On and off, I have a secret wish to go vegetarian for a more healthy lifestyle 😄 But, so far, it has only been a nice thought 😝 Anyway, when I saw on the Taipei itinerary that we were going to visit 觀世音素菜餐廳, one of the top vegetarian restaurants in Taiwan, I was very excited. It turned out to be a memorable experience with exquisitely delicious healthful vegetarian dishes.
During the last couple of months, this home based nasi kukus stall at Jalan Hang Jebat 5 in Skudai has been the rage in JB social media.
Had lunch today at the newest Shoon Huat bak kut teh 顺发肉骨茶 outlet at Eco Botanic City in Iskandar Puteri (Nusajaya), Johor. This is Shoon Huat's nineteenth outlet. So, that actually makes this homegrown JB brand, the largest BKT chain in the world. Amazing, am I right?
I am glad my golfing days are long over - I never enjoyed it. The ponds seemed to have magnets that suck my golf balls in, swallow and eat them like popcorns. The greens seemed to be protected by invisible force fields that prevent my balls from going near.
In the middle of obligatory games under the blazing sun, my constant thought was always "when is this going to be over 😂" But, I did enjoy the icy beers and makan times with golf kakis at the club house and golf terrace 😄
Lunch today was at the newly launched Dining Place by Chef Heman at level 4 of Mandarin Gallery at Singapore's Orchard Road.
(Dining Place has been completely revamped with new chef since Nov 2017 👈 click)
I stumbled upon these bronzed beauties at the Hong Kong Street Zhen Ji 香港街珍記 at Blk 158 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4. But, I already had two other food stalls in mind this morning, so I just snapped this picture to remind myself to come back another day.
I was at one of my old haunts, Alexandra Village Food Centre today. After circling the 100+ food stalls a few rounds, I noted that the stalls with the longest lunch time queues were the roasts stall, braised duck, and claypot laksa stalls.
This dish used to be eaten to rancorous shouts of "Bomb Tokyo! Bomb Tokyo!".
We were at Yin Yih 銀翼餐廳 or "Silver Wings" restaurant in Taipei which started life in 1928 as the dining hall serving pilots and officers at the Republic of China Airforce Academy in Nanjing.
Chiou Hwa Restaurant 九華樓 at Gloria Prince Hotel 華泰王子大飯店 is one of the go to places in Taipei for Peking Duck and Cantonese cuisine 粵菜.
The Chen Family Restaurant 成家小館 is a humble little eatery in Taipei that serves a good Manchurian style "sour hotpot" and an extensive range of solidly executed traditional dishes.
We visited Kanpai Yakiniku in Taipei and had a really great time. The beef and pork are top notch, service is excellent, the decor is cosy and the crowd here is infectiously happy. It feels really good here - full of positive vibes. I wanna be back 😄
Almost everyone who has been to Taiwan will fall in love with the night markets here. It is so full of life and youthful energy. There are hundreds of stalls, many owned and run by enthusiastic young hawkers. Night markets are where many successful F & B entrepreneurs in Taiwan cut their teeth.
I met up with YJ at the little stall #02-83 at Chinatown Hawker
Centre. He wanted to share with me a lo mai kai / lou mai gai 糯米鸡
dish rarely seen, and soon to disappear from Singapore hawker
centres. I was excited to try it - the last time I had this style of
lo mai kai was in Scarborough, Canada.
😄😄😄 Don't panic, this list is just a guide. This was compiled with recommendations from Johor Kaki readers. Of course, we won't be able to eat everything here in one day but it is a helpful reference. Thank you for all your recommendations 😃
Buddy Steven suggested that we have dinner at Lai Hing zhi cha in JB after our day long food trail in Kluang. I thought it was a great idea as our Kluang food trail began at day break, and eating dinner in Kluang meant driving back late at night - it would be a little taxing for my vintage chassis 😜 I was also keen to visit Steven's favourite JB zhi cha place as I have not been to Lai Hing before 😋
Foodie buddy Jeff has been sharing about his favourite char kway teow stall in Restoran Dwi Lapan kopitiam 88 美食阁 in Taman Tun Aminah. Anak Johor Jeff knows the best eats in town.
I am a big fan of KL style pork ball noodles - they are among my best memories of my years in Kuala Lumpur nearly 20 years ago.
