Top Pot Bakery – Taipei, Taiwan
This bakery actually needs no introduction… they are everywhere in Taiwan… 18 branches in all. They are also established in HK and Shanghai. With 小S advertising for them, their name can only go higher. But my purpose is to draw your attention to their breads. I must say, their bread is really good. Not those soft and light type. This is wholesome and soft, really nice. So when in Taiwan next, try their breads for brekkie or tea. But the crowd is scary during peak hours so be prepared. But after the queue, it’s all worth it. 
Shop front @ Shilin Night Market
Check out their range of breads! Yum!
Look at the crowd at 4pm off peak period… But at least the staff here in this Shilin outlet is very very nice and helpful… Maybe size does really matter… haha
This is their Royal Crown… If you’re a cheese lover, BUY THIS!!! TWD80
Check out the cream cheese inside… awesome!
Forgot the nameof this but there is a menu there you can refer… Not bad too, loads of cheddar inside… TWC100
Cheddar upclose…
Another cheese bread with loads of cream cheese inside… TWD70
Cream cheese not as much as Royal Crown
Scone With Raisins
Scone
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Awesome! Really must try!
Portion: Above average.
Service: Shilin branch is excellent!
Ambience: Love the all black decor!
RTE: Hell yeah!!!
Location: 台北市士林區大東路11-7號 ( 距捷運劍潭站步行約 3 分 ) Tel: 02-2883-5122. http://www.tpbakery.com
金满园排骨 – Taipei, Taiwan
You know, the food in just Ximending alone, cannot complete writing on them! So many choices and food types! Ok will try to write on other parts of Taipei soon. But this place is worth mentioning because all their pork chops and fried stuff are served hot from the wok. Hence have to wait a little for your food to come. This place is always full of people because not only it’s nice but also generous in their portions and at the same time, very affordable!
Store front
Very small shop but always crowded
Pork Chop Rice
Chicken drumstick rice
Free clear soup which is actually quite tasty!
Rice comes with veg and 卤肉 sauce!
Prawn Roll
Check out the pork chop!
Rating: 4.5/5.
Taste: Served piping hot and taste pretty good! Loads of veg and bits of braised pork is poured on top of your rice to make it more tasty! Pork is tender inside, crispy outside. No used oil smell. Prawn roll is also awesome!
Service: I reckon it’s family-run business hence you’ll feel very homely here. Service is really good as they introduced to me what is their best sellers, etc.
Portion: Slightly above average
Ambience: Very small shop… hence will be crowded during peak hours…
Price: Very affordable. Mostly less than TWD$100 per set.
Location: 台北市武昌街2段82巷3弄1号(武昌诚品对面巷内). They have 2 more outlets at Taoyuan airport and 新北市. Tel: 2331-5194. http://www.kmy1973.com.tw.
Frankie’s Place – Shanghai, China
Most Singaporeans base in Shanghai would know this place. Apparently the oldest Singapore food restaurant in Shanghai. However the location is a little far from the city where most Singapore expats would stay. But, when the crave for authentic Singapore food sets in, taking a cab down to this place is justifiable! Check out the food below!
Self explanatory
Address & contacts
Sample menu 1
Sample menu 2 – Got kueh kueh some more!
Sample menu 3
Sample menu 4
Restaurant as you enter
New left side extension
Curry Chicken – Pretty good
Sambal Kangkong – Sambal not enough… but the taste is there
Sambal Fish – This fish is really good. Crispy and nice… sambal is really spicy and good!
Tofu soup thing… Can skip
Pig stomach salted veg soup… pretty good but soup damn little…
Rating: 4.5/5.
Taste: I must say it’s as good as what we eat in Singapore. Unlike some claim to be Singapore/Malaysian food but taste not authentic. Thumbs up for catering to the craves us Singaporeans/Malaysians have while working in Shanghai!
Ambience: Pretty comfy with the extension on the left side. Aircon/heater is adjusted to appropriate levels during winter/summer periods. Best thing is, you won’t smell like what they serve when you get out of the restaurant.
Service: Not bad. At least you don’t get crappy service like some other restaurants around Shanghai. The staff are also trained the local terms like Kopi-C and Teh Tarik!
Portion: Average.
Price: Average per person is around RMB50-80. Depends on how much you can eat also. Cheaper than the other counterparts in Shanghai. Don’t compare to prices in Singapore of course!
RTE: Not base in Shanghai now, so no chance to go there. Maybe will find time to feature the Suzhou Singapore food restaurant soon!
Location: See 2nd pic. Cab there would be the best option. Parking is limited and subway station is not near.
