When you are in Bhutan, you may be forgiven if you thought that momo could be the country's national dish 🤭
Adventurous Foodie Geographer's Diary with 70 million+ reads 📧 johorkaki@gmail.com
Torma • Food Gifts for the Gods • Simple Introduction
Visiting monasteries in Bhutan, beautiful offerings on altars in front of deities caught my eye.
Chele La Pass • 3 Things People Do @ Bhutan's Highest Road Pass
On our way from Paro town to Haa town in the Haa Valley on a cold November day, we stopped a while at Chele La for its splendid mountain vista and a warm cup of butter tea at the Himalayan kingdom's highest motorable mountain pass.
Ani Marilyn Café📍Shechen Nunnery Phobjikha Valley Bhutan • Big Hearted Chef from Singapore Trains Bhutanese Nuns to Bake ❤️☕🥖
I was witness to so many firsts during this Bhutan trip:
• First time a Singapore based chef trains nuns to bake in Bhutan
• Launch of the first cafe operated by nuns in Bhutan
• First cafe honouring Britisher Marilyn Silverstone who dedicated her life to promoting understanding of Himalayan kingdoms.
OK Zhen Hao Wei 美味 HK 100% Cantonese Steamed Fish📍 Dunman Food Centre ☎️ 9434 0043
Went to OK 美味 at Dunman Food Centre for lunch today. (Thanks to kaki kaki Stanley for the suggestion.) It was a very satisfying meal at the right price.
Dochula Pass Stupas Bhutan • Come for Culture & Spiritual Journey, Stay for the Himalayan Vista.
Long before I visited Bhutan, I was drawn to media images of Dochula Pass - it has an air of mystic waiting to be uncovered. It's one of the places I hoped to visit in Bhutan.
Why are Bhutan & Singapore Both Called "Switzerland of Asia"? Same Same but Different
On my first night in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan we stayed in Swiss Boutique Hotel.
What is a Swiss boutique hotel doing in the heart of Bhutan, I wondered 🤔
Haa Valley Bhutan Buckwheat Momo • Hoentey • Dumplings📍Kuenphen Restaurant ☎️ +975-17889641 ☎️ +975-77307753
Ema datsi or chili cheese is the national dish (and best known Bhutanese dish to foreigners). Chili cheese is a side dish in most Bhutanese meals while momo, a dumpling dish less known outside Bhutan has a strong presence in the country as a staple dish. The dumpling dish is widely popular and momo joints are everywhere in Bhutan (in the same way chicken rice is ubiquitous in Singapore).
Mom's Restaurant & Bakery 📍 What to Eat @ Khaling, Trashigang, Bhutan ☏ 1798 1386 ☏ 1790 4662
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| Mom's Restaurant 📌 Khaling town along Trashigang - Samdrup - Jongkhar Highway ☏ 1798 1386 ☏ 1790 4662 ⏰ Lunch & Dinner |
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Master Sonam oversees many aspects of the monastery's operations including its farm which produces vegetables, milk, butter and cheese for the monks' daily meals. This picture was taken at the monastery's mushroom farm near Khaling.
Chin Choon Black Sauce Prawn Noodle📍265 Bukit Batok 進春
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| 進春 Chin Choon Prawn Noodle 📍265 Bukit Batok East Ave 4, Singapore 650265 (stall in De Tian 德天 coffee shop) 🚅 15 minute walk from Bukit Batok station ⏰ 7am - 3pm (Mon & Weds off) |
Decades ago, I was living near Upper Bukit Timah Road. I remember three stalls from there which I often had my breakfast - a black sauce pork & prawn noodle shop, a Teochew sliced fish soup stall, and a wanton mee / chicken rice stall with roast chicken and pork. I don't know the names of any of these favourites. I just know where they were located along Upper Bukit Timah Road. They were my reliable places of habit 老地方,习惯的味道.
Nan Gyi Thoke in Singapore • Myanmese "Dry Laksa"
Came back to Shwe Kant Kaw Myanmese Cuisine stall in Clementi again for my Myanmese food fix.
#01-148 Fu Cheng Steam Fish & Seafood 📍 Old Airport Road Food Centre 福城 ☏ 9736 5766
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| Fu Cheng 福城 📍 51 Old Airport Rd, stall #01-148, Singapore 390051 (Old Airport Road Food Centre) 🚅 5 minute walk from Dakota station ☏ 9736 5766 ⏰ 5pm - 9pm |
Kaki kaki jio-ed (invited) to try Fu Cheng steamed fish stall at Old Airport Road Food Centre.
