurping on the blood-red soup.
The XO Sauce Four Heavenly Kings comprised of four types of vegetables, but my favourite ‘petai’ (stinkbean) was being sorely missed this time around. Instead, Lido creates their patented version with ladies fingers (okra), long beans, brinjal (aubergine/eggplant) and cabbage, cooked in a most sumptuous sauce that was the right balance of the savouries, slightly sweet, and with a spicy finish.
Red Wine Pork Knuckle – AFTER the butchering right in front of our eyes !!!
Red Wine Pork Knuckle – A seldom available dish in the other Foo Chow restaurants, cooked with a much thicker gravy compared to the mee suah.
The Red Wine Pork Knuckle was also being forced on us highly recommended, successfully coercing us into ordering TWO red wine dishes in the same feast! Okay okay, but notice that the red wine gravy used to braise the gelatinous pork knuckle is different from the red wine concoction used to cook the mee suah with chicken.
The gravy in this case, is immensely thicker, flavoursome, and with a tangy-sourish edge. As explained by the captain himself, during the fermentation process, the upper layer of the wine is the diluted liquid used to cook the mee suah and chicken with, while the precipitated, dense layer at the bottom of whatever container they use is not wasted; but instead goes into the cooking of this humongous herbivores’ nightmare!
Foo Chow cuisine incorporates a lot of fresh ingredients, emphasizing on ‘xin mei‘, or the umami taste. And to stimulate the palate further, we usually see dishes such as sweet and sour pork, sweet and sour fish, fish maw braised in a soupy, hot and sour broth, etc. See the pattern here? Everything screams for more RICE!!!
Restoran Lido – A throwback to the golden era … Can this withstand the heat of commercialization? Only time can tell.
The meal came to RM76.80/USD24 for the five of us inclusive of rice, and chinese tea. Reasonable I’d reckon, for the place was fully air-conditioned, the service attentive, parking’s a cinch, and best of all; the portions were more than ample for 5. Lido Restaurant also whips up a rather mean ‘Poon Choy’ (a Hakka specialty; comprising of a gigantic pot filled with layers after layers of scrumptious goodies), according to my colleague, NK.
But most importantly, this is one of those Foo Chow restaurants that is still thriving, amidst the wave of commercialization, and the disturbing trend of old-school eateries slowly dissipating with time. Let’s all preserve places like these, and not fall into the charms of fast food outlets, kopitiams, and fusion-hybrid-whatever cuisines.
RESTORAN LIDO
52, Jalan Dua,
Taman Sitiawan Maju,
32000 Sitiawan,
Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 605-692 2784, 605-691 0985
Handphone : 6019-559 5985 (Tiang Chiong Guong)
Business hours : 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10.30pm.
Here’s a GOOGLE MAP to Lido Restaurant in Sitiawan.
Directions : Lido Restaurant is located behind of The Store in Sitiawan. If you’re coming from Ayer Tawar’s direction towards Sitiawan, once you reach the crossroad with Kentucky Fried Chicken on your right, go straight. You will see The Store Departmental Store on your right, soon enough. Make a U-turn when you can. Then proceed to the back of The Store. You will see Lido Restaurant at the very corner on Jalan Dua.
## See from the other perspectives?
Ravejoint explains about the Lu Mien.
Broken Arrow celebrated Father’s Day 3 years ago here.
Rasarasa.net tells the story behind the brand
My Lumut wrote a short piece about Lido, and the ‘Big Guy’?
Yes, Lido is a good choice.. been there several times.. price is reasonable too! so what else did u eat while u were there..
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J2Kfm Reply:
May 21st, 2010 at 11:25 pm
When we were at Lido, you mean? Those were all the dishes. I’ll probably return for more, such as the fish maws, sweet and sour pork, etc.
And especially the Poon Choy, if I can manage to gather myself an army.
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the pork knuckle was the best..collagen u know~
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J2Kfm Reply:
May 21st, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Yeah, I can still remember someone slurping, gnawing and finishing the whole knuckle!!!!
