Just Me ........

Basaga Holiday Residences@ Jalan Tabuan, Kuching

2012-02-13T17:07:00.000-08:00

This is a lovely place which has got really cool ambiance to dine. I love the greenery here... The little gem is located at Jalan Tabuan, Off Chong Lin Park. Doesn't even have a proper board, but already attracted large crowd of visitors to the restaurant as well as the residences.

Little bird told me that that the accommodation at Basaga is simple, but decent, really value for money.

Anyway, some of the nice shots I have taken before the dinner.
The main entrance to reception and resturant

The Basaga Residences

The reception area

The dining area

This is really a paradise within the concrete forest in the heart of city centre.
The drinks we ordered

The food served here also is above average for Kuching standard, and the most important thing is the overall ambiance can add value to the dining experience. I will surely come again Basaga!!

Sarawak Laksa@Choon Hui Cafe, Kuching

2012-02-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

It's Sarawak Laksa again....the famous cafe located at Ban Hock Road beside Grand Continental Hotel is a famous breakfast spot for Kuchingite. This place is especially famous for the Sarawak Laksa and Popiah. Finally, I was able to sample the so called famous laksa last weekend. Perhaps it was due to too high expectation, we felt that the laksa was just mediocre, perhaps the Golden Arch one is much better !

My bowl of laksa - was rather disappointed esp I could taste the chlorine smell when biting the prawns. Not at all a good feeling!

Some people said the toast bread and coffee are good, but to me, they are just another run-of-the-mill version.

The toast bread was so dry, no good!

Sorry Choon Hui, I don't think I will be there again, perhaps the laksa was just not my cup of tea!

Xin Jiang BBQ@ Premier 101, Kuching

2012-02-07T17:15:00.000-08:00

This is one of the best BBQ chicken wings I've ever tried. It's nicely marinated with the so called XinJiang recipe....really addictive and full of flavour.

The humble stall is located at Premier 101 commercial area. Open around 6pm in front of a steamboat restaurant within the hawker place. One set of BBQ chicken wings come in 5 pieces, believe me, you will never get enough of it, and true enough, we always tempting to order more. Simply sedap!!

They do sell other BBQ items such as lamb, pork ribs etc which is not of our liking. However, friend told me that those are real good as well.

Big Prawn Laksa@Golden Arch 金门楼 3rd Mile, Kuching

2012-01-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

Our foodie colleague recommended Golden Arch laksa to us. He always say, this big prawn laksa is the best in Kuching.
We will go all the way in search of good food, so we started off our day earlier and with little bit of GPS assistance ( since we are not local), we managed to reach our makan destination.

There you go, the much sought-after big prawn laksa@RM8/ bowl.

The prawns are really big and fresh, and this version of Sarawak laksa is different from a few I've tried in Kuching. We like it! Not as rich as the usual one.

He even ordered a plate of "Yau Zha Kueh" to go with the laksa. Frankly speaking, I have never done this before, the combination of Yau Zha Kueh and laksa....but to my surprise, they click well!!!
Worth trying and so far, I kinda agree with him, this is the best, until I try something which is better than this.

p/s: Open for breakfast Only.

Richmond Place@Ellis Road, Kuching

2012-01-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

This place is never a stranger to Kuchingite. Richmond is famous of serving reasonably price and decent western food.
Hubby was introduced this place by his ex-colleague, and he always come here for the grilled fish.
Frankly speaking, that's was the best compared to other things we ordered. The place was really crowded, and business was so good, that they opened another shop few doors next to the original shop to accomodate the crowd.
The grilled fish was rather decent.

I ordered pork chop with mushroom sauce. So so only, I don't quite like the sauce...perhaps next time I shall try black pepper sauce??!??

The hungry ghost also ordered one more portion of fish and chips, ok, not bad though.
( Sorry forgot to snap photo).

Overall, I rated the food 6/10. Just ok only, nothing much to shout about.

Fisherman Village@BDC, Kuching

2012-01-11T22:09:00.001-08:00

We always pass by this restaurant/ house and see lots of customers dining there even on a week day. The restaurant is located within the housing area is behind Four Points Hotel. Finally, we tried it, and for comparatively the food is quite good.
Their speciality - the crab - which I have not seen this type of cooking style before - Stir Fried Crab with ginger and egg...fresh crabs were served and quite special! We all like it!