Go Go Jiangsu China • My Personal Journey of Discovery
Jiangsu province is one of my favourites places to visit in China. Slightly more than 102,000sq km, Jiangsu is the third smallest Chinese province but the fourth most populous with around 85 million people. (To put things in perspective, Peninsula Malaysia is 131,000sq km in size with population 20 million.)
Jiangsu province has the highest Per Capita GDP among China's 34 provinces at USD22,500.
Ah Mah Lee's Food Stall • Li Ji Xiao Chi 📍 Holland Village Hawker Centre 李記小吃
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| Li Ji Xiao Chi 李記小吃 📍 1 Lor Mambong, Singapore 277700 (stall #01-23 in Holland Village Market & Food Centre) 🚅 3 minute walk from Holland Village station ⏰ 10 am - 3 pm | 6:30pm - 9:30 pm |
Ah Mah (grandma) Lee's food stall Li Ji Xiao Chi at Holland Village Hawker Centre recently got a lot of attention on social media. Buddy Kristen wanted to support Ah Mah Lee's stall.
Ah Hui Milkfish 📍 Kaoshiung 阿惠虱目魚米粉 • 高雄大立市场 ☏ +886 7241 0578
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| 阿惠虱目魚米粉 📍#279號, Rende St, Qianjin District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 801 🚅 5 minute walk from Central Park station ☏ +886 7241 0578 ⏰ 5am - 11am (Monday off) |
One of the objectives I set for myself for my recent trip to Kaohsuing was to come back with a good appreciation of milkfish in Taiwanese food culture.
Ruh Cafe No.2 📍 Coffee in Kaohsiung 路人咖啡2號店 ☎+886 7241 6321
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| Ruh Cafe No.2 路人咖啡2號店 📍 801, Taiwan, Kaohsiung City, Qianjin District, 大同二路46號 🚅 5 minute walk from Cianjin 前金 station ☎ +886 7241 6321 ⏰ 8am - 6pm (Sun off) |
Modern cafes are everywhere in Taiwan. Taiwanese love chilling in cafes with friends, their devices (phones, etc), and even books.
JÄÄDE Water Celebrates First Anniversary • Taste the Joy of Nordic Nature
✍️ 22 Oct 2025. Today, JÄÄDE Water celebrates its first Anniversary in Singapore.
Ji Ji Wanton Noodle 📍 Hong Lim Market & Food Centre 基记面家 ☎ 6532 2886
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| Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist 基记面家 📍 531A Upper Cross St, stall #02-48/49 Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, Singapore 051531 🚅 5 minute walk from Chinatown station ☎ 6532 2886 ⏰ 9:30 am - 3 pm | 5pm - 7 pm (Thurs off) |
Ji Ji Noodle House really doesn't need any more introduction. The wanton noodle stall has been in the Hong Lim area since 1965 and in the Singapore Michelin Guide since its inaugural edition in 2016.
Mohd Chan Chinese Muslim Halal Restaurant 📍 Ipoh Branch 怡保 清真中式佳肴 ☎ +6012 790 0914
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| Mohd Chan Restaurant @ Ipoh 📍56, Jalan Raja Musa Aziz, Kampung Jawa, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia ☎ +6012 790 0914 ⏰ 11 am - 10:30 pm |
Mohd Chan Chinese Muslim Restaurant is a chain with many outlets in Peninsula Malaysia. Our host brought us to the Mohd Chan outlet in Ipoh.
Chooi Yue Dim Sum • Eat with Locals📍Taman Ipoh Selatan 翠月楼点心 ☎ +6016 534 5965
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| Chooi Yue Dim Sum Ipoh 翠月楼点心 📍Tingkat Taman Ipoh 12, Taman Ipoh Selatan, 31400 Ipoh, Perak ☎ +6016 534 5965 ⏰ 7am - 2pm (Thurs off) |
Found myself in Ipoh again, the Cantonese town of Perak, Malaysia. As a Cantonese myself, I feel a certain visceral affinity for the laid back, prosperous former mining town.
Eating dim sum is part of being Cantonese, so it is naturally part of our agenda.