老天禄卤味 – Taipei, Taiwan
If you’re heading to Taipei, you need to try this. This is a traditional shop selling really awesome braised foodstuff since the 50s. To be honest, I didn’t know about this place and I believe not many tourists know as well. I happened to chance upon this place while in Ximending. I was wondering why so many people are in this shop all the time! So I decided to check it out…
Big bright signage you can’t miss
Always full of people
Look at all that wings and parts all well braised….
Mushroom Balls…. Very Q and tasty!
Duck gizzard…. Nice and soft…
Nicely braised without over cooking
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: The flavor soaks through the meats and foodstuff. They have many types from poultry to beanstuff. Their best sellers are duck tongue (which I passed) and duck wings. They carry pineapple tarts and crispy pork in their shop too. The sun cake is nice too! They even have pre-packs for souvenirs!
Portion: N.A.
Price: Cheap I must say. For example, chicken wing is only TWD$20 (S$0.80) and duck wings are TWD$27 (S$1.08).
RTE: Yeah!!! I didn’t have stomach space left to try all their stuff!!!
Location: One and only stall in Ximending. 台北市武昌街二段55号. Opening hours: 0930-2200hrs. Check their online store at www.lautianlu.com.tw.
三兄妹豆花 – Taipei, Taiwan
This is a famous dessert joint in Ximending… From silky soft soy beancurd, they have expanded to a full range of colorful desserts which is a must visit when in Taipei. Check out the following:
Store Front
Basement Sitting
Menu
Order List
Beancurd with some yam flour thing
Mango Snow Dessert With Ice-Cream
Rating: 4.5/5.
Taste: Desserts are tasty cos they are sweet with loads of sugar and flavoring. But the beancurd is really soft and silky. All other desserts are a bonus. Great for cooling down during summer!
Portion: Average
Price: See pic
RTE: Yes if still have stomach space… Guys are not like girls… always got spare stomach for desserts! ;P
Location: http://goo.gl/maps/KUX5U. Tel: 02-2381-2650. Opens daily from 1100-2230hrs.
京都果子烧 Kyouto Kashiyaki – Taipei, Taiwan
This is a little stall in between some fashion shops in one of the streets of Ximending. What caught my eye was the colorful display as well as the big portions of fillings inside these Japanese pancakes. So I went to the stall and chatted with the lady boss. She was nice enough to introduce me the 12 flavours they have, and also learnt that that was the only stall they have (maybe more by now). These are great snacks for ladies who are in between their shopping sprees and will definitely be charged up again to carry on!
Stall signage
Hubby & wife team I believe
Looks damn good right?
Green Tea Red Bean flavour… The fillings were forcing its way out from the top!
Peanut butter cream flavour… Lovely!
Chocolate oozing out…
Rating: 4.5/5
Taste: Pretty awesome. Like I said, it’s a damn good snack served piping hot! You can even buy some back to hotel for brekkie the next day!
Portion: Slightly above average
Price: Only TWD15 or TWD20 (S$0.60-0.80)
RTE: Yes!!!
Location: 台北市中华路一段114巷19号. Tel: 0931-850589. Opens daily from 1100-2200hrs.
胡须张 Formosa Chang – Taipei, Taiwan
Friends who frequent Taipei will know this name. In direct translation is Beard Zhang. This is not a pub or an attraction. It’s actually a well known economical rice value packs takeaways (便当), which is almost everywhere in Taipei… and expanding outwards. Came highly recommended by a friend (Thanks Elaine!), so I had to try this on my 2nd day in Taipei! This is great for those stuck in the hotel rooms cos of bad weather or too lazy to go out. They started from just doing these value packs and now they have dishes so you can just call and order, and your lunch or dinner can be settled.
Packaging box
招牌便当
卤肉便当
This one’s no longer on the menu… guess not so popular.
White Bittergourd Soup With Spare Ribs. Very tasty but pretty oily.
Receipt
Rating: 4/5.
Taste: Too many options to choose from. Tasted quite good but quite oily. Best option when you just wanna chill out in your hotel.
Portion: Average.
Price: Very affordable. See pic. But min order is TWD$300.
RTE: Yes! Wanna try the rest of the other rice packs!
Location: All over Taipei! Check out their website and call the nearest outlet near your hotel! http://www.fmsc.com.tw/retail.php
牛轧堂 (Beef Noodles) – Taipei, Taiwan
Went to Kunming Street as I was recommended the best beef noodles at 牛店 which is just across from this shop that I’m writing about but they do not open in the afternoon after 2.30pm and reopens only at 5.30pm. I guess their business must be damn good cos they were busy preparing for that night’s business. Hence no choice, I crossed the street and spotted another beef noodles shop. The deco looks neat and decent and the boss of the place warmly welcomed us to take a seat upstairs after we placed our orders.
