Tag Archives: Ngiu Chap

Ngiu Chap Mee (Mixed Beef Noodle)

Ngiu Chap (Mixed Beef) of Kedai Kopi Loi Hin (来兴茶室)

2 Replies

Do remember the name Ngiu Chap, if you want to have “a taste of Sabah”. Literally Ngiu Chap means “Mixed Beef” (牛杂 in Chinese), which is a mix of beef slices, tendon, tripe, meat ball, liver and tongue cooked in yummy beef broth. Usually we eat it with Mee (yellow noodle) or Mee Hoon (rice noodle).

There are many Sabah restaurants serving Ngiu Chap. Personally I recommend Kedai Kopi Loi Hin (来兴茶室 in Chinese) in Donggongon town, about 10 KM away from Kota Kinabalu city (KK). Loi Hin has been making one of the best Ngiu Chap in Sabah for over 40 years.


Pic: Kedai Kopi Loi Hin (来兴茶室), “Kedai Kopi” means Coffee Shop.

Kedai Kopi Loi Hin is listed as one of the “100 Best Kopitiam of Malaysia” published by Tourism Malaysia. (Kopitiam means Coffee Shop)


Loi Hin is open from 7am to 3pm daily, and it’s always full during meal time.


Pic: worker preparing Ngiu Chap


Pic: Ngiu Chap served in different style. Most people order Ngiu Chap Mee (yellow noodle in beef soup, 牛杂汤面 in Chinese).


Pic: the food menu
Each bowl costs about RM10 (≈USD2.30), RM12 (≈USD2.70) if you request “ka-liau” (extra meat). *Prices as of Feb 2023.


Loi Hin is a typical Chinese coffee shop. Besides Ngiu Chap, you can order hot and soft drink such as coffee and tea here.

Pic: Ngiu Chap Mee (Mixed beef soup served with yellow noodle, 牛杂面 in Chinese)


Pic: close-up of Ngiu Chap Mee

As always, it’s delicious, with tangy aroma of beef, and the meat is fresh. The spleen tastes a bit raw and fishy though. The hot soup is the best part, it’s thick, as if they cook the whole cow in soup (just kidding). Usually I take one or two spoons of soup to excite my taste buds before eating.


You also can ask them to serve Mee Fong (white rice noodle, 米粉 in Chinese). The rice noodle is thinner and taste less oily.


By default, the noodle is served in soup. Order Kon Lau (dry noodle style, 干捞 in Chinese) if you prefer the Ngiu Chap soup served in separate bowl.

Below is the location map and contact of Kedai Kopi Loi Hin:


View My Sabah Map in a larger map

Address: Block H, Lot 8, Ground Floor, Donggongon New Tonwship, Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Phone No.: +60 88-712136

Loi Hin has 3 branches in KK, opened by the sister and brother of the owner, Mr. Yong, at Donggogon, Foh Shang (behind Millimewa supermarket) and Inanam (also behind Millimewa supermarket).


Pic: the Donggogon branch is less than 50 Meters away from the main shop.

Photos taken in Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

The best Ngiu Chap (Beef Noodle) of Sabah

13 Replies

Your gastronomic journey in Sabah is incomplete without Ngiu Chap (or Ngau Chap). Ngiu Chap literally means “Mixed Beef”, which is a mix of beef and its organs such as stew meat, meat ball, tendon, liver, heart, tripe, intestine, tongue, spleen and omasum, usually served with noodles in thick beef broth.


Pic: Sabah LOL Cats. World is hell without Ngiu Chap.. Just kidding.

Though Ngiu Chap is the signature and favorite noodle soup of Sabahans, not all restaurants cook very good Ngiu Chap. Some of them even add excessive Ajinomoto (MSG) into the soup. After the meal, you will be so thirsty that you need to drink gallons of water. Below is a list of Best restaurants to enjoy Sabah Ngiu Chap in different styles, recommended by the locals and I have personally tried them all. As everyone has different taste, the following list is not in any order.

