I was invited to judge a sago cooking competition on 25 Nov 2019 in Daik in Lingga Regency of Indonesia's Riau province (which include the long chain of islands south of Singapore).
Adventurous Foodie Geographer's Diary with 70 million+ reads 📧 johorkaki@gmail.com
Sago Cooking Competition 2019📍Daik, Lingga Regency, Riau, Indonesia
I was invited to judge a sago cooking competition on 25 Nov 2019 in Daik in Lingga Regency of Indonesia's Riau province (which include the long chain of islands south of Singapore).
Heng Heng Hainanese Chicken Rice. Worthy Alternative to Tian Tian @ Maxwell Road Food Centre 興興海南鸡饭
If you are looking for the actual Tian Tian Chicken Rice it's here 👈 click
Maxwell Road Food Centre is the chicken rice central of Singapore with 8 different stalls all offering Singapore's unofficial national dish. Recently, I spent a month combing the hawker stalls in Maxwell Road Food Centre to prepare a Tanjong Pagar food trail.
Tanjong Pagar Road History Walk & Heritage Food Trail
This food trail starts at Maxwell Food Centre, followed by a walk down south along Tanjong Pagar Road, stopping at Tanjong Pagar Plaza before continuing further south and ending at PSA Tanjong Pagar Complex.
Which is the Most Popular Fish Soup Stall @ Maxwell Food Centre? Yi Jia Fish Soup, if you Go by how People Vote with their Feet
You know right, when I go food hunting, I prefer to go in "blind" and find things out for myself from scratch (without doing online "research" beforehand).
Stall name: Yi Jia Teochew Fish Porridge Fish Soup 一家潮州魚粥.魚湯
Address: 1 Kadayanallur St, stall #01-66, Singapore 069184 (stall in Maxwell Food Centre)
Hours: 11:00am - 3:00pm (Sun off)
Butterfly Cookie (French Palmier Cookie) @ FINE FOODS by The Royal Garden Hong Kong 帝苑餅店.蝴蝶酥
Hong Kong buddy Joyce gifted me a box of butterfly cookies from FINE FOODS by The Royal Garden when she visited Singapore recently.
Sunflower Cafe in Johor Jaya in JB. A Modern Malaysian Kopitiam
If there is a "Malaysian cafe", to me it's those contemporary kopitiam (coffee shop) of sorts that serve Nanyang coffee with an extensive multicultural menu from kaya butter toasts to nasi lemak, mee siam, roti canai, laksa, Hainanese chicken rice, char kway teow to spaghetti, chicken chops as well as burgers and more. Familiar brands are Old Town White Coffee, Secret Recipe, and Papparich etc. Johor Bahru homegrown brands include Moonlight, Tea Garden, One Two Eat, The Toast etc. There are also many up and coming Johor brands. Today, makan buddy Keng Chong introduced me to Sunflower Bakery & Restaurant in Johor Jaya. We love it.
Istanbul Restaurant in Johor Bahru. Fine Ottoman Turkish Cuisine
Istanbul Restaurant serving fine Ottoman Turkish cuisine just opened in Horizon Hills, Johor Bahru. We greatly enjoyed the flavours, aromas and whole experience at Istanbul Restaurant.
Maxwell Food Centre Fuzhou Oyster Cake in Tanjong Pagar Singapore 洪家福州蠔饼
Fuzhou Oyster Cake is a traditional street food rarely seen in Singapore nowadays. If you are in Maxwell Road Food Centre, you can try one of Singapore's last few Fuzhou oyster cake stalls.
Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha📍Keppel Road • Best Singapore Bak Kut Teh List 欧南园亚华肉骨茶
Finally tasted Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha 欧南园亚华肉骨茶 one of Singapore's top bak kut teh brands. I like it 😋 It's one of my top of the mind Singapore BKT now.
Restaurant name: Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha
Address: 7 Keppel Rd, #01-05/07 PSA, Singapore 089053
Tel: +65 6222 9610
Hours: 7:00am - 11:30pm (Mon off)
China Street Cooked Food Rickshaw Noodles @ Maxwell Market Food Centre Singapore 拉車麵
China Street Cooked Food Rickshaw Noodle is one of the last places in Singapore to taste this humble but historic heritage dish. It is the cheap sustenance that once powered the human drawn rickshaws that plied Tanjong Pagar and Kreta Ayer. The rickshaws were long gone but rickshaw noodles 拉車麵 and the nearby rickshaw depot building remain as reminders that early Singapore was founded on the bare, sweaty backs of our hardy pioneers.
Heng Heng Ondeh Ondeh & Tapioca Cake @ Maxwell Hawker Food Centre Singapore 中国街興興
So often in those moments of food longings, it's not those past fanciful meals that unexpectedly intrude into my consciousness but much humbler childhood delights. For me, often it's just sweets - ondeh ondeh and tapioca cakes to be precise. What about you?
Affordable You Shop We Cook for You Restaurant @ Harrison Butcher in Bangkok 🐄
Our local friend brought us to this new concept butcher in Bangkok 🐄 Harrison Butcher which sells locally raised beef and also have a restaurant to cook it for you at small additional charge.
Upper Cross Street Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle Rice @ Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre 海山街油鸡面.饭
Exploring Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre, I spotted Upper Cross Street Soya Chicken Noodle & Rice stall.
A Pioneer Singapore Teochew Satay Bee Hoon Stall in Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre 潮洲沙爹米粉
Teochew Satay Bee Hoon is not a pretty dish but it is uniquely Singapore and sadly is part of our disappearing Nanyang food heritage. One of the oldest Teochew satay bee hoon stalls still operate at Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre.
Siam Namnueng Thai & Vietnamese Family Restaurant @ ICON SIAM in Bangkok
We went to Siam Namnueng at the newly opened Icon Siam shopping centre by the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok. Siam Namnueng is a family oriented restaurant serving both traditional Vietnamese and Thai cuisine.
Grand Seafood Senibong📍Stellar Walk • Permas Jaya 海霸王 @ 星海广场
Updated 5 Mar 2026: This restaurant has closed and reopened as SANG Seafood Halal in Taman Damansara Aliff.
✍ 28 Oct 2019. Grand Seafood at Stellar Walk is Johor Bahru's newest seafood restaurant. It was just opened for four days when we dropped by today.
Nongsa Point Marina & Resort. Escape the Maddening City & Relax in Seaside Luxury in 1 Hour, Anytime
I enjoyed a weekend escape (2 nights & 3 days) relaxing at picturesque Nongsa Point Marina & Resort in Batam. This little piece of heaven is less than an hour by boat from Singapore and costs less than S$100 a night.
Nai Ek Roll Noodles • Michelin Kway Chap📍Yaowarat Bangkok Chinatown 陳億粿條
There are at least two famous kway chap (rice roll noodle) shops in Yaowarat (Bangkok's Chinatown) both on the same main street. There's Kuey Chap Aun Pochana and Nai Ek Roll Noodles. I blogged about Kuey Chap Aun Pochana in 2015 because it left a deeper impression (it later won the Michelin Bib Gourmand award). Nai Ek Roll Noodles on the other hand is no sloth either, it won the Michelin Plate (which is like an honourable mention). In Michelin speak, awards go from Star ⭐ through Bib Gourmand 👶 to Plate 🍽 in descending order.
(Disclaimer: I don't refer to Michelin guides for my food adventures. I don't mind that my food trips are sometimes misadventures as hit or miss, I feel it is all part of the fun.)
Untold History of Singapore Bak Kut Teh • The Ng Mui Song Legacy 黄美松
These three claypots encapsulate a little known 70 year old story of one of the main streams of Singapore bak kut teh. The traditional brownish colour soup (at top right) is the father of today's quintessentially Singaporean clear peppery soup with prime rib.
Bangkok Chef Man Yum Cha Dim Sum 文苑
Our Thai friend Mon brought us to Chef Man Chinese Restaurant, one of her favourite places in Bangkok for yum cha (drink tea) and dim sum.
Wild Agarwood in Bangka Belitung Indonesia. King of Incense, Scent from Heaven
Running this online retirement lifestyle journal brought me to many places and experiences which I would not have otherwise (I mean you can start one too 😄 ). I just spent 3 fascinating nights in Bangka Belitung Islands, Indonesia to learn about Agarwood - the King of Incense scent from Heaven.
Ambok Corner Nasi Ayam Penyet & Nasi Goreng Kampung at Jalan Biru Taman Palengi Hawker Centre
We ate at Ambok Corner twice and like their nasi ayam penyet as well as nasi goreng kampung.
Tokyo Secret is More than Famous Cheese Tarts & Mille Crepe. Best Restaurants in Mid Valley Southkey Johor Bahru Series
Tokyo Secret is famous for their signature Hanjuku cheese tarts, crepe cakes and bakes, but I was delighted to find out today at their Mid Valley Southkey outlet in Johor Bahru that they serve excellent savoury dishes too.
Protegie (Singapore) F & B Marketing Agency - Turning Struggling Restaurants & Startups into Successful Businesses since 2014
During my blogging, I meet F & B business owners everyday. Many have asked me to recommend a trustworthy and professional F & B marketing agency to help them grow their business.
As I am not in the business of F & B marketing, I refer them to Protegie - a Singapore based F & B marketing agency with a dynamic, passionate team led by Benjamin Chan (the enterprising, geeky guy in the white T-shirt). I have known Benjamin for 3 years (since 2016) and am impressed by his immense knowledge, energy, sincerity, and critically for me, ethical approach to business e.g. partnering only influencers with organic followers.
The enviable results Benjamin got for his extensive portfolio of happy clients speak for itself, really.
The resourceful and creative Protegie team will help your business grow by getting on top of:
💡Branding
💡Social media marketing (Facebook, Instagram)
💡Public relations
💡Market research
💡Strategic management
💡Advertising and promotions.
Protegie has a proven track record of helping struggling restaurants as well as F & B startups in Singapore and Malaysia thrive and prosper in today's intensely competitive environment.
Master Heng Noodle @ Kampung Baru Pandan, JB. Nice Herbal Beef Noodle Soup 兴师傅手打面馆
Today, we visited Master Heng Noodle shop at Kampung Pandan in Johor Bahru. Master Heng serves a variety of noodles such as beef noodles, Hakka mee, curry mee, prawn mee etc, as well as Hakka yong tau foo.
Our Hot Favourite Kee Kee Bentong Chicken Rice @ Yat Yeh Hing Restaurant 基记文冬肥鸡饭 ☎ 012 223 8814
We were regulars at Kee Kee Bentong Chicken Rice stall near Kelana Jaya LRT station (in Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur). Most Saturday afternoons, we brought the kids here after their taekwondo class. We love the succulent, tender, smooth, juicy, sweet tasting poached chicken here.
Drive, Eat, Play Road Trip from Singapore to Tasik Kenyir Lake Fish Sanctuary with Wheels for Fun
We had a wonderful time at Tasik Kenyir lake with Wheels for Fun in Malaysia's Trengganu state. Our convoy of 8 cars drove from Singapore to Tasik Kenyir via Kuantan, a distance of about 600km.
You Buy, Andy Cook for You Seafood Zhi Char @ Ong Siew Lian Coffee Shop in Pontian 好来海鲜
One of my favourite things to do in Johor is to drive to Pontian, buy fresh seafood from the Pontian Fish Market and let the 代炒 zhi char stalls at the market cook it for us.
Big Prawn Noodles @ AMK 443 Eating House Ang Mo Kio Singapore CLOSED
As an ardent fan of prawn noodles, buddy Aaron's recent FB posts about Big Prawn Noodles stall at Blk 443 in Ang Mo Kio made me very hungry 😃
Caffé B Japanese Italian Omakase @ Club Street Singapore
I was invited to an omakase session hosted by chef Masanao Saito at Caffe B at Club Street in Singapore.
4 Fingers Crispy Chicken in Komtar JBCC Johor Bahru
We are still in the annual Singapore / Malaysia haze survival mode, having our meals in shopping malls (hopefully the air is really cleaner inside but at least it is cooler). Buddy Clarence suggested that I could do a series on Korean style fried chicken using 4 Fingers as the benchmark. So, here we are - thanks to Clarence.
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