Shop front… Good thing is, they don’t have too many things on the menu to confuse the customers.
天香牛肉面 Heavy broth beef noodles
清炖牛肉面 Light broth beef noodles
大豆干和卤蛋 Braised beancurd and eggs
Bill… Pretty good prices
Video of the tenderness of the beef can be seen here - http://youtu.be/f7lVJvAM7Dw
Rating: 4/5.
Taste: Pretty good I must say. Specially made broth from gouqizi, vegetables and chicken, boiled for hours. Beef slices were tender and melts in your mouth. Noodles are also specially made for the shop. The side dishes of beancurd and eggs are nice too!
Portion: Average
Price: TWD140 per bowl. A lot cheaper than the popular ones which starts from TWD180 onwards…
RTE: Maybe if I’m around the area but then again, there are so many food places in Taipei… and only 1 stomach… ;P
Location: No. 134-2 Kunming Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City 108. Tel: (02)2331-0397. Opens daily from 1100-2200hrs.
MBK CENTER FOODCOURT @ BANGKOK, THAILAND
I do apologize for the absence as I was doing my stint in Shanghai. Just got back to Singapore and will be flying to Taipei for a short trip to feature lots of street food! Then after that will be heading on to my new stint in Suzhou, China, where there are a lot of nice and traditional snacks and foodstuff, which I will be slowly discovering them.
I was recently in Bangkok as you can see from my previous post on Bangkok’s Most Hated and apart from what pissed me off, was the great food in the land of smiles. I was checking back my previous posts and was quite surprise that I didn’t write anything about the food in the foodcourt of Mahboonkrung or otherwise known as MBK. For the benefit of those who have not been to Bangkok before, MBK is the MUST GO place in Bangkok. It has almost 80% of all the things Thailand has to offer. From titbits, to accessories, IT stuff, massage places, cinema, restaurants, cafes, supermarket, banks, money exchanges, lifestyle shops, furniture shops, etc… Basically I think you got the idea. And the foodcourt is the best place to try most of some Thai local dishes, in a cleaner environment, if you have a weak stomach. Like most Singaporeans, MBK’s foodcourt is where we usually report to when first reach Bangkok. The food there is pretty good (Thai local standards) but a little more pricey than that of the street. No choice lah, foreigners flood that place daily, forcing price up quite a lot.
MBK Foodcourt
So I was there last week, I already knew what I wanted to eat for lunch. But before you can buy your food, please go buy coupons first. Here is all base on coupons, no cash unless for the stalls not within the foodcourt. How much to change? Hmm… I usually change about 300bahts so that you don’t have to run here and there. You can refund balance coupons once you’re done with eating and remember, you have to utilize the coupons on the same day… if not, you’ll lose the monetary value tied to the coupons in your hands!
Coupon counter at the far end
Coupons for food!
So after changing the coupons, I headed to my favourite Khao Kar Moo (Thai for Pork Leg Rice) stall. You can let the stall person know you don’t want fats or skin and they will just give you the pork leg meat with some salted vegetables. Add an egg for 10baht. Total is about 55baht (S$2.30). Just love the soft skin (without the fats of course) and together with the sourish chilli sauce, it’s really appetising! Yums!
Awesome Khao Kar Moo (Pork Leg Rice)
Portions like the above is actually quite little for a normal adult. So I would usually order a side dish which you can share with whoever is with you. Hoy Tod is like the Fried Oyster in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. But this one is crsipy and assorted seafood. Used to be 70baht but now it’s 120baht.
Hoy Tod Talaay (Hot Plate Seafood)
The great thing about dining in Bangkok, they always have these pharmaceutical companies sponsoring tissues on the tables! Free to use!
Free tissues
As for desserts, look out for the little fruit shops lined on the ‘outskirts’ of the foodcourt. Check out the yellow signages stalls. But prices have gone up a lot for the mango one to about 140baht. Used to be only 80-100baht. But this time I ordered Sticky Rice with Durian instead for 60baht. It was awesome. Very strong in taste, and very fulfilling. If you are packing back to your hotel room, please make sure they tie properly and double pack it. Cos most hotels do not allow you to bring durians into the hotel premise itself. Make sure also the aircon is independant and not central sharing!
Stalls with yellow signages where desserts are sold
Securely packed for scentless bringing back to your hotel rooms
Khao Niao Tulian (Durian Sticky Rice) Awesome and strong taste, gave a lot of durian, love it!
Rating: 4.5/5
Taste: Awesome food quite close to most street food!
Portion: Average
Price: Average for some. A lot cheaper than the food court at Siam Paragon.