The Nam Yu Pork was rather good too!

I also love the sweet and sour fish fillet

Other dishes we ordered includes "4 heavenly King" Vege,butter prawns & boar meat stir fry. However, boar meat was a disappointment, and butter prawns were not of my liking, as it was sweet....

Prices are comparatively reasonable and food are quite good, at least something which is of our liking.....

Life Cafe@Jln Song, Kuching

2012-01-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

I was longing for some soup, real cantonese soup, and I found something similar at Life Cafe. This is my second time trying the lotus pork ribs soup here...I quite like it!!

Hubby ordered Life Spicy noodle, also good!!!

One of the good restaurant chain available in Kuching.

We also ordered fried dumpling - yummy!

Mandy Organic & Natural Food@Green Heights Mall, Kuching

2012-01-09T17:58:00.000-08:00

I love shopping at organic shop. Last Sunday, we went to Cold Storage at Green Heights Mall for some groceries shopping and I bumped into this little gem - Mandy Organic and Natural Food just right opposite Cold Storage. This shop sells organic product and the best part is there is a little corner serving some light organic/natural dishes. How can I miss the opportunity to try! ( Even though hubby is not at all a fan of organic products/stuff, he still agreed to have our lunch there)

I ordered organic tomyum beehoon, which I suppose, they use organic brown beehoon, natural tomyum paste and organic vege to cook it...as these ingredients are all available in their shop.

I give 6/10 for this , as it was a bit oily. However, I quite like the fresh vege accompanying with their beehoon.

Hubby ordered sambal fried rice with extra egg - he rated also 6/10.

Healthy vegetarian and organic lunch we had - no guilty feeling!!!
Price are reasonable, ambiance is good!
I will be back Mandy!!!

The Heritage Seafood喜临门@ Kuching

2011-12-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Our local colleague introduced this place last week. All I have to say is wow, finally there is a chinese restaurant that suits our tastebud well. Yesterday we went to Heritage again to savour other nice dishes. This place is forever crowded, therefore, pre-booking is always needed.
The lovely seacucumber soup was came in the right timing to warm our stomach, esp in a rainy day.

Then we ordered this Kuching speciality - Tomato noodles ( I prefer the kuey teow version we ordered last time, as it blends better with the tomato sauce, I prefer not so sweet version). Yummy!

Cold dish - combination of drunken chicken, fried prawns and jellyfish

Thai style sweet and sour fish fillet - wow, this was a hit of the day! Everbody loves it, fresh fillet with perfect sauce! Simply sedap!

I also love the fried rice - simple and nice

Last but not least, Sarawak special veg - midin , fried with belacan

Food is good, and prices are reasonable.
A decent Chinese restaurant in Kuching!
The Heritage
Ground Floor, Sublot 6-7,
Wisma Yee Soon Yew, Lorong 1,
Song Thian Cheok Road,
93100, Kuching. Sarawak.
Tel: 082- 252627

Best Lei Cha in Kuching@ Green Road

2011-12-01T19:51:00.001-08:00

Our colleague brought us to this little hidden gem at a housing area. Many Kuchingites know about this place according to him, as they are famous of serving authentic Hakka Lei Cha, with really fragnant blended herbs soup .
The owner himself in action

Ah Xian also came here before.....and many other media has reported about them as well

My bowl of Lei Cha is served, refreshing!

Fiberous and gulit free lunch!!! Lovely!!!
The place:
149, Jln Pisang Barat, Kuching.
Off on Sunday.
Operation hours: 10am- 2pm

The Junk@ Jalan Wayang,Kuching

2011-11-29T00:19:00.000-08:00

This is my second week in Kuching. Of course, I miss all the yummy Ipoh food, esp the Liu Fun, Wanton Mee, Hor Fun, Dim Sum etc etc....but life's goes on in my new place.
Hubby brought me to this place located near the riverfront for dinner. The junk serves nice western food and comparatively prices are rather reasonable as the portion was really huge.

