It's no secret I relied heavily on Google Maps review before I visit a new dining establishment but sometimes, when the hunger gets to me, I will just freely decide based on simple whims and fancy.
The above explained the reason why I was queuing in front of Xian Ji Seafood Soup @ Alexandra Village Food Centre after realizing Chef Goo Red Sea Prawns Hokkien Mee was closed. What I didn't realize then was that the review score of Xian Ji on Google Maps was a paltry 3.0.
To be fair, most negative comments were about the poor service from the sole employee / employer and I did encounter it, albeit from the customers in front of me. Basically, you need to be concise and and don't ask too many questions. Hygiene wise, the lady obviously didn't use gloves when taking the raw fish out from the bag. Oh well, I guess the bowl of sweets would come in handy for those taken aback.
Anyway, here're our servings of batang sliced fish soup for Alex, and seafood soup for me, plus a bowl of white rice for Alex since soup is all I required as a full meal, in usual circumstances.
Batang Sliced Fish Soup - let's talk about the fish soup first which was more a cabbage soup since I hardly noticed any fish slices as they were all buried, and it bore the sweetness from simmering cabbages; can't say I didn't enjoy the soup.
Seafood Soup - although super light and appeared to be a rushed job from the lady chef, this soup was surprisingly flavourful and not overly salty! Of course not the best I had but legit not bad as I was expecting a lot worse.
Not much fish slices yet they were fresh and meaty! The minced meat patties were tasty and moist; do note they disintegrated pretty quickly in the soup. Prawns were okay; not the freshest and crunchiest.
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A clean bowl said a lot about my verdict for Xian Ji Seafood Soup.
My accommodation in Melaka back in 2023 was ibis Melaka and I did notice a pretty instagrammable cafe then known as Restoran Baba Kaya along Malacca River that appeared to be pretty new.
Fast forward to three years later and we were back again! And this time, we found Restoran Baba Kaya still standing and it appeared to be relatively popular on social media. Given its proximity to our hotel, we decided to check it out for breakfast!
Saturday morning at about 8.45 am; we were glad to have arrived then as any later would mean a nasty wait at the outdoors, and constant prayers that it would not get too humid, and wet.
Despite the cyan exterior, the inside was relatively sparse, with mismatched scratched tables and chairs, on cement screed flooring that had worn out with time. Well, does it matter to me? Not at all since my primary interest has always been food.
Ordering the new-school way; QR code.
Local Nanyang Coffee - starting the morning with coffee is essential and I love the one served to me; richness in the good, old Malayan coffee flavour, without being overly sweet.
BabaKaya Signature Toast - the most iconic dish for Restoran Baba Kaya, and featured heavily in social media whether through postings, reels with its captivating home-made tri-color pandan kaya dips.
Problem was; I literally dislike deconstructed dishes even though in this case, I was glad the toasts were already buttered. Taste wise, the dips were oily, and didn't have that prominent notes of coconut and pandan aroma, with the bright green dip being a tad too bitter.
Some might argue this would be as natural as you can but to me, there's still a need to have some decent pandan kaya flavour, for which many other competitors at Melaka would have done a better job.
Homemade Roti Jalan - another any instagrammable dish with the rolled-up web flatbreads having this beautiful, again-cyan colored sheen! p.s. I presume the coloring is artificial but you can't deny the aesthetic enhancement.
Came with curry chicken which had a milk rich flavour that the tough textured chicken didn't do justice to it. Acar was a bit dry but at least tasty whereas the sambal chilli was hot! I am happy with just the curry chicken and the roti jala.
Apom Balik - indicated as Malaysian's crepe, it was also explicitly mentioned on the menu that once it is ready, you would be informed and would have to proceed outside to pick up your order. First thing, you have to pull a rope nearby so that the basket as above would go up to the second level.
Honestly, this is another play for deconstructed food! I get it if I need to self-collect, self-pick-up, but I would need to do extra work to take my food? However, I do feel this was interesting and if you have family with kids, it would make for some cutesy moments.
I got Jovyn to do it since she is the youngest. Those who are too shy and/or dislike such activity can likely request for the food to be sent right to your table.
Our basket of apom balik.
Wait, weren't these just pancakes?!
Now, I love these kind of pancakes, and we ordered original (sugar with crushed peanuts) and coconut gula melaka (with shredded coconut, palm sugar and crushed peanuts)!
Freshly made, these were thankfully not the biscuit-thin type that many pasar malams in Malaysia were selling. There was some texture although not extremely crisp. The crushed peanuts were so aromatic and between the two, the coconut gula melaka was better tasting; almost like eating nyonya kueh!
