Tag Archives: travel

food hunting, Uncategorized

Good Food In Ipoh

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From Monday to Wednesday this week, my husband and I went to Ipoh, a city in Malaysia. Before we went there, The only thing I knew about Ipoh was that it’s famous for food. Actually, I didn’t have high expectation about this trip. Because it’s also easy to find those food in Singapore. How different can it be? The flight from Singapore to Ipoh is about 1 hour. Ipoh’s airport is very small and old. We arrived in the morning, so breakfast was the beginning of our food discovery journey in Ipoh.

  1. Ming Court (Dim Sum)

https://flic.kr/p/2i2gPz6

We chose this Ming Court Hong Kong Tim Sum. Turns out we made the right choice.

There were so many kinds of dim sum for you to choose.

From ciang fun to wanton to shumai, etc.

This is my personal favorite. Tastes like mochi but more chewy. Filling inside is peanut sugar and outside is peanut powder. Very nice.

This restaurant is very popular. We went there at around 9 am. The place was very crowded. Really hard to find a seat.

2. Nam Heong

On the second day, we had breakfast here in Nam Heong. We went there at around 8 am. Again, it’s full of people already.

Nam Heong is famous for its white coffee and egg tart. My husband said its white coffee’s the best he’s ever had. Egg tarts are freshly baked. Very nice. You have to wait for it.

We also ordered kaya toast, Lo Bak Go and half-cooked egg on the toast.

Price is quite cheap.

3. Restoran Thean Chun

This’s where we had our breakfast on the third day.

Apart from white coffee, Ipoh is also famous for Hor Fun.

Shrimp soup Chicken Hot Fun is the signature dish here. Price is about RM 3. Very cheap. Soup is nice, Hot fun is nice, Everything is perfect.

We also ordered bean sprout as side dish.

Because It takes a while to cook hor fun, we ordered Ciang Fun at the next stall.

Why we humans only have 1 stomach? That’s my biggest question after I came to Ipoh.

4. Old Town White Coffee

There are also Old Town White Coffee in Singapore. There happens to be one cafe near our hotel, so we went there and tried their white coffee.

I never drank coffee before I came to Ipoh. I never expected I would love coffee one day.

5. Lou Wong  (Bean Sprout Chicken)

Another dish you must try in Ipoh.

Tender and juicy chicken. Sweet and crunchy bean sprouts. Flavorful clear soup Hor Fun. I’m so jealous of people live in Ipoh. Why the hor fun here is so nice. I never like hor fun that much before.

6. Pushing (Seafood)

This restaurant is a bit expensive compared to other restaurants. It serves very nice seafood.

We ordered half chicken ( very big portion), fried prawns and char siew pork belly.

7. Lim Ko Pi

My husband ordered curry mee.

I chose Char siew wanton noodles.

8. Tau Fu Fa

This Concubine Lane Tau Fu Fa. It’s Located in Concubine Lane. furniture are made up of wooden stools. Their tau fu fa is served hot and there is a variety for you to choose from. I ordered their Bird Nest Tau Fu Fa. And my husband ordered their signature Teow Chew Tau Fu Fa.

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Trip to Harbin

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This June, while my husband and I went back to China to visit my family, we also went to Harbin for a short trip with my sister and mom.

Harbin is located in northeastern China. It’s the capital of Heilong Jiang province, which is also the northern most province in China. The best season to visit Harbin is actually winter, cos it will be the white world and it’s famous for ice sculptures.

Summer is the second best season to visit Harbin. You can escape the hot summer and enjoy the cool air there.

Saint Sophia Cathedral is the landmark of Harbin.

It was built in 1907. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful church in China.

Unfortunately, it was under maintenance during our trip. So we were not able to go inside.

It’s a breathtaking architecture  no matter in the day or at the dawn or in the evening.

Another place you don’t want to miss in Harbin is Zhongyang Street. We actually rent an apartment there to stay. It’s quite convenient for us to experience all the activities (orchestra performances, parade, night market, etc) there because we just need to go stairs.

Due to historical and geographical reasons, Harbin is greatly influenced by Russia. You will see many many Russian style buildings there.

Not only in Zhongyang Street but across the whole Harbin.

There are also many stores selling Russian products in Zhongyang Street. And Russian restaurants too.

We had a very nice Russian dinner there. Russian Borsch and Dalieba (Russian rye bread) are the must-try dishes there.

Walk along the Zhongyang Street to the end and there is the Songhua River. Very beautiful view from there. Many people hang out. Local people sing and dance there.

