sights,sounds, beyond

Seaworld San Diego, California

2010-02-17T16:52:00.000-08:00

Following San Diego - Part I, here is the famous killer whale in Seaworld, San Diego.

San Diego, California

2010-01-11T02:21:00.000-08:00

For some reason, San Diego just did not attracted me that much. We took a short road trip from Bay Area, California to San Diego, California. And really, San Diego Seaworld has been over-hyped! The rides were so-so and the shows were ok. We made it for the Sea Lions show, Dolphin Training, and of course Shamu, Shamu, Shamu!

This is the Dolphin Training Session.

Flamingo Walk

Up next! The ever famous whale :)

Desserts in Taiwan

2009-10-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Grass Jelly, Taro Balls, Taro Ice Cream and Red Beans on shaved ice

Ask me ONE thing about Taiwan at this moment, I would tell you it is the DESSERTS that I miss. In Taiwan, they call it 吃冰, literally meaning "to eat ice". A lot of their "shaved ice" desserts are served on ice, similar to ice kacang. But that does not mean you only eat the ice.

Street food, good food, yummy snacks can be found at:

Nearby temples - 庙口小吃
Night markets - 夜市
Old historic - 老街
Close to major universities

This is one of the desserts that I miss while I was looking at my photo files in the folder. The dessert photo told me "You have not posted me yet". Oops, I am sorry. How could I? I have already left Taiwan sometime ago and I have forgotten about this.

Oh well, this happens when you save the best for last and when, the BEST gets FORGOTTEN. Yucks! I hate myself for doing that.

There are many dessert shops that specialize in Grass Jelly (仙草 ) and Taro Balls (芋圆) Desserts. Do check them out when you are there in Taiwan.

For all the other Taiwan episodes, do check out my Taiwan Eating link under Labels.

Tag: desserts, ice

Customer Service Standard in Singapore - time to UP it !

2009-09-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

Can I Help You? Are You Being Served? This blog comes at a right time when Singapore begins hosting a series of events such as Youth Olympic Games and when the Integrated Resorts open in 1-2 years time. It is really a time to review the services profession spectrum around Singapore and improve the overall service standard from food to shopping and even the dreaded hotlines!

With my interest in food, "The Restaurant Test" and "Fast Food Exploits" definitely attract me to knowing what is happening around the food scene when it comes to customer service. Well, friendly customer service is definitely one factor that makes me return to a restaurant or make some food a certain ritual. As one of the frequent callers to customer service hotlines in banks, telco service operators and retail merchants, I am also interested to know the experiences of other people when they dial the easy (or not-easy) hotline.

If you have real stories to share about Singapore Customer Service...Share Your Story. You can pop by The "Are You Being Served?" blog and make your voice known. Good or bad customer service, it can always be made better when the service "providers" are aware. You can even suggest a mission for the squadso they can be out, testing.

California Strawberries

2009-09-02T16:32:00.000-07:00

Strawberry picking time! We headed for strawberry picking in the morning, at our favorite U-Pick at Swanton Berrry Farm. Bad news bestowed! The strawberry field was quarantined due to suspected moths (an agricultural pest!)! Heck! I thought only humans were quarantined for the H1N1 swine flu! Now, our favorite strawberry field has been quarantined too! With just a little good luck on our side, we were recommended to go to their neighboring fields. Phew! It sent bright spark to all our faces. We thought we have spent ONE HOUR down Highway 17 for nothing. Ok. At least, there is something. Some 'healthy" strawberries for us to pick.

After that mild exercise of picking strawberries, we drove further down to our favorite cioppino stall. I am sure Phil's Fish Market is no stranger to those who have watched FoodNetwork since Phil was featured before. And this is definitely not our first time there. With A&S with us this time, we ordered more food. Seafood chowder, fried calamari (rings and tentacles) and of course, a huge bowl of slurpilicious cioppino. It was completely satisfying!

Indian food @ Peacock, Santa Clara

In our one week in the Bay Area, we also tried two establishments that serve Dum Biryani. We had take-out from Kabab and Currys, at Santa Clara (famous for its Dum Biryani) and dine-in at Peacock, also at Santa Clara(above).

Dum Biryani is a famous Hyderabad dish, where the meat (chicken, mutton or lamb) is layered with the rice and cooked under low flame in a sealed container. This style of cooking is sometimes called Dum Pukht. And naturally, biryani cooked this way is called Dum Biryani. Yum yum yum! and not *Stupid Dum Dum* ... ... ^o^

I like basmati rice a lot - and so what happens when basmati rice is mildly infused with the aroma of the chicken and lamb and all the spices ? I love thee even more!

How to choose a web host

2009-09-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

An engineer by training, I am used to things in table-format. For this, the rating site on website hosting has won my heart. At a glance, I could clearly see the Top 10 Web Hosting Providers organized neatly by the provider, price, space, traffic and by reviews. Any one of you interested to get a web host for your personal domain can really check out this website. In addition, there are specific categories for web hosting to choose from. If you are looking to start a forum website, they have a category under Best Forum Hosting. If you are looking to start a blog, they also have a category under Best Blog Hosting, which provides information on an affordable web hosting plan. This site also has Articles for you to empower yourself with the knowledge of web hosting. Rather than hard-selling on web hosting, having knowledge of it and being able to choose wisely is a smarter way to go ahead when picking your web host. Even when you are confused by technical terms such as server, hardware and traffic, do not be. This site explains them in simple terms. So now, who won the Best Web Hosting Awards in September 2009? Check it out and you are on your way to your preferred web host.

Avenue of the Giants, Humboldt Redwood State Park.

2009-06-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

It was no surprise where we were.

No, we did not travel back to California to see the California redwoods. It was a short day trip during the week we were there.

Avenue of the Giants, Humboldt Redwood State Park.

More photos and food here.

Discounts on Accor Hotels - Accor Hotels City Super Sale

2009-06-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

I was pleasantly surprised to find hotel rates in Christchurch, New Zealand going below US$80. Those hotels with Accor Hotels City Super Sale tag at the side, are going for less than US$60! This is surely a good deal. My last visit to New Zealand was more than five years ago, and I would really like to visit New Zealand again. With hotel rates going on sale, what else can stop me? It is the best time to travel. Airlines are also offering promotions and discounts, enticing people to travel amidst the economic crisis and the recent flu pandemic. With discounted airfares and hotel rates, it is really a value-for-money travel package.

With Accor Hotels City Super Sale, travelers will be able to take advantage of savings of up to 60% (hotel rates starts as low as US$25 per night). However, this will be for a limited time only. You have to book on-line between 23 - 29 June, for stays between July 10 and September 30, 2009. Cities "on-sale" include Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Hanoi, Manila, Mumbai, Sydney and Auckland. Have you picked any of these as your vacation destination?

If you are visiting Singapore for some major events taking place in the second half of 2009 such as F1 and Asian Youth Games, there are hotels such as Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay, Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel and Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen that are worth considering - they are all running below US$100 in the city super sale!

Ukiah, California

2009-02-13T18:54:00.001-08:00

At Ukiah, California

The vegetarian restaurant location within the temple.

Enjoying a happy meal with friends :)

This is a continuation from Trip to California 18-30 Dec 2008.

Tag: vegetarian, ukiah

New consumer network - Acobay

2009-02-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

Have you owned a KitchenAid yet? In the new consumer network Acobay, you can start sharing ideas, thoughts, opinions about consumer products and guess what - there is a Home Appliances category, just for me!

Flooding in Taichung, Taiwan - Typhoon Kalmaegi

2008-07-18T02:29:00.000-07:00

Typhoon Kalmaegi hit Taiwan. To be more accurate, the tail end of this typhoon hit Taiwan and brought torrential rain to central and south Taiwan.

We are right in Taichung City, central Taiwan and not spared. When I woke up this morning, I could not see the road from the window. Since the TV and power were out at home, my hb went down to the apartment lobby hoping to get some feedback from the front desk.

But he could not. The lobby was flooded! The main road - Taichung Kang Road, just outside our block of apartments, was flooded.

This is another picture taken by hb's colleague (courtesy from D. Shu). He is staying somewhere along Wenxin Road, Taichung City.

Thank god, we got back electricity. Since we are "stranded" at home, need to survive on instant cup/bowl noodles for dinner. :(

Let's hope the rain subsides tomorrow and we can get out of the house. Our house is in the mess too since we are in the midst of packing/moving. This explains why we are surviving on instant noodles since I've already cleared my kitchen and fridge.

Alisan Forest, Jiayi County, Taiwan

2008-07-06T20:40:00.001-07:00

Some rules in Alisan Forest, Taiwan

Signboards along our short hike in Alisan

Tea enjoyment in Alishan Mountain, Ali Mountain, Taiwan

2008-05-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Chinese Tea + Preserved Plums/Fruits...may not be a traditional tea culture in Taiwan but it is definitely a tea culture that has evolved for some time now.

喝茶配梅子, at Mount Alishan, Taiwan

You can find tea houses over Taiwan where it has become a lifestyle, an enjoyment to taste tea. Snacks are introduced in tea drinking just like how biscotti pairs off with a dose of java or wine and cheese tasting.

See that first photo? Tea in a plunger. Not new but definitely modern. I'm more used to seeing and using a coffee plunger. Anyway, I was expecting high mountain tea of Alishan served in a traditional porcelain spout teapot! -_-

But if served in a teapot, there is a likelihood of getting a tea bag and not tea leaves. I was trying to pacify myself. Oh well, life cannot be too perfect. I rather have good quality tea leaves and sip the tea.

Preserved plums and fruits are quite common in Taiwan. Nibble a few of these plums when drinking tea or after a meal. I was really expecting a few. Too bad the staff was not too helpful (I think he did not know) in telling me the quantity when I asked.

And so, the plums came, in ramekins quantity!

You know, guys are not at all fascinated by preserved plums no matter how excited I can be over the variety. Why no excitement? Maybe you guys can tell me...too metro-sexual? preggie snacks? Tell me, tell me! ^0^

I had to finish two ramekins of preserved plums all by myself, in a single sitting. It's a lot!

Preserved kumquats - 金桔

Another variety of preserved fruit - I forgot the name/variety!

The tea was perfect for afternoon drinking. We asked for three refills of water in the plunger, and had to "doggie-bag" the leftover preserved fruits and plums !

阿里山日出二店, 阿里山日出有大美火鍋店 (Rihchu Store)
嘉義縣阿里山鄉中正村32號
Alishan Village, #32
Around Alishan Tourist/Visitor Information Area
Jiayi, Taiwan

Tag: tea drinking, taiwan eating

Egg Tarts in Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taiwan

2008-05-21T00:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not bluffing you! Your eyes are not bluffing you!

A REAL family meal - chicken, and its "eggs" in the form of tarts

Portuguese Egg Tarts from KFC! You think I'm ~~gung-ho~~ ~~enough~~ so free to smuggle Portuguese Egg Tarts from Macau into KFC, place them side-by-side a bucket of fried chicken and take that picture? I must be having too much time to spare and too many heads to roll.

Do they look authentic ?

Well, there you have it. Portuguese egg tarts in Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Taiwan :D

This egg tart even comes with mochi beneath the egg custard. Can you see it?

KFC, Taiwan offers the classic Portuguese egg tart and other creative tarts such as the one with mochi in it(above). To verify my words, hop over to Taiwan KFC menu and take a look!

And there is a KFC opposite where I am staying :) ....I will go back for egg tarts more so than KFC fried chicken.

So what is there in your country's KFC or Mcdonalds that is really local and only available there? Curious! Curious! I wanna know!

It is not surprising, really. For example, new ideas for McDonalds come anywhere (source: Fortune article, May 2008 issue). You can now have McKroket in The Netherlands, Maharaja Burger in India, Croque McDo in France and a Bulgogi Burger in South Korea. They may make it back to the United States someday, if it makes business sense.

Tag: egg tarts, portuguese egg tarts, kentucky fried chicken, taiwan eating

Value set-meals in Taiwan

2008-05-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

Some restaurants/eateries offer lunch and dinner set-meal promotions during the weekend. Some do so during the weekdays (usually to boost the otherwise poor business); some do so everyday. It depends on the business strategy of the restaurant owners.

Do set-meals spell trouble - mass-produced poor quality food? Most of the times, maybe? It depends.

The spread is quite extensive. There are dim sum items, sushi sashimi and other Chinese food fare. Here goes...at NT328 (~USD10.70) per person:

Super-value or reasonable? You tell me

Quality of food: Not really consistent in all the dishes. Mostly forgettable, except for the prawns. It is delicious and won me over.

Steamed prawns with garlic - I like the addition of glass or cellophane noodles to soak the gravy and essence.

Which do you prefer - set meal or a la carte ? What makes your decision - price, selection, value...or mood? :D

新阿杜香港風味茶樓
文心路一段538-1號 (大業路口)
Hong Kong New A-Do Tea House
Wen Xin Road Section 1, 538-1
Taichung City, Taiwan

Tag: set meal, taiwan eating

Hong Kong culture - dim sum and newspapers?

2008-05-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

The locals in Hong Kong enjoy flipping and reading the newspapers especially during dim-sum breakfast and (I guess) as long as they are not rushed over giving up their seats. Maybe that is the only time they can slow down and enjoy their food and tea :)

What I look for in a Perfect Char Siew Bao ~ Cantonese barbecue pork buns:
- served steaming warm...you are at the risk of scalding your hunger-searching fingers when you attempt to touch it
- slightly cracked top in each bun
- soft fluffy "pau" dough, almost sponge cake-like texture
- generous char siew fillings w.r.t the dough (in other words, it cannot be too much dough and nothing inside the "pau" )
- warm moist juicy tasty char siew fillings with right proportions of meat vs "pork fats"
- "pau" fillings should not look too dangerously and artificially red

Luk Yu Tea House
24-26 Stanley Street, Hong Kong
Nearest MTR: Central Station

Tag: dim sum, yum cha

Chinese take-out in Taiwan

2008-05-09T00:30:00.000-07:00

Package that shows what's inside...

Most of them deliver FREE (minimum order: 2 boxes) and cost ~NT70 (~USD 2.30 based on 9,May 2008 conversion rate) per person per set. Cheap ?

In Taiwan, Chinese take-outs or more commonly known as 便當** (pronounced Bian Dang), literally meaning convenience-meal, are quite similar to the Chinese take-out rice-plate in the United States. It is hard to find Cantonese Chow Mien/Fried Noodles or Fried Rice here where I am staying. Even if there is...99% chance of finding something not authentic. DOH! So I rather choose what they do better - 便當饭盒 . The "contents" of the meal is somewhat similar to the economic rice/economy rice in Singapore...that is rice with meat+ vegetables.