Vertigo Rooftop Bar • One of the Best Views of KL Skyline 📍Banyan Tree Hotel Kuala Lumpur ☎ +603 2113 1822
After a full day in Kuala Lumpur, we chilled a while at Vertigo rooftop bar.
Looi Heng Koka Chicken Rice 📍 Yun Sheng Coffeeshop Johor Jaya Teratai 瑞興可口雞飯 • 雲昇茶餐室
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| Looi Heng Koka Chichen Rice • Yun Sheng coffee shop 📍 Address: 2, Jalan Teratai 8, Taman Johor Jaya, 81100 Johor Bahru 📞 +6016 757 4592 (Yun Sheng coffee shop) ⏰ 7:30am - dinner |
瑞興可口雞飯 has been at this corner coffee in Taman Johor Jaya Teratai for over 30 years. It has a multi-generation local following built over the decades without much social media hype.
瑞興可口雞飯 doesn't have an English name. For the purpose of this article, I translated it to Looi Heng Koka Chicken Rice.
My Little Spanish Place Bukit Timah MLSP • Certified Restaurant from Spain 2025 ☎ 6463 2810
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| My Little Spanish Place (Bukit Timah) | 619 Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 269720 🚅 3 minutes walk from Tan Kah Kee station ☎ 6463 2810 ⏰ 6:30pm - 10:30pm (Lunch available on Sat & Sun | off on Mon) |
Attended the Giant Paella Brunch event at My Little Spanish Place in Bukit Timah which was part of Eat Spain Drink Spain Singapore festival 2025.
Tasik Cermin Mirror Lake • Ipoh has a Lot More to Offer than Great Food ☎ +6012 268 4116
Ipoh, Perak has great food, cultural heritage, fascinating stories and amazing natural beauty.
Kellie's Castle, Folly or Haunted House? Enigma of Batu Gajah 📞 +6010 505 4817
✍️ 9 Oct 2025. Finally visited Kellie's Castle 😄
I first heard about Kellie's Castle when it made the news in 2000, when the Malaysian government decided to restore and repurpose the long abandoned property into a tourist attraction.
Global Travel Meet Kuala Lumpur 2025 • Tourism Malaysia's RM420 Million Masterstroke.
1 - 3 Oct 2025. Malaysia successfully hosted 1,500 of the world's key hospitality and travel industry leaders, innovators and stakeholders at the Global Travel Meet 2025.
L'Arte Pizza & Focaccia Hidden in Tanjong Pagar (next to Pura Brasa Spanish Restaurant) ☎ 8932 2923 🍕
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| L'Arte Pizza & Focaccia | 5 Wallich St, Guoco Tower, #01 - 14, Singapore 078883 🚅 3 minutes from Tanjong Pagar station ☎ 8932 2923 ⏰ 11:30am - 8pm |
I vaguely know that there is a pizza kiosk opposite Pura Brasa the famous Spanish restaurant in Tanjong Pagar. Today, I found out that they make excellent pizza Romana or Rome style pizza 🍕 and focaccia.
Sinhalese Bar Ipoh • Original Pre-War Chill @ Concubine Lane ☎ +605 241 2235
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| Sinhalese Bar | 2, Jalan Bijeh Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia ☎ +605 241 2235 ⏰ 12 noon - 10pm (Monday off) |
I never tire of Ipoh's Concubine Lane even though I don't count the times I have been here anymore 🤭
Pak Tam Bakery • Rediscover the Soulful Joy of Humble Roti Loaf Bread 🍞
On the way from KL to Ipoh, we pulled over at Tapah RnR (rest stop). After doing the needful, I roamed around the food stalls. I expected the usual.
Then, buddy Sidney pointed out that "the famous thing here is the bread" 🍞
Nam Makes Guangxi Chicken Special 廣西味唸鸡
We all know that Cantonese and Hainanese love their chicken, but the people of Guangxi love their chicken as much as their compatriots in Guangdong and Hainan provinces.
Pah Li Ban Sien's Kitchen • Guangxi Taste Chicken Rice @ Gao Deng Coffee Shop Skudai 阿贤厨房•廣西味淋滑鷄•八哩半高登咖啡店 ☎ 017 754 1696
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| Sien's Kitchen • Guangxi Taste Chicken Rice 阿贤厨房•廣西味淋滑鷄 | 1&2, Jalan Kilang Nenas, Taman Sutera Utama, 81300 Skudai, Johor ⏰ 7:30am - 12 noon (Thurs off) |
Tried one of the three chicken rice stalls at Pah Li Ban (in Skudai), my regular JB breakfast haunt for over a decade.