1. Traditional Style – Kedai Kopi Loi Hin (来兴茶室)

Location: Donggogon, Kota Kinabalu city

Kedai Kopi Loi Hin has been making one of the best Ngiu Chap in Sabah for over 40 years. This restaurant is one of the “100 Best Coffee Shops of Malaysia” recommended by Tourism Malaysia.
» Read more about Kedai Kopi Loi Hin…

2. Hainan Style – Kedai Cheng Wah (精华冰室)

Location: Lido Penampang, Kota Kinabalu city

Opened by a Hainanese in 1961, the Ngiu Chap of Kedai Cheng Wah is still one of our favorite after 50 years. This restaurant is run by Wong family, and eat out there is like enjoying a nice meal cooked by your mom.
» Read more about Kedai Cheng Wah…

3. West Malaysia Style – Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap (家乡牛什)

Location: Luyang Hilltop, Kota Kinabalu city

Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap is the most popular Ngiu Chap of Sabah. Not only their Ngiu Chap tastes good, they also serve Ngiu Chap in variety of styles. This restaurant was featured by Axian (Jason Yeoh), in his famous food programme Taste with Jason (阿贤人情味).
» Read more about Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap…

4. Village Style – Mee Sup Pipin

Location: Donggogon, Kota Kinabalu city

Same as simple village life, we appreciate the simple and delicious Ngiu Chap of Mee Sup Pipin and they win the heart of city people too.
» Read more about Mee Sup Pipin…

5. Sabah Style – Nyuk Pau Zai (玉宝仔)

Location: Lintas Plaza, Kota Kinabalu city

When people talk about yummy Ngiu Chap, you will always hear the name “Menggatal Ngiu Chap”. Nyuk Pau started with one restaurant in Menggatal town (Kedai Kopi Nyuk Pau Baru) 25 years ago, and now it has 8 franchise in Sabah and one in West Malaysia.
» Read more about Nyuk Pau Zai…

Please let me know which Ngiu Chap you like the most. It’ll be great if you would share other Ngiu Chap that deserves a mention. I need your help to come up a “Top 10” list of best Sabah Ngiu Chap. Thank You.

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Mee Sup Pipin: in Love with Sabah Noodle Soup

2 Replies

In Sabah, if you cook really good food, no matter how far you “hide” your restaurant, food lovers will find you. Though soup noodle is very common in Kota Kinabalu city (KK), the only place that can make me drive over 10 KM for its soup noodle is Mee Sup Pipin.


Pic: Mee Sup Pipin 1

“Mee Sup” means Noodle Soup. Pipin is the name of the restaurant.


You would be surprised to see such a plain setup for this famous eat out spot. No fancy decor, just some tables and chairs under the zinc roof, a very village style environment. The place is clean and quiet, and their customers also look very laid-back and enjoy their food slowly, unlike the noisy and busy restaurants in the city.


Pic: the food menu and pricing (Note: USD1≈RM3). The Noodle Soup is RM5 (≈USD1.70) for regular size, RM6 (≈USD2) for extra serving.
*Price as of Nov 2012

Besides Noodle Soup, you can order other side dishes such as Tauhu (Stuffed Tofu), Sup Tulang (Bone Soup), Cucap (Mixed Pork & Ear) and Kaki Ayam (Chicken Feet). I wish to order ALL!


Pic: the friendly cook busy preparing food

Ok, enough with the introduction, let’s EAT!

Pork Noodle (Cucap)

Mee Sup Pipin makes many great dishes, the first item that I strongly recommend is their Pork Noodle (or Cucap Mee Hoon, ???? in Chinese).


Pork Noodle (Cucap) consists of rice noodle (also known as Mee Hoon) served with sliced pork meat, heart and (clean) intestines in hot pork soup.