RTE: Like I said, must report to this place everytime in Bangkok!
Location: 444 Phayathai Rd.,Pathumwan, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. (http://goo.gl/maps/tTF0)
友记传统小吃 @ 327 Hougang Avenue 5
I reckon it’s about time to write about good food stalls around where I live. Hougang despite the aging estate, has newly renovated coffeeshops to cater to the ever changing demanding taste buds of Singaporeans. This coffeeshop at block 327 was renovated 2 years back and have been doing very well since cos of the introduction of many new stalls while retaining the old ones. I was there one of the nights with my friends for dinner and knowing how much I miss Fried Oyster, I ordered from this stall which was not there before the renovation.
The Stall
The cooking took sometime because they really took the time to fry it. And because they took the time to fry it, the flour part is super crispy and the flavour was immense.
My dinner of Braised Duck Rice With Egg. Only $3! Where on earth can you still get $3 for duck rice with egg???
Rating: 4/5. Oyster too little… counted like only 4pcs.
Taste: Fried Oyster taste really good even though the oysters were miserably little. A good Fried Oyster is actually not in the oyster but in the flour and egg combination together with fish sauce. Duck rice is also cheap and nice. Must try!
Portion: Slightly above average.
Price: $3 for duck rice and $4 for fried oyster!
RTE: Hell yeah!
Location: Block 327 Hougang avenue 5.
Peter’s Pan Western Food @ Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre
I was there to meet up with a friend over dinner on one of the nights when I came back to SG and he highly recommended the western food at Peter’s Pan of stall #02-133. As there are many western food stalls there, I was quite skeptical about trying it and to be honest, I like traditional cuisine than western deep fried stuff anytime. Nevertheless, I gave it a try.
The stall... every so busy...
Chicken cutlet rice comes with baked beans and coleslaw. You can replace rice with fries.
Rating: 4.5/5.
Taste: The chickent cutlet is a very big piece of meat, thick and juicy. Topped with their special sauce, damn nice with the rice. Coleslaw is nice and creamy… very refreshing. Wanted to buy more coleslaw, don’t have… they only make enough for their sides only.
Portion: Above average
Price: $4.50
RTE: Yes will try their other stuff like fish and chips.
Location: 51 Upp Bukit Timah Road, #02-133 Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre
RUEN-MALLIKA @ BANGKOK, THAILAND
I reckon I should write about this awesome place I’ve been to during my last trip to Bangkok. Reason is, this place serves very authentic Thai food dated back to the days where they are being served to the Thai royalties and these dishes are believe to have medicinal effects on our bodies. No wonder most of the Thai girls we see are so slim! Well the attraction of this place is not just the food but also the whole structure. The place is made from traditional Thai teak wood and service staff are all dressed in traditional Thai costumes. So are the utensils and serving plates and bowls. My buddy in Bangkok brought me there for dinner much to my surprise as this place is tucked in some back alleys in Sukhumvit Soi 20 and it’s a really nice little paradise to have authentic Thai food, chat up with your mates, or even a date with that special someone. Check out the pics below:
As you enter the place...
Many sculptures and carvings along the way
Wood carvings like these are all hand crafted.
Cashier Counter AKA Finanace Dept...
Outdoors ambience
Another side outdoor
Me with service staff
Menu
First up, Chun-Cheu-Boos-Sa-Ba. An assortment of Fried Flowers which is said to aid digestion. This is nice.
Tod-Mun-Goong. Some prawn mix batter. Taste good! Aids appetitie.
Khao-Tang-Nha-Thung. Traditional rice crackers with shallot and garlic dip. Relieves cold & cough and reduces blood pressure.
This is how you eat it... addictive!
Kor-Moo-Yang. Grilled Pork and if eaten with dip, will aid digestive system, blood circulation and gas in stomach... No wonder that night I was so farty... ;P
Tom-Yum-Goong-Mae-Num. This soup needs no introduction but Tom Yum soups have some medicinal effects on us too! It has high vitamin C, decreases blood sugar and relieves coughs and indigestion.
This is the clear broth version. Just love the big river prawns and the taste!
Gang-Kheaw-Waan-Gai or Pla -Grai... Or Chicken Green Curry. Lovely dish and this dish actually helps in bone strengthening, cures rheumatism and decreases blood pressures.
Nam-Prik-Khai-Poo. Salad base dish but the main thing is the dip. Very healthy dish. Promotes appetitite and healthy skin, relieves coiughs and promotes a healthy heart.
Wonder how long they spend carving this... hmmm
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Awesome. Must check it out at least once.
Portion: Average
Price: Buddy paid but I should think it’s quite reasonable for the quality of the food and ambience.