The place is indeed like its name, decorated with many antique stuffs, some warm lighting, and I quite like the ambiance.

Oh, the food, yet to explore all, but the two dishes we ordered didn't disappoint us. In fact, quite up to mark.
We love the chicken wings, stuffed boneless chicken wings, yummylicious

Pepperoni Pizza scores average, but not bad though!

The place should be really popular, as it was crowded, especially if you are planning to go on weekends, in big crowd, make sure you do a reservation.
We'll definitely go back for other yummy food on their menu.

The Junk
Address: 80, Ground and 1st Floor, Wayang Street, 93000 Kuching, Sarawak.
Business Hour: 6.00pm - 12.30am (Off on Tuesday)
Tel: 082 - 259450

Taipei Trip #3 - Jiu Fen

2011-11-28T18:35:00.000-08:00

I love Jiu Fen.....a old township that has got beautiful scenery, lots of shopping can be done, lots of food to sample......what else can you ask for???
We hired a driver to bring 4 of us for the whole day Jiu Fen Trip. He is indeed a nice chap, he is not just a driver, he is a professional tour guide as well.

We started off early from our hotel in Taipei around 9am, he stopped us to buuy/pack some nice breakfast, then we headed to Jiu Fen. I saw this beautiful scenery on the way, and requested him to stop for photography session...lovely isn't it???

Ok, we headed up to Jiu Fen, stopped by this beautiful waterfall and the driver purposely dropped us to a strategic point to take some nice snap as well!

Out first stop was the Gold Ecological Park at Jinguashi. That was the gold mine occupied by Japanese during their invasion.

My cousin sis who has been to this place b4, recommended this Bian Dang/ lunch box to us. Yummy lunch box, pork chop rice sold at one cafe within the park. the box is given free, indeed a souvenier ya!

Ok, finally we reached Jiu Fen!!!

We first tried the distilled coffee - not bad though!!!

Then we dined at this small but super crowded stall to try some fish ball and noodles.

Everything were so delicious~~~~~~~~

Another highlights in Jiu Fen was this special ice-cream... I quite like it!
Wrapped in special wrap, with some peanuts and leave~~~very refreshing!

I also love the kuih and Yu Yuan dessert!!! All freshly made!!

Everyone enjoyed the makan, shopping and beautiful scenery at Jiu Fen!!!

Taipei Trip #2

2011-11-24T22:36:00.000-08:00

Day 2, we took MRT from Taipei Main Station to XinBeiTou station in order to get to Yang Ming Shan and Beitou HotSpring. Then, later in the evening we went to Fisherman Wharf 淡水漁人碼頭 at Tan Shui and walking around TanShui Old Street.

Transportation in Taiwan is super convenient and people around can be super helpful if you are not sure how to go about with public transport.
It was a fulfilled day.
We started with Yang Ming Shan tour, taking mini bus to YMS main station, from there, change to another bus to different attractions stop at YMS. Lovely scenery and breathtaking view.

The Sulfur Spring

We dined at a small restaurant at BeiTou town, surprisingly the food was really impressive. The local noodles and some porky stuff...yummy. It is located behind the MRT station, few shops besides Watsons.Opposite MOS Burger

After some rest and wonder around, we check in to the town hotspring hotel to enjoy the sulfur hotspring at BeiTou.

Our 3rd stop of the day, Fisherman Wharf and Lover's Bridge. Besides taking some nice photos there, we also bought a lot of packed food there, some nice nuts and dried fruits etc.

We then took bus back to Tan Shui Old Street to buy 阿婆铁蛋 Taiwan Iron Egg and some other souvenirs and things.

After that, we had some local shopping at another new street opposite the MRT station and ate the local food....nice nice!!!

I love esp the fried meehoon and stuffed fish ball....very delicious!!!

Tiring day, but fulfilled....mission completed - good food, nice scenery, enjoyable shopping for food and other things!!!! I love Taiwan!!!

Taipei Trip #1

2011-11-23T18:46:00.000-08:00

I was really impressed with the people in Taiwan. They are really really nice people, generally, people are helpful and sincere. We were there in mid of Oct, the weather was superb, not too hot and not too cold, lovely!!
We found that the 5 days 4 nights were totally not enough!!! And the food, simply delicious!