A very typical Taiwanese rice-set. Mostly preserved/braised/stewed food in a wooden box

台中车头便当
台中市西區中港路一段172號(中港路與大仁街口近英才路)
Taichung Kang Road, Section 1,, # 172
Taichung City, Taiwan

They do it differently here when you asked for delivery. Over the phone, you usually order one main dish (typically meat/fish) - can be braised pork ribs, grilled chicken chop, kung pao chicken etc., and they will pair it (for you) with 2-3 different sides of (really small portions of) vegetables (eg. green leafy, long beans, cabbage, corn kernels, bamboo shoots, onions, preserved vegetables etc). In other words, you get a choice of meat but not the vegetables.

~Less than USD3 per person (lunch and/or dinner)
~FREE delivery to your door step

Why not?

Really a savior on lazy days when I don't even feel like stepping into the kitchen except to open the fridge and get a drink or a ready-snack. Oh, the evil of convenience...I'm falling prey to. But Jeff Bezos, Founder, CEO of Amazon.com did say...most, if not all consumers, enjoy convenience, selection, and low prices. Then, what will stop me in this vicious cycle of Chinese take-out diet? Selection, I guess. I don't know how healthy or unhealthy it can get if I do this continuously.

Time to get back to cooking soon.

** I checked Google translation:
Bento (english) --> 盒饭
便當 --> Lunch
ekiben (english) --> 铁路便当

Why is it that I always get the impression that Bento is 便當 ??

Anyway, happy weekend!

Tag: taiwan eating

Bison or bear jam - traffic situation in national parks

2008-05-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

Wildlife, such as bison, use the roads often.

Drivers who gaze around at the sights risk running into a "bear jam" where people have not pulled entirely off the road, or simply slowed to a crawl.

We came across a bison jam. Can you see it?

All cars have to stop for bison to cross the road.

Taken at Teton National Park

Taipei 101

2008-04-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

We were at Taipei 101 early and could not even get through the entrance. The doors were not opened yet at 9+am. Bummer! :( ...and we could not take the lift. Yes. The lift in Taipei 101 was touted one of the fastest. Too bad...

Before we headed to CKS Memorial, we did not forget to take many snapshots of Taipei 101...from the outside, all angles, different views.

From far

Near the building, yet wanted to capture the height of Taipei 101

Amidst the trees

Another view, another angle

Some facts:
1. Height: 509m/1671 ft - tallest till 2003
2. The elevators (Toshiba) runs just over 60 km/h; taking you up in ~43secs

So remember, if you are planning a day in Taipei, make this Taipei 101 visit from middle of the day or after. You can visit other attractions such as CKS Memorial, earlier in the day, say 9+am.

Related post (one day in Taipei):
1. Take the Taiwan HSR from Taichung to Taipei
2. Take Taipei Metro
3. Visit CKS Memorial
4. Walk around Ximending and have some braised duck wings
5. Tamsui-PartOne from Taipei
6. Tamsui-Part Two from Taipei

Venetian Macau - free shuttle, make use of it

2008-04-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Venetian Macau is located at Taipa, a little out of town. The only tip I have for you is - use the Venetian Free Shuttle as often as you can to get to the Airport, Ferry Terminal, and Sands Casino (on the other side).

From the airport: take the Venetian shuttle bus to our resort. This shuttle operates from 11am to 9pm daily and leaves the airport every 10 minutes.

From the ferry terminal: take The Venetian shuttle bus to our resort. This shuttle operates from 10am to midnight daily and leaves the airport every 5-8 minutes.

From the Sands Macao: From the Sands Macao, you can catch The Venetian shuttle bus every 8 minutes between 10am and 2am.

Courtesy from Venetian Macao

The Venetian at Las Vegas is much nicer :) ....it is less crowded too!

Taiwan High Speed Rail - clean, comfortable and fast

2008-04-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

If you are traveling between main cities such as Taipei, Kaoshiung, Taichung etc., the Taiwan High Speed Rail is fast, clean, comfortable, and efficient.

The Taichung station

Arriving train

There are cars for reserved (assigned) sitting and the last few cars (I think from car 9-12) are free sitting. Free sitting tickets are usually 20% cheaper.

An information map and guide of the train

Quite comfortable if you ride long distance, since it is not as bumpy as a 2-hr taxi ride from Taichung to Taipei.

So if you are working on a laptop, the high speed rail is definitely a much better option.

For major cities such as Taipei and Kaoshiung, the high speed rail stations are located near the metro system. However, not many cities have rapid transit (equivalent to Singapore MRT and Hong Kong MTR)

Train facts:
1. Taiwan HSR is modeled after Japan's Shinkansen
2. Top operation speed 300km/h

Winchester Mystery House, San Jose

2008-04-16T01:19:00.000-07:00

Some said she wanted to keep the ghosts away from her house because of the many deaths caused by the Winchester rifles. Or she just makes a bad architect?

This is...the Winchester Mystery House.

The door to nowhere:

Stairs to nowhere:

Ceiling where rivets are half-driven in:

Door with no lock:

Macau Travel - Part Two

2008-04-16T01:10:00.001-07:00

If you have just one day in Macau, you should visit Senado Square.

You can find Portuguese egg tarts at this compound.

Walk on, walk along. Then you will reach the back streets that will lead you to Ruins of St. Paul. Along this street, you can find more Portuguese egg tarts, the famous Koi Kee Bakery and pork chop bun too!

Famous Koi Kee Bakery. Get some cookies here. They have Portuguese egg tarts too!

Ruins of St. Paul

Travel domain for attractions, travel tips and more

2008-04-16T00:49:00.000-07:00

Have you considered an Australian domain registration ? I have...many times in fact. But I have not taken any action till now. Guess I'm always fickle on deciding which web host and server I should use. There are just too many out there and I'm confused. Cost, reliability, performance - I have to balance all of that. Pay Less Domains is another source you could go to, if you are serious and already set on getting your own domain registered. Remember Australian domain registration.

If you are facing problems in your current web host, don't worry. Pay Less Domains also do domain transfers with minimal hassle. And I was looking at their various web hosting packages, they are quite attractive - offering secure, high-performance web servers, reliable network infrastructure and timely email technical support. If you are interested, why not go choose your domain name now ? Well you know, good domain names run out fast.

Macau Travel - Part One

2008-04-14T00:51:00.000-07:00

Pork chop bun 猪扒包. Oh...you would never have guessed something so simple can be so good. It's just a minimally-seasoned (probably salt and pepper?) pork chop sandwiched in a warm baguette-style bun. Nothing else. No pickles, no mayo, no bacon, no lettuce, no tomatoes. But, IT IS GOOD.

Along the streets from Senado Square to Ruins of St. Paul

Fresh-Water Crab Congee 水蟹粥 . We did not go to the best shops to try this. We would have if we have done our due diligence. Nonetheless, they are almost everywhere. Cooked in scallions and ginger, and just...a fresh water crab, this congee/rice porridge is mildly sweet (must be from the crab) and cooked to smooth velvety consistency.

Stall opposite Holiday Inn, Macau

African Chicken is one of those must-try dishes in Macanese cuisine. I wanted to try this signature dish at SOLMAR along Avenida da Praia Grande but alas...it was rather out of place for us to go considering we did not have much time in Macau.

African Chicken in Cafe Deco, Venetian Macau

Instead, we had our African Chicken in Cafe Deco, Venetian Macau. I believe it was a modern twist to the traditional African chicken in which the sauce/gravy is cooked with the chicken. Here, the sauce is served by the side. It's acceptable for me this round, since I have not tried African Chicken before anyway. The sauce/gravy is indeed a BLAST! wOOt! Flavor-bombed with a mix of spices. I wonder if it's a mix of Portuguese, Indian, Malay, and Chinese spices since that is representative of Macau cuisine. Also tried a Pan-Seared Bacalhua (dried cod fish, a tradition in Portugal) dish and Caldo Verde (vegetable) soup. They were both good. Only thing bad - the damage. 2 soups + 2 main courses setting us at USD$72/-

We had to find something to eat before we board our departure flight. Found something nearby where we stayed (yes, opposite Holiday Inn, Macau) and had some tea-cafe-style food.

Beef brisket noodles...and

Ham and spaghetti soup 火腿意粉. I was actually expecting macaroni but it was spaghetti.

Macau - where East meets West, tradition meets modern, the old meets the new. You could see all these aspects in their cuisine and food. How interesting. Though I was not there long enough to immerse in their culture, the food has definitely aligned us.

Tag: macau eating, street food, travel macau

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

2008-04-09T00:24:00.001-07:00

Second most visited sight (Most visited sight #1 is Old Faithful) in Yellowstone National Park is the Grand Canyon.

We covered the Grand Canyon and the Lower Falls before driving off, back to Utah.

Travel can be hurt by bad credit too

2008-04-09T00:02:00.000-07:00

"Fed weights options on crunch"..."Bush to expand help on mortgages"..."...$1 Trillion in Credit Crisis Losses". These are hitting the headlines of tabloids and newspapers almost every other day. It is so dampening to hear. My friend in the Bay Area, California, was telling me the other day that the waiting period for rental apartments back in the Bay Area can be as long as 3 months. What? More people are turning to rent and not buy because they are unable to get a mortgage with a bad credit rating. It may help those with bad credit loans or bad credit credit cards if they know a website in which they can use to compare other products options and alternatives in credit cards and home loans. Yes, there are still credit card and loan options for people with bad credit ratings. You just need to know where to access these sources. Hopefully, these consumers can apply for the right product and start re-establishing a good credit.

Potato, Idaho potato

2008-04-08T19:30:00.001-07:00

I found a couple of lost posts in my backlog! They were taken back in our trip to Yellowstone National Park. Since we transverse four states in two days, we could not give Idaho a miss along the route Utah-Wyoming.

Idaho is an important agricultural state, producing nearly one third of the potatoes grown in the United States.

The Potato Expo is closed on Sunday, unfortunately :(

According to folklore, potatoes grow bigger in Idaho than anywhere else because they are fed "corn meal and milk" every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Another better reason for potatoes growing well in Idaho is because potatoes seem to grow better in a light soil, like volcanic ash conditions and this condition exist in Idaho's potato growing areas.

No more travel to shop, I can shop online!

2008-04-08T18:54:00.000-07:00

When I travel to Hong Kong or to the US, I just love to shop! It's like paradise to be able to shop in warehouses and outlets. But I am currently "stranded" in Taiwan, I just can't fit into their fashion sense here, thus I have not been shopping a lot. With this shopping comparison site, I can now have a better sense and control when shopping online for shoes, and even handbags.

For example, I just clicked on shoes and the category could be narrowed down to brands such as Nike and Puma; by gender, price range and even shoe type such as pumps, sneakers, loafers and flats. They made shopping less of a pain and the online shopper could have a clear idea of the next product he or she is going to purchase. Yes, ladies' favorite - handbags...you can also search by material, handbag types and the online stores carrying that particular handbag. How good is that ?

Taipei CKS Memorial Hall, Taiwan

2008-04-07T22:50:00.001-07:00

How to get to CKS Memorial Hall - from the Taipei Station, take the Red Line to CKS Memorial Hall Station.

Don't you think the dangling art pieces have destroyed the statue's solitude ?

Get smart with Smorty

2008-04-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

Well, if you spent half your time blogging, it is time to be rewarded, get some returns for your efforts and get paid for blogging. Of course, that is provided you enjoy writing like myself. It's a good opportunity for bloggers like myself to connect with advertisers in the Smorty arena. Sometimes, there are opportunities for you to write about a particular product or service provided by the advertisers in Smorty. Give it a go - write about your experiences and opinions about that product and/or service. With your actual experiences about certain products or services, you can even help your readers find and make better choices when it is time for your readers to make that similar selection. Indirectly, it is blog advertising for the advertisers too! In my opinion, a triple win situation - win for advertisers, win for bloggers and win for readers!

Are you signed up yet?

Travel Taipei, Taipei Metro

2008-04-07T21:41:00.001-07:00

With several cases of suicides and accidents on the MRT tracks in Singapore, maybe it's time to build an automated gate or door along the train tracks, similar to those in the underground MRT stations. This will definitely prevent accidents during rush hour traffic when people are rushing for trains. Who knows, you might get pushed around by running masses and fall off to the tracks? :O

The Taipei Metro does it this way in crowded stations -

Comparison and guide to best web hosting

2008-04-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

I have heard my brother complaining about the entire server and host being down and he lost all his data and postings at his site. I have also heard about pages that take a long time to load because of a poor web hosting bandwidth. Some web hosting sites do not even provide timely support when the server is down. Such nightmares and terrible real stories...

If you are looking for best web hosting sites, Kaushalsheth.com has a comparison for you in terms of price, disk space and bandwidth. I have been procrastinating for a long time - about having my personal domain at a web host, for all the common and obvious worries e.g. that I do not have timely control over my own postings, the rates I have to pay up per year etc etc. With the options of these best web hosting sites, I can now do some good and real "shopping". Who knows I may do without the .blogspot.com one day.

Famous braised duck wings in XiMenDing, Taipei

2008-04-06T19:43:00.001-07:00

Our first time traveling northwards to Taipei after a couple of months in Taichung (central Taiwan). Took us about an hour via Taiwan's High Speed Rail (HSR) and cost us 700NT (USD23/- per person, one way). If you forget about driving, going by the Taiwan HSR should be, in my opinion, the fastest and most comfortable way to travel to Taipei.

We did not plan much. We did not even go up the fastest lift touted in Taipei101 because Taipei101 only opens at 11am and we were there early at 9am. Bummer!

Could only take pictures from the outside since the doors were not opened!

Off we go...heading off to
Chiang Kai-Shek (CKS) Memorial Hall. I admit I am not so into Chinese history (or to be more specific...anything history and stuff...oops!) and spent only a short time around in CKS Memorial Hall. Then headed off to Tamsui late morning on the same day. The day ended traveling back from Tamsui to Taipei's Ximending -西門町, Taipei's equivalent of Harajuku - a famously hip place in Japan that represents youth style and fashion. Don't ask me what I am doing in a place like that! I felt out of place! I AM soooooo OLD!!! Waahhhhh.....:(

What did I do there ? Just walk around...bought myself a canvas tote bag...and some famous braised duck wings.

Since they were cold when I bought them, I chose to bring them back home so that I can heat them up (steam) before I enjoy them. These were very flavorful wings, braised to perfection. I guess if you were to eat them as-is (not heated up), the texture might be a tad chewy. But when steamed for a while, they exudes more fragrance - must be from the braising spices used! Less chewy, more moist and soft but still good.

Braised duck wings at Lau Tian Lu-老天祿滷味.
台北市武昌街二段55號
WuChang Street, Section 2, #55, Taipei
In Ximending vicinity

Retrace my journey:
Tamsui, Taipei Country, Taiwan - Part One
Tamsui, Taipei Country, Taiwan - Part Two

Tag: taiwan eating, ximending, taipei, braised duck wings

Food and beverage signboards and funny English

2008-04-01T19:10:00.001-07:00

Can't help but disrupt the food installments with this. A food signboard along famous street GongYi Road 公益路 in Taichung city.

A place for drinking tea. It's healthy, convenient, and errrmmmm....spotted it?

Next, the procedure for a 100NT (3USD) haircut.

Hope you can make sense out of this...

Hope you can really make sense out of this

We could. It just took us a while because we spent more time chuckling. :D

This is not an April Fool's Joke.

Street food in Tamsui Taipei - Part Two

2008-03-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

"Must-eat" street food and snacks in Tamsui, are no more secret. There is even a travel snippet on that. It is therefore not my great discovery but instead a pursuit of what is evident. I try to accomplish most of them. Why not all ? Because there are some snacks I simply do not like (iron eggs, is one example)

Iron eggs (鐵蛋 pronounced TieDan) - these are eggs which have been repeatedly stewed in a mix of spices and air dried. The resulting eggs are dark brown, chewy to the point of almost as hard as iron, thus the name.

Signboard writes..."hot and spicy flavor, garlic flavor, black pepper flavor..."...gosh...

Now for the curious minds - why are they repeatedly stewed ? Act of purpose or matter of coincidence ? This should be a discovery or invention by act of business astute, in my opinion. The story starts from the tea eggs that are common street (convenience) food in Taiwan - do you think heaps of eggs can be sold out every day ? What do you think happen to those which are un-sold ? Those un-sold are continuously being cooked, re-cooked; stewed, re-stewed (together with fresh batch of eggs) till the point of being sooooo.....hard. Since those eggs could be repeatedly stewed till hard yet still edible(note: edible does not equal "nice-to-eat"), why not turn them into snacks that can be packaged (stored) after being air-dried. This way, the "older" eggs are not wasted, while you still can cook and stew fresh ones to entice different customers. Brrrrr...

Danshui or Tamsui fish balls (淡水魚丸) are very famous. They are made of fish paste and the fishballs are stuffed with meat and garlic, served in a soup.

Served in a light broth/soup flavored by pepper and sprinkles of celery bits

Meat filling in the fishball

Sounds and looks like Fuchow fishballs 福州鱼丸? Well, it's kinda different. These Tamsui fish balls are more chewy (sotong or cuttlefish ball texture, if you ask me) compared to Fuchow fishballs that are usually more springy. I read somewhere that the Tamsui fish paste has got shark's meat paste mixed into it !!! Is it why the texture is so much different from those fishballs I've had back in Singapore? Frankly, I prefer those in SE Asia. But since we are already here in Tamsui, we should just do ourselves justice of having more fishballs. This was taken at another store (picture of stall, below).

You can order some rice vermicelli or bee hoon and enjoy with those fishballs

Then, there is the word "A-Gei (阿給)" that keeps popping up along signboards on the street.

Ok, initially I thought it's a name of some famous food stall (oh, I so stupid!) but only when I returned from my trip, then I realized it actually meant deep fried tofu in Japanese!!!! OH IS IT??! Alright, we missed on that A-Gei (阿給) - they are deep fried tofu that are stuffed with flavored crystal noodles and sealed with fish paste (surimi). Hmmm...kinda like Yong Tau Foo, isn't it ? And only today, when I kept rolling that name in my tongue A-Gei...A-Gei, I thought of Japanese Agedashi Tofu...(OK, how do you pronounce "Agedashi"....does the first two syllabus sound like A-Gei?

Fish crisps (魚酥) - fish snacks that are light crispy with a texture comparible to shrimp crackers. Available in original and spicy flavours.

Again, reminded me of those round crispy fish snacks in SE Asia. They taste almost the same!

Tag: taiwan eating, tamsui, street food

Vegetables, flowering vegetables or flowers

2008-03-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

I do not know if they are flowers or vegetables. Indeed, they were used as flower decorations but they look a lot like...lettuce to me??? HELP ?

Nonetheless, they are colorful and lovely as decorations.

Taken at Puli Winery, Nantou, Taiwan

Food elevator

2008-03-26T18:03:00.001-07:00

This (picture) should jolly well work in Luk Yu Teahouse, Hong Kong. You can argue about holding on to dim-sum traditions but the heavy loads of dim sum over the waiters'/waitresses' shoulders, need to be lightened, especially when they have to climb steep stairs to serve the customers. If you have not seen them, read about them here.

A FOOD ELEVATOR...to the rescue.

I know that is no new invention but it just surprises me when an old store -老店 can embrace that.

Using a food elevator when your eatery establishment has two or more storeys will certainly make operations more efficient.

How it works?
1. You order your food after you are seated (assuming you are not seated on the ground floor)
2. They will take down your orders on a chit and you are given a number
3. They "drop" your orders (somehow, but I don't know how) to the kitchen which will then prepare your food
4. When ready, the dishes will be place on trays and up the elevator they go
5. Your order number is called
6. You collect your food at the food elevator/station

Photo was taken at A-Gei -阿給老店 in Tamsui, Taiwan.

Tag: taiwan eating, tamsui, street food

Welcome to the world of pots!

2008-03-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

What goes around, comes around...
What goes into a pot comes in a pot

A claypot of smooth Cantonese congee

A stainless steel tripod-hotpot in Tripod King. For once, you can "have your cake and eat it too"

Cast iron pot (import from Japan) that dwells into the art and science of hotpot/steamboat cooking and eating. Try Yuans to experience it.

Served right at your dining table, cooked in front of you...a warm pot of clams cooked with ginger, scallions, szechuan peppercorns. You get to see your clams from start(closed shells) to finish(opened shells, ready to eat!). And remember, never allow the clams to overcook. Once the shells open, you can dish the clams aside and slowly enjoy the soup during the meal

One tasty pot, multi-eats. A sizzling pot of Huadiao Wine Chicken 花雕鸡 where you start "interactive eating" from the last few minutes of finished cooking. You will hear the pot sizzle, meaning the chicken is ready to be savoured. Uniquely, the gravy essence of this Huadiao Wine Chicken is not wasted since the pot is kept warm under a table stove. Thereafter, you can order additional sides such as cabbage, rice noodles, beancurd skin to add into the pot of Huadiao Wine Chicken when there is only gravy remaining. Wipe the pot clean, till the last stain. Eat till you drop and till the last drop.

A pot of mushroom broth that cooks everything mushrooms. Healthy and nutritious.

A serving of Japanese curry stone-hotpot feeds one individual well. Very well. It's for you only, don't have to share.

Ending off with claypot rice, topped with juicy succulent chicken drizzled with premium dark soy sauce - 煲仔饭

Tag: claypots, hotpots

Hotspring resort in Taichung, Taiwan - Freshfields Resort

2008-03-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

A day trip out from Taichung city.

Freshfields Resort is a ~ 20min taxi ride from Taichung city. A great way to spend the weekend, away from the polluted city. What's the hoo-ha? This is a hotspring hotel, almost right smacked in the city. More "ahs"... ...well...it's our first time enjoying hotspring. We are "shy" people. So we opted for room with private hotspring rather than share the public hotspring bath with other guests. :P

Beauty bath in hotspring water

Hot and cold hotspring water options

For a price of 4800NT (weekdays), +1000NT (5800NT for weekends and holidays), it's a comfortable stay in a room with private tub piped with hotspring water.

Will go again if feel like it, since it's so near. :)

Brussel sprouts or teenage mutant weirdo cabbage - WS

2008-03-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

Brussel Sprouts -

Well, are these brussel sprouts ? Have you seen brussel sprouts looking like this ?

I cannot believe they (in Taiwan) are selling these overly-grown brussel sprouts! Or should I say teenage mutant weirdo cabbage ? Well, it was labeled in Mandarin (I don't know what is brussel sprouts in Mandarin) but my eyes could not be deceived. Time to educate those farmers! They should know when to harvest their crops! Or is it me who is ignorant ?

Shouldn't brussel sprouts be looking like these -

There are two simple recipes for me, when it comes to brussel spouts - Chinese or Western style!
Check them out here or here.

Tag: brussel sprouts

Omelette rice, omuraisu, 蛋包饭

2008-03-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

蛋包饭 ~ Dan Bao Fun, literally means "egg wrapping the rice". Officially (and technically), they call it omuraisu (in Japanese) where omu - is from the word "omelette" and raisu- from the word "rice". That's pure dissection of words. And coincidentally...I am going to dissect the omelette and show you what's inside --

Rice fried in tomato ketchup!

A dish that sounds relatively simple in terms of ingredients but I never ever thought of making it myself. Perhaps it's the trouble of assembling the omelette and rice that gives so much resistance (heck, I rather eat the omelette and rice, separate). Or perhaps it's food for the kids (that tomato catch-up impression I get...errrmmm...ketchup-flavored rice...errrmmm)

But really, when you take the trouble and go through the process - from frying the rice (without getting burnt ketchup or mishandled caramelization) and swirling the eggs around the pan as they cook (to make an even circle); up to the point of having to place the ketchup fried rice on one side (left or right) of the egg and flip over the other side to "wrap" the rice (just like how I made my seafood omelette); then flipping the omelette onto the serving plate, in perfection and no mistake (making sure it just appears as a regular omelette on the plate, nothing else); and finally touching up with that extra dollop of ketchup on the omelette - it can be just that accomplishment of putting little steps togther to create a single entity, the surprise that an omelette hides, PLUS the satisfaction of turning ketchup-flavored rice into "adult" food.

When we visited Tamagoya in Taiwan, 80% of the crowd were adults! Myth busted! Adults are catching up the ketchup, not just kids! :P

A fluffy yellow egg - just you wait when I cut you through...*evil*

For my personal liking, I would rather have simple fried rice under the omelette. Well, I know. This will not be authentic omiraisu anymore. But anyhow, omiraisu is not traditional Japanese cuisine with true Japanese roots and origin. Omiraisu is known to be an influence of European/Western cuisine on Japanese tastes - yohshoku, translated to "Western food". This is Western-style food that has undergone multi-faceted face-change in Japan, such that it has become so well entrenched in Japanese cuisine that you will never relate them to other foreign cuisine, other than Japan itself. Yohshoku items more familiar to you may include omuraisu (rice omelette), korokke (croquettes) and tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlet). Many yohshoku items remain very authentic and can be found in mom and pop eateries, Japanese coffee houses and cafes.

Tag: taiwan eating, omuraisu, omelette rice

Of food, "hanging" ingredients, window shopping

2008-03-03T00:05:00.001-08:00

Meats!

Pardon that reflection and my lack of photography skills...

Yung Kee - this is a famous restaurant in the Central District of Hong Kong. Not only does Yung Kee specialize in roasted goose, this restaurant also serves many Cantonese items/dishes from "Roast" items to "Rice and Congee". This is the "showcase" which is facing the walkway where passers-by stroll up and down the pavement. Will this tempt the "carnivore" in you?

Desserts!

Even desserts such as steamed milk puddings deserve a more than half-length of window space. One can guess the number of desserts intended to be sold for the day.

Wine!

This is a push-cart-style stall set up in a aboriginal village in Taiwan. It sells Chinese millet wine- 小米酒 . See the smile of the lady below those hanging millets. She keeps promoting the wine and even encourages passers-by to taste the wine. The Chinese millet wine or 小米酒 is considered a representative to Taiwan as important as the Taiwanese aborigines to the culture of Taiwan. It is said that the indigenous people in the mountains of Taiwan are not so affluent, and this Chinese millet wine (millet is their harvest crops) has become their main drink with nutritional help to their body.

Do you window shop for food? or just limited to clothes, shoes and bags?

Wonton noodles Mak Man Kee, Nathans congee - mom and pop eateries in Hong Kong

2008-02-29T00:55:00.001-08:00

I do not mind sharing table or being squashed in a mom and pop eatery like this - if it means I can eat the famous wonton noodles here!

Mak Man Kee - an old-fashioned board menu on the wall. A traditional noodle shop in Jordan district, Hong Kong.

See the numbers below those vertical string of Mandarin characters - those are the prices of the food items.

One of the best wonton noodles I've had in my life, I swear. It's in the noodles, the soup broth, and the wonton - 云吞, shui kow -水饺 . All that makes this...THE noodles I came back for, more than once, in my 2-day trip to Hong Kong. The portions come small. With a full appetite, I don't think there is any problem swooping down two bowls. What comes into the making of the soup/broth ? Are there any true-blue Hong Kongers or Cantonese cuisine pro who can tell me? Without fail, bits of Chinese chives (the white, non-chlorophyll version of its green family**) can always be seen floating in the soup.

"The egg noodles are springy and has that biting and chewing satisfication;
each dumpling - wonton or shui kow - filled generously with ingredients;
oozing out with the "juice" sensation;
when greedily savoured "

"The beef brisket noodles in a plate, comes dry or in soup;
Beef briskets braised to perfection - also good;
But we still prefer the noodles in soup "

You know how delicious is the food when you can even make your sentences rhymes...

Nathan Congee - yet another traditional mom and pop eatery at Jordan. You get to watch just that one-and-only chef cook. He is situated right at the store entrance, at his tiny cornered kitchen. A stove where he cooks the porridge/congee and then that same tiny space where the porridge/congee is poured into individual bowls. I wonder how he does that without that claustrophobic feel. Most of the ingredients must have been prepared in advanced - pre-washed, pre-cleaned, pre-cut or chop. He just needs to portion the right amount of ingredients into the pots of simmering cooking porridge/congee.

This non-flashy and non-flamboyant chef's corner is found exactly at the store entrance (on your right). There is even a lack of space that a table has to be used to place the plates of dough sticks (油条 )

Here, a good ol' bowl of mixed pork porridge 及第粥, made from all parts of the pig - typically lean pork slices, minced pork balls, pork liver and pork intestines. Full of pork flavor sans any pungent smell of innards.

Not enough Hong Kong eating? You can indulge in more desserts, get yourself stressed-up in a tea cafe or watch time pass by in a traditional teahouse.

Tag: hong kong eating, wonton noodles, congee

**Do you know the existence of white chives ? If you do, do you know why they are white and not green ? This "albino" version is created when the usual (green) chives is buried under the soil, and not exposed to sunlight in the process of growing. Without exposure to the sun, no chorophyll is produced, thus the resultant chive is white/pale yellow.

Herbal tortoise jelly, black sesame dessert soup

2008-02-25T01:11:00.000-08:00

Black food !

Left: Herbal jelly, some say tortoise jelly, 龟苓膏 pronouned Gui Ling Gao. Right: black sesame soup/paste, 芝麻糊

Is BLACK aesthetically photo-shoot-friendly ? In some ways, it might look unappetizing and digusting but hear more of black food before you make your statement.

Herbal Jelly - typically prepared from powder (made of grinded turtle shells or not - needs more verification), with other herbal substances added to the jelly to give its bitter (medicinal) taste. To enjoy it, you are sure to find honey served alongside, so that you can adjust the level of bitterness to your own liking.