Char kway teow is a very popular dish in Singapore and Malaysia, so CKT stalls are found everywhere here. Anthony Bourdain called this humble stir fried noodle dish, the "tastiest ugliest mess". But, good CKT stalls are actually rare as CKT is a very hard dish to master.
I stumbled upon Ms Chuah 蔡's pop up stand selling Teochew Kueh in front of stall 47 "Gerai Mee Ayam. Laksa. Johor". Her trays of freshly made Teochew kueh are simply laid and sold on folding tables in front of the closed stall 47.
Dong Hong at Stall 62 of the Taman Sri Tebrau Hawker Centre is popular among JB locals for traditional Teochew kueh. The moment they open for business at 4pm from Saturday to Tuesday, regulars descend on the stall to take away bags of their favourite Teochew kueh 😄
Crystal Bakuuteh was one of the first blogs I posted on Johor Kaki back in 2012. It was at the corner shop in the now demolished Lion Hotel building. A brand new hotel now stand in its place. (I am glad that I have some photos and simple notes about the old shop.)
A visit to the historic and culturally significant Yellow Crane Tower 黄鹤楼 is a must for any tourist to Wuhan. The tower is at the Taoist spiritual and cultural heart of many Chinese.
Doubletree by Hilton Johor Bahru Executive Chef Jaffery invited me try out their Grilled Tomahawk steak which is available from now till Sept 2017 at the hotel's Tosca Trattoria Italiana.
JK reader, anak Johor Lena said I should try the 猪脚醋 pork cooked in black vinegar at Onn Kee Jaya in Tampoi. I've been to Onn Kee before a couple of times and liked their fish head in yam soup. They are also famed for their steamed fish. But, I have not tried their black vinegar pork so far.
Any trip to Wuhan city would be incomplete if it does not include a visit to the Hubei Museum 湖北省博物馆, one of the top museums in China, if not the world.
One thing about Singapore food is, good chicken rice are found all over the island and at very reasonable prices too. Singapore is truly the chicken rice capital of the world. Every town in Singapore, from Woodlands to Tiong Bahru, from Pasir Ris to Jurong West all have their top chicken rice stalls. For Bedok, Zeng Ji is among the best here.
When we arrived at the jetty to board the Zhi Yin Hao 知音号 for a cruise on the Yangtze River, I was expecting the usual nice dinner on the boat and a grand view of the Wuhan skyline as the boat glides down China's longest river. It turned out to be that - and more, a lot more.
While on a public bus on the way to JB CIQ (to go back to Singapore) this morning, traffic was at a standstill at Jalan Jim Quee due to construction work. Remembering that buddy Melvin once suggested that I try the old school bak kut teh at Kedai Kopi Malaysian, I decided to get off the bus right there. When I asked the driver in my limited Malay if I could get off the bus there, he gladly opened the door immediately - I love the easy going flexibility 😄
Friends mentioned a good chicken porridge shop along Jalan Harimau before but it was only today that we stumbled upon it while exploring food stalls around KSL Mall.
I enjoyed a nice lunch at Bake N Frost cafe in Taman Adda Height, Johor Bahru today 😃
Thanks to buddy Corinne for showing me Vamos Coffee Roastery in Sri Tebrau, JB - it's a most fascinating place 😄 Vamos is no ordinary cafe - that is too mainstream 😄
Bak Cheng Bak Kut Teh 木清肉骨茶 is a JB brand of BKT most "old JB folks" or 老新山 know, and which many love. Founded by the late Bak Cheng in the 1950s, his wife and children now continue the legacy of Bak Cheng bak kut teh. Bak Cheng's father was also a bak kut teh hawker.
Arriving in Enshi from Wuhan after a comfortable 4-hour high speed rail ride, the first place we visited was Yunlong Crevice Scenic Area 云龙地缝景区 - a beautiful natural wonder near the Enshi Grand Canyon.
Every year for a month after Hari Raya Aidilfitri, lemang stalls appear along road sides throughout Malaysia.
Updated 14 Aug 2019. AlleyLab Coffee Roastery at Citrine Hub in Sunway Iskander Nusajaya is where coffee lovers and coffee geeks in the know go for their cuppa Arabica in Johor Bahru.
We met for dinner at the spanking new Moonlight Cake House outlet in Bandar Seri Alam in Masai, Johor (opened in Jun 2017).
