Due to the distance and relatively costly flight fare, these homesick residents get their supply of favourite local delicacies and other stuff through friends or relatives who come or return to the peninsula from their hometowns in East Malaysia.
According to most of them, sending the stuff via post or cargo is also too costly.
However, those staying in the Klang Valley can now take comfort in being able to get their supply of the Bornean delicacies and stuff at the Solo Borneo Mart branches in Puchong Prima and Alam Damai Cheras in Selangor.
Singer Mohd Razlan Mohamed Yusof, also known as Lan Solo, opened these outlets with his wife, Sheila Razlan, after being inspired by the many requests to bring popular dishes back to the peninsula every time they went to perform in Sabah and Sarawak.
Lan said at first he only took small orders and carried them in his flight baggage and placed the items for sale at his rented shop in Puchong.
However, due to high demand, Lan moved his business to a bigger shophouse in the area.
There are more than 200 food products sold at the shop, including chicken soy sauce, Sabah belacan (shrimp paste), various brands of dried noodles, salted fish, dried kolok noodles and Sarawak laksa paste.
Among the other favourites are amplang (traditional savoury fish cracker snack), kuih cincin, as well as various other snacks and homemade products like tuhau (a type of ginger dish) and preserved bambangan (a type of fruit found in Borneo).
Lan goes to the two states often to get his supply of products. He travels to the interior like Beaufort for its sago, Papar (kuih cincin and belacan), Lahad Datu (amplang) and Kuching (for preserved terubuk).
“I understand why the Borneans here crave for their own food. They grew up with that kind of food. In fact, we have customers who are overwhelmed when they enter the shop and see all that stuff which they had not expected to get when away from home,” he added.
Lan said although he and his wife are from the peninsula, they have foster families in both states who also help them get supplies for the shop.
“We are happy to be able to provide this to the homesick Malaysians from Sabah and Sarawak and at the same time help the small entrepreneurs there to market their products here.”
Lan, who also sells his products online through Shopee, said he hoped to open several more branches in Klang and Ampang in Selangor, and also in Johor and Penang.