There is a flood control monument in front of the river. On the other side of the river is the Sun Island. You can take ferry to cross the river and get there.

Sun Island has many places to go. If you are a fish lover, you can go to polar aquarium. If you are into Russian culture, you can go to Russian village.

Laodaowai is a place for architecture lover to go. It’s famous for Baroque architectures.

It’s also a spot full of restaurants with various Chinese cuisine.

Northeastern food is also one of my favorite. Here are some Northeastern food (Dongbei Cai) you shouldn’t miss:

Harbin Sausage (can be found everywhere in Harbin)

Guo Bao Rou

La Pi

Stew (There is a saying in China: Give northeastern people a pot, they can make stew with anything. Their stew is very delicious. You can choose pork, ribs, chicken. Special one is goose)

And the special drink Kvass. (Ge Wa Si. It’s brewed from Da Lie Ba. the rye bread. My husband never had it before. When we were in Harbin, He drank at least one bottle each day. Some restaurants even serve their own homemade kvass, which is nice too.)

Except the weather (lowest temperature is around 9 degree C, and highest is 20+ in June), food, architectures, one important reason I love Harbin is the people there. They are very friendly and humorous.

In China, one type of sitcom called Xiao Pin is very popular. And many comedians are from Northeastern China. The dialect there is very special. Usually, Chinese people from different places have their own dialect, but northeastern dialect is probably the most “powerful” one, by which I mean it’s very easy to be affected the northeastern dialect. Many many Non-northeastern people have the experience that after spending some time with a north easterner, their accent starts to change and becomes more like northeastern dialect. Taxi drivers chatted with us and jokes just came out naturally. Restaurant owners welcomed us warmly.

I love Harbin.

Oh, I forgot to mention Madier Ice Cream (Modern popsicle) is also famous in Harbin. Very rich. We all loved its flavor. Even in winter, you can also find it everywhere in Harbin.

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#SAKURA MATSURI FLORAL DISPLAY# @GARDENS BY THE BAY 2019

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Yesterday, My husband and I went to Gardens By The Bay for Sakura Matsuri Floral Display.

Gardens By the Bay usually holds different floral display activities the whole year. They will display flowers from different places of different seasons. Now it’s spring time, so it’s sakura season.

The floral display is held in flower dome, which needs ticket if you want to go inside. Outside of it is free. You can see the famous skytree and other theme gardens.

Tickets for 2 of us is S$21.6. Even though it’s weekday, there are still many people there.

Sakura trees are not as many as we expected.

Looking from distance, the view is like this:

https://flic.kr/p/2f6zHGs

White sakura and pink sakura. Some are in full blossom while some are still in sprouts.

Petals fall from the tree and drift slowly in the air.

https://flic.kr/p/RpUxz6

Janpanese Marumado Art

https://flic.kr/p/24yJJh4

https://flic.kr/p/2f6zHTE

And others

https://flic.kr/p/2fbfGvX

There are more than sakura in Flower Dome.

We also visited the big Fish Aquarium @ Gardens by the Bay. My husband and I stayed there for a long while till it gets dark. We also made the fish video of that big aquarium.

food hunting, Uncategorized

Indonesian Local Food @ Lagoi Bay

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Everytime my husband and I go to a new place, we will definitely try the local food. During our stay in Bintan, Indonesia, we also want to try more local food other than Nasi Goreng and Mie Goreng. As I mentioned before, the food in the hotel is not very nice, we plan to have food outside the resorts. And there is free shuttle bus from our hotel Angsana to Lagoi Bay. We took the late afternoon bus to go there. I was thinking about seeing sunset there. Yet, when we got there, it’s almost dark. Too bad we missed sunset.

Famous love lock @ Lagoi Bay

We chose a restaurant just in front of the beach and sea – Warung Yeah.

https://flic.kr/p/24qtuwM

There were also many tourists having dinner there except us. We hose a seat outside just facing the sea and beach.

https://flic.kr/p/2dD6g6e

For the drink, my husband ordered fresh coconut water. (He’s a big fan). I ordered mango and lemon squash.

Very refreshing.

My husband also ordered one more drink. He told me the drink’s name is Bintan Coco Drink.

I must say, it’s very sweet.

https://flic.kr/p/2eXiUgJ

For the food, we ordered the first one Sego Tahu. And it looks ike this.

It’s a tofu dish. The specialty lies in sauce. Sweet and spicy. My husband loves it.

