Little Hainan at Padungan is a place of food with history, culture and stories. It is owned by Julian Lai and his wife, Lynda Phua. His wife’s family has been in the business for more than decades now. The descendant of the Hainanese delicacy started way back in 1938, when Lynda’s grandfather started his coffee shop, a joint venture with another 2 Hainanese relatives in Batu Kawa Old Town.
Later in 1968, her eldest uncle together with her late father continued the legacy and opened Ann Lok Hui cafe which is still in business until today, managed by her cousin. In 2009, the Julian and his wife, Lynda decided to open up this humble shop, Little Hainan.
Little Hainan is definitely the place to get your Hainanese delicacies craving fixed! Located at the heart of Kuching in Padungan area, it’s pretty easy to look for the shop. Bear in mind though, the Padungan area is a little busy and packed during peak hours, so is the shop! But, that did not stop us on our hunt for great Hainanese food.
The interior of this shop has my heart. It’s full of vintage belongings that date years back, traditional items that holds meaningful message to the owners and also, frames of awards and more.
The food and drinks they have here are mostly to remember the memories and the history behind every drink and dish. We had the inside scoop of some interesting tales behind some of the dishes. Now, without wasting any more time, let’s get into it.
Hainanese Pork Chop at Little Hainan Kuching
The Hainanese Pork Chop is a dish brought from the British era, so it’s a East meets West dish. Hainanese people would come here for work, but due to their difficulties in communication and comparatively underprivileged backgrounds, many would end up as cook boys and waiters in the British households. This results in a little influence from the British in some of the Hainanese delicacies including the Hainanese Pork Chop. Pretty interesting, won’t you say?
I loved hearing Chef Julian passionately talking about the history behind these foods . It showed so much of his passion and love in serving people today on the amazing, historic delicacies of the Hainanese people. And oh, if you ask me about the taste, it was AH-MA-ZING. This is definitely a MUST try. The pork chop is actually coated with crumbs from cream crackers and served with sweet and sour gravy and air-fried potato wedges, onions and tomatoes. *Chef’s kiss* Just a reminder, that this dish is only available during lunch hour, so if you go there for breakfast, this won’t be available until 12.30pm.
Hainanese Chicken Rice at Little Hainan Kuching
Next, we have the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice. For those not familiar with the dish, Hainanese Chicken Rice is a dish primarily significant to Malaysians and Singaporeans. Basically, this is a dish that consists of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chili sauce and as you can see in the image above, cucumber garnishes. This dish is considered one of the national dishes of Singapore, just like how we have our Nasi Lemak for Malaysia. This one is a simple dish that deserves so much spotlight. If you’re planning to try on Hainanese delicacies, you CAN NOT miss this one. This one is available from 10.30 am – 3.30 pm.
Curry Rice with 3 Meats at Little Hainan Kuching
Looking at this picture again, makes me reminisce about the taste again! Now, I’m hungry. Anyway, this is the Curry Rice with 3 Meats at Little Hainan Kuching. They serve Curry Chicken Rice as well if you prefer no pork, and also Curry Pork Rice if you prefer pork only. Why get 1, when you can get 3 in 1 plate, am I right? So, having this dish was like killing 3 birds with one stone. Enjoying the 3 different meat variations with the curry gravy. I did not regret trying this. BTW, this dish is one of the dishes available only around 11.30am until 3.30pm. So, make sure you plan well if you come by. I’ll share the menu and more info on that at the end of my blog. Let’s jump right into the next thing we tried!
The ALL DAY MENU – Steamed Bread with Homemade Butter and Kaya)
Here’s another one that makes me wanna lick the screen of my laptop right now. I can taste it just by looking at the picture! This dish was served to us with a little explanation by the waiter/waitress if it is our first time having it. I really love the warm and friendly service they offer their customers here. It really shows how each and every one of them are super enthusiastic to serve their customers. Oh my, I’m being too emotional. Back to the steamed buns! These are definitely A SUPER MUST try food here. It is an ALL DAY menu, so the more reason for you to try this. I love, love, love their Steamed buns. The homemade Kaya was just top notch! No other Kaya can beat this for me. Just the right amount of sweetness to be paired with the butter. Also, you’ll get the experience of spreading the butter and kaya by yourself. Bottom line, you GOTTA try this.
The Signature Drinks at Little Hainan Kuching
From left to right, we have the Hainan Ako Kobi (butter coffee) and their authentic Chrysanthemum. They have many really intriguing calling drinks like The Monk Jumps Into The Sea, Nun Bathing and more. The Monk drink is one of the most traditional drinks that consists of raw egg in a boiled water with sugar in it. I wasn’t feeling adventurous, I did not order this! But if you guys ever tried this drink, let me know how it tastes.
Back to the drinks that I actually tried, first is the Hainan Ako Kobi. It is said that the reason behind adding a slab of butter into coffee was to give it a caramelized flavor and soften the harsh notes of coffee. Someone who doesn’t really drink coffee like me wouldn’t know. Hehe So, the coffee for me was okay. Next, is the drink I actually want to try, the Chrysanthemum. Definitely authentic tasting, and not sweet as you might think it is. All in all, a refreshing drink to pair with the flavorful food we had.
Reference for Little Hainan Kuching
Here’s a picture of the menu for your reference. They have different sets of menu for breakfast and lunch.
Conclusion
As a whole, my experience at Little Hainan Kuching is nothing short from impressive. From the welcome that we got upon arrival, everything was great. This is definitely a place I’d recommend to friends and family to try. Not only that the food is delicious, the ambience and also the people who serve you are very warm and welcoming. Will I come here again for their food? 100 times and more yes and yes!
Location
Shop name: Little Hainan
Address: Lot 53, Sec 50, KTLD, 207, Jalan Padungan, Sarawak,
93050 Kuching, Malaysia
Operating hours: Tuesday – Sunday (7.30am – 3.30pm)
CLOSED on MONDAYS
Waze/Google: Little Hainan @ Padungan
Status: Non-Halal
Facebook/Instagram: Little Hainan, Little Hainan Padungan
Hey there Borneo Foodies! We would like to invite you to join our Borneo Foodie Official group. Here you are free to ask questions, share your love for food, and explore more on Borneo food and community.
Other interesting reads on Kuching food:
