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 🤔
Adventurous Foodie Geographer's Diary with 70 million+ reads 📧 johorkaki@gmail.com
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
#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.
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 🙏
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.
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.
Fa Jie Seafood • Batu Payung Beach Karimunting near Singkawang ☎ +62 812 5754 2768 ☎ +62 821 5059 3924
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| Fa Jie Seafood | Batu Payung Beach, Jalan Batu Payung, off Jalan Raya Sedau / Jalan Sei Duri - Singkawang, Karimunting, West Kalimantan 79271, Indonesia ☎ +62 812 5754 2768 ☎ +62 821 5059 3924 ⏰ 9am - 9pm |
On our way from Pontianak to Singkawang, we dropped by Fa Jie Seafood at Batu Payung Beach (near Singkawang).
Equator Monument Pontianak • Tugu Khatulistiwa Park • The Only Equator City in the World
The Equator passes through twelve countries in the world, but only one city.
That one city, is Pontianak.
Singkawang Hakka Kway Chup @ Warung Kopi Asan Pasar Turi ☎ +62 852 4536 8193
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| Warung Kopi ASAN | Jalan Pasar Turi No. 58, Singkawang, Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia ☎ +62 852 4536 8193 ⏰ 4:30am - 9pm (coffee shop hours - kway chup sold out by 2pm) |
The moment we finished eating bakmi (pork noodle), we or was it just me 🤭 (?), requested our guide to please take us to eat kway chup (known as kwecap here in Singkawang).
Hup Ho Trading Co Cafe Padungan Kuching Sarawak 合和
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| Hup Ho Trading Co | #164, Jln Padungan, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia ☎ +6011 1054 1067 ⏰ 9:30am - 8:30pm |
Just landed in Kuching, we stepped out to chill a while before going to Siniawan for dinner and the weekend pasar malam.
We went to Hup Ho. It had everything we wanted in a chill out, hangout - charming rustic atmosphere, sturdy comfortable furnishings, no air conditioning but nice and cool inside (with air wells & lots of fans)......,
Leonard Siaw Kuching Mural Artist • Honour People & Heritage with Sincerity, Integrity & Respect 萧艺
✍️ 4 Sep 2025. Kuching, Sarawak is one of my favourite cities. There are many reasons to love it - delicious unique food, warm hospitable people, fascinating cultures, and I like to add, amazing murals.
Makan Kuy Tho Ce Choi Pan @ Jln Merdeka Singkawang • Formerly @ Rumah Marga Tjhia Kawasan Tradisional ☎ +62 812 1357 1999
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| Tho Ce Choi Pan | Jl. Merdeka No.32, Melayu, Kec. Singkawang Bar., Kota Singkawang ☎ +62 812 1357 1999 ⏰ 7:30am - 8pm |
We heard a lot about choi pan or Hakka style dumplings of Singkawang operating at Rumah Marga Tjhia. The West Kalimantan town of Singkawang has a Hakka & Teochew Chinese population along with Malay and Dayak (mostly Salako).
Singkawang is known as land of Tidayu or Tionghua, Dayak and Malayu. It is also known as Cidayu (Cina, Dayak, Malayu). With around 60% Chinese population, Singkawang is also referred to as the Hong Kong of Kalimantan. Singkawang's chap goh mei (last day of Chinese New Year) celebrations is legendary (but that's another story for future).