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i loved the mee sua! we have few famous ones in Sarawak too!! 😀 Sarawak many foo chows XD
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J2Kfm Reply:
May 21st, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Yes, Kampua Mee and Loh Mee right? 🙂
Only in Sitiawan and Sarawak I supposed.
Fresh from the elections ah?
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Ooh, Lido’s Signature Crispy Beancurd looks gooood… with mini-ikan bilis on top, eh? 😀
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aiii.. i was hoping to see a pic of my fav… hot and sour fish maw..quench my inner desire. 🙁 … been so long since i had a good bowl… just feel like driving down to sitiawan for a bowl of hot & spicy fish maw…
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J2Kfm Reply:
May 21st, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Oh … the others may not take a liking to fish maws, hence we skipped this.
Maybe in the next round, when we’re at Happy, Bei King or Lido.
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My Hockchew wife would love the red wine dishes. Thanks for sharing.
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Everything here looks so delicious. Especially the 1st dish! 😉
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Oh man. See what you did – Now every time I look at a bowl of red wine mee suah I’m gonna think of Saw or the Texas Chainsaw Massacre! 😛
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J2Kfm Reply:
May 21st, 2010 at 11:30 pm
LOL. Don’t be …. but this would make GREAT props for fake blood huh? Plus you won’t balk when swallowing the liquid.
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*blushing* i’m a foochow but never tasted all these except for red wine mee sua kekeke
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J2Kfm Reply:
May 21st, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Oh you’re a Foochow ah? Any other dishes that command a try?
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This is great stuff esp the red wine infused items. Looking forward to these when I go to Sitiawan!
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never have any red wine dishes before, does it taste like our rice wine?
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always get a “kick” from eating the red rice wine mee sua
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hmmm, i cant decide if i like the red wine mee sua or not. i dont like mee sua to begin with. but that pork trotter looks awesome!!!
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Have marked down this place in my makan list. That red wine pork knuckle sure is an attraction. And it’s been a while since I had my last bowl of Ang Chew Mee Suah…
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Erm.. red wine ah? Don’t really fancy red wine wor.. Hmm but I’m loving the beancurd! how come no sweet and sour pork ordered?? 😛
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Wasai.. These dishes looks so nice, I wish I could eat too 😀
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I so want some of this 🙂 Mmmmh… yummy!
ps – Love the menu “up there”!
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Wow, the red wine dishes look really RED eh, lol! A great option here, apart from Bei King. Must definitely try this place in next trip to Sitiawan.
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Eyew…the Foochow mee sua in Sibu is not so red – like it’s cooked in ang cao (the residue from making the red wine). We do use ang cao to cook chicken or pork – it looks like they used that for the pork knuckles – that really looks yummy!!!
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J2Kfm Reply:
May 23rd, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Oh really? I have always thought that the wine has to be deep red.
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hmmm… funny tat ipoh is so near to sitiawan and yet there does not seems to be any foochow restaurant offering foochow cuisine in Ipoh… or Is there?? Anyone know any good foochow restaurant in Ipoh?
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J2Kfm Reply:
May 23rd, 2010 at 9:35 pm
As far as I know, there is none. Yet.
I wish that there is a stall somewhere, that serves red wine mee suah, or kampua mee, or better yet, the whole deal served at Bei King or Lido.
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RM76 plus a pork knuckle! syiok!
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[…] for the wide array of good food (from cheap and fresh seafood to Teochew style of Bak Kut Teh to authentic Hock Chew food) never failed to tantalize our tastebuds. But after awhile, eating at the same restaurants got a […]
[…] this deliciously sinful and gelatinous rendition of a pork knuckle, back when we were having the Sitiawan’s red wine pork knuckle at Lido Restaurant. Being the lover of anything porky, I set my mind to it and ended up at Parit Buntar for work with […]
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This is a topic that is near to my heart… Many
thanks! Exactly where are your contact details though?
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Poor staff attitude.. Will not come again
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Poor staff attitude.. Will not come again
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Decided to visit Lido for the first time but utterly dissapointed even when we ordered the food as the lady boss face was so sulky n made our lunch so yucky
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Expensive & terrible! Will not come again
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