I have been searching high and low for places to enjoy Melanau cuisine in Miri. (or perhaps I wasn’t looking well enough) Now, I found one! It’s Selihah Cafe & Catering. For those who are familiar with this place, they used to operate in the Saberkas area for 12 years. That’s a long time, and I found them once they moved to a new location! They are now located in the Tudan housing area. Sudah jumpa, apa lagi, kita cuba lah! We went to this place and try all of their best-selling dishes! Alrighty, without wasting any more time, let’s get right into it.
Linut at Seilhah Cafe & Catering
Linut also known as ambuyat (the national dish of Brunei) is also a local specialty in Sarawak and Sabah. Linut is a dish not foreign to Melanau people. Melanau’s traditional dish is usually best enjoyed with sambal belacan, sayur belacan midin and sayur keladi. I especially love Linut combination with sambal belacan! If you go to Selihah Cafe & Catering, you must order their Linut Set 4. The Linut Set 4 as seen above comes with Linut, sayur keladi, ikan kindang, and sambal ulam.
This is how they make it. First, they add Sago into the bowl, pour water, stir and then add hot water. It is said that, while preparing this dish, you can’t talk too much, or else the Linut will fail.
Telisih at Selihah Cafe & Catering
Telisih is another underrated dish from the Melanau people, but it is one of my favorites! It’s Sago with fish curry. It is sometimes spicy, depending on how the curry is prepared. What I love about this dish is, it’s so simple yet so yummy! You can also try to do it yourself. You just need curry and Sago, combine these two and it’s ready to eat.
Umai Ikan
Umai is one of the more famous traditional Melanau delicacies out there! Umai is a dish of sliced raw fish (or prawn, jellyfish, and even chicken feet – these are the different variations these days) with a mixture of onions, chillies, vinegar, salt and lime juice. Some household enjoy umai served separately from the mixture of onions, chillies and all.
Eating Umai nowadays just makes me reminisce about the old days when my late grandfather would prepare it when our family come to Mukah for Christmas. That’s one of the reasons why I’m so happy to have found this place! I can enjoy my traditional food here in Miri! I’m so mad at myself for finding it after all this while. Anyway, let’s not get emotional! For your information, there’s not only Umai Ikan, there are also Umai Udang, Umai Obor-obor, and even Chicken Feet Umai!
Tumpik at Selihah Cafe & Catering, Miri
Tumpik is the Melanau-style pancake! Some would say it’s Sarawak’s pizza. So, what is Tumpik? It’s actually a dish that is made of really simple ingredients which are; sago, dried coconut, and salt. The ones we tried is the normal one and one that has shrimp in it. This dish is usually served with palm sugar on the side. It can be enjoyed with or without it. I gotta say, the dish with palm sugar is the BOMB.COM! This is one of the recommended dishes there that you must try!
Price
Here’s the price of all the things we tried! I’d say this place is pretty cheap and affordable. They have other dishes like Nasi Goreng, Mee Goreng, Nasi Lalapan and many more. Other than that, they provide catering service too.
Linut Set 4 – RM16
Telisih – RM5
Tumpik Biasa – RM5
Tumpik Udang – RM10
Verdict
All in all, I am in love with this place! I have finally found a place I can proudly tell people to try Melanau’s traditional dish. The dishes that we tried above are all highly recommended. If you have tried the food at this place, share with us your experience or what you think about it!
Location
Shop Name: Selihah Cafe & Catering
Address : 246, Lor Mulia 10, Lutong, 98000 Miri, Sarawak
Operating Hours: Monday – Sunday (10AM – 3PM), (7PM – 9PM)
Closed on Wednesdays
Waze/ Google Maps : Selihah Cafe & Catering
Status: Muslim-owned
Facebook Account: Selihah Cafe & Catering
Watch the Food Review video here.
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