Master Chef Mak Kip Fu. A Serial Michelin Star Awarded Chef 麥協富師傅

Caught up with Chef Mak Kip Fu 麥協富 during a brief free moment just after his busy lunch shift at his newly opened Mak Hong Kee Kitchen at Keong Saik Road in Singapore.

Hitsumabushi @ Uya Singapore Unagi 四代目菊川 at Wheelock Place Orchard Road

I enjoyed an excellent Hitsumabushi or grilled eel with rice at the recently opened Uya Singapore unagi restaurant at Wheelock Place (conveniently located at Orchard MRT station). Uya serves authentic Hitsumabushi made with live eels prepared by a Japanese crew in the kitchen.

Japanese say this Unagi Don in Taipei is World Best 鳗味屋 關東

Restaurant name: 鳗味屋
Address: No. 45, Lane 77, Section 2, Zhongshan North Road, Zhongshan District Taipei City, Taiwan 10491 | 台北市中山區中山北路二段77巷45號
GPS: 25°03'27.2"N 121°31'30.2"E | 25.057563, 121.525045
Nearest MRT: Shuanglian 雙連 or Zhongshan Elementary School 中山國小站 (near to two stations)
Tel: +886 2 2523 9128
Hours: 11:30am - 2:30pm | 5:30pm - 9:00pm (Sunday off)

Fei Qian Wu Famous Unagi Don in Taipei 肥前屋鱼

Restaurant name: Fei Qian Wu 肥前屋
Address:  No. 13-2, Lane 121, Section 1, Zhongshan North Road, Zhongshan District Taipei City, Taiwan 10491 | 台北市中山區中山北路1段121巷13號
GPS: 25°03'04.3"N 121°31'25.2"E | 25.051182, 121.523673
Nearest MRT: Zhongshan Station 中山站
Tel: 02-2562-8701
Hours: 11:30am - 2:30pm | 5:30pm - 9:00pm

Famous Grilled Unagi Don in Tainan Taiwan 鰻丼作

Restaurant name: 鰻丼作
Address: No. 11, Lane 35, Section 2, Yongfu Road, West Central District Tainan City, Taiwan 700 | 台南市中西區永福路二段35巷11號
GPS: 22°59'26.2"N 120°12'00.4"E | 22.990597, 120.200102
Nearest MRT:
Tel: +886 6 223 1358
Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm | 5:00pm - 9:00pm

Mak Hong Kee (HK) Kitchen. Keong Saik Road Singapore 麥康記

Lunched today at the newly opened Mak Hong Kee (HK) Kitchen at Keong Saik Street, Singapore. I was excited to visit this Cantonese restaurant because it is the new venture of much respected industry veteran, Chef Mak Kip Fu from Hong Kong.

Famous No Signboard Foo Chow Fish Balls in Taipei 无招牌福州魚丸專賣店

Restaurant name: No signboard Foo Chow fish ball shop
Address: No. 1, Alley 13, Lane 74, Section 3, Bade Road, Songshan District Taipei City, Taiwan 105 | 台北市八德路3段74巷13弄1號
GPS: 25°02'50.2"N 121°33'09.9"E | 25.047287, 121.552752
Nearest MRT: Taipei Arena Station 台北小巨蛋站
Tel: 02 2577 1563
Hours: 12:00 noon - 3:00pm (Sat, Sun, Mon off)

What to Eat @ Marsiling Mall · Ye Lai Xiang Laksa 夜來香叻沙

The first time I tasted Ye Lai Xiang laksa 夜來香叻沙 was back in 2014. The stall was then at the old Marsiling hawker centre near the immigration checkpoint - the hawker centre is closed and slated for demolition to make way for new buildings. (Update: The old hawker centre had been demolished.)

Stall name: Ye Lai Xiang Laksa 夜來香叻沙

Address: 4 Woodlands Street 12, #01-73 Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre, Singapore 738623

Nearest MRT: Woodlands station

Hours: 8:00am - 3:00pm (Thurs off)

Ah Lai Chicken Rice in Pulai, Johor 亞赖鸡饭

Wanted to get out of JB and didn't want to go too far, so we drove to the Pulai-Pekan Nanas area this morning. Went to check out Ah Lai Chicken Rice 亞赖鸡饭 shop which is popular with Pulai folks.