The soup is clear, without thick layer of floating oil, and the meat is fresh too. My stomach told me that the serving was not oily.


Pic: close-up of Cucap Pork Noodle

You can see that the ingredients are simple. However, the meat and noodles are cooked with good timing to bring out their best taste. In other places, I often got noodle soup with overcooked or undercooked noodle.


Pic: fresh pork meat for making cucap

Ngiu Chap Noodle (Mixed Beef)

Another item that also appears in words of mouth about Mee Sup Pipin is Ngiu Chap (or Ngau Chap, ??/?? in Chinese). Ngiu Chap is different parts of cow cooked in beef soup. Tendon, tripe and tongue have little taste by nature, but they become a delicacy with interesting textures, after they absorb the delicious beef soup.


Pic: I always order Ngiu Chap Mee Hoon (Mixed Beef with Rice Noodle Soup).
Note the green Calamansi fruit at the edge of the bowl. When I’m half-done, I will squeeze a bit of sour Calamansi juice, to give the Ngiu Chap Noodle Soup a new taste.


Their Ngiu Chap is pleasing to eyes as well as tongue. Every item tastes different but complement well to one another. The meat is well-marinated, so it looks dark, tender but slightly salty though.


Pic: you may add aromatic fried pork fat chips into Ngiu Chap for thicker taste. I always do.

Stuffed Tofu

The best selling side order which goes well with your noodle soup is Tauhu (Stuffed Tofu, ??? in Chinese).


I’m not kidding you. They make hundreds of Tofu every day to feed the hungry customers.


You can tell from the photos above that it’s extremely smooth and soft.

Direction to Mee Sup Pipin

Mee Sup Pipin is in Kampung Inobong (Inobong Village) of Donggogon, about 10 KM away from KK. Below is the location map:


View My Sabah Map in a larger map


Pic: If you head to Tambunan on Penampang-Tambunan road, you see will this junction at your right, about 4 or 5 KM after Donggogon town. (Update (Mar 2014): the signage is no longer there)


Pic: Turn right to the junction, you will enter a narrow village road. Just take second left turn.

There are two Mee Sup Pipin next to each other. The first Mee Sup Pipin that you will see is open by the family of the owner. They only open from Monday to Friday, 7am to 3pm. Both restaurants are selling the similar dishes. Some says the taste is different but I haven’t tried theirs yet.


The one that I talk about is Mee Sup Pipin 1. They open every day, from 7am to 3pm (may open before 6am during weekend). Their phone no. is +60 16 8302088 (Contact Person: Christina @ Onong).


Goodness… I want to go to Mee Sup Pipin again after I write this. :-P~ *mouth watering*

Photos taken in Donggogon, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Spicy Beef Noodle (Sabah + Taiwan style) of Good Luck Restaurant

4 Replies
Update (Sep 2013): This restaurant is closed and the owner has moved to Papar town doing other business.

Beef Noodle (Ngiu Chap or Ngau Chap) is a signature dish of Sabah, so I’m always on the quest looking for the best Ngiu Chap. Sometimes I’m surprised that good food is just nearby. For example, I found very special Ngiu Chap at Damai Plaza (Kota Kinabalu), which was not far from my office. Since then, I visited Kedai Kopi Good Luck Restaurant (Chinese Name: 澔運茶餐室) regularly.


Below are their contact and address:
Address: Block F, Ground Floor, No. 32, Damai Plaza, Phase IV, Luyang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Tel: +60 88-913168
Opening Hours: 8am – 2pm (close on every Friday)

The location map of Kedai Kopi Good Luck:

View My Sabah Map in a larger map


Pic: The spicy beef noodle with tendon (Chinese Name: 麻辣牛肉面) is my favorite.

The beef soup is delicious, and the handmade flat noodle is smooth and springy. Look at the big beef slices, tendon and meat balls, your every bite will be a mouthful of beef and noodle. You can choose 3 levels of hotness, i.e., little, mild and super hot. You can try their Stewed Beef Noodle (Chinese Name: 红烧牛肉面) if you don’t like spicy food.


