Wild Agarwood in Bangka Indonesia. King of Incense, Scent from Heaven

Running this online retirement lifestyle journal brought me to many places and experiences which I would not have otherwise (I mean you can start one too 😄 ). I just spent 3 fascinating nights in Bangka, Indonesia to learn about Agarwood - the King of Incense scent from Heaven.

Ambok Corner Nasi Ayam Penyet & Nasi Goreng Kampung at Jalan Biru Taman Palengi Hawker Centre

We ate at Ambok Corner twice and like their nasi ayam penyet as well as nasi goreng kampung.

Tokyo Secret is More than Famous Cheese Tarts & Mille Crepe. Best Restaurants in Mid Valley Southkey Johor Bahru Series

Tokyo Secret is famous for their signature Hanjuku cheese tarts, crepe cakes and bakes, but I was delighted to find out today at their Mid Valley Southkey outlet in Johor Bahru that they serve excellent savoury dishes too.

Protegie (Singapore) F & B Marketing Agency - Turning Struggling Restaurants & Startups into Successful Businesses since 2014

During my blogging, I meet F & B business owners everyday. Many have asked me to recommend a trustworthy and professional F & B marketing agency to help them grow their business.

As I am not in the business of F & B marketing, I refer them to Protegie - a Singapore based F & B marketing agency with a dynamic, passionate team led by Benjamin Chan (the enterprising, geeky guy in the white T-shirt). I have known Benjamin for 3 years (since 2016) and am impressed by his immense knowledge, energy, sincerity, and critically for me, ethical approach to business. 

The enviable results Benjamin got for his extensive portfolio of happy clients speak for itself, really.

Talk to Benjamin about growing your business 📨 protegiefnb@gmail.com

The resourceful and creative Protegie team will help your business grow by getting on top of:

💡Social media marketing (Facebook, Instagram)
💡Public relations
💡Market research
💡Strategic management
💡Advertising and promotions.

Protegie has a proven track record of helping struggling restaurants as well as F & B startups in Singapore and Malaysia thrive and prosper in today's intensely competitive environment.

Talk to Benjamin about growing your business 📨 protegiefnb@gmail.com

Master Heng Noodle @ Kampung Baru Pandan, JB. Nice Herbal Beef Noodle Soup 兴师傅手打面馆

Today, we visited Master Heng Noodle shop at Kampung Pandan in Johor Bahru. Master Heng serves a variety of noodles such as beef noodles, Hakka mee, curry mee, prawn mee etc, as well as Hakka yong tau foo.

Our Hot Favourite Kee Kee Bentong Chicken Rice @ Yat Yeh Hing Restaurant 基记文冬肥鸡饭

We were regulars at Kee Kee Bentong Chicken Rice stall near Kelana Jaya LRT station (in Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur). Most Saturday afternoons, we brought the kids here after their taekwondo class. We love the succulent, tender, smooth, juicy, sweet tasting poached chicken here.

Drive, Eat, Play Road Trip from Singapore to Tasik Kenyir Lake Fish Sanctuary with Wheels for Fun

We had a wonderful time at Tasik Kenyir lake with Wheels for Fun in Malaysia's Trengganu state. Our convoy of 8 cars drove from Singapore to Tasik Kenyir via Kuantan, a distance of about 600km. 

You Buy, Andy Cook for You Seafood Zhi Char @ Ong Siew Lian Coffee Shop in Pontian 好来海鲜

One of my favourite things to do in Johor is to drive to Pontian, buy fresh seafood from the Pontian Fish Market and let the 代炒 zhi char stalls at the market cook it for us.

Big Prawn Noodles @ AMK 443 Eating House Ang Mo Kio Singapore

As an ardent fan of prawn noodles, buddy Aaron's recent FB posts about Big Prawn Noodles stall at Blk 443 in Ang Mo Kio made me very hungry 😃

Caffé B Japanese Italian Omakase @ Club Street Singapore

I was invited to an omakase session hosted by chef Masanao Saito at Caffe B at Club Street in Singapore.

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken in Komtar JBCC Johor Bahru

We are still in the annual Singapore / Malaysia haze survival mode, having our meals in shopping malls (hopefully the air is really cleaner inside but at least it is cooler). Buddy Clarence suggested that I could do a series on Korean style fried chicken using 4 Fingers as the benchmark. So, here we are - thanks to Clarence.

Arashi Shabu Shabu @ The Mall Mid Valley Southkey Johor Bahru

We walked past Arashi Shabu Shabu countless times while out window shopping in Johor Bahru malls but never stepped in before because we are street food people, first and foremost. But, this month we were trapped in the annual Singapore / Malaysia haze and had no choice but to eat mall food. So, for the first time, we had our lunch at Arashi Shabu Shabu.

Halal Xiao Long Bao in Din Tai Fung @ The Mall Mid Valley Southkey JB vs Original DTF XLB in Taipei

I know right, most people would think that the xiao long bao in Din Tai Fung franchises cannot bear comparison with the original restaurant in Taipei. So, I must be more than a bit crazy to compare the XLB at the Halal certified DTF outlet in Mid Valley Mall in JB with the original XLB in DTF's parent restaurant near Yong Kang, Taipei. I also never thought that I would be doing this too. Anyway.... .

Cafe Hopping Guide in Taipei for Stylish Coffee Geeks with Class

We were on a week of food trails in Taipei with local buddies. In between scrumptious big meals, we chilled out in stylish cafes across the clean and beautiful city. I like Taipei cafes because they have a way of being geeky while staying classy.

