Stanley Market, Hong Kong…two words : Tourist Trap

Stanley Market is is a cluster of about 150 shops which sell a variety of items mainly clothes and accessories. I have got only two words for it: Tourist Trap.

A downside is that it is really very far away. Getting there is easy: I took express bus number 260 from exchange square, Central. The bus ride back is very challenging. Return buses were 260 to admiralty or number 6 or 6x but there were monster queues everywhere. Taxis were going to be too costly as Stanley Market is a world away from the megacity on the other side of Victoria Peak.

That hassle aside, is it worth all the trouble? I do not need to hesitate on the answer: NO. Stanley Market is frequented by tourists, so you’ll probably pay more than elsewhere. There are better place to shop if you want those lower prices. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Shamiana, Mumbai…..WAAAAAY below standard of the Taj Mahal Palace

Sad to say this was a very disappointing dining experiences in recent memory. The service was very slow and the servers un-interested. Repeated reminders for coffee to be serve were futile for 20 minutes until we stood up to leave. The spread was the usual, nothing exotic – there were some Gujarati starters, few regular vegetarian and non vegetarian vegetables, breads, rice, yellow dal and biryani.

WAAAAY below the standard of Taj Mahal Palace. What a waste of money. It’s just not worth what they charge. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Restoran Soong Kee Beef Ball Mee, Kuala Lumpur…an intoxicatingly delicious beef noodle meal

This is a nice air-conditioned little shop in Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin located near Chinatown that serves Beef balls.  The dry version is awesome! The springy thin Hakka wantan-mee style noodles topped with tasty trademark finely minced pork crowned with the family’s secret concoction of rich savoury, aromatic mix of  herbs and spices  makes this an intoxicatingly delicious meal. And we haven’t even got to the juicy homemade beef balls yet. 

 And then the pièce de résistance… the Beef Balls – an explosion of beefy, almost buttery flavour, smooth in texture yet springy. Perfect when dipped into their home-made chilli sauce .

Happy days.

This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Soon Kee Lor Duck Rice, Singapore…deliciously sublime. My go-to place for braised duck rice

I’ve been to this stall in Thomson Longhouse more times than I can count and no that’s really not an exaggeration. I’m a fan. I love this place. I overeat every time I visit but it’s totally worth it. This is my go-to place for Lor (Gravy) duck rice.

I can’t quite put my finger on it but I think it is something to do with the ‘Lor’(gravy) and it blends so well with the yam rice. The deliciously tender and juicy boneless duck meat has something that what I would call a ’smooth consistency’ and it’s very pleasing to the palate. Maybe the texture of the rice has a role to play too as I do remember the yam rice I had there were always soft and puffy.

This is my undisputed Braised Duck Rice champion of the world! I can have this for lunch everyday. This is the true truth as i say it as it is…

Warner Bros. Studio VIP Tour, Los Angeles…I can’t believe how fast those two hours flew by

 

If you are a movie fanatic but want something more educational other than the  ‘rides’ as at Universal Studios this tour is for you. They take you on a tram tour throughout the studio and even go inside the working studios . You get to see sets (The Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist, Friends etc) . They show you the prop rooms ,sets , costume rooms . It’s a interesting day if you’re into television.

 

One highlight is a warehouse where the Batmobile, Harry Potter’s flying car, Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine and other various famed automobiles are proudly displayed. There is also the museum where  the entire second floor was dedicated to memorabilia from the Harry Potter films. I had only seen the first few Harry Potter movie, but I was excited to see so many familiar items. There was also the magic hat for “sorting” of young wizards. When placed on a visitor’s head, that person would be “sorted”! Fun! 

The tour takes just over 2 hours and we came out having learnt a lot about the movies. I don’t believe how fast those two hours flew by. This is the true truth and I am still saying it as it is…

 

Harmonique, Bangkok…woooooooonderfully characterful, quaint setting (and the food is terrific too.)

 

This characterful, quaint, reasonably priced Thai eatery is kind like an open restaurant with some tables inside and some courtyard tables in the patio full of plants, bamboo sticks, water cascades and fountains; creating a feeling of tranquility.

The food here is terrific too – great traditional Thai food with an emphasis on fresh seafood. Try the crab curry…it’s just fantastic. The grilled prawns on hot plate was ultra delicious. We also had the steamed fish with lime sauce and asparagus stir fried with chinese mushroom – yum.

Prices are moderate but this place isn’t cheap, however it is excellent value for money.

There are lots of places in Thailand to get great thai food but Harmonique is one of the nicest restaurants I’ve been to in Bangkok. It’s that little bit more special. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

 

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 14,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

XO46 Bistro Filipino, Manila…I’ll be back!

I had a truly great, satisfying, and well-prepared meal. I have to give them a perfect score for everything, even the warm, friendly and accommodating service. I love the feel of this place…earth tones give the place an inviting, charming, warm and homey feel – perfect for a relaxed meal.

The extensive menu offers you the best of traditional Filipino dishes. Since this is a Filipino restaurant ,  chef did well in serving puto instead of bread.  Puto – for those who don’t know – is one of the Philippines’ many varieties of Rice Bread.

Bangus Salpicao (fish) was not bad.  Sugpo sa aligue was fabulously savoury – baked prawns in a special sauce with crab fat that melts in your mouth.  Kare kareng crispy tadyang was served with the sauce separate from the meat which is crispy beef belly laid out in slices on a platter. salabat sa tanglad (ginger drink) really hit the spot: it was refreshing and a real treat, especially for a ginger lover like me! What a great way to cool down.

To borrow from Arnie…I’ll be back! This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Kedai Kopi Genting Cafe, Penang…this “chee cheong fun” is a hooker

Chee Cheong Fun is a Cantonese slang for hand cut steamed flat rice noodle rolls . In this hawker stall in Island Glades, Penang, they have a special version of Chee Cheong Fun which is wonderfully different from anywhere else in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. The POD (point of difference) lies in the accompanying sauce…it is thicker; in fact, it’s a mix of 3 types of sauces – being sweet sauce, dark prawn paste (haeko) and chili sauces. The thick, gooey, creamy dark prawn paste (haeko) blended with peanut butter is tantalizingly fabulous! The silky rice rolls, slathered with the delicious sweet sauce and spicy chilli sauce, makes a helluva ADDICTIVE dish!

The chee cheong fun here is a hooker, for sure. I tasted it once, and now I am hooked. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Jersey Boys, Palazzo, Las Vegas…not the music I grew up with, yet I enjoyed the show immensely

The Palazzo Resort has its own special theater (it was a nice small theater with good seats) for this great show which traces the history of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons from their simple beginnings in New Jersey, to becoming one of the top pop groups of the 1960’s, to their inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The show starts out VERY slow but gets better over time. The time-tested music and songs are infectious. The outstanding lead singer gave 100% and sounded exactly like Frankie Valli. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of the Four Seasons or that musical era they represent, you’ll still enjoy the show’s rags to riches storyline which has a fair share of drama, and enough humour and uplift to satisfy both the theater veteran and the vacationing family (with a mild warning for some salty, Jersey-esque language)

This isn’t really music that I grew up with, but yet the fact that I enjoyed the show immensely says a lot. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…