Their beef noodle only consists of meat and tendon (no internal organs such as tripe, tongue and liver like other Ngiu Chap), so I’m not sure if it is considered as Ngiu Chap, technically. Well, who cares as it tastes so good.


Pic: the tender and chewy beef tendon

The meat is so well-marinated that it is soft, juicy and “creamy”. The restaurant is 8 years old. The lady boss, Ms Huang, is a Taiwanese married with a Malaysian, Andrew. Both of them love beef noodle, so they invent a Sabah version of Taiwan Beef Noodle, or you can call it a “hybrid” of Ngiu Chap (Sabahan mixed beef noodle).


Pic: close-up of Spicy Beef Noodle


Can you imagine the world without Ngiu Chap? 🙂


Pic: Kedai Kopi Good Luck Restaurant (澔運茶餐室)


Pic: food menu

Both Spicy and Stewed Beef Noodles cost the same, MYR8 (≈USD2.66) per serving, without tendon is MYR6 (≈USD2). If you are a big eater and want extra meat, add another MYR3 (≈USD1). Prices as of Nov 2012.


Besides Beef Noodles, their famous dish is Nyonya Asam Mix Fish Noodle Soup.

This restaurant may sound new to you, but trust me, Good Luck.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Beef Noodle of Nyuk Pau Zai

9 Replies

After serving over 25 years of excellent Ngiu Chap in Menggatal town, Nyuk Pau Beef Noodle (孟加达 玉宝牛什 in Chinese) has become a brand name. Founded by Mr. Simon Saw in Menggatal (Kedai Kopi Nyuk Pau Baru), today Nyuk Pau has 8 franchise and one franchise in West Malaysia. Ngiu Chap (or Ngau Chap), which means Mixed Beef, consists of beef slices, stew, tripe, tendon and beef meat balls, usually served with noodles and beef soup.

As Nyuk Pau Zai Restaurant (玉宝仔牛什) of Lintas Plaza, which was opened by Brandon the son of the founder, was the nearest to my home, I decided to check it out.


Pic: Nyuk Pau Zai Restaurant in Lintas Plaza

Below is the location map:

View My Sabah Map in a larger map


The restaurant has high ceiling with both sides open, so I don’t feel warm inside.


As usual in my food tasting, I took a seat and ordered a Ngiu Chap Mee (Mixed Beef with yellow noodle). I used a compact to snap photos, so I didn’t attract much attention. If I brought my big camera, everyone would stare at me, thinking that I was a reporter, haha.


Pic: food menu of Nyuk Pau Zai

The menu is simple as it has only 2 items, i.e. Beef Noodle with, or without tendon. Ngiu Chap with tendon costs MYR8 (≈USD2.66), without tendon is MYR7 (≈USD2.33). (prices as of Nov 2012)

I like the pictorial guide. If you have special preference, you can point to the photo(s) to tell the waitress which body parts you (don’t) want. Btw, you also can choose between rice (white) or egg (yellow) noodle.


Shortly my order arrived. The food presentation is good. Probably the soup is oily, the serving looks a bit heavy to me.


The beef is nice. Only the tendon is too soft. Overall, their Ngiu Chap lives up to its reputation, but I think there is room for improvement.


Pic: close up of Nyuk Pau Zai Ngiu Chap


They are also selling Fried Beef with Lihing (local Rice Wine). I came alone and I was full, so I didn’t try it. Please let me know how it tastes if you have eaten it.

The address of Nyuk Pau Zai is: Block J, Ground Floor, Lot 25-0, Lintas Plaza, Lorong Lintas Plaza, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

The restaurant opens from 7am to 9pm daily. The phone no. of Lintas Plaza branch is +60 16 8300975 (Contact Person: Brandon Saw).