Our first stop: CKS Memorial Park

This this the national theatre...beautiful isn't it?

Then, we proceed to Taipei 101

Not to forget to try Ding Tai Fung Xiao Long Bao, originated from Taiwan.
There is a branch at Taipei 101 food court. Waiting time - 30mins, but worth it!

While waiting for our turn to taste the XLB, we ordered one set of Lu Rou Fan to share at the food court.

After that, we proceed to Wu Fen Pu for the famous Formosa Chang Lu Rou Fan. Wonder around Wu Fen Pu and then heading to Raohe Night Market for another round of food hunting and shopping!!!!
Formosa Chang

Yummy, we asked for extra topping/ sauce

Since many people highly recommended to try the famous pepper biscuit in Raohe, we queued up for about 20mins to wait for our order.

All we have to say is too much food, too little stomach.....nice experience wonder around for food at Raohe, and bit of shopping as well.

It's all about Hanoi........

2011-11-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

We indulged ourselves by staying at Sofitel Plaza Hanoi during our honeymoon at Hanoi. This is the hotel
That's the beautiful lake view taken from executive floor while we enjoyed our evening tea Some highlights about Hanoi trip:
1. Waterpuppet Show - Something not to be missed when visit Hanoi...amazing!!

2. Crazy shopping at Hang Gai Street@Old Quarter - with lots of nice handicraft, silk etc. However, bargaining skill is required. The sellers normally offer super high price, and after getting the hang of it, we found out that, at least 50% has to be slashed to get a real bargain!!!!

3. Trishaw ride to see the old quarter and french quarter area - super good experience esp to see how crazy is the traffic in Hanoi....seeing bikers coming from left right front back....be ensure that you have courageous enough, or else, you will get a heart attack!!! 4. Another gentle reminder : don't simply take cab in Hanoi, or else you will get a shock of your life seeing how fast the meter is jumping. A friend of us which is working in Hanoi told us to take only trusted brand name, and he recommended to take 'Mai Linh' and 'Hanoi Taxi'.

5. Try Vietnamese coffee and famous banana flower salad

6. Visit the historical site of US plane that came down during the war ( we just took a cab and asked the driver to send us there) This is located in the middle of a little lake near some residential area.

7. Last but not least, to visit some temples within Hanoi city

Halong Bay Cruise

2011-11-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

I really have to buck up, yes, already came back from Taipei trip, but haven't even upload and share about my Hanoi trip.
Anyway the most worthy to highlight is definitely an overnight stay at HALONG BAY.
Since Halong Bay beautiful scenery has been listed as another world heritage, it is really a must visit place for every Vietnam trip.
I selected a 4 star cruise/ junkboat to stay overnight, as I 've read and heard a lot about some lousy boat.
Normally, most cruises are running more or less the same itinerary, so what matters most is the room and food provided. Ours was quite good, actually.
That's our cruise, waiting to welcome us....

This is the room we stayed at Emotion Cruise Halong Bay: air-conditioned and clean!

That's the toilet

And not to mentioned, some beautiful shots at Halong Bay

Air Asia Sucks - take 2

2011-11-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

Ever since Air Asia started charging for booking through credit card, I tried to use direct debit from Ebanking for the payment. I feel it is totally not worth to pay them the so called 'convenience fee'- in my case was just RM32.
Anyway,this is the second time the delayed of confirmation itenary being sent to me. Today , I spend RM1.95/MINUTE to call their so called premium call centre, waited for a donkey 12mins for them to solve my problem - this is totally ridiculous. The customer service guy was telling, " My booking has been cancelled due to the lead time of payment has expired. BUT, A big but, Air Asia has already taken my money from bank, WTF, I asked him, " If I didn't call you, you can simply taken my money and cancel my booking , without reisuing a new ticket to me?????" That's stupid and unfair for me. Moreover, I need to spend RM20+ TO CALL TO THEIR PREMIUM CALL CENTRE????
WTF, I hate Air Asia...............but I have no choice, coz they already became a monopoly business, I don't think they will improve their service!!!!