We also ordered a grilled round fish. Outside skin tastes a bit spicy. Flavor goes in so the inside fish is also very tasty. Dipping it in the Indonesian special chili sauce just makes it more yummy.

Here is my favorite Indonesian finger food, called Jajanan Pasar. Outside layer is banana leaf. Sticky rice is wrapped by it. And the filing inside rice is chicken and vegetable. It’s really special. I guess I love all the sticky rice snacks.

The price is very reasonable compared to hotel. And you can enjoy the sea view at the same time.

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Angsana Hotel (Bintan) Review

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During our stay in Bintan, Indonesia, My husband and I chose Angsana Hotel to live for one night.

After we arrived at Bintan Ferry terminal, staff from Angsana welcomed us and let us take a short rest in their lounge, which is just at the terminal hall.

Then we took the Angsana shuttle bus to hotel, and it takes about 15 mins.

The minute we got off the bus, a staff strike the gong in front of the hotel hall to welcome us.

It’s not peak season, but there are still many tourists in the hall busy with check-in or check-out procedure. A friendly staff guided us to the sofa. Then welcome drink and dessert were served to us.

https://flic.kr/p/2dAgZTr

Hall is connected with dinning area. That’s where guests have breakfast, lunch and dinner.

https://flic.kr/p/SQW8fJ

Corridor is very long, since there are many rooms in this hotel.

Finally, we reach our room.

Room is nice and cozy. And the best part is ocean view balcony.

From where, you can see the beautiful sea, beach and swimming pool.

Because when we arrived there, it’s already lunch time. And we were starving, so we had lunch there.

https://flic.kr/p/SQW8mL

We ordered Mi Goreng (stir-fried noodles) and Nasi Goreng (stir-fried rice). They served us with a kind of cracker first. My husband likes it. It also contains a special bean. As you can see, the lunch is really in big portion. Both of us like the chili sauce. It is special, because it also has sour tomato flavor. Hmmm, food is good. But considering the price, it’s not that good.

After lunch, we took a walk to the beach.

https://flic.kr/p/2dT9m8N

Walk through the garden first, then swimming pool and got to the beach.

https://flic.kr/p/2dAgZPP

It suddenly became cloudy after lunch.

https://flic.kr/p/2dAh27Z

It was supposed to be many water activities, but got called off due to bad weather. We were so looking forward to participate in releasing the sea turtle, but we were just told that activity already finished.

walking along the beach or lying down on the beach is quite relaxing.

Then we went to the activity room to have some fun.

https://flic.kr/p/2eZ6hp4

We almost tried every game. My husband was so surprised that I, as a Chinese, don’t know how to play table tennis. πŸ™‚

They also have gym, but due to our schedule, we didn’t go there.

When we went back to our room in the evening, we received this letter and small gift  from the hotel.

Breakfast is buffet, including eastern and western food.

https://flic.kr/p/2eUuazs

They have congee,

pancake and waffle,

Soto ayam, (a kind of chicken soup, and I add in glass noodles and some vegetables)

bread and tea,

Indonesian special snack,

freshly made omelette,

and fresh fruit.

Breakfast is nice to me. But if let me rate the food, I will probably give it 3.5 out of 5. Just compared to the cozy room and warm service, food is not that great.

Before we left, my husband tried their special banana coffee.

If you are going to Bintan, you can take Angsana Hotel into consideration. We had great experience there.

And in the morning, we found some monkeys fighting/playing just in front of the hotel.

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Mangrove Tour in Bintan

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Angsana Bintan Review Part 1

My husband and I went to Bintan (Indonesia) for a short 2D1N trip. A highlight of our Bintan tour was the Mangrove Tour. It is available at Angsana Bintan Resort. It is probably by an external service provider rather than Angsana, but Angsana Bintan will help to facilitate the booking, including 2-way transport to and from the Mangrove Tour.

The price of the Mangrove Tour was around $45 SGD per person. It is rather pricy, but quite worth it if you like nature. First, the driver will arrive at Angsana Bintan to pick you up, and drive you to purchase the ticket from an office. Then, he will drive you to the Mangrove. Total travel time is approximately 15 minutes.

Upon reaching the Mangrove, life vests are provided and we boarded a small boat (maximum capacity should be around 6-8 people, but we were the only tourists at that time). There will be a boat driver, and also a guide. Amazingly, the Indonesian guide spoke Mandarin (and quite good Mandarin in fact)! Apparently, there are many Chinese tourists to Bintan.

https://flic.kr/p/24mNzz8

The Mangrove Tour itself is around 1 hour in duration. Other than looking at the mangrove trees, the guide will give some explanation. The people there used to burn mangrove tree roots to make charcoal, but the practice was banned due to environmental concerns. There are also many animals in the Mangrove. We managed to spot a snake (coiled up in the tree branches), a monkey (can be seen in the video), bird (should be kingfisher), as well as small fish. Apparently, there can be monitor lizards as well.