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Beef Noodles of Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap Restaurant (家鄉牛什)

33 Replies

Looking for excellent Ngiu Chap (mixed beef)? Your stomach will find its love at Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap. As the most famous brand of Sabah Ngiu Chap, Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap is so specialized in Ngiu Chap that you can enjoy Ngiu Chap in various way, and in traditional and new styles.

Look at their “user-friendly” pictorial menu below:

You can have Ngiu Chap served with Meehoon (thin rice noodle soup), Mee (fat yellow noodle soup), Konlou Mee (dry yellow noodle style), rice, soup-only, etc. If you like specific beef part, you can order a whole bowl for your full enjoyment. Just click the picture above for detail. To 1st-timer who is not used to organs, beef balls and stew meat would be your safe choices.
(Note: prices as of Nov 2012, USD1≈MYR3)


I ordered the standard Ngiu Chap rice noodle soup, which consists of stew meat, fresh meat, beef ball and tripe.


The Ngiu Chap of Kah Hiong is considered as West Malaysia style, as they add white radish, which enhances the meaty sweet taste of beef. I like it.


The beef is fresh and springy, very well-marinated as well.


Overall, the Ngiu Chap is really good. I’m only a bit disappointed that beef tendon is not in standard serving (you need to pay extra to have tendon, spleen, tongue and intestine).


For normal serving, Ngiu Chap noodle soup costs MYR8.00 (≈USD2.25), MYR8.50 (≈USD2.35) if KonLau style (dry noodle). (Prices as of Feb 2015)


Oh, BTW, another “secret weapon” of Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap is their super hot chili paste. Dip your beef into it (a bit only, you have been warned) for extra kick. Somehow strong chili goes very well with Ngiu Chap.


Their chili paste is made of very spicy small chili called “Cili Padi” (a.k.a. Bird’s eye chili or Thai chili). You can buy a bottle of their famous chili paste for MYR10 (≈USD3.33).

How to Get There

Hungry? Let’s go for a yummy Ngiu Chap today. Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap is in Luyang Hilltop, only 5 KM from Kota Kinabalu city.


Address: Block A Shop, No. 2-0-10 Kolam Centre Phase 2, Ground Floor, Jalan Lintas, Kolam Centre, Luyang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Tel: +60 88-254161
Opening Hours: 7am – 3pm daily


They rest one day every month, so you better call them before visit.

Below is the location map of Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap (main shop):

View My Sabah Map in a larger map

Branches

Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap also has two branches. Below are the location and contact info:

1. Donggongon

Address: Block B, Lot 14, Ground Floor, Kedai Plaza Grand Millennium, Jalan Pintas, Donggongon, Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Tel: +60 88-731646

2. Brunei

Address: No. 21, Ground Floor, Block E, Complex Hj Daud, Jalan Gadong, BE2719, BSB, Negara Brunei Darussalam.
Tel: +673 244 3078

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Ngiu Chap Beef Noodle of Kedai Cheng Wah Restaurant (精華冰室)

2 Replies

Opened by a Hainanese named Wong Whue Fong in 1961, Kedai Cheng Wah Restaurant (精華冰室) has been selling delicious Ngiu Chap (Mixed Beef, 牛什 or 牛杂 in Chinese) for over half a century. Your grandparents or parents may have tried it. If they keep up the current standard, I have no doubt Cheng Wah can open for another 100 years.


Kedai Cheng Wah Restaurant is run by Wong family. For those who look for the most traditional Sabah Ngiu Chap, they will be sent here by words of mouth.


Pic: the aromatic Ngiu Chap soup evidences that it’s good stuff.

In general, Ngiu Chap (or Ngau Chap) is beef broth consists of stew meat, tendon, omasum, tripe, intestine, tongue, heart, spleen, liver and other parts of cow / buffalo. Different restaurants have different formula and spices in making Ngiu Chap.