Have the jelly served cold, or warm but not many people like this medicinal bitterly tasting dessert - an acquired taste, perhaps. If you like grass jelly, the texture of tortoise jelly is akin to grass jelly. I really want some to soothe my sore throat and bad cough now. This herbal jelly is known to have health benefits such as treating sore throats, and improving general health.

This black sesame dessert is a form of sweet soup in Cantonese cuisine. The main ingredient is crushed black sesame seeds. It is then boiled with hot water. Depending on the sesame seeds which sometimes can be already sweet, the level of sweetness is adusted during boiling by adding sugar. Those instant soup packs can't beat this, I am so sure! This one I had in Hong Kong was so smooth.

And this soup is one of those few that is known to give you beautiful, black hair, if you consume it regularly. According to sources, the Chinese black sesame seed soup helps to improve the health of the scalp, thus nourishes the hair. Black sesame seeds are high in protein, and minerals such as phosphorous, iron and magnesium. It will then be no doubt that these seeds imparts youth and darkness to one's hair. So, if you are are seeing premature greying of your hair, don't use a hair dye. Black sesame soup can be your "natural hair dye" fit for a dessert or snack :P

What other black food can you think of ?

Tag:desserts, jelly, black sesame

Desserts indulgence at Hui Lau Shan, Hong Kong

2008-02-24T23:23:00.001-08:00

The Hong Kong trip did not end here or here. Hong Kong tea cafes and traditional teahouses were just few of them. Wonton noodles, roasted goose and quail, there're more...and I have not done my writing-cum-posting yet. Could I just post pictures? Overwhelmed by a backlog of eat-travel Hong Kong posts; and stint inTaiwan, I wish I could recommend all them to you in a few but that will be too disorganized, for me and for you.

Slowly but surely.

This is a famous dessert-chain in Hong Kong which seems to be recommended by many. 许留山 pronounced Xu Liu Shan - named after the creator, also known as Hui Lau Shan, if you were to search for it over the net in English. With 50 years history, this shop started as a herbal tea shop specializing in herbal jellies and evolved to a popular chain today with many mango specialty desserts. Spoilt with choices that I have to visit three times in a same trip and each time, feeling thrilled and enthralled about which dessert to order. You will be surprised (or at least I did) that there is even one shop located in San Francisco, California. If this is a true (not some imitation shop) sprout from Hong Kong's Hui Lau Shan and if it is still operating for business, it is known by another name - Creations Dessert, in the United States. Verifying the menu, it's not as complete as the one in Hong Kong. I am feeling iffy at this time. I don't believe there is even one in Singapore - anyone tried or reviewed it yet?

Back to the original in Hong Kong -

Mango pudding - mango fruits platter - mango puree with fresh mango cubes - mango puree with fresh mango cubes, sago with coconut milk - mango puree with fresh mango cubes and pomelo sacs - mango puree with fresh mango cubes and pomelo sacs topped with mango sherbert ice-cream. This is just 10% of number of items in the menu, maybe? Oh my goodness, call it a fantasy, a dream. Mango fantasia, mango slavery! :O

For once, I tried something non-mango-ish. Stewed bird's nest with coconut milk! I remembered this was at a promotional price (HKD40~USD5~SGD7) - so I allowed myself to indulge. :D

This warm dessert came out steaming, and was absolutely comforting on my stomach. Every scoopful of it into the entire coconut shell was floating with bird's nest. Best of all, the dessert was not overly-sweet. Hint of rock-sugar sweet in the bird's nest just perfect in that warm coconut milk. Such a pleasure.

The next time you visit Hong Kong, don't forget to plan this. If you are asking any tip from me, I'm going to give you this - keep your stomach ~20% empty after lunch or dinner, so that you can enjoy these fabulous desserts (yes, that's a tip!)

I made mango slushy dessert before, remember?

Tag: hong kong eating, desserts, mango

Dim sum, people watching in Hong Kong, Luk Yu 陸羽茶室

2008-02-21T03:57:00.001-08:00

The traditional teahouse serving dim-sum is not by push-cart?

Just when I thought push-cart dim-sum was traditional. Boy, it must be hard (and heavy) to wear that strap over the shoulder, and at the same time raising their voice calling out "Siew mai, siew mai"..."Chai Siew Bao, chai siew bao"...Har Gaw, har gaw" - dim-sum items sitting on their over-the-shoulder-tray. The waiters/waitresses have to climb steep stairs up and down, making sure customers in each level (there are two storeys to this teahouse) are served. And they are not youngsters but gentlemen and ladies in their 40s and up, perhaps.

Visiting Luk Yu Teahouse 陸羽茶室, in Central District, Hong Kong was more for the experience and not so for the dim-sum. Some say it's a reminder of old Hong Kong where teahouses were places to settle disputes harmoniously, over tea. Well, others see teahouse tradition as companionship and enjoying tea.

Whatever it is, it is not just about eating.

These were some standard dim-sum items we ordered. No fancy items available.

Pan-fried yam cake, egg tarts

Steamed pork dumpling (siew mai in Cantonese), top; steamed shrimp dumpling(har gau in Cantonese), bottom

Don't mix them up. A tea cafe is not a teahouse in Hong Kong understanding. If you have some time to immerse in the teahouse culture and tradition, do drop by:

Luk Yu Tea House
24-26 Stanley Street, Hong Kong
Nearest MTR: Central Station

Tag: hong kong eating, teahouse, dim sum

Tea eggs, tea leaf eggs, 茶葉蛋.

2008-02-18T00:16:00.001-08:00

Tea eggs, tea leaf eggs, 茶葉蛋.

Taken from stall near Sun Moon Lake - 日月潭 (pronounced Ri Yue Tan) , a scenic attraction in central Taiwan.

If you want to make tea leaf eggs at home, you can refer to my blogging friends - Flog & Rosbif and Little Corner of Mine. In a gist, the aroma of tea leaf eggs is quite distinct (you can smell it afar) and the marble-effect design is something that mystifies me more than eating the egg itself.

How to get the marble effect - boil the eggs twice. After the first boil when the egg hardens, the shell of each egg is lightly cracked/tapped around, without peeling. Make sure the cracked shell stays intact. Then, put these "lightly cracked" eggs to a second boil. The little cracks will allow flavour of the tea into the egg. To me, this is somewhat like a traditional etching process - where parts of the egg protected by the intact shell still maintains a color of white or pale beige while the areas of crack lines are exposed to the darkening stain of the tea immersion and you get a more intense darkened brown cracked (spiderweb-ish) line pattern around the egg. THAT is absolutely ART!

Talking about tea eggs, there is the "7-eleven-type" convenience store(only in Taiwan?) tea egg; there is also the traditional kind in the larger snapshot above that calls itself "Granny's tea eggs" - 阿婆茶叶蛋. It's famous, you know. Most of the stall owners near Sun Moon Lake area swears by this name "Granny's tea eggs" - 阿婆茶叶蛋 (a power marketing brand or tool?) as apparently, there is a true story about this lady who sold special tea eggs around that area for 40+ years, from young till she became Grandma! To many people, these eggs taste particularly flavorful. Other than the typical tea + five spice aroma and flavor, there is an additional taste of nostalgia in it - what they call 古早味. It took me a while to understand. Literally, it meant 古味 or "taste of the past". Sometimes, as food and tradition get infused with too much excitement and creativity; and when we start to experience new flavors, there comes a time when we will start re-tracing to the basic roots of food and its traditionally origin taste - its authenticity and simplicity - both which are somehow partially lost when we seek ways to improve.

These "Granny's tea eggs" - 阿婆茶叶蛋 are also special because of two secret ingredients. Both ingredients which the mountainous area around Sun Moon Lake are famous for - Assam tea-阿萨姆红茶 (a tea with hint of malt aroma, rose incense, and concentrated flavor) and mushrooms! According to sources, the eggs are first cooked in assam(red) tea + salt; set aside to cool; then lightly tapped around to create the crack lines; thereafter immersed into a broth of mushroom + assam tea+ spice conconction, to slowly cook for 6+ hours!

Maybe you can try perfecting Granny's recipe at home!

Tag: taiwan eating, tea eggs, tea leaf eggs

Braised pork belly, free range chicken, hakka cuisine, heartlander's food

2008-02-14T05:04:00.001-08:00

What do the heartlanders eat in Taiwan? I have yet explored every part of it but I'm quite sure they eat a variety other than steamboats and hotpots.

This is the kind of "economic rice" I can find in Taiwan, similar to those found in Singapore, close enough to California's Ranch99 deli section ... or does it have a far resemblance to your Chinese take-outs in the United States? You know...it's the same concept - rice + something :P

Of course, there is much more selection here (for dine-in and take-outs). And I'm quite sure the food taste better. Make a guess - how much does this cost?

Clockwise from pork belly rice: stir fry bittergourd with egg, fried fish, braised napa cabbage 卤白菜 , vermicelli (glass noodles/cellophane noodles) soup

Ermmmm...."economic rice"? WhAa....aaat is that? Not really sure how this name evolved but I'm guessing its origin came from the "value for money" rice set that you can usually get from these rice stalls. Typically, it's plain rice + your choice of meat and/or vegetables from a wide selection of dishes, costing S$3 and up (depending on more meat or more vegetables, and depending on inflation rate :P ). In the United States, most of you would otherwise know this as rice plate or somtimes hungryman's rice plate - you get your complete lunch or dinner meal (of rice + meat + vegetables) on one plate.

Rice topped with braised pork pelly (stall name: 李海鲁肉饭)

I prefer to draw this analogy to "economic rice" since it hangs on similar concept - just that they don't put everything on one plate. You order your rice topped with braised pork belly 鲁肉饭, then order other side dishes(as separates) to make it a complete meal. That meal above was just ~100NT (HUH? ~ USD 3 dollars! ). Best part of it - this feeds two - believe it or not!

As compared to dialects such as Hokkien, Teochew, and even Cantonese, I admit I'm not that well-informed about the Hakkas - their culture and cuisine. Taiwan has a significant Hakka population, portions concentrated in Hsinchu city and Hsinchu county. Thanks to JY and S, our friends in Hsinchu. They brought us out to a wonderful Hakka lunch, on the hills away from Hsinchu city.

Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables 梅菜扣肉

Like I said, I'm not too into Hakka culture and cuisine but I believe this Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables 梅菜扣肉 is one of their specialties. The braised pork belly has an appetizing texture of alternating layers of fat and lean meat. YUM!

The chicken is known to the locals as 土鸡 (wild chicken: chicken reared in the rolling hills). I'm thinking this may be equivalent to "kampung chicken" (literally meaning - village chicken). Or what you are familiar with in the United States - free-range chickens that are allowed to roam around instead of being caged. These chickens are generally considered to have higher nutritional value. They are not caged and have all the free space to run around. Since they do "running exercises", they have less body fat than their farmed couterparts. You do not need fancy cookwork for these chickens since by steaming them or cooking them in soups, you can clearly taste the natural flavor of the chicken. Just it. Just eat.

Tag: taiwan eating, hakka, braised pork belly

Hong Kong tea cafes - 茶餐廳, cha can ting

2008-02-13T01:08:00.000-08:00

Australia Dairy Co. (澳洲牛奶公司) in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It sells milk and dairies. No. Partially, perhaps. At least, one of their famed, is steamed MILK pudding.

Picture left: steamed milk pudding with egg white - a hot dessert. On the right: a similar steamed milk pudding - egg yoks added.

Steamed milk pudding - a famous dessert that deserves an almost-full-length window showcase, as an attraction, or rather temptation. Should I say this steamed milk pudding is really an acquired taste ? I found it on the sweet side and the texture is almost like yogurt. Maybe you can imagine yourself heating up a whole bowl of yogurt, and enjoying it without the tartness.

Don't ask me why a Hong Kong-style tea cafe, or cha can ting-茶餐廳 calls itself a "dairy" company when there is an eclectic and affordable menu of desserts, sandwiches/toasts, pasta, tea and coffee.

We were here twice. Once, for supper dessert, and another for breakfast. On both separate days, you see the same images of people packs in cramped aisles, and hear the same clutter chaos and noise, in this small-size cafe. If you do visit, do not be intimidated by the long queue of people waiting outside. Their turn-over is super-quick so you will be seated shortly. Once a customer is seated, the order is taken and you will be served in a matter of minutes (or seconds, depending on what you order). You will feel the adrenalin around - and this will affect you so much that you will just eat and go. No slow-munching, no laid-back-sipping. Eyes looking at you. Eager stares telling you - you're done! You won't have enough time or rather, they don't have sufficient time for you to have a slow relaxing breakfast. A reflection of how fast-pace is life in Hong Kong, once you wake up from bed.

For moments, you might even feel stressed up, eating in this cafe since they take orders so quick (as if they expected you to know what you want even before you step into the cafe). Finally, set meals saved our day. The HKD22 (USD2.80 or SGD4.00). breakfast set feeds you(one) well with macaroni soup + toast/soft bread with eggs + tea/coffee.

Macaroni soup, topped with thin strips of picnic ham

The origin of Hong Kong-style tea cafes dates back to the times of the British colony. Then, people in Hong Kong, influenced by the British lifestyle, started drinking English black tea and coffee with milk. Thereafter,the styles of the Chinese(Hong Kong) and Western, co-existed and you have a kind of eatery restaurant which combines the styles of Chinese(Hong Kong) and Western food. The Hong Kong-style tea cafe trend only started in Singapore late 2005-early 2006. There were just one or two of such Hong Kong tea cafes in Singapore back in 2005-2006. To-date, there are more. Similarly a British colony, the Hong-Kong tea cafe culture did not reach Singapore till of late. I wonder why.

Toast with fried eggs

The practice of sharing table is quite common in Hong Kong, due to lack of space and prime land. Don't be shy if you want good food. Most widely and postively reviewed eateries and restaurants are crowded. The chance of sharing table is high. On both occasions to Australian Dairy Company, we(group of two) shared seating at a four-seat table. On visits to another famous Chinese reataurant, we even shared seating at a 10-seat round table. Well, in Hong Kong...time is money. Space is money too. Prime space is so precious that they don't even want to have one seat left vacant! :O

Toast with their famous scrambles

Many reviews out there puts an absolute tick on their scrambled eggs. A must-try. Well, comparing their fried eggs with scrambles, the latter is really up to that mark. A very light and fluffy scrambled egg.

Rounding up our breakfast came the Yuanyang - a combination mixture of coffee and milk tea. Some say there is something addictive to this coffee-tea beverage. Makes me wonder the secret "ingredient" behind this famed beverage in Hong Kong. Personally, I suspect the proportion of each "liquid mixture" lies the secret. :P

No website, no formal receipts - there must be something magic about Australia Dairy Co. that earns its raves, either as good food "must-try" in Hong Kong, or as an attraction "must-visit". Service was not particularly impressive (some may even consider it rude) but again, this is a place (I am definite) where local Hong Kongers and tourists visit for their food, and "just go" - living up to the public given motto "just eat and go" :D

Bill totalling breakfast for two. Cheap or just reasonable ?

Australia Dairy Co. (澳洲牛奶公司)
47-49 Parkes Street, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Open from morning ~700hrs until late ~ 2300hrs

Check it out! I don't think they have any other branches in Hong Kong and rest of the world. Definitely not a cookie-cutter among the sprawling many Hong Kong style tea cafes all over the world.

Tag: hong kong eating, tea cafe, cha can ting

Steamboat, hotpot themes that make you go wild and WOW!

2008-01-31T00:55:00.001-08:00

Other than "Numb"(Hot) and Spicy (麻辣, pronounced Ma La) hotpot, hotpot varieties are aplenty in Taiwan; and especially during winter (also winter period in the United States), people here enjoy to gather round a table of hotpot/steamboat dinner.

The "steam" that brings warmth to the body, and stomach. Hotpot/steamboat also tends to remind me of Chinese New Year dinner back home in Singapore, where we enjoy hotpot/steamboat in air-conditioned environment :P ....well, it's just too warm and humid to eat something that is constantly "steaming" right in front of you.

What kind of reunion meal will you be having during Chinese New Year this year?

Maybe this can give you some inspiration...why not have a theme-specific hotpot/steamboat meal?

This eatery 元和屋 - Yuans is famed for its seafood hotpot - Japanese style. It's all-you-can eat, 吃到饱 Chi Da0 Bao, for NT350+10% (~USD 12-13) per person during weekends.

The pot and heater plate are imported from Japan, and claimed to have right gradual temperatures imparted from the heater plate to the cooking pot. The cooking broth in the pot does not come to a direct boil and instead gradually simmers. According to their source, this mild gradual control of heat will ensure that seafood that has a delicate texture (fish, for example) does not flake easily while being cooked. Without being subjected to harsh boiling environments, the seafood quality and freshness is maintained.

To prevent wastage of food, this is how the all-you-can-eat operates. From the menu provided, you just have to indicate the item you want(write the representing number down), on little pieces of paper, and pass them to the waiters. Small plates of raw seafood items will then be brought to you. Order and repeat dishes if you wish. The portions are small but you can order them many times. Rather than giving you one big plate/portion that may end up unfinished and lead to wastage of food - this is one simple way of allowing you to enjoy more varieties, and minimize wastage. For example, when you write "2, 12, 19, 34, 28, 11, 14..." under "Seafood", it means grass prawns, black prawns, mussels, clams, scallops, fish tails, fish chins etc etc. Do you notice...we ordered seafood so many times? But that's what we are here for. So...seafood lovers...be pampered!

Prawns, scallops, fish

More crustaceans-type, clam-type, and fish varieties.

Not all crabs were in-season during that period, so we had 三點蟹 - which directly translates to Three-Dot Crab, and yes...literally, the crab has Three Dots on them!! Is that a little scary to you?

Here's another go...another theme-specific hotpot we had recently. Mushroom Hotpot. You might be thinking - how boring is that ? Just mushrooms ? But they have more than 10 varieties of mushrooms!! It's another all-you-can eat, 吃到饱 Chi Da0 Bao, for NT369 (~USD 12-13) per person during weekends. 菇鲜 (I just call it Mushroom Hotpot since I don't know the English name of the eatery) is definitely a healthy hangout (if you do not have gout :P ) and vegetarian-friendly as well. Of course, you can order poultry and other hotpot ingredients, but mushrooms is their specialty. THE STAR!

They go individual in this eatery. Each of you will get a hotpot right in front of you where you can cook your mushrooms, and other food stuff.

They serve you the 1st plate of many mushrooms! Then you can order what you want/like thereafter.

Black fungi (woodear), shitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, trumpet mushrooms, abalone mushrooms etc. Some are just too exotic that I don't even know the species and name.

Even the broth is made from mushrooms.

A healthy version to indulge an all-you-can eat? Let's all leverage during Chinese New Year. Feast as you will, and don't just go bonkers :P

Hmmmm...2 days to go before I touch down the land of extreme warmth and humidity....*sweating sweating* :O

Friends (either you celebrate Chinese New Year or not), here's wishing you a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year.

Tag: taiwan eating, hotpot, steamboat

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Costco 好市多 in Asia, Taiwan

2008-01-21T00:45:00.000-08:00

People, people, people!!! Shopping here can be a nightmare when you barely have the space to walk at a leisurely pace with your trolley cart. CLAUSTROPHOBIA!!! Crowds and queues everywhere :O , very noisy too! I don't know the price of the rotisserie chicken here but it must be cheap enough to cause this snake-line queue. No thanks. No queueing for me.

This is definitely a different experience from the Costco shopping experience in the United States (or at least the one at Lawrence Expressway, Sunnyvale) on a typical Saturday and Sunday. Well, queues at the cashiers are similarly long but at least you have much more space to move around with your huge cart while shopping along each aisle.

How do you know if you are in Costco Asia or Costco Taiwan ? Well...first, there are Mandarin characters that translates to rotisserie, seafood, etc. :O FYI, they call Costco - 好市多 (pronounced Hao Shi Duo) here in Taiwan.

Second, you get huge packs of kimchi - warehouse size, warehouse prices (hopefully). That's my shopping cart. :)

And, can even find Prima Taste Singapore Curry available. This is definitely not availabe in Costco in the United States.

Lastly, we could not believe it when the cashier told us we could only pay CASH!!! (alternatively use a Costco credit card). For those holding on to any other credit card - sorry...but it just won't work. Pissed off! Who on earth would bring so much cash around especially when you shop at a warehouse that carries huge items such as refrigerator, large screen plasma/LCD TV etc. Well, in this country, CASH is king. Here, you either bring enough cash (in a portable safe?) or don't buy so much. It is certainly one good way to help you curb your spending but is this what the merchant really wants?

Tag: costco

Okonomiyaki, Monjayaki - as you like it!

2008-01-09T20:03:00.001-08:00

Seafood okonomiyaki - topped with shrimps, scallops, cuttlefish, octopus

Some of you well-travelled or "well-fed" may have tried this but it was a first for me. :O Okonomiyaki - Japanese savory pancakes, 好吃烧. Count ourselves lucky that an authentic grill-it-yourself okonomiyaki establishment can be found in central Taiwan. Okonomi means "as you like" - referring to the ingredients, typically. Various ingredients such as seafood, vegetables and meat can be mixed with the dough and placed on the okonomiyaki as topping.

Basics - flour, water or dashi, eggs and shredded cabbage - the base batter; are mixed in a deep bowl and then the batter smoothed out evenly on a hot plate to be fried on both sides. Toppings such as meat and seafood can be placed on top(picture above), then continued to be pan-fried.

The other side, already fried to brown and crisp when flipped over (with the help of two metal spatulas) . The seafood-side down this time.

Ready and served!

After being cooked through, the same metal spatulas are used to slice the round okonomiyaki into quarter-size and served.

The texture and taste sensation was fabulous. You have the crisp on the outside alike potato rosti, while the inside of mainly cabbage and egg is warm and a little moist. The hint of sweetness of cabbage with the unami of seafood was a perfect match. I would sum the texture as... "almost like eating a chicken pie with the pie crust made from rosti and fillings that is moist and creamy"...

How about Monjayaki?

Monjayaki - 文字烧 - is a Kanto region specialty that is similar to Okonomiyaki, however, the batter used is much more liquid, runnier than the okonomiyaki batter.

Pool of shredded cabbage mixed with ground beef . It's wet!

The ingredients are finely chopped and mixed into the batter before frying. Let the flour batter simmer for a few minutes, and mix them with all the ingredients together. Some say it has a consistency comparable to a pool of melted cheese when cooked.

It is then eaten directly off the grill using a small metal spatula. Can you spot that metal spatula?:P

I prefer okonomiyaki to monjayaki as I felt the latter is a wetter version. The much preferred okonomiyaki had much more depth of textures to the taste buds. YUMMY!

We had our okonomiyaki and monjayaki at TEN屋- with several locations round Taiwan. More taiwan eating here and here.

Tag: taiwan eating,okonomiyaki ,monjayaki

Bell shaped Japanese pancakes - 小林煎饼钓钟烧, Kobayashi cookies

2007-12-17T02:22:00.000-08:00

The abundance of Japanese cuisine in Taiwan as a result of Taiwan being a Japanese colony between the period 1895 ~ 1945. I just had a nice seafood hotpot dinner yesterday. None of that spicy Szechuan-influenced nature. Instead, it was Japanese-inspired. I'm not very sure of the official word to use for such cuisine. Somehow, I thought it may be termed seafood nabe (just that I often associate Japanese nabe with paper hotpot) so...I might be wrong since this one uses no paper in the pot. Alright, pictures tell a thousand words. Once I get the pictures posted, I'm sure my smart readers can give me the correct name to that. Just like how Dhanggit from Dhanggits kitchen told me the name for grilling meat that way is known as yakiniku in Japan. Thanks, Dhanggit.

Ok, how about these pancakes? These bell-shaped Japanese pancakes that are made on the spot can make any passer-by drool instantly. I am not exaggerating. The aroma of butter, cream, custard, vanilla...under heat of the waffle iron...naturally makes one generates saliva (is that a reflex action? I don't know) in the mouth. Who could resist that fresh hot-from-the-waffle-iron fragrance ? It made the queue for these pancakes longer and longer. These 钓钟烧 (pronounced diao zhong shao) thus named because they resemble a hanging dangling bell. I would LOVE to know the English/Japanese name for these pancakes, but I don't :( . I guess Imagawayaki should be the general term for these Japanese pancake/soft waffles. The Japanese pancake that made Imagawayaki famous has got to be Dorayaki, or 铜锣烧 (pronounced tong luo shao) more common to you and me. And you should have guessed that Dorayaki was thus named because of Doraemon - a cultural icon of Japan (who says it's Hello Kitty?), and Japanese manga.

Deviating from the usual red bean paste typically used to fill these pancakes, we have a buttery cream custard smell-like-vanilla filling. Best when eaten immediately! But according to some sources, if the pancakes are allowed to turn cold or if you fridge them, these pancakes can become cold sweet treats like ice-cream. I still like them when they are freshly made. The warm fillings will almost flow smoothly when you bite on that soft fluffy pancake. When warm or cooler, these pancakes do offer different textures to your taste buds, depending on which you prefer.

Ok, those or most of you who can bake, maybe you can try making these at home :P

Don't you think even the packaging is so cute, as always, in Japanese packaging?

小林煎饼钓钟烧, Kobayashi cookies and pancakes
Several locations in Taiwan

Tag: taiwan eating, Japanese pancakes

Grilled meat at 原烧 (Yuan Shao)

2007-12-10T22:27:00.000-08:00

What is beneath this rectangular metal plate ? First, let me try translating what's written on the metal plate - showcasing the good quality of meat, by tasting its natural flavors. Errrr...brrrr...as close, as precise as I can get in translating what it means, I hope.

Lifting up this metal plate is a charcoal grill. A grill for some DIY BBQ. Either in hotpots or at BBQ grill, it's really typical to see razor-thin meat slices (beef, pork). And as what the above "mission statement" promises, no heavily seasoned meat in this eatery. Well, at least, when you are served those meat slices for grill (via DIY), these razor-thin meat slices are just unseasoned meat slices. While you grill those meat slices, you have the option to dash some salt on it. Sauces and condiments are by the side and an option. You can dip the perfectly grilled meat in those sauces, if you wish.

Or just taste and enjoy the burst of natural juice and sweetness in those grilled meat slices. -good quality meat that stands the test of minimal seasonings.

Different cuts of pork and beef that you BBQ on the grill right in front of you

At 原烧 (pronounced yuan shao), even the ice-cream dessert takes much pride. They even "carve" out their eatery name in Chinese character on that plate of plain vanilla ice-cream with powdered dusting sugar aside. What's interesting - can you see those long sticks behind the vanilla scoop ? Those are deep-fried spaghetti sticks. What a clever way to deviate from the usual biscuit rolls that are tyically served with ice-cream.

They have many locations (Taipei, Kaoshiung, Hsinchu) around Taiwan. Check them out if you do visit Taiwan.

Few days ago, I ate this.

Tag: taiwan eating

Chinese food around the world

2007-12-06T20:07:00.001-08:00

Getting closer to Asia means you get more variety of Chinese food. Not that I've not had Chinese food in the Bay Area. In fact, there is a wide variety (authentic and not-so-authentic) that you can choose from in the Bay Area due to the influence of Asian immigrants to the West Coast, and to the food culture in America. From the generic Chinese cuisine to regional Chinese such as Sichuan/Szechuan, Shanghai; Vietmanese cuisine; Thai food; Japanese and Korean food; Hong Kong Cantonese including dim sum; and even closer to home Southeast Asia cuisine - you find most (not all) of it in the Bay Area, where I was staying.

Of course, there is no such high concentration of hotpots, steamboats eateries in the Bay Area compared to Taiwan. Alright, maybe it's just the season to eat hotpots in Taiwan currently. Even the supermarkets here are stocked up with so much hotpot and steamboat ingredients during their mild winter season. At home or out in the reataurants and local eateries, hotpots/ steamboats are sure to keep your stomachs warm for a while, bringing you the coziness and warmth from the inside to the outside.

Tender BBQ chicken steak/chop served with noodles, and a runny egg on a sizzling hotplate

While visiting Taiwan earlier in October and November to reccee the place before our temporary move, we did not forget to immerse ourselves in their food culture. A variety of choices as well, from street food in their night markets to local eateries serving hotplates like chicken chop/beef steak with noodles(above). Of course, we stayed in a hotel then, so some hotel food as well since it's so convenient. These are a few representations that make my mark in terms of taste, presentation and that little creativity which surprises me.

Sugar cane chicken with a light almond crust
@Hotel ONE, Taichung, Taiwan

Steamed beancurd/tofu with seafood, served in a bamboo steamer
@Evergreen Laurel Hotel, Taichung, Taiwan

We ordered this steamed beancurd dish everytime we visited the restaurant located right within the hotel we are staying in. It is absolutely delicious. The mixture of shrimps, mushrooms, scallops cooked in a oyster-based sauce of tiny shredded bits of dried scallops, topped over that smooth and silky tofu. You can try making this at home based on the picture. :P Well, that oyster based sauce is just what I decoded it to be. There might be something additional going into it.

Boiled Amaranth with White Fish (Whitebait)
@Evergreen Laurel Hotel, Taichung, Taiwan

I was trying to find some information about this tiny white fish over the internet and there's not much luck. Can anyone tell me? I do remember eating these tiny fishes fried with egg back in Singapore. Are they Whitebait? I think in Taiwan, they call it by another name 吻仔魚 (some kind of larval fish??), and I'm not sure if they are the same variety. Any other familiar names you can give me regarding this fish? Just look at the huge pile (or heaps) of tiny fishes in this dish...it's actually very light and tasty.

Does eating out inspire how you cook and plate your dish at home? It does for me, sometimes.

Tag: taiwan eating

Night market, street food in Taichung and Hsinchu, Taiwan

2007-11-13T17:26:00.001-08:00

I would think that the night market and street food in Taiwan is as famous as its beef noodle soup, stinky tofu and Betel Nut girls (scantily-dressed young women selling betel nut on roadside kiosks in Taiwan). One of the famous night markets in Taichung (central Taiwan), Taiwan is Feng Jia Night Market (逢甲夜市). If you think that duck blood cubes are digusting, you can find more disgusting stuff such as gizzards and intestines in night markets, and sound-weird stuff such as "frog eggs". We were really not that adventurous in trying those gizzards and intestines.

Almost every corner of the night market, you can find a 滷味 stall where poultry meat and innards and cooked/stewed in thick gravy sauce or broth of brine or dark soy - @ Fengjia Night Market

"Frog eggs" (青蛙下蛋) - it's just vegetarian gelatin and typically used in dessert drink - @ Fengjia Night Market

You won't be hungry walking the night markets. Find snacks such as grilled prawns, oyster omelette ( 蚵仔煎, pronounced oh-ah jian) and glutinous rice balls (粉圆).

This was real good and fresh. Cruel though since prawns/shrimps are directly removed from a live tank and instantly cooked live and struggling, on the hot charcoal grill, till dead and ready to be eaten - @ Fengjia Night Market

Oyster omelette - @ Hsinchu

We do not like the Taiwanese version laden with too much tapioca flour and red sweet sauce. Still prefer the Singapore/Malaysia version with more eggs and oyster, then served with chili sauce. :P

Glutinous rice balls (粉圆) made of sweet potato, taro and served in red bean soup - @ Fengjia Night Market

Night markets and street food is one characteristic culture in Taiwan. Make sure you visit one when you are in Taiwan. Some of Taiwan’s more famous night markets include Shilin Night Market and Huaxi Street Tourist Night Market in Taipei, Fengchia Night Market in Taichung, Siaobei Night Market in Tainan, and Liouho Night Market in Kaohsiung.

Day time in Taichung. Must be a lucky day to get a clear view.

Eating hotel food can be quite boring at times, especially when you have to eat the same buffet breakfast (part of hotel package) for 6 days. You can still put your creative works into play. Am I playing with food again? :P

In this exploration, I found that bacon with waffles drizzled with maple syrup is such a good match. It is not playing with food. It is experimenting! You can try making this at home.

The sweet and savory never fail to surprise me :)

Not very healthy but for the convenience, an instant noodle bowl can sometimes be an enjoyment in the hotel room.

Instant noodle bowl - dang gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis - a kind of chinese herb) duck flavor

Tag: night markets, street food, taiwan eating

Hotpots in Taiwan, 麻辣锅

2007-11-11T18:42:00.001-08:00

Taiwan is touted as the Capital of Beef Noodle Soup. I need to verify that. I am still looking for my beef noodle soup with a clear stewed soup broth/base(清炖牛肉面) . Maybe I need to visit Taipei some day to testify this.

While in Taichung (central Taiwan), Taiwan at this moment, I rather call Taiwan the "Capital" of hotpots. They are so many eateries offering spicy hotpot. It must have got to do with the neighbouring influence from Sichuan, China. Like in the US, it is officially the Fall season in Taiwan. However, what a mild Fall it is over here - almost like Summer/Spring in California PLUS the higher humidity. I reckon eating hotpots is the IN thing to do during Fall/Winter season here. It keeps people warm.

We have already tried two places offering 麻辣 (literally meaning, "numbing and spicy"; pronounced ma la) hotpots. Typically in these two places, there is an option of the spicy soup base and/or the clear/white non-spicy soup base. If you want to have a combination of two soup bases in one hotpot, order the combination hotpot or what they call 鸳鸯 (pronounced yuan yang, meaning "in pairs").

What is similar in these two eateries - the "dark tofu" and braised tofu in the spicy soup base is FREE FLOW!

"Dark tofu" also known as congealed blood cubes, blood jellies or blood puddings

"Dark tofu" is just a better, less digusting name for duck blood cubes. You have not heard me wrongly. Congealed duck blood that has turned into blood cubes or blood jellies. There is just a bottomless source of this, I suspect. Makes me wonder if eating hotpots is an unhealthy business. Well, the "soup-everything" seems to sound healthy but the "blood"...errr....

By the way, eating blood cubes like these should be giving you excellent source of "natural" iron but how much cholesterol...I don't know. Maybe you can tell me. We have eaten too much of these dark cubes that I know that the next time I go for the spicy hotpot, I am going to request them without "dark tofu" but just the usual braised (卤, pronounced lu) tofu.

Combination soup hotpot of spicy base(red) and pickled cabbage and pork non-spicy soup base (clear or white) - at Tripod King

What I like about these hotpots so far is that you can find some of the freshest handmade fish, cuttlefish or prawn pastes which you can add them to the boiling, simmering soups to get fish balls. These pastes sometimes come in a slender bamboo case and you can scoop them into the simmering soups.

Herbal soup base with wolfberries and other herbs - at Old Sichuan

老四川, Old Sichuan
台中市公益路343號, Taichung City GongYi Road, #343
(Other locations available including Kaoshiong and Taipei)
This restaurant's main branch is in Harbin, China, with over 30 branches spread across northeastern China. The minimum charge per table here is NT$650(~USD21). Personally, I prefer this place to the one below. The white soup base is herbal and of better quality than Tripod King's non-spicy soup base of thin pork strips and pickled cabbage.

鼎王麻辣锅, Tripod King
台中精诚店, Taichung City JingCheng Branch
(Other locations available including Kaoshiong and Taipei)
The signature service you get from this chain of eateries is that the servers will bow 90 degrees to customers especially after presenting your dishes on the dining table - maybe it's to represent high service quality standards but this acutally made us feel so uneasy. The spicy soup base was spicy but not numbing. This is another difference from Old Sichuan.

Prices are almost similar. As a personal recommendation, I would suggest Old Sichuan. However, if you are not so keen on getting your lips numbed, try Tripod King.

Tag: hotpots, taiwan eating

Meyer Lemon, Petaluma

2007-10-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Meyer lemon (Citrus × meyeri) is a citrus fruit, native to China, thought to be a cross between a true lemon and a mandarin orange or sweet orange. These lemons are available from November through May in specialty produce markets and some supermarkets. Can't wait? Meyer marmalade...bottled availability.

Meyer lemon was introduced to the United States in 1908, popular as a food item in the United States after being rediscovered by chefs during the California Cuisine revolution.

We visited Petaluma sometime earlier and got ourselves some California sunshine in a jar. This marmalade is made from state-grown Meyer lemons, cane sugar, and pure water - prepared long enough to draw the natural pectin from the fruit.

Pastel purple soft fluffy loaf into slices...

and slathering marmalade ...

A sprightly lemon flavor, well balanced with sweetness and light in texture.

Tag: meyer lemon, taro toast, snacks

Cider Pub in Sebastopol, California

2007-10-02T13:02:00.001-07:00

Located in Sebastopol, California - in the middle of Sonoma's wine country - Ace-in-the-Hole is America's first, and maybe just about the only cider pub.

Ace-in-the-Hole Pub
3100 Gravenstein Highway North
Sebastopol, CA

Interesting taster sampler presentation. You get 4 ACES and a Joker.

Clockwise from 12 o'clock - Joker (the only one with 8% alcohol), ACE of Apple, ACE of Apple-Honey(made with Sonoma wildflower honey), ACE of Perry, ACE of Berry.

The color of cider starts to darken as you go clockwise. In addition, you begin to explore more complexity as the mix of berries blends with cider in ACE of Berry.

With 8% alcohol, no wonder it's a joker among all the other 5% ACES.

Joker - Strong and dry with Champagne-like flavors

ACE of Perry- A light refreshing pear flavor and natural vanilla from Madagascar

ACE of Apple - fermented apple cider

The fermented apple cider ~ made from six different local apples varieties

We can't drink with empty stomachs...give us some meat!

Sausage plate of chicken apple & English bangers with ACE apple sauerkraut

Sonoma Farm Trail:
Fruit Farms
Cheese shop

Tag: cider, hard cider, food review

Pepper Jelly - Petaluma in Sonoma Farm Trail

2007-10-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I was supposed to look at cheeses in a cheese shop but instead distracted by these colorful bottled jellies at Marin Cheese Factory in Petaluma, CA. These assorted pepper jellies sound hot, sweet, spicy, fruity, peppery and savory.

I'm new to jellies. Are jellies the same as jam?

Mango/Plum Ginger Pepper Jelly and Raspberry-Jalapeño Pepper Jelly

Apricot-Jalapeño Pepper Jelly and Sweet Onion Jalapeño Pepper Jelly

Cranberry Pepper Jelly, Habanero Pepper Jelly

Jalapeño Pepper Jelly and Marioberry Pepper Jelly

I was so fascinated and confused by all the varieties and finally, decided not to buy any and ended up with a small block of cheese instead.The cheese tasting station at the cheese shop even had some cranberry pepper jelly slathered on top of of Brie. I tried them on crackers, and the savory Brie really gel well with the subtly sweet-tangy- peppery cranberry pepper jelly. What a colorful treat!

Continue reading about Asian pears along the Sonoma Farm Trail, California.

Tag: pepper jelly, food review

Sonoma farm trails - pears, apples

2007-10-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

FALLin' in love with pears and apples! This pear chart is absolutely captivating. Click chart to enlarge and know your pears tis' season.

At Gabriel Farm in Sebastopol, CA, I saw many of my favorite Asian pears - crisp texture and juicy flesh.

All the pears varieties were at $2.50/lb and I got myself some Ya Li - the alluring Asian pear that takes the shape of a bartlett or any European pear, lightly flavored, crisp, juicy and aromatic; Shinseki - yellow colored, flavorful, crisp with a hint of citrus flavor, and Niitaka - tanned, crisp and juicy.

There were others such as Honsui, 20th and Shinko ... and oh gosh...I did not know there were so many Asian pear varieties. You could find out more about each Asian pear variety here.

Papa and Mama pear. Where is baby pear ?

I did not find them in Gabriel Farm but did see the cutest baby mini Asian pears at another farm in Petaluma, CA.

Baby pear is here! Now, where is Goldilocks! :P

Gabriel Farm also grows Fuyu Persimmons, also known as Fuyus. Full orange in color, you can eat them hard or soft. A sweet tasty late fall treat. That explains why the persimmons are still green, unripe, on the tree since we are only one step into autumn/fall.

Persimmon tree

Golden asian pears hanging high on the tree, so tempting...

Pear tree

Apples...nice and red, ready to be picked

Apple tree

Do you like Asian pears ? Or prefer the classic apples?

Tag: fruits, pears

Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

2007-09-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

After the Firehole Lake Drive, we proceeded to the Lower Geyser area.

The spouter becomes a steam vent by this time.

White Dome Geyser, Firehole Lake Drive, Yellowstone National Park

2007-09-13T14:51:00.001-07:00

From Midway Geyser Basin(link), Firehole Lake Drive (one way, northbound) loops off the main road to many other geysers.

White dome geyser

Caught in action - we were lucky!

Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

2007-09-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

It was still Saturday. After setting off at 5am early morning from Utah and with gas stops, we stopped by Jackson, Wyoming for lunch, then set off to Grand Teton about 12.30pm. We managed to catch the Old Faithful Geyser at 1610hrs. Thereafter, we wanted to see more geysers since they are "new" to us and they are such interesting phenomenon. Since it's already September (late summer), we don't get super-long days. However, we felt fortunate that it only started to turn dark at about 1930hrs. After Old Faithful, we continued our journey to our motel stay for that night at West Yellowstone, Montana. From where Old Faithful is (Upper Geyser Basin), we were able to make Midway Geyser Basin and Lower Geyser Basin our attractions stops before checking in the motel.

This is the Excelsior Geyser. Excelsior Geyser pool discharges 4,000 to 4,500 gallons (15,100–17,000l) of 199°F (93°C) water per minute. A powerful eruption near 1890 damaged its internal plumbing system, and it now BOILS as a hot spring most of the time.

As the steam blows on my face, I felt my face steaming in a steam humidifier (Phillips brand?)

Look like a piece of textured art.

Game burger lunch at Jackson, Wyoming

2007-09-09T11:23:00.002-07:00

Do you know Wyoming is the least populous U.S. state?

At the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, you will be riding on these while guzzling your beer.

What shall we order?

Check out what we ate.

Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park

2007-09-06T21:00:00.001-07:00

What is Yellowstone National Park famous for?

What is the first thing on our minds when we enter the park from the southern entrance, from Grand Teton ?

OLD FAITHFUL!!!

The Yellowstone Caldera is the largest volcanic system in North America. It has been termed a supervolcano because the caldera was formed by exceptionally large explosive eruptions. There are 300 geysers in Yellowstone and a total of at least 10,000 geothermal features altogether. Half the geothermal features and two-thirds of the world's geysers are concentrated in Yellowstone.The most famous geyser in the park, and perhaps the world, is Old Faithful Geyser, located in Upper Geyser Basin.

See the crowd ? We were lucky as when we were there, we heard it'll be 5-10mins before the next eruption. Yay!

We were lucky as the eruption at Old Faithful is about every 90mins. If we had just missed an earlier one, we might not have time to wait for the next one at 90min interval based on our tight schedule.

Few minutes before "action"...we were still waiting...

Then, GOTCHA!

Old Faithful in action, 1 Sept 2007, ~1610hrs

Interesting facts.

Once again, nature at its work.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

2007-09-06T19:04:00.001-07:00

Grand Teton National Park - the abrupt vertical rise of the jagged Teton Range, what makes it different.

Grand Teton National Park is named after Grand Teton, which at 13,770 feet (4,197 m) - the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. Teton Range - the youngest range part of the Rocky Mountains. The Tetons are famous is because of their great elevation above their base. Unlike most mountain ranges (such as the rolling foothills we see as we approach the Canadian Rockies in Banff National Park, the Tetons lack foothills, or lower peaks that obscure the view. As such, the Tetons rise sharply from 5,000 to nearly 7,000 feet above the surrounding terrain.

Shot taken at the Visitor Center, totally unblocked.

Jackson Lake Dam, Grand Teton National Park

The Canadian Rockies we saw in Banff and Jasper are definitely much BIGGER mountains, but these in Grand Teton are much jagged and vertical. Has it got to do with age? Since they are younger, they tend to get less erosion throughout the years ?