RTE: Yuppers!
Location: 189 Soi Sukhumvit 20, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoey, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110
Tel: 02-663-3211-2 Fax: 02-663-3212
THA-SIAM NOODLE BRANCH @ BANGKOK, THAILAND
This is a famous pork noodle place in Bangkok among the locals. One will notice all their branches are all in Thai names and even the menus are in Thai. I remembered my first time visiting this shop at Siam Square about 8 years ago, almost died from the spicyness… At that time a bowl of noodles was only 10baht… now it’s 29baht. But the taste hasn’t change at all, that’s the best thing about that. But before you order, just becareful the chilli levels.
Outside the shop... very not halal lah...
Kitchen counter which looks like a ship...
Deco with ancient Thai paintings
The famous Pork Noodles... awesome...
Very nice and crispy wings
Vermicelli salad yum woon sen
Fried Bee Hoon with Pork Chop... This is a must try too... Love it!
The ingredients in the noodles...
Bill
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Love the thick broth in the noodles. Other food equally good and tasty. A place I must visit everytime in Bangkok.
Portion: Portion is a little small for the noodles… I remember I had to eat 2-3 bowls the last time.
Price: See last picture. About SGD$11 only for all that above.
RTE: Hell yeah!
Location: This location is at the ground floor of MBK… in front of the supermarket and cab stand.
海外天鱼翅酒店 @ BANGKOK, THAILAND
Told myself I need to feature this place after my last trip to Bangkok in Jan. (Yes I’ve got loads of backlogs… sigh) I’ve been patronising this shop since the year 2000, from the time I was savaging sharks fin soup then to the current fish maw soup. It serves very very authentic Chinese Thai seafood cuisine and the fire control is so good, it makes the dishes taste like they have been glazed over the fire before they are being served.
It is started by the old aunty who sits behind the cashier counter and now her family is helping in the whole restaurant. She is also a Teochew and when you step into this restaurant, you can speak almost anything with them from English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Burmese, Teochew and Thai of course. Check out the pics below:
Signboard in Thai...
Many HK magazine reviews... that explains why so many HKgers frequent this place when in Bangkok.
The Chrysenthemum drink is very nice and free flow... love it...
My favourite Fish Maw Soup... Thick and tasty!
Oyster Omelette
Awesome Claypot Vermicelli with River Prawns
Fried Kang Kong... They call this Morning Glory... but quite nice although not sambal.
This is a must try... Salted fish fried rice... after trying this, you will not eat SG ones anymore...
Love this chilli dip sauce... great with the vermicelli and whatever...
Old Aunty and me... She recognises me all the time since my 2nd visit... Feel the warmth when I chat with her...
Stairs to 2nd floor if ground floor is filled.
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: I can’t describe anymore. Just go try it when in Bangkok. Try the steam cod fish also, very nice and fresh. You can wash it down with cold bird’s nest also.
Portion: Average.
Price: The whole meal came up to about slightly less than Baht$1000 which was about SGD$44 for 2-3 pax. Very affordable good food.
RTE: Everytime in Bangkok!
Location: At the beginning of Chinatown on the right side. Yellow signboard on the outside. 457-461 Yaowaraj Road. Tel 02223-0325 02223-7341
Korean Cuisine @ NTU Canteen 13
Heard about this place for the longest time and wanted to try ever since… finally one of my trips back to SG I drove about 20km there, met up with some friends working there, and checked out the place. Arrived the place during lunch so naturally a bit crowded. There was a queue for the Korean stall but didn’t have to wait very long so it was alright.
The stall
Very busy counter front...
Had the fish set for only $4... or was it $4.50? Comes with rice and kimchi... extra kimchi can be ordered for extra $0.50.
Fish is fresh but only half. For the price is ok lah.
While you're there, another must try is the ice coffee... thick and smooth! Really unexpected!
Rating: 4/5. Maybe the beef bologi or bibimbab would be nicer. Will try the next time there.
Taste: The fish set I had was light and not so heavily taste which I was looking for that day. So it was good.
Portion: Average
Price: $4.00 per set
RTE: Maybe… a bit far…
Location: Canteen 13 NTU
新口岸葡国餐(Porto Exterior) @ Macau City, Macau
There’s so much good food in Macau that I had to write almost every meal I ate… Sigh… But it’s good to share with friends who are clueless about where to eat lah. Was my last night in Macau, so took the chance to walk around the hotel area and at the same, look for real Portuguese food to fulfill one of my agendas in my food list. I remembered my friend brought me to one which is really small but very home-feel. Food was good but it wasn’t that affordable.