Fly Direct from Singapore Changi to Zhangjiajie by Loong Air 🛫 Launch 9 Oct 2025
Starting from 9 Oct 2025, Loong Air 长龙航空 will fly direct between Singapore and Zhangjiajie 张家界 in China's Hunan province.
Hong Wen Mutton Soup Maxwell • Original 50 Year Old Beauty World Icon 紅炆羊肉湯
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| Old Beauty World Hong Wen Mutton Soup 紅炆羊肉湯 | 1 Kadayanallur Street, stall #01-25, Singapore 069184 (Maxwell Food Centre) 🚅 At Maxwell station ⏰ 9:30am - 7:30pm (Sat & Sun off) |
Stumbled upon Hong Wen Mutton Soup stall at Maxwell Food Centre. I know Hong Wen as it was one of the top of my mind Chinese mutton soup stalls in Singapore since the 1980s.
Eh... But Hong Wen Mutton Soup seemed a bit out of place here in the CBD 🤔 - the stall is an Upper Bukit Timah / Beauty World icon.
Olive Oil 101 Crash Course 🫒 Eat Spain Drink Spain Singapore 2025
Most of us have attended wine tasting, tea tasting, coffee tasting, cheese tasting, even durian tasting, but this was the first time I experienced olive oil tasting, thanks to Eat Spain Drink Spain (ESDS) festival 2025.
Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak with Huge Fried Chicken • Amoy Street Food Centre ☎ 8089 2119
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| Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak | 7 Maxwell Rd, Amoy Street Food Centre, stall #02-119, S069111 🚅 5 minute minute walk from Maxwell & Telok Ayer station ☎ 8089 2119 ⏰ 10:45am - 2pm (Sat & Sun off) |
New spicy lady on the block was attracting a lot of attention 🤭 😘
#HuntTheMouse & DBS Celebrate Singapore’s 60 years of Nation-Building with S$120,000 Hidden in Heartlands
From 14th August to 25th September 2025, Sqkii and DBS present #HuntTheMouse DBS SG60 (the “game” or “cash hunt”), a special edition of the popular cash hunt game to celebrate Singapore’s 60 years of nation-building and the heartlands.
Jamon Iberico Night @ NÓMADA Keong Saik Road • Eat Spain Drink Spain Singapore ☎ 8209 7809
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| NÓMADA | 1 Keong Saik Rd., #01-05, Singapore 089109 🚅 10 minutes walk from Outram Park & Maxwell stations ☎ 8209 7809 ⏰ 12 noon - 2:30 pm | 5:30pm - 10:30 pm |
I love Jamon Iberico, the king of Spanish gastronomy, so I was looking forward to the Eat Spain Drink Spain, Jamon Iberico Night at NÓMADA at Keong Saik Road.
Podcast Tony Boey Johor Kaki with Susan Ng CNA938FM Radio • Eat Drink Singapore (& Johor)
I regularly guest on Susan Ng's Saturday morning show Eat Drink Singapore on CNA 938 FM. Places I cover on the show are some of my Singapore and Johor favourites.
I am sharing here short notes on the places featured in the show, for your convenience, in case you wish to visit them.
Clicking on the photos will take you to the podcasts. Clicking on the text links take you to detailed articles on the featured food stall or restaurant.
Com Tam Vietnamese "Broken Rice" @ Quan Xing Mei Shi Mayflower Singapore 永興美食 • The Other Food Icon of Vietnam (Other than Pho)
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| Quan Xing Mei Shi & Vietnamese Food 永興美食 | 162 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4, stall #01-26, Singapore 560162 (Mayflower Market & Food Centre) 🚅 At Mayflower station Exit 3 ⏰ 7 am - 1:30 pm (pork chop rice available around 9am. Closed on Monday) |
I enjoyed com tam in Ho Chi Minh City and around the Mekong Delta but have never come across it in Singapore.