Once you try Ngiu Chap, you will never forget the taste and will constantly crave for it. If you don’t believe me, just ask your Sabah friends overseas which food they miss the most, and they will prove me right. Unfortunately, Sabah Ngiu Chap is unique, and you can’t find the same flavor outside Sabah, even in West Malaysia.


Normally, we enjoy Ngiu Chap as noodle soup. You can choose noodles such as rice vermicelli (米粉), yellow noodle (面) and Pho (河粉). I chose Pho this time, as shown in photo above.


You can’t overcook beef, or you will end up chewing Ngiu Chap that is as hard as shoe skin. The Ngiu Chap of Cheng Wah is tender but not too soft.


I also like their broth, which is neither bland nor salty. The soup tastes like a mix of beef and chicken soup (though no chicken meat is added), with mild smell of pepper.


Pic: the food menu of Kedai Cheng Wah Restaurant (prices as of Nov 2012)

Standard Ngiu Chap noodle costs only MYR5.50 (≈USD1.83). You can try other variety of Ngiu Chap such as soup-only, dry noodle style and meat-ball only. If you are big-eater, you can order extra noodle or meat (for additional price).

How to Get There

Kedai Cheng Wah Restaurant (精華冰室) is located in Lido Penampang, about 6 KM away from Kota Kinabalu city.


The full address of Cheng Wah is:
Ground Floor, Lot 8, Block A, Taman Che Mei (Lido Township), Jalan Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

Below is the location map of Kedai Cheng Wah:

View My Sabah Map in a larger map


Opening Hours: 6:30am – 10pm daily
They rest two days a month (no fixed date). Before going, you may call them at +60 88-222831 to confirm if they are open.


I hope you will be sitting at one of the tables there for a great Ngiu Chap soon.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Trip to Kudat – Part 1 of 2

2 Replies

Finally I went to Tip Of Borneo the second time with my family. It will take 3 hours to drive from Kota Kinabalu to Kudat, if you use the route that passes through Kota Belud. It is a long way and you will passby many padi field, forest, hills, rivers, coconut trees, oil palm plantation, villages… For those foreigner tourists who never see a coconut or think padi grown on tree, the countryside view should be interesting. For local yokel like me, I will open my mouth wide and take a nap in the car.

The road condition is considered ok overall. When you reach Kota Belud, the famous cowboy town, be extra cautious. Coz you will find many cows roaming on the road. Sometimes they just come out from nowhere. Do not horn them. You will only get two results. The first one is – they ignore you totally. The second response is – they got panic and run like a headless fly, causing accident on another lane. Before you reach Kudat, you would find some wooden stalls by the roadside, where you can stop and buy some local farm products, such as peanuts, coconut, rice cracker, corn… Again, for local yokel like me, I will open my mouth wide and take a nap.

We arrived Kudat around 11 AM, with empty stomach. So we decided to try the famous Kudat Tofu (Soybean cake) Dumpling in Pakka Choon. If you are a muslim, sorry lah, it is not halal coz it contains pork. To get there, if you see the temple below in Kudat (see pictures below), just go straight and you will see a roundabout at the end. Turn to the road that has the sign “Jalan Tomanggong Kurantud”. Follow the main road for roughly 1.5 KM, you will arrive Pakka Choon area, and you would see an old wooden shoplot at your left side. You can see a few yellow signboards such as “Siew Lan Tailor”, “Thart Seng Electrical” there. Hope this info is good enough for you to locate the place.

They offer rich variety of yummy yummy tofu dumpling, e.g. eggplant, mushroom, liver, sausage, curry flavors… I personally like the one with liver. If you are first time trying, you may order a few bowls of different tofu dumpling so you can taste each of them. Each bowl costs around RM4 to 5 (USD1 to 1.25). When I was taking photos of the food, those waitresses hiding behind laughing. Probably they think I am nut. You also can order Ngiu Chap (or U-Chap) there and it tastes quite good.