So I ventured around on my own, came across a few Portuguese restaurants, but didn’t enter. Almost succumbed to 鼎泰丰 when I was approaching Rio Hotel, but I decided to ask the girls at the money exchange opposite Rio Hotel instead. They told me there’s one pretty good one just behind where they are. So I walked to the back, which was under a lot of renovation, and very surprise to find that amidst all that major renovation, the restaurants are still operational. Found the restaurant, went in and was warmly welcomed by the lady manageress.
Rio Hotel with casino below. The restaurant is opposite this hotel, right in the middle of the low shop houses.
They have signages at every side...
Entrance
Was there around 9+ on a weekday, hence not many people.
The old man on the far right is the boss.
Buns baked in house
Took a pint of beer to go with my food. HK$32 only. About S$5.
Roast Chicken Salad... The chicken is not nice. Can skip. HKD$36.
Special sauce made in-house to go with the salad. Tasted like a mixture of Thousand Island with Miracle Whip. ;P
Braised Ox Tail. This dish is awesome... Wished I had some baguette to go along... next time I bring my own... ;P HKD$66
Beef Tripe Tomato Soup. Very nice puree made from fresh tomatoes. HKD$56
Total bill for a meal for 2 normal persons. HKD$209 is about SGD$34.
Address, opening hours and website of the location.
Rating: 4.5/5.
Taste: Portuguese food in Macau has a little Asian flare in them. The ox tail is a little salty though… but is ok when go with rice or bread. Will check out the other items next time I’m there.
Portion: Above average.
Price: HKD$209 for all.
RTE: Yeah!
Location: See last pic. Get to opposite Rio Hotel and you will see it.
新好利咖啡饼店 @ Taipa, Macau
I was brought to this place initially by another group of friends about 2 years back. I was on free and easy for the whole day before I flew back to SG, so I decided I need to get my 猪扒包(Pork Chop Buns) fix hence I hailed a cab, and headed down to the 手信街of Taipa Island.
The shop is really old and run down adjoining another shop to their right which leads to the kitchen there. Very small and crampy if you meet a large crowd that day. Weekdays are perfect and I chose to be there after 2pm.
the shop... don't ask me how to pronounce in Portuguese...
This is the inner part of the shop... there is another part with the main door.
Ice Yuen Yang (Ice Tea with Coffee)
Birds Nest Egg Tart
Seriously, nothing special... Dunno where's the birds nest also... haha
Piping hot pork chop bun... This is the part when newbies will ask,"How to eat?" Haha... I used to ask that... Just find a way to eat it lah, you'll know when you come to that situation.
Chicken chop noodles. The chicken is not bad... noodles a bit on the hard side.
Address to the place.
Rating: 4/5. Standard dropped a little… The pork chop has a very strong ‘old’ oil smell.
Taste: Was ok. Should have ordered the egg tart instead of the birds nest one.
Portion: Average.
Price: Came up about HKD$50+. Pretty affordable.
RTE: Maybe only… Will look for other places cos pork chop buns are everywhere in Macau!
Location: See last picture.
美膳坊海鲜火锅饭店 @ Taipa, Macau
My friends brought me to this place which is located in the middle of the 手信街 of Taipa Island. From the outside, it looks like just an another seafood restaurant. But this restaurant has dishes which are really tasty and good!
Located along this 'Souvenir Street' of Taipa Island... Not Macau City's Souvenir Street.
Signage
Fresh steam prawns... Lovely sweet taste
Fwah! Never tried this before... This fish is not available in SG... In China it's known as the Tofu fish... very very soft and you can actually eat the bones too... The way they have done it here is really nice and tasty.
Fried Prawn Omelette
I was surprise they have this soup here. Pig's Stomach Soup with Salted Vegetables. Very teochew and it's peppery. Really missed this!
Roasted Pigeons. Very nice and juicy. 
Stir Fried Assorted Mushrooms... This is an excellent dish for mushroom lovers like me!
The last time I ate this dish was when my Cantonese grandma was still around. Very typical cantonese dish of steam chicken with ginger, chinese mushroom and spring onion. What's lacking are slices of dried red dates which will make the dish more authentic! But I'm happy anyways!
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Love the way they cook here. No wonder it’s a regualr place for my friends.
Portion: Slightly above average.
Price: Didn’t pay for it but affordable when you have more people eating together.
RTE: Definitely!
Location: Just tell the cab drivers 手信街 of Taipa Island. It’s a short street, just stop at the middle.
MGM Patisserie @ Macau City, Macau
Ok some of you might be wondering why I’m writing about such a famous and grand place in my affordable foodblog. Well for the same reason, affordability lor. Reason is I do not want any of my readers here miss out a very nice hi-tea set they are serving at a very affordable price for 2. So if you’re walking around checking out the nice decorate City Of Dreams, you may wann take a break at this very nice and chill out Patisserie at MGM Grand.