Viet Kitchen@Hanoi

2011-10-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

After almost 7 years+ of courtship, we finally settled down and got married! I decided to go to Halong Bay cruise as part of our honeymoon.
Our tour guide told us Hanoi is a city of motorbike. Yes, he was right, and no one follow rules here when it comes to driving. Crossing the road can be a real challenge here, with thousands of bikes flowing from left, right, and every corner.

Our first meal provided by local tour agent was at Viet Kitchen, Hanoi. Just the two of us, we joined this arranged tour from Asia Travel Expert. Since most local doesn't speak English, it is better to join tour to visit places in Hanoi.
After visiting a few places, our guide brought us to this place for lunch. Overall ambiance looks good, but food was just average. Overall food experience in Vietnam was not good. I have eaten much much better Vietnamese cuisine in Australia...sigh!
We have chicken, duck, vege, soup etc....

Lavender Clothing@Ipoh Garden South, Ipoh

2011-09-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

For those who knows Ipoh well, especially ladies - now Ipoh has been flooded with lots of boutiques. I am definetely one of those who likes shopping at boutique, because I am rather big, so it's not easy to find suitable cloth that looks nice on me. I am happy to discover this little gem called Lavender Clothing in Ipoh. They have very good quality stuff taken from Hong Kong. I've checked their labels and materials, esp those Korean 100% cotton stuff are real good! I am so loving them! The cotton material stuff are very comfortable. Those Korean stuff are a bit pricey but value for money, as they only take max 2 pieces with difference colour, so chances are very rare someone will be wearing the same dress with you.

This little gem selling quality dresses is located at Ipoh Garden South, right beside Old Town Kopitiam. They are sharing the premise with Living Glows - a shop selling home deco stuff.
If you are someone which is looking for special, quality dress, this is the right place. Plus size ladies also can find their dress there, which look really good. This is definetely not another run-of-the-mill boutiques around Ipoh. I hope my supply of clothing is there, and do support them so that they can survive longer in Ipoh.

石磨坊 Shek Mo Fong@Mongkok, Hong Kong

2011-09-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

I've been trying different desserts brand in Hong Kong. This time around, thought of checking out other options. Since we were near Mongkok, and saw Shek Mo Fong board, decided to check out their desserts. Like what my sis said, dessert here in HK, cannot be too bad though!!! OK, we have to just explore ya!

The place was deserted when we entered. Fine, perhaps is dinner time, people are not ready for desserts yet. Since we were super tired after a long day shopping, we just sit down and relax. As usual, a long list in their menu for us to choose....decision..decision, have to decide what to order...
Finally, I decided to order Cold sesame and walnut paste 芝麻合挑糊. Yummy yummy, it's not sweet at all, can really taste the rich walnut and sesame paste...feel so healthy haha.

Sis ordered mango and leung fun mix, not bad also...but no comparison with 滿記 Honey Moon Dessert.

Wanted to try more, but we just have to say too much good food, too little stomach....coz we have to keep some quota for other delicious food.
Haha, then only we can give ourselves excuses to come to Hong Kong again...

p/s: compare to other dessert house I've visited in Hong Kong, so far, Shek Mo Fong has got the worst service...
This outlet that we visited located in Mongkok, Hak Po Street 88.

Kam Wah Cafe金華冰廳@Prince Edward, Hong Kong

2011-09-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

Just came back from HK for a short trip. This time around, we stayed at Mongkok Metropark Hotel. The hotel is rather old, but rooms are clean, nothing much to shout about. However, it is strategically located. There is a a bus stop right in front of the hotel. We took airport bus directly to the hotel, cost us only HK33. Not only that, walking distance to Prince Edward MTR station ( less than 3 mins walk ) and near to Mongkok Fa Yuen street and other nice eateries around.

We walked for approximately to one of Hong Kong most famous cafe for its polo bun and best of the best milk tea for breakfast. Kam Wah金華 is especially crowded for breakfast. However, we managed to get a shared table to enjoy the firey polo bun菠蘿包. One of the most sinful but tasty breakfast, with a big chunk of butter inside. Of course, this is not our first time tasting polo bun in Hong Kong, but Kam Wah's version has to be the best, so far. Crispy outside, but one bite of it melts inside my mouth...my! No wonder Kam Wah has won so many awards for their Polo Bun!!

