Taipei Eats: Brother's Dragon Boneless Chicken Thigh Steak, Gongguan Night Market

At first glance, I did not really know the name of the stall nor do I know exactly what the stall is selling. It kinda looks like a normal Taiwanese fried chicken stall until I see the long queue that is always forming behind the stall. And just what all the foodie guide in Taiwan say, join the queue for food in Taiwan (because that usually means good food ahead). 

The stall is called Brother's Dragon Boneless Chicken Thigh Steak (now that's a mouthful but this is the direct translation from 龍哥無骨雞腿排). The writer of tenintaipei.blogspot.sg managed to spot which one is the Brother Dragon. Hahaha. 

Brother Dragon only put two kind of fried chicken that he sells. The chicken priced at NTD70 is the "Salad Dressing/ 生菜沙拉醬" (Shēngcài shālā jiàng). The salad here is referring to Japanese mayo which is slightly on the sweeter side. Meanwhile, the chicken priced at NTD80 is the "Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Dressing/ 越式酸辣醬" (Yuè shì suān làjiàng).

I chose to take away the NTD70 which comes with Salad Dressing and a portion of salad too at the side of the chicken. It tastes yummy! If you decided to dine there (they do set up some tables and chairs near the stall), you can have a refill of the salad for free! Awesome, right? 

If you are not full by eating the above fried chicken alone, you should also try the famous gua bao which is also located at Gongguan Night Market. I really love Gongguan up to the point I can go to this night market every day during my stay in Taipei. 

Happy tummy, happy me.

Taiwan Travel: An iconic red container at Xinguang Ferry Wharf, Kaohsiung

After our visit to the highest building in Kaohsiung, we continued our walk to a filming location of Taiwanese drama called Black and White at Xinguang Ferry Wharf. We could not really find the way and it felt that we had walked for 123456789 km before we finally found the iconic landmark of Xinguang Ferry Wharf...a weirdly shaped red container. Uhh, yeah. 

The ferry wharf is rather quiet in the morning. But we don't mind it at all and to top it off, the weather is not that hot yet when we visited the wharf. 

The lack of other people's presence means I could take picture without bothering any passerby. Or inadvertently included them in my picture. Hehe.

We walked to the other side and noted that there is actually a river in the middle of all that cables and pole. 

We passed by the red container again when making our way back to Sanduo Shopping District KRT Station. So we took a closer look at the red container. Hmm, okay, still don't get the meaning behind the placement of the red container. Maybe it's some kind of art display like those displayed at Pier-2 Art Centre. 

If you have nothing to do in the morning at Kaohsiung, you can consider visiting Xinguang Ferry Wharf or places of interest like the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas because there are no opening times for these places and you can basically visit them at any time during your visit. 

Singapore Eats: The Many Version of Laksa at Laksania, Bugis+

I am not sure if laksa comes from Singapore or Penang but one thing for sure, I've never tried laksa before I came to Singapore for work. And the version of laksa that I know of is the one served with thick rice noodles in a thick coconut laksa broth, taupok (at type of beancurd which is flattish and square), prawns, fishcake, cockles, and egg.

But here in Laksania, customers have the chance to try Laksa from other area of Malaysia like Sarawak or Kelantan. So we tried the Kelantan version of laksa, which came out yellowish because of the usage of yellow ginger and fish. Kelantan Laksa is served with thick rice noodles, fresh cucumber strips and sambal chilli.

The next version of laksa that we tried is also somewhat unique because it is fried. A fried laksa has texture and toppings which are kinda similar to char kway teow, another local Singapore dish. 

If you are a fan of laksa, you should come to Laksania because other than the above two type of laksa dish (which taste quite nice), Laksania also has other version of laksa e.g. laksa pasta or laksa burger. Laksania is located at level 4 of Bugis+.

Jakarta Eats: J Co Donuts at Soekarno Hatta International Airport

Arriving at Soekarno Hatta airport on a Friday evening is very tricky. The thing is, our public transportation is lousy to the max and hence, your only option to get out of the airport is by either taking a "trusted" cab (i.e. only selected cabs qualify for this) or ask your relatives to pick you up. Both options...are not quick due to (a) queue and (b) bad traffic.

So it was kinda expected that my mum had not arrived yet at the airport when I came out from the arrival hall. Oh well, in times like this, a cafe is deeply appreciated. So, I made my way to the nearest cafe in terminal 3 of Soekarno Hatta airport, J-Co Donut.

The great news about buying a frappuccino from J-Coffee, which is the coffee bar of J Co Donuts, is the free donut that came with the drink. Yum! 