Famous Lee Koh Kee Curry Laksa in Pekan Nanas 李国旗叻沙

Finally tasted the famous Pekan Nanas 婆婆叻沙 "Poh Poh" (grandma) laksa after missing it a few times.

Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm in Teluk Bahang Penang

For your next Penang trip, I highly recommend dropping by Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm for a couple of hours. But, I cannot guarantee that you will not be mesmerised by the beautiful butterflies and end up staying longer than you planned 😄 I had to be pulled away to get on the bus 😂

Jia Xing Foo Chow Fish Ball in Taipei 佳興魚丸

Restaurant name: Jia Xing Fish Ball 佳興魚丸
Address: No. 21, Lane 210, Section 2, Yanping North Road, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 103 | 台北市大同區延平北路二段210巷21號
GPS: 25°03'33.4"N 121°30'38.7"E | 25.059282, 121.510751
Nearest MRT: Daqiaotou Station 大橋頭站
Tel: 02-2553-6470
Hours: 9:00am - 6:30pm (Sunday off)

Penang National Park. Taman Negara Pulau Pinang

Before my eco-tourism trip with Tourism Malaysia, I didn't even know that there is a national park in Penang. Taman Negara Pulau Pinang may be Malaysia's smallest national park, but it is just the right size to fit in half a day of fun exploring some of Malaysia's unique natural wonders. It sure makes a visit to Penang more interesting - adding another reason to visit Penang on top of eating, photos with wall murals in Georgetown, shopping, sun worshipping and partying in Batu Ferringhi.

Pork Soup with Rat Tail Noodles in Taipei 台北條仔老店米苔目

Restaurant name: 台北條仔老店米苔目
Address: No. 3, Lane 233, Nanjing West Road, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 103
GPS: 25°03'14.6"N 121°30'37.8"E | 25.054041, 121.510505
Nearest MRT: Beimen Station 北門站
Tel: +886 2 2555 2073
Hours: 6:00am - 2:00pm daily

Where to get Good Traditional Nanyang Coffee in Singapore. Malaysia Boleh! Jurong

The humble Nanyang kopi that perked up generations of Singaporeans and Malaysians is beating a slow but steady retreat. It is not winning over much of the Millennial Generation but equally worrying, raising costs and labour crunch have led to a dwindling of old school Nanyang kopi shops that do things the old way. That's sad because traditional Nanyang kopi is a unique way of drinking coffee found only in Singapore and Malaysia.

One Bowl Restaurant & Bar. The Sultan Hotel. Singapore

Five of us gathered for lunch at One Bowl restaurant at The Sultan hotel along Jalan Sultan in Singapore. (Two were repeat customers to this month old little restaurant 😄 ) The menu consists of familiar dishes from owner Tammie Loke's personal repertoire. We enjoyed ourselves as the food was tasty and reasonably priced for the ambiance and location.

Mother of Taiwan Chicken Chops. The Stall that Created the Taiwan Food Icon 鄭姑媽小吃店

Restaurant name: 鄭姑媽小吃店
Address: No. 13, Alley 25, Lane 790, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District Taipei City, Taiwan 110 | 台北市信義區忠孝東路五段790巷25弄13號1樓
GPS: 25°02'34.1"N 121°34'59.5"E | 25.042818, 121.583180
Nearest MRT: Houshanpi 後山埤站
Tel: 02-2726-9150
Hours: 6:00am - 2:00pm | 4:00pm - 6:00pm (Sunday off)

Eco Attractions of Penang. The Pearl of the Orient is More than a Foodie's Paradise

I was wrong about Penang.

I always thought of Penang first as a foodie's paradise. It's all about char kway teow, asam laksa, nasi kandar, orcee durian, tau sar piah, followed by mural art in Georgetown, and clubbing in Batu Ferringhi.

