3 generations of culinary passion: The story behind Kuching’s ‘Yummy Mee’ food stall

Michael Yap (right) and his daughter Lisa at their stall.

By Wilfred Pilo

KUCHING, Sept 26: The confined space of Michael Yap’s food stall bursts into life every morning as customers pour in, greeted with speedy service and hearty, delectable meals.

This is the daily scene for the third generation of the Yap family, who have perfected the art of preparing and serving delicious dishes in a bustling eatery environment.

Michael Yap, the 65-year-old owner with a self-described happy-go-lucky attitude, shared that he likely inherited his culinary talents and passion from his late father, who was a noodle maker.

“We are accustomed to this kind of environment, and my late father was a witty, charming, and friendly guy,” Yap told DayakDaily.

“Because of this, all of us in my family love making delectable dishes for ourselves and serving customers at our stall.”

Yap’s stewed pork noodle.

Originally from Sarikei, Yap retired from the corporate world at 50 but always had a passion for cooking.

Following his father’s footsteps, he fully embraced the culinary trade soon after retirement.

“We were semi-nomadic in this eatery business, as we followed my late father when he moved to the ‘booming’ Bintulu in the eighties from Sarikei. I joined him for a while, and after his passing, I moved to Kuching with my family,” Yap explained.

He set up his stall in Kuching 13 years ago, and in 2020, he expanded to Kuala Lumpur, serving Sarawak Laksa, kampua mee, and kolo mee in the Serdang area.

After four years, his daughter Lisa asked him to return to Kuching, and now the Kuala Lumpur stall is managed by a friend and continues to do well.

Yap, who has four children, proudly shared that his third child, Lisa, has now taken over the family stall in Kuching.

Lisa Yap

“My two elder sons and another daughter have their own professions, but they’re good at culinary skills too. Lisa, however, decided to take charge here. She was a trained teacher but retired after a year and switched to this profession.”

Lisa, 35, who now leads the stall with her father, shared that she switched to the culinary world because of her love for cooking.

“I find this environment very energetic and much less stressful compared to teaching,” she said during a quick break from serving customers.

“After five years of training and a year of teaching, I hung my teaching degree on the wall, donned an apron, and started making good dishes. I am blessed and probably got this from my grandparents, both paternal and maternal, who were good in the culinary world.”

Lisa wakes up at 3am daily to prepare ingredients, meats, and vegetables for the more than 20 dishes served with noodles, rice, or as standalone dishes.

Yummy Mee is located at Fu Sen Court Hui Sing Commercial Centre.

She highly recommends their signature pork leg, mixed soup, and red wine chicken soup served with rice.

“We also serve kampua mee, kolo mee, bee hoon, and kueh tiaw, which are popular with the local palate,” she added with a chuckle.

The Yap family’s stall, aptly named ‘Yummy Mee’, is located at Fu Sen Court Hui Sing Commercial Centre and operates daily from 5am to 2pm.

Customers can enjoy a taste of their delicious dishes and the passion that has been passed down through three generations. For more information, you can call 012-670 9222. — DayakDaily