I hello my mum with a sugary smile when she finally arrived 40 minutes later. Hahaha. 

Jakarta Eats: Coffees and Cakes at Djournal Coffee Bar, Mall Puri Indah

It's not everyday you can meet your high school buddy especially when you are living in two different countries. So during this rare occasion (either I come back home or she comes to Singapore for work, we always try to meet up with each other. This time round, our meet-up is held at Djournal, a cafe located at the new extension of Mall Puri Indah.

The cafe was quite crowded around 3pm on a Saturday but we still managed to get a seat. Since it's a coffee bar, of course we must try the coffees and the cakes. 

The cakes sold at Djournal Coffee Bar are supplied by Colette & Lola. We shared a small chocolate cake called Charlie Browne which is described as dark chocolate ganache with crispy hazelnut wafers & cocoa devil sponge. 

I saw a very unique frappuccino offered by Djournal Coffee Bar. I forgot the exact name but it's something along the line of Nutella Frappuccino. I kinda like it although they simply add nutella into the frappuccino mixture. #weaktonutella

Overall, Djournal Coffee Bar is quite a nice place to have a coffee and it serves as an alternative to Starbucks. But the cafe can be kinda noisy especially at night because the next-door restaurant has a very loud live band. 

5 Mouthwatering Culinary Treats in Bali

There are literally uncountable places to have a good nice meal in Bali. And since Bali is so popular with tourists from overseas, Bali literally has all kind of food to cater to different tastebuds of its visitors. So what are the options that we can choose when we want to embark on culinary adventure in Bali?

1.  Pork Ribs

If you are pork ribs lover, you won't go hungry in Bali because there are a number of good restaurants serving yummilicious pork ribs. For instance, this is the pork ribs from Warung Wahaha. 

The pork ribs served at Naughty Nuri's Warung is slightly on the smaller side but both ribs are seasoned so well, you can't help to lick the ribs bones. No kidding.

2. Crispy Fried Duck

Other than pork ribs, Bali is also famous for the crispy fried duck. Especially if you are travelling to the mountain area of Ubud. You can enjoy a delicious lunch of crispy fried duck while enjoying the view of the rice field at Bebek Tepi Sawah or Bebek Bengil. Both are located in Ubud area.

3. Cakes and patisseries

If you are a dessert person, you can also enjoy a delicious dessert in Bali. From a slice of Black Russian Pie served at Bebek Bengil in Ubud to...

...a cup of Tiramisu at Ku De Ta in Seminyak.

4. Local Balinese Rice

If you are the "Do like a local, eat like a local" kind of traveller, you must try the local Balinese rice. However, do remember to ask for the chili to be put separately at the side because the chili may be too spicy for some people (including me). I will cry if I accidentally eat too much chili inside this Balinese rice. XD

5. Tortilla

Last but not least, you can also feel a bit Mexican in Bali. Because the neighbourhood restaurant, Mojo's Flying Burritos sells all kind of Mexican food from tortilla, burritos to quesadillas. I really enjoyed the tortilla which I ate here few years back.

Taiwan Travel: Morning Walk to Tuntex Sky Tower, Kaohsiung

After taking a midnight train from Taipei to Kaohsiung, there is not much activity that we can do in Kaohsiung as early as 7AM on a Saturday morning. So we decided to take the subway to Sanduo Shopping District KRT Station and explored the nearby area.

As expected, there is not a single soul spotted. After spending few months in Taiwan, we kinda conclude that Taiwan is not really a morning-person country. But they do stay up until quite late like an owl. Even on a weekday. Work hard play harder people say.

From afar, we can see our destination, the tallest skyscraper in Kaohsiung called Tuntex Sky Tower. It was the highest building in Taiwan before Taipei 101 was completed. 

Okay, we can sense that we are getting closer but not there yet. Anyway, Tuntex Sky Tower is now used as a multifunctional building from residential apartment, offices and department store. It is also known as an ideal place to watch sunset in Kaohsiung although we did not really have a chance to check out this fact. 

The skyscraper has 85 floors and it is only 16 floors short of Taipei 101. There is also an observation deck inside but I guess it will be pretty similar to the observation deck at Taipei 101. 

If you don't want to walk to Tuntex Sky Tower, there is a shuttle bus operating from Sanduo Shopping District to the skyscraper but the shuttle bus does not really operate that early on a Saturday morning. Oh well, we all do need a little of a morning exercise after our breakfast at McD.

Singapore Travel: What to eat in The Star Vista?