There is little opportunity for sports and exercise beyond queuing for food, so thought this frog in the well 🐸

Rumah Makan Sri Muallim. Authentic Malay Cuisine in Tanjung Malim

On the way back to Kuala Lumpur from Penang, we pulled into Tanjong Malim in Perak and lunched at Rumah Makan Sri Muallim. It's one of best traditional Malay meals I have tasted and in a charming rustic kampung style ambiance. I can't wait to share it with you.

Kim Guan Guan Traditional Nanyang Coffee in Singapore

For many of us in Singapore and Malaysia, a cup of traditional black coffee is a comforting pick me up we must have every morning, during coffee break, after meals, or at any time. For me, I cannot imagine my life without traditional Nanyang coffee.

Famous Kimberley Road Char Kway Teow @ Sin Guat Keong 新月宫茶室

Our tour bus stopped near Kimberley Road and our guide gave us 30 minutes "to contribute to the Penang economy".

Zhuó Family Dumpling House in Taipei 禚家餃子館

Restaurant name: 禚家餃子館
Address: No. 204, Section 1, Zhongyang South Road, Beitou District, Taipei City, Taiwan 112
GPS: 25°07'42.6"N 121°30'04.1"E | 25.128490, 121.501147
Nearest MRT: Qiyan 捷運奇岩站
Tel: +886 2 2858 8315
Hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm

Chinese New Year Goody. Tee Soon Seng Cuttlefish

As one who is addicted to savoury, sweet, spicy toasted crispy cuttlefish, I was glad for the opportunity to see how these are made at Tee Soon Seng in their little factory in Defu Lane, Singapore.

Locals Say Beitou Market Braised Pork Rice is Best Lo Rou Fan in Taiwan 矮仔財滷肉飯

Restaurant name: 矮仔財滷肉飯
Address:   112, Taiwan, Taipei City, Beitou District, Xinshi Street, 30號市場二樓 436號攤位
GPS: 25°07'55.8"N 121°30'11.5"E | 25.132168, 121.503196
Nearest MRT: Beitou Station 北投站
Tel: +886 932 386 789
Hours: 6:30am - 1:30pm (Monday off)

What to Eat @ Marsiling Mall >> Fu Shi Roasted. Wanton Mee 富市传统烧腊

Dropped by at the just opened Marsiling Mall near Woodlands MRT station today - this is Singapore's newest hawker centre. The first stall I went for was Fu Shi Traditional Roasts 富市传统烧腊 as I missed their char siew - it's one of the few places in Singapore for juicy KL style char siew at pocket friendly prices.

Popular Taipei Braised Pork Rice Locals Wish You Don't Know About 黃記滷肉飯

Restaurant name: 黃記滷肉飯
Address: No. 28, Lane 183, Section 2, Zhongshan North Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104 | 台北市中山區中山北路二段183巷28號
GPS: 25°03'49.4"N 121°31'26.8"E | 25.063718, 121.524109
Nearest MRT: Zhongshan Elementary School (take exit 1) 中山國小站
Tel: +886 2 2595 8396
Hours: 12:00 noon - 9:30pm (Monday off)

Mamalicious Nyonya House @ Taman Pelangi Johor Bahru 蓮姐传统手制糕点

Buddy KK told me about Mamalicious Nyonya House at Jalan Sri Pelangi where the Pelangi pasar pagi is located (on Mondays and Thursdays). "Meet you at 7:30am because later most of the nice kueh will be snapped up by aunties doing marketing" KK warned me 😄 So, I set my alarm clock to make sure that I got here early.

Taipei Shanghai Restaurant more Authentic than in Shanghai China 上海隆記菜館

Restaurant name: 上海隆記菜館
Address: No. 1, Lane 101, Yanping South Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
GPS: 25°02'33.5"N 121°30'39.3"E | 25.042625, 121.510923
Nearest MRT: Ximen Station Exit 4 西門站 (隆記 is just short 15 minutes walk to the east of Xinmending shopping district)
Tel: +886 2 2331 5078
Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm | 5:00pm - 9:00pm (Sunday closed)

2018 Lunar New Year Set Menus @ Meisan Szechuan Restaurant in Hotel Mutiara JB

My first Chinese New Year 捞起 lou hei session of 2018 was at Meisan Restaurant with Hotel Mutiara Johor Bahru GM Ahmad Bukhari and his team 😄 It was also an opportunity to sample dishes from Meisan's Lunar New Year Set Menus (available from 15 Feb - 2 Mar 2018).