Like humans, as we age, we tend to get shorter ? :P

Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana - four states in 2 days

2007-09-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

Oh, transversing 4 states in 2 days is an achievement! What did you do over the Labor Day weekend? Well, we went for a trip again! But this time, we SAVED a lot...redeeming hotel/motel stays and redeeming car rental. Yes, indirectly. Hotel/motel stays were FREE using Priority Club Rewards (hoobie accumulated many points from all his business trips), FREE car rental too(another of hoobie's points - Advantage car rental, chalked up from his biz trips) -other than us, topping up for auto insurance. We have wanted to fly straight Jackson Hole and take day tours to Yellowstone, but the trip would have cost us more than $2000. :O

With all the redeemable points, what we need to do is just to get ourselves air tickets! :D ..and our trip turned out slightly less than $1000 for air tickets, one night stay in West Yellowstone where we could not find a Priority Club Rewards hotel in that area, and auto-insurance. Including meals, the trip cost would have been no more than $1200.

Utah - Idaho - Wyoming - Montana: Four states in 2 days and the purpose was just to visit Yellowstone National Park - the world's first National Park. Yellowstone National Park is different from the rest of the national parks we visited before - national parks in New Zealand, other national parks in the US including Yosemite, Banff and Jasper in Canada. Different because of the abundance of active geysers and hot springs in the park.

Now, I'm thinking how to update my trip - shall I do it by chronological sequence or landmarks or states...just how should I categorize them? Maybe I will just do so by landmark and location where ever possible, and maybe by theme such as food, wildlife, interesting finds.

Columbia Icefield, Jasper National Park, Canada

2007-08-26T21:32:00.001-07:00

Saw the glacier here, can't beat walking on one, right?

Just at the southern end of Jasper National Park is the Columbia Icefield. The ice field feeds eight major glaciers, Athabasca_Glacier, included.

Johnston Canyon, Banff National Park, Canada

2007-08-24T08:01:00.001-07:00

It was a good climb up here. Change of view from mountains and lakes.

Bow Summit, Banff National Park, Canada

2007-08-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Lake moraine and Lake Lousie, why are all the waters so beautifully colored.
Nature does its work.

Tunnel Mountains, Banff National Park

2007-08-21T21:37:00.001-07:00

I took a few deep breaths here, not forgetting I'm in Calgary Canada, one of those places with cleanest air.

I like Calgary for the fact that it is so vast and clean, and it being so close to the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Calgary is over 2000sq mile in city and metro area and just over 1mil in population
VS
Singapore, just 270+ sq mile and population 4+mil

Don't get a feel - in terms of population ?
Calgary ~ 3,522.9/sq mi VS
Singapore 16,392 /sq mi

See the difference now?

This is taken at Tunnel Mountains at Banff National Park.

Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Calgary

2007-08-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

Let pictures speak for themselves.

Lake Louise, fed mainly by the Victoria glaciers. Lake Louise - JEWEL of the Rockies.

The glaciers are retreating continuously. They may all disappear one day.
So, make sure you see one in your lifetime.

Indeed a jewel. Turquoise lake, calm and captivating.

As time is short, we decided not to do a road trip this time. We joined a sightseeing tour instead. Driving is usually preferred since free and easy, we could stop by any vista point and walk around where we want to, when we want to. However, decided that usually the driver will be the one NOT enjoying since HE needs to drive and concentrate (so cannot enjoy the scenery along the way), and HE who drives long distances will typically tire out. To take the responsibility off ourselves, we put the responsibility on the tour bus driver-cum-tour-guide. :p

Lake Moraine in Banff National Park, Calgary

2007-08-20T12:04:00.001-07:00

Breathtaking, isn't it? Am prepared for more stunning scenery, are you?
Mountains, and lakes...mountains and lakes. Need to see as much as possible before I return to a place where I will only see buildings and cars...buildings and cars.

This is Lake Moraine in Banff National Park, Calgary, Canada.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

2007-08-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

Staring at these jellyfishes, is so therapeutic somehow. (Click to enlarge the picture)

They move slow and convey a message to the fast-paced world out here - Slow down and appreciate life.

Hmmm...jellyfish is heartless and brainless. So what does that make you if someone were to call you a jellyfish ? :O

This aquarium really wow-ed me (as if I have visited many). I only visited Underwater World back in Singapore many many years ago.

I found these videos and unfortunately my javascript was not enabled to view them. If you could view them, I believe it should be worth a treat? Tell me if it's not.

Haha! This should make Singapore proud! Satu, Dua, Tiga, Empat - is this some kind of animal-exchange program ? wahahaa!

(Answer to the quiz: The egg yolk so named because it's an egg yolk jellyfish. The egg yolk jellyfish and the sharks fin exhibit can be found with in the same Monterey Bay aquarium) . That's their commonality. This is the answer I was looking for but that might not be the only answer. I guess some of you that mentioned proteins might be right too.

Tag: monterey bay, aquarium, travel

Olallieberry U-Pick

2007-07-01T14:43:00.001-07:00

"Live each season as it passes - breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit". You have heard this before, and now you are hearing it again. But I can't emphasize it enough. I've gone to pick berries again. I thought it would be my last time but the fever seems to have spread from here to there and back here again.

Berry nice! Berry fun ! Berry Berry! Gone ~berry berry~ picking. “Olallie” is a word for berry that was used by the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. Berry Berry U-Pick! Olallieberries U-Pick! (oops, tigerfish gone berry crazy!).

Olallieberry (pronounced oh-la-leh). My first encounter with olallieberry was almost a year ago, after tasting an olallieberry pie in Duarte Tavern and blogging about the fruit.

Olallieberry certainly has a complicated heritage - a cross between the loganberry (itself a cross between blackberry and raspberry) and the youngberry (itself a cross between blackberry and dewberry). Berry complicated. As the olallieberry has blackberry on both sides of its parentage, it exhibits many similar characteristics of the blackberry.

Looking alike some special vineyard variety

Berry speaks: I'm just here for a short while for you...1st three weeks in June

Most berries have high antioxidants levels

From here...

To here...

What's best - at $2/lb, these olallieberries are organically certified

With four punnets, I paid 6 bucks (hey, $6 for these organic berries is relatively inexpensive, ok?), and I'm not going to make any pies or bakes out of them, for reasons you know why. It'll just be berries as-is, with yogurt, with breakfast cereals, smoothies...hey, that's soooooo berry boring. Ok then, berries anything else ?

Tag: olallieberry, U pick, bay area food

Strawberries U-Pick

2007-05-18T15:12:00.001-07:00

We picked Swanton Berry Farm as our U-pick destination, a morning getaway. I want my organic strawberries. I want it NOW! I want it CHEAP! And I want it SWEET! Swanton Berry Farm has it all. You just have to turn laborious , do some legwork and you can have it NOW, CHEAP, and SWEET. Organic too! Nothing is free in this world, right? If you want it, work for it!

Currently, the strawberry field is opened for U-pick and strawberries are at $2/lb. Are you ready to join the fun ? Find a nearby U-pick location near you. Just make sure to call any location you have chosen to make sure the fields are ready for U-pick.

More about Swanton Berry Farm:
Swanton Berry Farm has two ranches that are open seasonally to the public. The Farm Stand is open year round selling baked goods and organic strawberries. It is also the site of our u-pick strawberry fields. Located approximately 1.5hrs south of San Francisco. The Farm Stand is approximately 10mins north of Santa Cruz.

More information found here

Alcatraz Island by the cruise

2007-05-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

If you come to San Francisco and wish to take a history lesson, take a cruise to Alcatraz Island .

See that seagull ? The worst time to visit is early summer (late June-ish) when nesting seagulls create a stink! Spring and fall will be nice.

Coming Fall 2008, Alcatraz Cruises will feature an air, wind diesel-powered ferry for visitors visiting the island. This 600-passenger trimaran will emit about half of the pollutants of similarly sized conventional boats.

Cheap and Good Eat, go to New Hai Ky. Review found here

First day of Spring

2007-03-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

Winter is finally over. It's Spring time!

Winter's outcome: You see less greenery and blooms

Spring is here!

Sunnyvale Baylands
November through April there are no parking fees (off-season)
May through October there is a single car entry fee of $5.00

Catch them mating. It's an elephant. It's a seal. No, it's elephant seal!

2007-03-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

Where can you see them ?
Ano Nuevo State Reserve
The Reserve is located on State Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay, about 1.5 hours south of San Francisco.

When? There are Breeding Season, Birth, Nursing, Mating and Gestation, Weaners, Molting, Feeding and Development. See the website for more details.

Look like elephant or seal ?

Ski trip at Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley

2007-02-21T22:26:00.000-08:00

How could I have forgotten about this ? My ski trip back in Jan 2007 !

Taken at Squaw Valley

We took the Bay Area Ski Bus. This time, no driving! Stress-free! Slept all the way in the bus from pick up location to the ski resort! Continental breakfast and after-ski refreshements included as well! I'm in exclamation because this is really superb if you want to save your energy for skiing. There are add-ons and options for ski/snowboard(including lift tickets), beginner ski/snowboard package(including lessons, and rental equipment- ski, poles, and boots).

I'm not sure if skiing or snowboarding is easier to learn for a true beginner. We chose the former in the Tahoe Overnighter. On the first day at Alpine Meadows, it was terrible. I fell and fell upteem times, and I did not master any basic ski skills. End of that day, I told myself I was not going for the ski lessons on the next day. Once fallen hard, twice shy - can you imagine how I felt, physically ? If I were 10 years younger, I would have been more adventurous and "pain- and bruise-resistant".

Second day at Squaw Valley - it was so windy and cold at an elevation. The wind blew with ice-bits hitting our face - the only body part not covered and protected. The lessons carried on still, despite the windy conditions. I was disappointed (I was hoping for it to be cancelled, in fact).
Hey, this instructor at Squaw Valley was much much better. She taught us the basics and were detailed to correct our mistakes in terms of ski positions, and techniques. I DID NOT FALL! Yes, I did not fall during the lessons, and when on my own! I am starting to love this! The sensation of skiing down the terrain at that down-slope speed was simply beyond description. A sense of freedom! A sense of accomplishment beyond the usual physical attainment!

We concluded that for beginners, ski and snowboard can be both easy to pick up, depending on which ski resort you go to - the terrain, and the availability of experienced instructors ARE IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION FACTORS!

Pay peanuts - get monkeys or peanuts

2007-01-16T15:40:00.001-08:00

Is that really true of budget travel? For those who have flown often on budget airlines from your continent(Asia, America, Australia, Africa etc), which is THE ONE ? Most people talk about value-for-money when on budget. Going on budget does not mean losing the finer things in life, does it ?

I'm doing this post because there is food concerned. And where food is concerned, when you pay peanuts, you get peanuts! Byte-sized fares, bite-sized peanuts...

Southwest- Symbol of freedom. Love airline. If you are not aware, Southwest is the only airline that has remained profitable even in bad (economy) times. Why ? It flies only domestic(United States), thus carries just one fleet of aircraft. Everything becomes standardized (standard maintenance, standard aircraft parts, standard procedures, etc etc). Ding! Low operation cost and hopefully, savings are passed to us, the consumers. Another success factor goes like that:

Scenario 1 -
You : Why are you helping people with their luggage ?
Baggage Handler (typical): That's part of my job.

Scenario 2 -
You : Why are you helping people with their luggage ?
Baggage Handler (Southwest): I'm helping this passenger get across to another state so that she can celebrate grandma's birthday

Can you feel the love ? If you are ever on-board the Love Airline, tell me if you can find love(instead of monkeys) when you pay peanuts!

Tag: airline, peanuts

Sin City -Save the best for last

2007-01-04T17:16:00.001-08:00

How can we complete our journey to Vegas without the Grand Canyon ? We saw the Grand Canyon via the Scenic airplane and on-foot as well. The beauty of the Grand Canyon...one of the seven wonders of the natural world.

The plane we took, sits only ~15-20

Can you see Hoover Dam from here? This majestic dam power distributes to Arizona, Nevada(Las Vegas included), and some states in California

Overlooking Lake Mead from the air

Other shot from the air. It has been snowing...in the desert

Reached the South Rim, and began on-foot

Breathtaking view of Grand Canyon

Another postcard perfect view of Grand Canyon

Well, this is the last of Vegas series. After all the fun, play, and eat. It's back to work time! See you in my kitchen.

Tag: travel, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon

Sin City - So sexy and beautiful

2007-01-04T17:16:00.000-08:00

As if I have seen a lot. No. I've just seen the one at Sentosa, Singapore. But the musical fountain @ Bellagio, Las Vegas is the most beautiful and elegant I've seen so far. I would term it sexy, just the right shape, and curves, able to express herself, knows when to do it, and most importantly is herself (although man-made). What makes me enjoy, even more:
-It's FREE, conveniently located along the Strip
-Good mix of music, classical and modern
-Great, superb choreography
-No tacky lighting effects
-Plus, the cooling weather(~15degC)

Just make everything totally enjoyable. Cool!

They say picture says a thousand words, then a video would surely paint a million words. Still, this would not do justice. Be there yourself. It will be worth a billion zillion words.

Watch out for the "climax"...last few seconds...We watched this segment in person. Love it! If you hear the "boom", it's the water cannon at work!

Did not catch this, but thanks to the person who uploaded it. Enjoy too!

Courtesy to those who have uploaded. We did not create these videos, but we are the ones who took the photos, though.

Tag: travel, Las Vegas, music fountain, Bellagio

Sin City - Stripping all day, all night

2007-01-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

Not recommended to drive along the Strip in Las Vegas, unless you have plenty of time to spare.

We got on the Monorail in Las Vegas, plus... walked along the Strip this way, that way, northwards, southwards, all day, all night. I call walking along the strip , "Strip-ping."

Here are some pictures we took. Let them speak.

That's New York

Venetian, that's Venice

Excalibur- but where's Merlin ?

Paris, Las Vegas

Paris, Las Vegas

Found Merlin at night, have you ?

New York, blurry at night

Tag: travel, Las Vegas, The Strip

Sin City - Need to stay away from them, at least for now

2007-01-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

Whatever chocolates, or doughnuts, how can they be more sinful than these ? Buffets for breakfast, dinner, breakfast, dinner, breakfast, dinner. Most Vegas breakfast buffets have a "egg station" where you can opt any style you wish -omelette, fried, sunny-side-up, scrambled.

Always found in the spread are sausage, bacon, ham, more scrambled eggs, eggs benedict, corned beef, pancakes, waffles, french toast, bagels etc. Breakfast buffets range between US11.99-13.99 in the Strip hotels. But the more expensive ones usually serve better quality food, likewise for dinner buffets(price range between US16.99-24.99). And you can always find crab claws, shrimps/prawns and prime rib in dinner buffets with the other miscellaneous standard items. THAT'S...a lot of food!