The place... love the ambience.
A wide variety of pastries and buns
And lovely cakes! Price range is about HKD$30-$40+... A little bit on the pricey side but looking at the deco on the cakes, you know a lot of effort has gone into it.
Sweets for the kids...
This is the hi-tea set I was talking about... 3-tiers of assorted savoury and sweet pastries, cakes and sandwiches.
Lower tier
Middle tier
Upper tier
Rating: 5/5
Taste: Awesome… MGM Grand leh.
Portion: Above average.
Price: If I can remember clearly it’s HKD$169 per set and comes with 2 coffees. In fact you can share this with more people. But with me around, maximum 2! ;P
RTE: Yes!
Location: MGM Grand. Walk into the lobby from the car porch, turn left and walk through all the exhibits of the lovely artistic Chihuly vases, you’ll see it on your right.
雅香咖啡缅甸美食 @ Macau City, Macau
Macau really have a lot of good food around and I was brought to his one specially by my friends because they frequent this place a lot. They serve street style Burmese food. Again the stairs to upstairs is a little narrow and steep but I made it up there anyways. It is just beside the famous 妈阁 temple where the first foreigners arrived in Macau at the little port right in front where the carpark is.
Shop front
For takeaways, call to ask them get ready and you swing by to pick it up.
Shredded Chicken Lao Mian. They are popular with their dried noodles.
This one is nice. Curry Chicken Noodles.
I ordered this. Burmese Lao Mian. Comes with shredded chicken and hei bi hiam(fried chilli dried prawns). Spicy and nice. Would be too spicy for those who don't take spicy.
Braised eggs
Curry Chicken to go with the next picture...
Prata! But they call it 薄饼(thin biscuit)... But it's very nice... texture like Roti Canai in Malaysia... soft and fluffy inside.
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Realised what they eat in Myanmar is almost similar to what we eat back in SG. I reckon the taste (Spicyness) is a little toned down for the locals but nevertheless, it’s still a good meal and very affordable.
Portion: Average.
Price: Dishes are like HKD$10ish to HKD$20ish. Very affordable.
Location: 澳门河边新街277号A万金大厦地下. Tel: 28962616.
明记牛杂美食 @ Macau City，Macau
It is pretty difficult to tell you the location of this current place. It’s a push cart stall and located at the end of 手信街 in Macau City. Maybe when you are there, just ask around and people will direct you there. Not a very big place to start with. But be prepared to queue…
The stall... check out the queue...
Only the couple at the stall and super busy
Got newspaper clipping some more... haha
Located directly opposite of this old pawn shop which became a museum... very near senado square.
All ta pao... the taste is awesome. All the different parts of the cow inside... I also don't wanna ask, just eat.
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Very hard to describe. You’ll know the sauce has been boiling over the years to have this very strong and full flavour. Try to know.
Portion: Average.
Price: Didn’t pay for it but I reckon it’s very affordable.
RTE: Depends on who I’m with… Some people don’t eat beef and some of those who eat, eats only the meat. Lungs, heart, tongue, liver, etc… may not be everyone’s favourite.
Location: Get on 手信街(Souvenir Street) in Macau City, and ask around for 明记牛杂(Ming Kee Beef Parts.)
百勝菜馆 @ Macau City, Macau
Was brought to this place by my friends in Macau, which I don’t think I would try in the first place. I would have come across this place as it is situated at the 手信街 of Macau City, but I might not have gone into the place and try the food because I would have thought it’s just another claypot rice place. But there are a lot more stuff than claypot rice. Nested in the middle of the old alley, the eatery has a lot of history behind that place… I was told that that street used to be a place for prostitutes during the olden days and the ladies would try to attract the men from the windows of the 2nd storey. Ha!
手信街... they close this street on Sundays so no vehicles can come in and people can walk freely.
Spotted an art shop doing artistic spray painting... very nice traditional architecture.
The restaurant... They cook the claypot rice in front of you.
Menu... for the rice only...
Cooking on the spot after order is placed. Rice is a mix of 3 different rice and all semi-cooked.
When the semi-cooked rice is about to be cooked, ingredients will be added to cooked together. They give a lot of ingredients... maybe because my friends are regulars. ;P
Ground floor was full hence we had to sit upstairs... very very steep and narrow flight of stairs...
We were seated in the middle... to my left is one big table and 2 smaller tables... behind is the toilet which I heard is yucky... More menu is on the walls
On my right is one big table shared with 2-3 families...