Famous Shandong Leek Empanada & Scallion Pancake in Taipei 秦家餅店

Restaurant name: 秦家餅店
Address: No. 12, Lane 6, Siwei Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106 | 台北市四維路6巷12號 (仁愛圓環, 從敘香園旁的巷子走進去, 就在敘香園停車場旁) 
GPS: 25°02'13.7"N 121°32'52.0"E | 25.037140, 121.547771
Nearest MRT: Da'an 大安站
Tel：02-2705-7255 (best to book ahead of time)
Hours: 11:30am - 7:00pm (Sunday off)

Revisiting HJ Abu Soto Power. New Building, Same Top Soto

Took a rather long drive to Kampung Pasir Putih in Pasir Gudang for one of my favourite mee soto ayam places at HJ Abu Soto Power.

Tang Palace Mongolian BBQ Taipei 唐宮蒙古烤肉涮羊肉餐廳

Restaurant name: Tang Palace Mongolian BBQ 唐宮蒙古烤肉涮羊肉餐廳
Address:  283, Songjiang Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10491 | 台北市松江路283號2樓 (restaurant is at level 2)
GPS: 25°03'37.0"N 121°32'00.5"E | 25.060284, 121.533472
Nearest MRT:  Xingtian Temple Station 蘆洲線-行天宮站3號出口右轉 (just steps away from Exit 3)
Tel: 02-2505-1029 / 02-2502-6762
Hours: 11:30am - 2:00pm | 5:30pm - 9:30pm daily

Happy Pau of Tanjung Sepat Hai Yew Heng Pau Fame @ Setia Indah JB

Stumbled upon Happy Pau 包开心 shop in Taman Setia Indah while hunting for breakfast this rainy Monday morning. I was curious because the signboard outside says Hainanese Pau 海南包 - what is Hainanese pau? I wondered.

今天不小心在 Jalan Setia 7/18 碰到包开心. 跟老板小谈一下才知道, 他们来自丹绒士拔.海友兴手工海南包.  是 Tanjung Sepat 很有名的老字号. 包的种类有十几种. 招牌是梅菜包. 包皮比较厚, 轻轻松松的, 口感有一点像白面包里面的肉. 朋友们有时间可以试试哦.

Ultra Crispy Stinky Tofu in Taipei. Song Shang Hao 宋上好脆皮臭豆腐

Restaurant name: Song Shang Hao Crispy Tofu 宋上好脆皮臭豆腐
Address: Intersection of Jinxi Street and Shuanglian Street, Taipei | 台北市錦西街86號 (雙連街和錦西街口)
GPS: 25°03'36.8"N 121°31'08.0"E | 25.060207, 121.518879
Nearest MRT: Minquan W. Rd. Station (Exit 2) 捷運民權西路站
Tel: +886 937 842 110
Hours: 4:00pm - 1:00am

AS Ikan Bakar Tepi Masjid Jamek Jalil Hassan in Kampung Pasir Putih, Johor

I was driving pass Masjid Jamek Jalil Hassan in Kampung Pasir Putih when the corner of my eye caught sight of tell tale white smoke from an ikan bakar stall at the intersection. I instinctively pulled over to check out this potential good makan (eating) place.