Notice the mountain of crab claws. Eat all you can !

The next peak beside the crab moutain is a pile of prawns/shrimps. Also, eat all you can!

Don't mention buffets to me now. I need to stay away from them at least for a month.

Tag: travel, Las Vegas, buffets

Sin City - Matured Content

2007-01-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

"Crazy Girls" found outside Riviera Hotel entrance. We took a shot at it, then continue our stroll along the Strip.

Tag: travel, Las Vegas

Sin City - Love at first sight, then bite

2006-12-31T16:55:00.000-08:00

I was long introduced to these sweeties by this sweet lady even before her post. I did not have a single bite on the originals till I was in Las Vegas. Perhaps their open factory in Excalibur, Las Vegas has attracted me to the first bite. It was love at first bite, at least for the doughnut family. I can't remember when was the last time I've had doughnuts. It's not something I would reach out for unless there is a lack of choice. But, Krispy Kreme (KK) doughnuts, they are yummy! I ate one, not enough...then I grab another. OH, Simcooks, does that mean I have to walk for 200 mins?? I will continue to have KK doughnuts back in California. KK is also available in Hong Kong, and Japan, to sweeten the Asian tooth. Where is the nut ? Where is the nut ? Well, the dough without the nut called Doughnut. Hey, I remember Dunkin' Doughnuts in S'pore. Have they receded due to poor response? Is doughnut not the IN thing in S'pore ? I better have as many KK as I can before I return home.

For the sweet tooth, I'll leave you with this. The open factory that made me love at first bite. Watch, how the doughnuts flip over, and how they undergo the (sugar white) glaze waterfall treatment.

(I did not take this video because I was so paranoid that the memory card in my cam will run dry before I capture all the sights of Vegas. Courtesy:whoever took the video and upload it)

Tag: travel, Las Vegas, Krispy Kreme, doughnuts

Sin City-So sweet!

2006-12-31T16:54:00.000-08:00

Many know that the sugar coating on M&M chocolates is patented but not many (at least I do not) know that part of M&Ms history has to got to do with the U.S army. They were developed initially for the U.S army? I did not know that. I was ignorant. I reckon they could still have chocolates that "melt in your mouth, not in your hand" while fighting a war.

I prefer dark bittersweet chocolates. M&M is not for me. But it's free to enter this five-storey building. Ok, will just take a look what the craze is about. Oh no, I could not even move freely in this building. People, people, people. IT'S A CULT!

Four floors of retail space devoted to chocolate-covered candies, everything from T-shirts and golf-club covers to calculators and martini glasses. Just like any other Disney or Warner Brothers retail store. I was not impressed.

I was tickeled by all the 3D exhibits along the walkway, though.

They come to life !

Tag: travel,Las Vegas, M&Ms, chocolates

Reader of the Lost Art

2006-12-29T16:02:00.000-08:00

This is neither the sequel nor spoof of Indiana Jones. I am just one reader of a lost art here...the nearly lost art of a great steak. This sight somewhat captured my attention, while on a recent vacation. I chanced upon this refrigerated cooler not inside the restaurant, but by the side of the restaurant entrance, along the main walkway of continuous human traffic.

The sign reads "This is real beef being dry aged on the bone, for 15 days following three weeks of wet aging. During this period, the sirloins undergo enzymatic changes that intensify flavor, deepen color and tenderize the meat by softening the connective tissue. We then broil our steaks on an open mesquite grill for a flavor only available at... Gallager's"

Though I did not dine at this steakhouse(told you I am just a reader/on-looker), I came to find out that dry aging is a time-honored technique at Gallagher's-Broadway's first steakhouse, and its reputation as a New York institution is based on the finest cuts of perfectly-aged beef. All beef is hung in a refrigerated cooler(like above), at a specific temperature and humidity. This natural aging method not only makes the steaks more tender, but concentrates flavor while it allows water to evaporate away. Do expect the cost of dry-aged beef to be 2 to 3 times the cost of regular beef, though. That was why I did not even take a baby step into the restaurant.

Oh, I was not in New York. This is VEGAS !!! Las Vegas!

Tag: Las Vegas, dry aging beef, New York New York

Fall colors

2006-10-29T21:18:00.000-08:00

Thought a trip to Big Basin Redwoods State Park would bring me to the colors of fall, but I was disappointed. Instead, I managed to capture fall colors in the historic village of Saratoga.

When our stomachs kept growling for food at almost 2pm, we decided not to be fussy about food(and the price). This ristorante should be a safe bet, we thought, since it was quite populated even at late lunch hours. When there are people, the food must be good and should not burn such big holes in our pockets. Even the fresh bread that comes complimentary in Bella Saratoga was yumMeeee...

Fresh bread !

Italian minestrone

Asparagus linguine - lunch special for that day

Hunt for the orange October

2006-10-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

It's October! It's all things pumpkin...(less 2 country pumpkins)...
Pumpkin parade, pumpkin costume, pumpkin ice-cream, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin farm, giant pumpkin, pumpkin mini, funny-looking pumpkin...

Now I have one pumpkin at home and I don't know what to do with it. I will just draw on it, like a kid.

Amusement park by the beach

2006-09-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Back to nature

2006-09-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

Short enough as a day trip, we ventured into Muir Woods National Monument on the Saturday weekend. We have planned to set off from home at 7am on Saturday, but our sleepy genes got the better of us. We only managed to drive off from Sunnyvale at about 9am+.

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to get to Muir Woods

Luckily, Muir Woods is just about an hour's drive. So we still had enough time to do the 1.5-hr loop trail. Tall trees were of close proximity along the trail, and it was comfortable to do the loop trail in the cool weather. No sweat! Refreshing air.

We reached !

Tall trees

Many many tall trees

A Burger treat after Muir Woods' morning exercise

Skyline and coastline

2006-08-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

Just 2 days ago on Saturday, we drove Skyline Blvd (this drive was recommended by one local I knew). Skyline Blvd, together with attractions such as Castle Rock State Park and Pescadero State Beach, are known to the locals; favored by the locals. In other words, you will not get swamped by tourists like what usually happens in Yosemite. At Castle Rock, a 0.3 mile Castle Rock trail brought us to some unusual rock formations that are popular with rock climbers.

Keen for climbing ?

Pescadero impressed us with its good quality local ingredients. Artichoke everything. Cream of Artichoke is a special in Duarte's Tavern. Served with oven-warm sourdough, this soup is a star. Also popular in this tavern is Olallieberry pie. Served warm as a dessert, the crust is tender and at the touch of a fork, surrenders to the moist purple red interior saturated with sweet, tart berries. A must-try ! So, remember...Cream of Artichoke and Olallieberry pie, ok ?

Also in Pescadero, you find Arcangeli Grocery Co. Like I have said earlier, artichoke everything...so what else but more artichokes here. We got ourselves Artichoke Garlic Herb (the signature bread) and Artisan Focaccia-Pesto Artichoke. A family-owned bakery that has preserved traditional baking...breads handmade the old-fashioned way. Worth a visit, worth a sniff of freshly baked and worth a buy of freshly baked !

Sin and Scenery

2006-08-07T21:36:00.001-07:00

In search for some cool air and waters during summer July, the sapphire shimmer of Lake Tahoe, one of the largest and deepest alpine lake in the hub of the Sierra Nevada, is one great escape. Interstate hwy-80 leads to Reno,Nevada while Interstate hwy-50 leads to Lake Tahoe, which is divided by the California(CA)-Nevada(NV) state line.

Vacation accomodations in Lake Tahoe are not cheap, costing ~USD140-180 per night. Comparatively, accomodations in Reno are more affordable. For the period 1 July 2006, Saturday - 4 July, Tuesday(also Independence Day holiday), Peppermill Reno offered us a Saturday rate @USD119.99 and subsequent nights @USD59.99. On average, the rates were reasonable for a near downtown location. Themed as the "biggest little city in the world", Reno does not sleep. Reno, birthplace of the gaming corporation Harrah's Entertainment, used to be the gambling capital of the world till Las Vegas' rapid rise. But Reno has not lose its little city charm, with no excessive glitz and glamour.

So much neon!

ba.'fei...yes, buffets. This form of "all you can eat" is found often in restaurants, especially in hotels and virtually every casino in North America includes one, with some being very elaborate. We are definitely not first-timers to buffets. The better ones we have tried in Singapore include Oscars's at Conrad Singapore. But for a fine quality spread of sensational steak and seafood, even desserts, I bet it is an uncommon "SGD40 per pax buffet" in Singapore. Here (we say for Reno), even on popular Saturdays, the buffets in most of the hotel/casino resorts are ~USD24.99-29.99 per adult (excluding taxes). That converts to about SGD40-50 and the spread includes freshly tossed specialty salads; prime rib of beef and roast leg of lamb at the carving station; oysters on the half shell, Jonah crab claws, Alaskan snow crab in the raw bar....and MORE...and MORE...and MORE...

Feasting on snow crabs @ Toucan Charlies, Atlantis Casino Resort, Reno. Spot those oysters rockefeller (baked oysters) & stuffed crab cake

More crab claws @ Pacifica Seafood Buffet, Harveys, Tahoe

Before this trip, we have promised ourselves at least a-buffet-a-day. Since we have been feasting in the past few nights, we decided to have breakfast buffet for a change .

Made-to-order omelet, part of buffet breakfast @ The Lodge, Hilton,Reno

Casino-hopping...Peppermill, Atlantis, Hilton,Silver Legacy, Circus Circus...just for the fun of it but just No Luck. It is said to be the game with the worst odds, but we were ignorant about the rules of the other games eg Keno, Blackjack, Poker etc. So we could only depend on luck. What will be the Marina Integrated Resort in Singapore (Las Vegas Sands)? Sinful buffet? Sinful gambling? We will only know in 5 years time.

Of course, we also enjoyed great scenery in Lake Tahoe. From Reno, we first headed towards North Lake Tahoe, then to the southern end via Zephyr cove to Heavenly, which brings us right up almost 9000ft for a panoramic view of Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe

The clarity of water in Lake Tahoe

View of Emerald Bay

What a winter ski trail look like in summer

I would love to visit Lake Tahoe in fall or near-winter. It will be an entirely different landscape, but still as beautiful, I believe. Yearning for mild-winter sports, or just merely playing snowballs in the ice-fields.

Trip date: 1-4 July 2006
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Half Dome, is to the High Sierra...what the swoosh is to Nike

2006-08-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

It is the most famous glacially carved landscape in the world. From Mariposa Grove's gargantuan sequoias to the huge views from Glacier Point, you will find cause for wonder in every corner of Yosemite. As one man had wrote, "None but those who have visited this most wonderful valley can even imagine...the awe with which I beheld it.As I looked, a peculiar exalted sensation seemed to fill my whole being, and I found my eyes in tears with emotion."
I, will write no further. May our pictures tell you THE thousand words of Yosemite National Park.

El Capitan, the largest granite monolith in the world

Yosemite Falls flowing wildly as warm weather sends more snow melt down the sheer cliffs. We came at the right time

Incredible, awesome. Taken at the Glacier Point vista

Another scenic shot at Glacier Point

Can you see him? Or just the Grizzly Giant sequoia

Well, we covered the park in 2 days. Unfortunately, due to the Memorial day weekend, 27-29 May 2006, almost all (I would say 99%) of the accomodations around the Yosemite region were fully booked. Heard that you have to do a 1-yr advanced booking for accomodations during the peak season. Darn. We never liked the crowd (in fact, hate it) but there is no better time to come as we reckoned that a 1-day trip to Yosemite NP will not do justice to us, and the park.

Thus, we pre-booked ourselves a bed and breakfast in Jamestown, which is about an hour's WINDING drive to the park entrance. Victorian Gold B&B is set in good old victorian charm, warmth and gardens in the beautiful, historic California Mother Lode. The last time we have stayed in a B&B was in England/Scotland, and has been ages since we checked into another one now.Our bed and breakfast in Jamestown, worth recommending to you. After a day's "work-out" in our hike at the national park, Solomon Landing in Jamestown pampered us with good, fine for dinner.

Halibut with zesty sauce, done in perfection@Solomon Landing

The prime rib, also "medium-well done"@Solomon Landing

Trip date: 27-29 May 2006
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Cheers... at Napa Valley

2006-08-07T21:35:00.001-07:00

Napa vineyards, here we come

We picked Sterling Vineyard and Rutherford Hill Winery, out of the 200+ vineyards and wineries in Napa. Why only two ? Simply because we only had limited time in a day's trip. Why these two ? Well...we are no wine expert/connoisseur. We just chose them based on what we saw in their websites. Each has its own selling point.

Sterling's tour is self-guided (that means we could take our own time and not be restricted by time, or interrupted by any tour guide). The self-guided tour includes an aerial tram ride and 5 wine tastings. The best part is, there is a USD5 discount passport if the tour is done before 12.30pm...savings for us, and that comes to USD15 for each of us. Value-for-money. Cheap(relatively) and good, we thought! If you have clicked the "Sterling's tour" link above, you will know another reason to visit this vineyard. Their website is beautiful. Welcomed by the chimes and soothing background music in the virtual tour for a glimpse of the sightings, I bet you will be as attracted as me to visit this vineyard, if you had to make a choice among those 200+.

Entrance to Sterling Vineyard

View shot from the aerial tram

Generous wine tasting

Rutherford's visit was more for the chance to see the wine-aging cave system. The use of caves for wine storage is a tradition as old as the art of winemaking itself, yet they are extremely rare in Napa Valley. However, during the tour, we found out that the caves were actually man-made.

Entrance to the cave system for wine-aging

If you are looking for a refreshing place for lunch in Napa, then drop by St. Helena, Napa, for Taylors Refresher. Hmmm...burgers in Napa wine country...refreshing huh. They do great burgers. But it was the first time to taste burgers since we came here one month ago in April. Maybe this was why it tasted so good. Nope. It was really good. I read a good review about this before we came.

Yummy

Trip date: 13 May 2006
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Thrills but no spills

2006-08-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

The theme, especially that of SpongeBob*, gave us that "kiddy" feel about this theme park but we are not the adventurous-type either, for thrill rides in Paramount's Great America . A good escape in May after first few weeks of stress-induced relocation moving. No spills because we did not enter the waterpark. "Top Gun", "Grizzly", "Vortex"...tried and tested. First time we stood up riding the coaster in "Vortex". Fun. Gave "Invertigo" a miss...too much negative G-force for us. Moreover, my neck-shoulder (left side) suffered a minor sprain in one of the roller-coaster rides and it stopped my enthusiasm for more of the other rides.

"Top Gun"-Suspended jet coaster. Floorless coach. A 360-degree vertical loop, two 270-degree afterburn turns, a full-circle wingover, and a zero gravity roll

"Invertigo"-Too much negative G in speeding down the (138 ft above the ground )lift. Not for us

*SpongeBOB