Shabu Shabuchin Namba Sennichimae Osaka ☏ +81 6-6643-1129

Shabuchin Namba Sennichimae しゃぶちん 難波 千日前店  | Japan, 〒542-0075 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Nanbasennichimae, 13−18 難波 丸和ビル １階  🚅  Nearest MRT: 5 minute walk from Namba station    ☏ +81 6-6643-1129 ⏰ 11am - 4 pm | 5:30pm - 10:30 pm

I haven't been back to Japan for a very long time (transits don't count), and our first meal for this trip was shabu shabu. Which was a nice start as nowadays I like soupy things - sign of getting older 😂

Shunde Chencun Deyunju Sliced Fish Hotpot 顺德陈村德云居 ☏ 0757-2639 1908

Our local Shunde guide brought us to 陈村德云居 Chencun Deyunju for their signature Sliced Fish in Hotpot 顺德无骨鱼 using 正宗水库大鱼 Big Head Carp fish. 

Seorae Jib Korean BBQ • Everyone Eat Like Royals in Singapore ☏ 9385 5045

Seorae Jib founded in South Korea in 2007, came to Singapore in 2015, and in the last ten years grew to six outlets in every corner of our island, including in Yishun at Northpoint City (Singaporean joke 🤭). 

In Search of Rafflesia in Gunung Gading • World Largest Flower ☏ +608 273 5144

Wikipedia photo

Since I was an elementary school child I was fascinated by the Rafflesia flower. I read about it in books. Measuring one metre across, the Rafflesia's magic is undeniable - it's the largest flower in the world and naturally thrills any curious child. 

Cendol @ Ah Yong ABC at Wayang Street, Hong San Si Temple, Kuching ☏ + 6016 854 6643

Our Kuching local foodie buddy Joshua brought us to Hong San Si Temple 鳳山寺 at Wayang Street to try the cendol at Ah Yong ABC. The old ice dessert stall founded by Ah Yong in 1978 is in the collective memory of generations of Kuching folks.

(The roots of Ah Yong's stall is actually much older as he is the third generation of the business started by his grandfather. Joshua said about 80 years ago.)

Lunch in Sematan @ Yat Lau Coffee Shop Sarawak ☏ +6016 891 0116 憶劉海鲜餐厅

Back at seaside Sematan town in Sarawak again after one year away. Sematan at the far west of Sarawak is literally the edge of the world.

Making Gula Apong, Enjoying Attap Sugar • A Common Bond of Sarawak Communities

Gula apong or attap palm sugar, the finishing touch to cendol in Kuching, Sarawak. It is not cendol, if there is no palm sugar, and in Sarawak, it is best with attap palm sugar or gula apong (in Malay).

Hap Chen Hian Kuching Teochew Satay @ Hui Sing Hawker Centre 合眾香沙爹 ☏ +6016 857 9081

On our first day in Kuching, our local foodie buddy Joshua whisked us to try Hap Chen Hian Satay stall at Hui Sing Hawker Centre. 

Pork Leg Rice @ Cat City Night Food Tai Pan Corner Padungan Kuching Sarawak 猫城夜市

The very first day we arrived for this Kuching trip, buddy Aven said he would like to try the pork leg rice stall at Cat City Night Food in Padungan.

Braised Pork Leg Rice @ Huang You Liang Fook Seng Cafe Padungan Kuching 新福昇茶室 • 黄友良猪脚饭 ☏+6016 525 5323

Our Kuching local foodie buddy Joshua shared that Padungan in Kuching is well known for its Teochew braised pork rice shops.

I love pork leg rice but so far have only tried kha moo in Thailand.

Uncle Koh vs Grandpapatee Wanton Mee in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah Skudai

Grandpapatee (left) Uncle Koh (right)

Even though Johor Bahru is originally a Teochew enclave, hence its nickname Little Swatow, there are actually more wanton mee stalls than Teochew kway teow mee / thng stalls (based on my observation). And, Johoreans are spoilt for choice as Johor wanton mee standards are high with many stalls / restaurants still making their own noodles.

Wanton noodles, of course, is a quintessentially Cantonese dish. 

Tao Tao Ju Main Restaurant Guangzhou near Beijing Lu Pedestrian Street 陶陶居十甫总店 ☏ 020 8050 3899

Heard a lot about Guangzhou's venerable Tao Tao Ju 陶陶居 restaurant (founded in 1880). It's like a pilgrimage every Cantonese cuisine fan have to make when in Guangzhou. 

Hainan Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee / Rochor Mee @ Golden Mile Food Centre (Army Market) 海南福建炒虾麵 ☏ 6294 6798

The Hainanese Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee stall at Golden Mile hawker centre has been around for the longest time. 

Wong Dan Kee • It's All About Rice Noodles Chen Cun Fun 黄旦记 陳村粉 Shunde Must Eat Huangdanji

By the time we cleared formalities and got onto our waiting coach at Baiyun Airport, we were already famished 😅

We dashed straight for Shunde (a district of Foshan city in Guangdong). 

Dim Sum @ Shunde Xiang Yun Sha Garden Hotel 顺德点心 • 香云纱园林酒店

When in Guangzhou or Shunde right... If not going for street food stalls, then the natural choice for breakfast would be yum cha i.e. morning tea. So, we had several yum cha sessions during our seven day Guangzhou & Shunde food tour. Of these, I like Xiang Yun Sha in Shunde the most.