Hidden Ultimate Stinky Tofu in Keelung Taiwan 基隆山中胡記臭豆腐

Restaurant name: 胡記臭豆腐
Address: No. 53之13號, Lane 12, Peide Road, Xinyi District, Keelung City, Taiwan 201 | 基隆市信義區培德路12巷52號-13
GPS: 25°07'38.4"N 121°46'23.0"E 25.127328, 121.773044
Transport: Accessible only by car
Tel: +886 933 767 372
Hours: 9:00am - 9:00pm

Urinating Super Juicy Chicken Chop @ Shilin Night Market 😂 新士林夜市.灑尿雞排

Restaurant name: 士林灑尿雞排
Address: Basement 1, Stall #16, Shilin Night Market | No. 111, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111 
GPS: 25°05'18.1"N 121°31'34.8"E | 25.088368, 121.526320 
Nearest MRT: Jiantan Station 捷運劍潭站 
Tel: +886 916 038 273
Hours: 6:00pm - 11:00pm daily

Cheap and Good Laksa at Taman Serene Food Centre Johor Bahru

Kumar introduced me to this laksa at stall #7 at quiet little Taman Serene hawker centre, off Jalan Biru in JB. That was in 2012, and I am back 5 years later in 2018.

RMB Noodle House 長江一品粿条汤. Taman Pelangi. Formerly LJ Noodle House

We were exploring Taman Pelangi for food and decided to check out RMB Noodle House. We passed this corner noodle shop a few times before and there were always customers inside - often it was full house.

7 Grapes Wines & Tapas @ Puteri Harbour Johor

Puteri Harbour is the hangout, chill out place of choice of JB folks and visitors. There are many dining and drinking options here. Newly opened 7 Grapes offers a moderately priced option to enjoy the view of the marina and sea breeze while sipping wine with freshly made tapas.

Canton-i Signature HK Wanton Mee @ AEON Tebrau City JB

Canton-i @ AEON Tebrau City is one of the places to get authentic Hong Kong style wanton noodles in Johor Bahru.

Delicious Stopover at Storey Ria in Taman Kebun Teh JB

Brunch today at Storey Ria off the Tebrau Highway in Taman Kebun Teh. I like this quiet little eatery which offers a good range of local Malay, Indonesia, Indian, Nyonya and Chinese favourite dishes, snacks and desserts. I tried just the nasi lemak and some kueh today, and will be back for more.

Shilin Night Market Hotstar Fried Chicken Chop 士林夜市豪大大雞扒

Restaurant name: Shilin Hotstar Chicken Chop 士林夜市豪大大雞扒 
Address: No. 113, Wenlin Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
GPS: 25°05'18.1"N 121°31'34.8"E | 25.088368, 121.526320
Nearest MRT: Jiantan Station 捷運劍潭站
Tel: +886 2 2995 7978
Hours: 4:30pm - 1:00pm daily (opens at 1:00pm on Sat & Sun)

Taiwan Fried Popcorn Chicken in Dazhi Taipei 大直台灣鹽酥雞

Restaurant name: Taiwan Fried Chicken 台灣鹽酥雞
Address: No. 530, Beian Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10491 (This is the founding shop. There are several franchise outlets.)
GPS: 25°04'47.2"N 121°32'47.9"E | 25.079779, 121.546625
Tel: +886 2 2532 1591
Nearest MRT: Steps from Dazhi 捷運大直站 Exit 2
Hours: 10:30am to 3:00am

Crispy Popcorn Chicken in Kaohsiung. Taiwan Best Street Food 高雄小上海鹽酥雞

Look out for famous 小上海鹽酥雞 mobile street side crispy popcorn chicken stall when you are in Kaohsiung. It has been around for over 20 years and fans chase it all around Kaohsiung as it operates in a different location every night (except Weds).

Weng Heong Bak Kut Teh 永香海参肉骨茶. Taman Intan. Klang's BKT Central

For our first meal of 2018, we decided to take a drive from KL to Klang for bak kut teh - we had a couple days of fish but we were too near the bak kut teh capital of the world to resist.

Cheras Flat Woo Pin Fish Head Noodles 湖濱魚頭米 in KL

Today, we enjoyed breakfast with locals at Cheras Flats Woo Pin Fish Head Noodles 湖濱魚頭米. It's meals like this that make me fall in love with KL again and again. Personally, I consider it a blessing to be able to find joy in good food everywhere, including simple food in humble places.