First up was sharks fin chicken soup. I didn't eat the sharks fin 'cos of protecting the sharks reason... but had the soup instead. The soup really don't look appetizing at one glance... but the taste is so good, you definitely want a 2nd helping!
Sesame oil chicken... nice.
Abalone veg and mushroom... lovely...
Salted fish minced meat kai lan... nice...
Pork Rib Claypot Rice... Ok... must put more sauce.
My number 1 choice... beef egg calypot rice... very nice.
My 2nd choice. Very common in SG. Chicken mushroom and chinese sausage... they didn't use salted fish which I thought would taste better with it. But still good nevertheless.
Eel Claypot Rice. Don't really fancy eels like that other than in teriyaki sauce... But, the eel is fresh and quite tasty actually.
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Food is really good. You can see the rice is really of good quality also.
Portion: Slightly above average.
Price: Didn’t pay for it but claypot rice is like HK$35-$45 and the soup is like HK$80. So you see, it’s pretty affordable.
RTE: Yes I will provided I have stomach space.
Location: 手信街 of Macau City. Please note there’s another 手信街 in Taipa. So must be specific when you tell the cab driver.
Big Red Strawberry Farm @ Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
You must be wondering why I’m writing about a strawberry farm right? Reason is, I’m writing for people who are crazy over strawberries (like my mum). We went to Cameron Highlands on the last day from Ipoh for a quick day trip and the cab driver drove us to this Big Red Strawberry Farm cos the entrance unlike many other farms there, is free. They only charge you when you wanna pick strawberries. Really nice place to chill out; cool weather, strawberries galore, flora and fauna.
Signage at the entrance on the way up
View after parking
Before entering the place... with my mum of course.
The Cafe! No, didn't try the salad... cos there are other better stuff to try!
Check out the menu board... even have chocolate fondue for the strawberries!
Scone with strawberry jam, butter and cream. Comes in a set with a pot of strawberry tea.
Waffle with strawberry syrup and ice cream!
Fresh cut strawberries served with whipped cream. They add a little of sugar syrup below which you can ask them not to add. But the berries in CH is not very sweet type so better to have some syrup.
See the strawberries inside.
Strawberry milkshake
There's a shop there selling many strawberry products...
Or you can pick your own strawberries
View of the hypoallergenic veg farm from the cafe
Parsley anyone?
Some veg...
Don't you just love the greens?
Water is running continuously
Rating: 4.5/5. Great place for chillin’ out with friends or family. Kids will love this place.
Taste: If you love strawberries, you will end up ordering everything. But it’s a nice change from regular eating places.
Portion: Average
Price: Didn’t note but pretty affordable.
RTE: I might if I’m back in CH again.
Location: Ask the cab driver!
Pasar Malam (Night Market) @ Ipoh, Malaysia
What better way to end my Ipoh food spree with a write up on the night market or Pasar Malam of Ipoh. There are 2 different night markets… one is a lot bigger scale and caters more to the general public and it is at different location daily. The other one will be near Lou Wong Bean Sprout Chicken, permanently there and cater more for our muslim friends. So obviously I went to the former lah, and if I’m not wrong, they are always at Tesco area on Wednesday nights. Just ask around from the locals, they know which day is at where.
Entrance...
Lok Lok... cook in the hot water, spread some sauce, and whack... After that they count how many sticks you ate...
Only one bean curd stall and it's very good... Their bean curd all comes with ginger inside.
smooth and nice
RM$2 deep fried chempedak
Many stalls selling tako balls and taiwanese crispy chicken cutlet
Keropok stall with free tasting!! The fish one has loads of fish bits inside. They close quite early cos sell very fast so maybe you wanna be there before 8.30pm.
Paper wrapped chicken! This one is nice.
Siew mai is also very nice. Skip fishball. Big pau is ok.
Taiwnese Crispy Chicken Cutlet... many stalls... taste ok only.
Apom RM$1 for 3 pieces... last time was 4 pieces...
One guy cook, another old man roll with his bare hands... and collect money from the same hands... but still whack lah... don't care!
Asam Laksa has a few stalls... not too bad though.
Fried Carrot Cake look for this guy... he uses a lot of egg and bean sprouts. RM$2.50 only.
Deep fried crabs... never try but looks good...
Mini burgers in bite size like oreos. RM$2.50 I think. Interesting and nice.
Yes they sell these fresh water lobsters for your fish tank and fighting fish and also some other fish too
Yeah hamsters as well...
Rating: 4/5, Cannot eat in comfort but has a big variety of foods.
Taste: Not bad… don’t expect restaurant quality but it’s good fun.
Portion: Average.
Price: Stated in pics.
RTE: Maybe.
Location: Ask the locals.