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Thanks to the picking up of the apom balik, I finally noticed that there was a second floor and while my family was still finishing their food; I continued my exploration of Baba Kaya.
Upstairs were better! Seemed brighter, cleaner, less crowded and more relaxing. In addition, you do have an opportunity to dine next to the river, albeit with a better, elevated view!
I bet kids nowadays wouldn't believe how TVs look like in the past.
Place where the apom baliks were made! Another benefit of sitting on level two? You get the delicious smell of apom baliks, and I guess you don't have to climb down the stairs and pull up the rope just to get the pancakes that were just made next to you!
I seldom crave for cakes and never thought I could even be mildly obsessed with them, until I couldn't resist the numerous reels on my social media feed featuring the cakes from Uncle Lee Confectionery, and eventually got one!
Since that very first experience, I will keep a lookout for pop up booths at the atriums of Northpoint City Mall. Funny thing is that once I catch sight of the booth for Uncle Lee Confectionery, I will get into a serious mode of procrastination. Should I, or should I not buy.
It didn't help that only whole cakes were available (massive calorie intake when I really just want one slice), and you wonder what the fuss is, when the cakes were hardly put on display and you don't even get to have the visuals tempting you!
Oh well, the lack of visuals didn't stop me from forking out $16.35 for this box of cake. p.s. this would be my third cake in less than four months and if not for my determination, and that the pop-up stall appears only occasionally in Yishun, I would have indulged much more often.
Unravelling the cake within, noted it will not have generated much interest given its plain, cheap-looking, peanut-covered facade without any decoration that is literally the norm for its many many competitors that would love to stand out from the competitive industry!
Don't discount it so fast! Immediately upon opening the top of the box, your nostrils will pick up the wafts of deeply aromatic crushed peanuts, and before you knew it; the desire to eat it deepens and you start frantically looking for the knife to slice it up, even though one can go the barbaric way of eating with your hand.
I am civilized, and cut just a small slice, since I am on diet. Amazingly soft vanilla sponge cake, sufficiently slathered with butter cream and covered in a generous sprinkling of roughly grounded peanuts. Every mouthful was an assured texturized bite of simple, nostalgic goodness and plain nuttiness!
Before I realized, half was gone; damn the diet but it was so worth it! This is my fourth cake from Uncle Lee Confectionery and I guess more will come. Maybe the next time, I should try their other cakes. Sigh... time to jog more!
Walking past the above shop a few times a day finally piqued my curiosity and we decided to give our legs (clocking more than 30,000 steps) a rest and get a bowl of bird's nest soup to nourish the body!
Specialising in "traditional Chinese herbs, dried seafood and tonic stews", Tuck Sang Thong was founded in 1941. Aside from bird's nest, you can also spend your money on dried sea cucumbers, dried scallops, dried abalone and even deer tail retailing at RM 864! How do you even eat that?
Double Boiled Cave Bird's Nest with Ginkgo & White Fungus - with fifteen types of bird's nest soup ranging from RM 39.80 to RM 298.00, I went for this slightly version one that cost RM 59.80 (less than S$20.00).
My serving of warm bird's soup nest, which turned out to be a deconstructed version of a sweet broth of ginkgo nuts and fungus, accompanied with a bottle of double boiled cave bird's nest.
Which I had to take the extra effort to open the cap and pour in the precious contents. So much for expecting a soup that was combined and brewed slowly in a large container. Well, only S$20, so I should stop complaining.
In life, the older Chinese generation would ask the young ones to "先苦后甜"; meaning bitter first, sweet later, as in enduring hardship for a better future. In food, I practice the same philosophy. Attacking the least desirable white fungus first!
And finally savouring the soup, the red dates and the ginkgo nuts later! Bird's nest? Well, that thing is literally tasteless and I can only pray my body has been strengthened by the "magical" powers of the swallows' dried saliva. p.s. soup was like cheng tng, and not insanely sweet.
Didn't take me long to slurp up everything!
After cleaning up my bird's nest, I realized something from the glass counter as I exited the shop. Darn, that's my ready to drink "Double Boiled Cave Bird's Nest with Ginkgo & White Fungus"! And I noticed there were bottled of concentrated cave bird's nest that cost just RM 55.00 a bottle!
In addition to chrysanthemum and ginseng tea, the men can also consider the tongkat ali drinks that came in yellow, black and red! For those who are unacquainted with tongkat ali, it's well known throughout Malaysia for its aphrodisiac effect.
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Address
Ground Floor, First World Hotel,
Genting Highlands, Malaysia
(near escalator leading to casino level)
Menu
As above.
Pricing
Double Boiled Cave Bird's Nest with Ginkgo & White Fungus - RM 59.80
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