22 Dul Dul Korean Fried Chicken Factory in Mount Austin Johor Bahru 韩国炸鸡工厂

Looking for lunch on a hot, hazy afternoon, we cruised around Mount Austin area to look for an indoor place to eat (and hide a while from the haze).

Butanchu Ramen in Taipei 豚人. Stay Calm & Eat Ramen with Amazing Broth

This was one of my most memorable accidental finds. Butanchu Ramen was just outside Green World Zhong Xiao hotel where we stayed for a week in Taipei. We were leaving for the airport and our taxi was arriving in 15 minutes. So we dashed into Butanchu for a quickie lunch - otherwise, an overseas chain restaurant is the last thing we want to eat in Taipei 😄

Lai Wah Heen. Sek Dim Sum & Yum Cha in Toronto 麗華軒

When Michelle, Carol, and Mama told me about their plans to visit Toronto in August, we started to compile a list of restaurants. (Yeah..... we did not compile a list of tourist attractions, we are the eating-kind 😂 ). 

October Japanese Cuisine JP Perdana Budget a la Carte Buffet in Johor Bahru

Scrolling through the posts in 吃的平台 Facebook group, we saw a member shared about the a la carte buffet at October Japanese Cuisine in JP Perdana, Johor Bahru. So, we went there for dinner today.

Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque. Masjid Negeri Sultan Abu Bakar

The majestic Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque is one of the most beautiful and historic buildings of Malaysia's southernmost state, Johor. Known as Masjid Negeri Sultan Abu Bakar in Malay language, it is the state mosque of Johor.

Nam Heong Egg Tarts in Mid Valley Southkey JB. Best Egg Tarts South of Macau?

Now you can get freshly baked famous Nam Heong egg tarts at the NH outlet in Mid Valley Mall in Southkey, Johor Bahru.

Ka Soh Fish Head Noodles @ Medical Alumni Complex, SGH Outram Park Singapore

Stumbled upon this sign while on my way to visit a friend in SGH (Singapore General Hospital). As I haven't had lunch and fish head noodles is one of my favourite dishes, I came back to Ka Soh Seafood Restaurant for lunch after visiting my friend.

Eating My Way Through The Full Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand Award Singapore 2019

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Here's the full Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand Award Singapore 2019 announced on 10 Sep. Many Singaporeans are sceptical about this list. My attitude is, aiyah there's no harm trying lah. I am eating my way through this Michelin listicle and share my independent experience with these stalls 🍽

Mandarin Oriental Ya Ge. Michelin Star Fine Chinese Restaurant in Taipei 雅閣

After a hectic morning, we went to the famous Ya Ge, a one Michelin Star Cantonese restaurant in Mandarin Oriental, Taipei.

The 3 Kingdoms of Singapore Bak Kut Teh in Taipei - Founder, Ng Ah Sio & Song Fa

When Founder Bak Kut Teh opened in Taipei in Sep 2019, it became the third top Singapore BKT brand to jump on the Taiwan bandwagon. Ahead of Founder were Ng Ah Sio (in Jul 2018) and Song Fa (Aug 2019). As a fan of all 3 Singapore BKT kingpins, I took the opportunity to visit all of them during my Taipei trip. This Taipei bak kut teh trail is easy as all three shops are within 4 MRT stops from each other along the 板南線 Bannan Line (Blue).

Founder Bak Kut Teh Taiwan Opens 1st Restaurant @ ATT 4 Fun beside Taipei 101 台北.發起人肉骨茶

Founder Bak Kut Teh, a leader in Singapore pork rib soup opened its first restaurant in Taipei's trendy ATT 4 Fun mall, right next to the iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper.

Original Stulang Laut Mee Rebus. Seaside Comfort Dish in the Happy Memories of Johor Folks

In the hearts of Johor Bahru folks, there are two mee rebus legends - Stulang Laut (and Hj Wahid).

Stulang Mee Rebus (from Cafe Enampuluhan) now in PJ Kopitiam, Permas Jaya, JB

Stulang mee rebus has a special place in the hearts of JB folks (the other is Hj Wahid mee rebus). News about Stulang mee rebus set JB social media abuzz as their fans follow them wherever they go. I was alerted to Stulang mee rebus' latest location, thanks to buddy Evonne.

Mie Aceh @ Mie Aceh Seven One in Batam Indonesia (Warung Aceh Cirasa)

Stumbling upon a late night mie Aceh stall near our hotel, we settled down to give it a try - the first ever mie Aceh for me. Before this, we heard legends that mie Aceh hawkers spike their noodles with addictive substances for better business - something which I am sceptical about but hope to verify anyway 😄

Cha Kue Abun Lontong Goreng 66. Fried Rice Cakes or Char Koay Kak in Batam

Every time I am in Batam (though I must admit I haven't been there that many times), I inevitably ended up at a coffee shop near Pasar Penuin Wet Market which locals call 榕树下 or "under the banyan tree". There are a few popular food stalls at Kopitiam Long Shu Siah - one of them is Cha Kue "Abun".

Nyonya Chendol @ Bukit Timah Hawker Centre. In Search of Singapore Best Cendol

As our car rolled along Bukit Timah Road, buddy Jen asked if anyone wants to stop for his favourite chendol. Of course, all of us want to stop for chendol - there is always time and space for good chendol, any time 😄

Chef Chik. Restaurant Quality Food at Haig Road Hawker Centre, Singapore

KF Seetoh of Makansutra, jio (Singaporean way of saying "invite") us for dinner at Chef Chik's hawker stall at Haig Road Market & Food Centre.