Bingsheng Taste in Guangzhou near Haiyin Bridge 炳胜能品味(海印总店) ☏ +86 20 3428 6910

When come to Shunde and Guangzhou, of course, must enjoy their iconic raw fish or yee sang 鱼生 dish. 

Jubilant Hainanese Chicken Rice @ Pasir Panjang Hawker Centre 喜庆海南鸡饭

Jubilant Hainanese Chicken Rice 喜庆海南鸡饭 | 121 Pasir Panjang Rd, stall #01-32 Pasir Panjang Food Centre, S118543 ⏰ 9:30am - 1pm (Sun off)

As a typical Singaporean, I am always on the lookout for good chicken rice places. I mean chicken rice stalls are everywhere in Singapore, they are generally at least okay to good, but we customers have become very picky and demanding 🤭😬

So when chef Benny Se Teo shared that Jubilant Hainanese Chicken Rice at Pasir Panjang Hawker Centre is very good, I was excited to try it as soon as possible. 

Yishun Chong Pang Gu Zao Wei Teochew Minced Meat Noodle • Former Park Lane / Bras Basah Bak Chor Mee 古早味潮州麺

For a few years already, hanging out around Chong Pang, I noticed that this coffee shop corner noodle stall (steps from CP hawker centre) always has a long queue of customers. I always make a mental note to try it, one day.

Cheok Kee Braised Duck Rice @ East Coast Lagoon 作记鸭饭 ☏64454222

We were driving from east to west and back to east discussing what two persons can eat in Singapore 🤣 Finally, settled on Cheok Kee Braised Duck in East Coast Lagoon because "What!? You have never tried it before!?"

Yeah.... brother..., I am Johor Kaki nia nia. 

Liao Neng Guan Private Kitchen in Shunde 𠮩𠹌私房菜 ☏+86 757 2261 0717

Seven days in Guangzhou, with mostly food on the agenda. Some hits, some miss, not every meal was satisfying - of course, right? 

Wild Goose Chase • 5 Famous Roast Goose in Guangzhou & Shunde 𠮩𠹌私房菜 • 德云居饭馆 • 鹅公村 • 同福酒家 • 顺德火焰醉鹅坊

Goose is not sold in Singapore, so when we visited Guangzhou & Shunde recently, goose was high on our bucket list.

Bamboo Wanton Noodle in Guangzhou by Chang Ping & Han Ji 广州常平竹升云吞面 • 汉记面馆

As a wanton noodle lover, one of the things I look forward to was to taste the "authentic" Cantonese food icon in China's Guangdong province, the home of the dish.

But, when I was in Guangzhou city, I didn't see any shop with the Wanton Noodle 云吞面 signage. I did, however, come across a few Bamboo Noodle shops 竹升面. What we call wanton noodle around the world, is mostly known as bamboo noodle in Guangzhou.

Roots of Greatness of Cantonese Cuisine 广府菜

What makes 粤菜, the cuisine of Guangdong Province, one of the Eight Great Cuisines of China? 

The one word answer is diversity. 

Guangdong has diversity of food ingredients and a melting pot of many different culinary traditions. 

*Guangdong cuisine 粤菜 is the cuisine of Guangdong Province which includes Cantonese cuisine, Hakka cuisine and the cuisine of Chaoshan (Teochew), etc. This article is about Cantonese cuisine 广府菜, the cuisine of the Pearl River Delta which includes the cities of Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau. 

Ho Yong Kee Wanton Noodle in Guangzhou 何永记粉面店(纸行路店)

Visiting Guangzhou, got to catch some wanton noodle before leaving. The humble wanton noodle is an icon of Cantonese cuisine.

Zhenjie Cafe • Local Favourite Chicken Rice in Zhanjiang Guangzhou 珍姐美食店(福建街店) 湛江

Zhenjie is a chicken rice shop popular with Guangzhou locals. It is a good place to experience the iconic Cantonese white cut chicken 白切鸡 in its home ground. 

Eat Roast Goose in Daliang Shunde Guangzhou China 烧鹅再·传统顺德菜(大良店)

Roast Goose is an icon of Guangdong cuisine, so there are many, many roast goose places vying for the local and tourist market. 

烧鹅再 is a 40 year local favourite in Shunde (local residents' favourites tend not to have as much presence in social media platforms like Dianping.com 大众点评网). 

89 Carrot Cake • Homemade Chai Tow Kueh @ 89 Macpherson Food Centre 菜頭粿

Buddy who lives nearby 89 Macpherson hawker centre mentioned I should come for the carrot cake here. So, here I am 🙏

Backlane Tian Ya Ker Handmade Pan Mee (Ban Mian) @ Chow Kit Kuala Lumpur 天涯客板面

Pan mee is a dish which mothers make at home for the family. It requires little ingredients or equipment but lots of love, time and effort. 

Tian Ya Ker is as close to mother's pan mee as you can get that money can buy. 

San Peng Chicken Rice & Hor Fun @ Pudu, Kuala Lumpur

Buddy Jeffrey suggested I try the gai shi hor fun 鸡丝河粉 at Pudu LRT station, so here we are 😊

Wanjo Nasi Lemak Kampung Baru Kuala Lumpur

Okay..., come to Kuala Lumpur must of course try their nasi lemak. One of the most popular / famous places is Nasi Lemak Wanjo in Kampung Baru.

Why Chinese Tap Fingers on Table when Drinking Tea? 叩手礼

Sometimes you may notice someone, especially older generation Chinese gently knocking on tabletop with knuckles when they are served tea.

Sometimes, I am asked, "Unker, what are you doing?"