Lin Traditional Chicken Rice • Most Popular @ Amoy Food Centre
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| Lin Traditional Chicken Rice | 7 Maxwell Rd, stall #01-59, Singapore 069111 (Amoy Street Food Centre) 🚅 5 minutes walk from Maxwell station ⏰ 10:30am - 3pm (Sat & Sun off) |
Stalking Amoy Street Food Centre today, I noticed a long queue at Lin Traditional Chicken Rice stall. Chatting with another stall holder here, he suggested that I give Lin Traditional a try - cheap and good he said.
Hakka Yu @ Northpoint City • Revival of Hakka Cuisine in Singapore? 客语客家菜 ☎ 6908 0622
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| Hakka Yu Northpoint City | 930 Yishun Ave 2, South Wing, #01-103 Northpoint City, 769098 (opposite the KFC outlet) 🚅 At Yishun MRT station ☎ 6908 0622 ⏰ 11:30am - 10pm |
Attended a media tasting at the newly opened Hakka Yu 客语客家菜 restaurant in Northpoint City in Yishun.
Discover Galicia Food & Wine @ At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy • ESDS 2025 💃
It's the annual Eat Spain Drink Spain festival again! 💃
I look forward to Eat Spain Drink Spain festival every year because I love Spanish cuisine and wines. ESDS is my yearly opportunity to enjoy Spanish food & wine, and widen my Spanish gastronomic & wine horizons with events organised by the Economic & Commercial Office at the Spanish Embassy in Singapore 🙏
Dongsheng Cafe Menu & Review @ 163 Ang Mo Kio, Mayflower MRT 东升茶室 ☎ 8546 5188 (WhatsApp)
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| Dong Sheng Cafe 东升茶室 | Blk 163 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4, #01-414, Singapore 560163 🚅 5 minute walk from Mayflower station ☎ 8546 5188 (WhatsApp) ⏰ 7am - 5pm |
Makan kaki Aaron has been gushing about Dongsheng Cafe at 163 Ang Mo Kio near Mayflower MRT the past week 😬
1960s Heritage Queenstown Lontong • Margaret Drive Hawker Centre
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| Queenstown Lontong | Blk 38A Margaret Dr, stall #01-27, Singapore 142038 (stall in Margaret Drive Hawker Centre) 🚅 5 minute walk from Queenstown station ⏰ 6:30am - 2pm (close at noon on Sunday) |
Stalking Margaret Drive Hawker Centre past the lunch hour, noticed that Queenstown Lontong was still opened. Quickly got my lontong fix and my tummy cured 醫肚子, as I haven't had lunch yet. It was a very satisfying and satiating lunch all for S$5.
Taipei PÀNG TACO Menu & Review • Pàng Taqueria • Authentic Handmade Corn Tortilla with Taiwan Fillings 胖 塔可利亞
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| Pàng Taqueria Pang Taco 胖塔可 | 106, Taiwan, Taipei City, Da’an District, Wenchang St, 181號一樓 🚅 10 minute walk from Xinyi Anhe station ⏰ 12 noon to 9pm (Monday off) |
Our hotel was near Linjiang Night Market, so we walked there twice 🤭 We passed Pang Taco and so gave it a try.
It's a very interesting and delicious fusion of a Mexican staple with Taiwanese flavours like braised pork intestine.
Worth a try though it is actually slightly premium priced.
KS Treasures Review & Menu • Budget Family Friendly Chinese Restaurant Taman Sentosa, Johor Bahru 美乐轩XO海鲜粉小厨 ☎ +607 665 1133
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| KS Treasures 美乐轩XO海鲜粉小厨 | 157, Jalan Sutera, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru ☎ 010 824 4182 (Michelle) ⏰ 9am - 10pm |
Haven't been to KS Treasures (Sentosa) since before Covid - they have since revamped their menu.
Daqiaotou Tube Rice in Datong Taipei 大橋頭老牌筒仔米糕(大同) ☎ +88 62 2594 4685
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| 大橋頭米糕 Daqiaotou Tube Rice | No. 41號, Section 3, Yanping N Rd, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 103 🚅 10 minute walk from Daqiaotou 大橋頭 station ☎ +88 62 2594 4685 ⏰ 7am - 4pm (Tues off) |
Roaming around the Datong area of Taipei, we stumbled upon 大橋頭老牌筒仔米糕 serving steamed "tube rice" with braised pork and soup with fishball, pork blood, oysters, etc. When traveling, I like to experience local staples and so decided to give this little shop a try.
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