As a native of Ipoh, I know very well that good food can be found all over the town. Not only is Ipoh famous for its “nga choy kai” (blanched bean sprouts with poached chicken), hor fun (rice noodles), chee cheong fun (steamed rice noodles) and salt-baked chicken, good seafood is also widely available and enjoyed, if you know where to get the best. In Ipoh, you don’t need to travel to the seaside to have a great seafood meal. Right in the center of town, there’s a small restaurant that has … [Read more...]
Iron Chef Tuyen – The Equatorial Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City
One of the highlights of our recent trip to Vietnam was a special tasting of two signature dishes cooked by the Chef de Cuisine of The Equatorial Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City, Chef Tran Thi Thanh Tuyen. Chef Tuyen, as she is popularly known, has been with The Equatorial Hotel since 1996. The petite and demure-looking culinary artist has been actively promoting Vietnamese cuisine in countless food festivals all over the world. Her passion in the culinary arts has driven her through many promotions … [Read more...]
Sandakan Food Trail (1)
Did you know that Sandakan is a great place for foodies? Haha, I didn’t know that until I had a chance to visit this quaint town recently. It’s actually the 2nd biggest town in Sabah and located at the north-eastern tip of the state. Sandakan is actually very rich historically, with many places of interest worth visiting but being the glutton and foodie that I am, I shall share its bountiful food offerings first. As Sandakan is also a port, its location next to the sea means the … [Read more...]
Four Points by Sheraton, Sandakan
I have never been to Sandakan and when an opportunity was presented to me recently to visit this town at the north-eastern tip of Sabah, of course I jumped at it. What more when it’s a chance to visit some of Sandakan’s famous sites, try its popular food and culinary delights but most of all, a chance to check out the Four Points by Sheraton, the only international hotel brand in the city. The skyline of Sandakan’s Central Business District is never the same again since the opening of … [Read more...]
Melbourne – our favourite places (part 2): Yarra Valley Wineries
Located just about 50km away from Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD), the Yarra Valley is a world renowned wine region. Located at the southern end of the Great Dividing Range, the Yarra Valley offers a rich diversity of terroir varying from the cool valley floor to the colder Upper Yarra Valley slopes. It’s about an hour’s drive from the CBD. On a beautiful sunny morning, we hopped onto the tour van for a scenic drive into the pristine Yarra Valley. From buildings and busy roads, … [Read more...]
Melbourne – our favourite places (part 1)
Personally, we feel the best time to visit Melbourne is during autumn and winter. Yes, we love Melbourne during these seasons. The past 2 trips we made there had been right smack in the middle of winter, in July and the other one recently, in late autumn, in May. Gorgeous autumn colours Temperatures during winter vary from day to day, with some days touching 18-20C and these could dip down to below 10oC immediately the next day! Of course, it gets much colder at night. So, it’s … [Read more...]
Penang Food Stories (Chapter 3): Song River Cafe @ Gurney Drive
I know some people scoff at Song River Cafe being a good place to eat in Penang, maintaining that it’s only meant for tourists and that most self-respecting Penangites would not patronize that place. Well, I’m not really bothered about this, because I have my favourite dishes there and yeah, I am not a Penangite – call me a “visitor” or “tourist” if you like but I do like to have a meal or two in Song River Cafe whenever I’m in Penang. Facing the sea, along Gurney Drive, Song River Cafe … [Read more...]
Penang Food Stories (Chapter 1) – Food hunting in Pengkalan Weld
In the past few months, we made a couple of food trips to Penang. The main objective was really to gorge ourselves silly, checking out food places recommended by friends as well as re-visiting old favourites. Of course not everything we ate was worth recommending to others, so I’ll just skip those not-so-good ones. In those many hours that we spent on the island (and also in the mainland), we must have worked ourselves through at least a hundred dishes/food items! After driving for more than … [Read more...]
Recent Comments