My satisfaction level never stops here, their Milk Tea was super duper good. I SIMPLY love it.The greedy us also ordered egg tarts and toast. The egg tarts also are heavenly....cannot resist...the next day we da bao the tarts again, surprisingly after 4 hours, they still taste good! Thumbs up! I love my Hong Kong breakfast!

Address:
金華冰廳
Prince Edward Bute Street No 47.太子弼街47號地下

Delicious@Mid Valley Megamall

2011-08-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

Seems that this place is rather popular, we were there for dinner and lots of people were already waiting.
I heard some positive comment about Delicious as well. However, this was the first time visiting.
Hubby ordered Balinese chicken with rice, he gave thumbs up, as the chicken was well grilled with nice sauce topping.

My garden salad - just so so only - nothing special, they just toast with mayonnaise.I can get better ones in Ipoh( Tammy's Kitchen serves better salad, with their special balsamic sauce, lovely)

The most disappointed was the boxing chicken - quite bad actually!! The chicken pieces were not properly cooked....

Luckily the dessert - tiramisu saves my day!!! Not too sweet, of my liking!

Will I return again, most probably no. Food is just OK, and service was not so good, looking at the price they charged.

Take A break VIP Lounge@Ipoh Garden South

2011-08-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Sis told me that her friend introduced this laksa to her. What's so special??? Check this out, have you ever seen white colour laksa soup based??? I bet many of us have not seen it. Yes, this is the owner - Anna Ong's creation. The creamy white based soup is definitely not santan or milk, but her secret recipe. I quite like it, for a change, at least.
It's just that the soup was not hot enough, but taste wise, quite good actually.

( Sorry, taken with my phone and was in a hurry, not clear) - RM 6.00/bowl.

This place also is good for their blended juice.
That's the mango passion fruit blended juice @ RM6/=

We also ordered a chicken ham with cheese toast to share - very home made feeling,it taste good actually, but something which we can make at home, so on the other hand, nothing special...

Check out the interior of this restaurant...but somehow I don't know why they called it lounge???

If you are adventurous, check out this white soup based laksa. Staunch laksa lover might not like it, but I am ok with it!
The place: Take a break VIP Lounge
16, Tingkat Ipoh 11, Ipoh Garden South.
Open for breakfast, lunch and early dinner

利苑@銅鑼灣 Lee Yuen@Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

2011-07-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

Causeway Bay is one of the best shopping spot in Hong Kong.Lee Yeun located strategically beside Sogo in Causeway Bay, serving authentic porridge, wanton and other local delicacies.
This was my second visit to Lee Yuen. This time around bringing my new makan kaki there to try the wanton and porridge.
This place is always crowded, service sucks actually, so, just tell myself, I am coming just for the good food haha.....
Our wanton

Smooth mix porridge, really smooth, thumbs up!!! Esp if you love innards. Actually they have wide selections of different porridge in their menu if you don't like this.

N the dumpling also super good, I love it!

More info on Lee Yuen
Open daily 11am - 1am
Address: No 539, Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay. ( Beside Sogo )
銅鑼灣駱克道539號

Oh Sushi@ De Garden, Ipoh

2011-07-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

On a lovely Sat dinner, we went to De Garden for some window shopping, and after that ended up at Oh Sushi for dinner. The place was already very crowded. The service was quite prompt, we didn't have to wait for very long time for the food to be served. Overall, the place serves rather good food, price is reasonable, good ambiance and prompt service. I will surely come back again.

My fav tofu and salad

Assorted sushi - ok lah...for fast food standard

Some grilled stuff - salmon belly and squid- quite fresh

Last but not least, kimchi soup

We were quite happy with the food and of course, the price as well. Total damage was RM82.80 including gov tax and serv. charge.
Address: Oh Sushi
De Garden Mall Zone D.
P/S: My latest visit to Oh Sushi was a disaster!!! The kimchi soup was super salty, the teppankayi kimchi chicken tasted weird and not fresh. Volcano Roll was rather bad in taste...I am super disappointed...how to go again??????