Star Vista is a mall which also serves as a concert hall (and a church on a Sunday). Due to its location, Star Vista can be considered a neighbourhood mall for the nearby Buona Vista/ Ghim Moh residents. If you ask me what can we do in Star Vista, well it's all about finding a place to eat because to be honest, there's not much to shop at The Star Vista. I've listed down those eateries which I have tried before. 

1. If you feel like eating Korean BBQ, let's jump to BBQ Party at Bornga

2. If you feel like eating Japanese ramen, let's jump to Tonkotsu Ramen Experience at Chabuton or Black Char Siew Ramen at Menya Musashi

3. If you feel like eating dim sum, let's jump to the Dim Sum Fest at Canton Paradise

4. If you feel like eating Japanese pasta, let's jump to the Japanese Style Spaghetti House atYomenya Goemon

5. If you feel like eating pork knuckle or drink German beer, let's jump to the pork knuckle and sausage fest at Brotzeit

Singapore Eats: Japanese Style Spaghetti House at Yomenya Goemon, Star Vista

A want to eat Japanese. But, B want to eat Italian. Yomenya Goemon is established to meet the demand of both A and B because the restaurant basically sells Japanese Pasta. 

For every order of pasta, you will get a free miso soup. 

There are four categories of pasta sold in Yomenya Goemon. The category is defined by the base of the pasta sauce. My friend ordered seafood pasta which is cooked in tomato based sauce. 

While on the other hand, I, being a sucker for everything creamy, opted for one the dish offered under the cream sauce category, Carbonara with Yolk and Bacon. Egg and Bacon never go wrong in my food palette. 

For the dessert we had chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and cookie on top of it. Not bad. But not that fantastic either. 

Yomenya Goemon used to have more outlets in the past but due to the rising rental costs, now it only operates in two branches, one is at Star Vista while the other is located at Changi City Point. 

Indonesia Eats: A second breakfast at Soto Ayam Khas Kudus Mbak Lin, Semarang

I can't believe I am already in a car ride to another restaurant straight after finishing my hotel breakfast. Oh well, it's Semarang and you are supposed to be well fed here. 

One of the speciality food in Semarang is called "Soto Ayam" which is translated to chicken soup. I did post my last visit to Soto Ayam Pak Man. But since "Pak Man" is translated into Mr Man, now it's the time to visit another soto ayam restaurant which is named for a lady, Soto Ayam Kudus Mbak Lin. 

This is what I was talking about. A clear chicken soup which is served with rice. Yup the rice is inside the bowl underneath the chicken pieces. Slurpp~~very tasty!

It tastes even better if you eat it together with oyster satay. Yeap, a complete awesome-ness. 

My cousin who is studying in Semarang told me that there are so many places selling soto in Semarang up to the point that each people will have their own favorite stalls. I suppose that means most of these places are selling awesome soto? I'm so gonna be fat if I stay here for too long. XD

The restaurant is located at Jalan Ki Mangunsarkoso (re: Ki Mangunsarkoso Road) but high chances that the taxi driver will know it immediately once you mention the restaurant's name. Hehehe. 

Taiwan Travel: The Ferris Wheel at Miramar Entertainment Park, Taipei

After a hearty meal of spaghetti bolognaise at the basement food court, my friend and I went off to the highest floor in the building and quickly bought the tickets to ride the ferris wheel.

The ticket costs 150NTD for adults and 120NTD for students. It's so nice to be students again. =)

Since we went on a weekday, not many people queueing for this ride. Yeah! 

You can see the view of the surrounding area and Taipei 101 from afar.

If you go at night, the ferris wheel will be lit up in green. Pretty nice! 

How to go to Miramar Entertainment Park? Very easy, you can ride the MRT to Jiantan Station and walk there around 10 minutes (if you walk leisurely). Since you are going to Jiantan Station, it will be a good idea to continue your night activity for a culinary journey to the nearby Shilin Night Market.

Taiwan Travel: Wandering in Miramar Entertainment Park, Taipei

If you are a fan of Taiwanese dramas, you must have seen this shopping mall before. Especially if you are watching Why Why Love which is starred by Mike He and Rainie Yang. =P

Familiar? If not, it's okay. We're gonna explore this shopping mall complex anyway. Let's go!

This part of the mall was often used for shooting especially when the drama involved a CEO or General Manager of a shopping centre. This mall will be their business place in the drama. =P

We were so hungry so we were eager to explore the food court, which is located in the basement. 

We were checking out one stall from another and our eyes were glued on the row of plates with spaghetti inside. Hmm~~~

I decided to have spaghetti bolognaise set meal. This set meal comes with a glass of lemon tea and corn soup and it costs me 140NTD. It tastes pretty good.