 

Overall, it was quite an unforgettable experience. There should be no such equivalent tour in Singapore (possibly there is land tour, but not river tour of mangrove).

https://flic.kr/p/2dSjT3E

https://flic.kr/p/2dSjXyJ

Note that the Fireflies tour is exactly the same tour as the Mangrove tour, but it is at night. We did not go for the Fireflies tour. Note that it can be very dark in Bintan at night, as there are very few street lights. Most places are completely dark at night.

Chinese, food hunting, Uncategorized

Hangout @ Chinatown

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Well, today I have one day off and my husband also has time. We planned to go to Chinatown and have lunch there. He wanted to try a nasi lemak restaurant there. It’s the first time for us to go to Chinatown and hunt for non-Chinese food.

Chinatown of Singapore is really close to to the CBD. You can actually walk from Chinatown to CBD and also see blocks of tall buildings from Chinatown.

There are many places to have nice food in Chinatown, such as Amoy Street and Chinatown Food Street.

Chinatown has many traditional buildings of Nanyang style.

https://flic.kr/p/2eib1ts

The restaurant we went is at Ann Siang Rd.

https://flic.kr/p/2dgGSub

There are many bars, restaurants and cafes there.

The blue restaurant is the one we were going.

The Coconut Club.

It is not a very big restaurant. Their signature dish is nasi lemak, which can be told from the menu.

Actually, the price is more expensive than nasi lemak sold in other places. We can usually buy nasi lemak at around S$4 and even below. But still, this place is very popular. It was lunch time, many office workers came here for lunch. And I could see a long line waiting outside. My husband and I ordered 2 signature nasi lemak. We waited for a quite long time.

The big plate of rice, chicken, sambal chili sauce, fried peanuts & anchovy, egg and cucumber proves it is worth waiting.

Rice is full of coconut milk flavor and not too strong. ( I just realized what is wrong with the nasi lemak I cooked. I added in too much coconut milk into the rice.) Chicken is juicy and tender. The only thing I’m not so pleased with is the egg is very tiny. 😦  I love Sambal chili sauce. The whole plate is a big portion. I could’t finish my chicken and asked my husband to help me finish it.

After nasi lemak, we also tried the dessert there.

My husband ordered Cendol:

Topped with Adzuki Red Bean. Full of creamy coconut milk and sticky gula Melaka (a kind of coconut sugar in brown color). My husband said it’s the best Cendol he’s ever had in Singapore.

I ordered Kueh (a Malay word means “cake”).

I really like the green & blue one. The upper layer is soft and melt in your mouth and the bottom layer is made of sticky rice. The small cake wrapped with coconut flakes on the right is too sweet to me.

After this satisfying lunch, we just found the cafe across the street.

Nanyang Old Coffee. A cafe my husband wanted to try a long time ago.

We went there. My husband ordered a cup of Yuanyang coffee. And I ordered Ang Ku Kueh.

I am not a coffee lover. My husband review towards his coffee was “not bad”. As to my Ang Ku Kueh, I chose green bean paste filling. It’s also not bad.

Finished coffee, we just wandered in Chinatown. Because Chinese New Year is coming in around 2 weeks or even less than 2 weeks.  The main color in Chinatown is Red.

Red lanterns.

Red Spring Couplets and Chinese New Year decorations.

https://flic.kr/p/QBsGor

Since 2019 is pig year according to Chinese Zodiac, Pig is also a regular element in gift shops or in the street.

https://flic.kr/p/23Lirci

https://flic.kr/p/23LisjD

Chinese New Year is a big festival for Chinese. We prepare lots of food. So you can see piles of snacks are there.

https://flic.kr/p/23LirCZ

Many shops gave free samples when you pass by. We get black peanuts to try.

Apart from so many things to say, Chinatown is heaven to foodie. I think all Chinese cuisine can be found here: Sichuan, Hunan, Northeast. No matter hot pot, Raosted duck, or seafood. We tried some of them before, I must say they taste authentic.

https://flic.kr/p/23LirVc

https://flic.kr/p/2dgGSDQ

https://flic.kr/p/23LirWV

https://flic.kr/p/QBsFzH

Ohhhhh, I’m hungry again……