Luck Bros Kopi @ Antara Signature Mall in Genting Highlands [Malaysia]

There was a recent hype on Antara Signature Mall, especially regarding Haidilao which would finally be opening a branch at Genting Highlands! 

Other that that, there's really nothing much in this small mall that requires a 15-20 minutes walk down from the top of the highlands; except for maybe Luck Bros Kopi! This would be my second patronage, after my first visit in November 2025.

Our verdict after that first visit was favourable; hence the reason for a second time! There was also a good view at the eatery, even though the cars traversing the road in front can be quite a disturbance. 

The simple breakfast for four persons! 

One of whom already had food earlier. 

Breakfast Set - most important item for breakfast for me would be the coffee and this Kopi Kaw Kaw (kaw means thick) hit the right note in every sip; richness without the insane sweetness and a perfect level of perkiness to start the day. 

Another irresistible Southeast Asian classic; the Butter Kaya Toast; which didn't excite us with its plain, utterly unappetizing look. I was thinking we can't expect that everything is good for an eatery with a variety of dishes. 

Fears were unfounded; the texture was crisp and there was a thick layer of butter in between the smears of kaya. I was satisfied with what I had ingested. The set also included soft boiled eggs and Alex would be a better assessor. His one word reply: good!  

Nasi Lemak Ayam Panggang - the signature dish of Luck Bros Kopi that was given a full-two-page highlights on the menu. One thing I did notice from my last view; the portion seemed a lot smaller.

The three types of chilli would capture your attention no doubt but there will be a favorite nonetheless. I am more impressed with the rice as it wasn't your conventional nasi lemak coconut rice; it's more similar to the rice from chicken rice and said to be cooked using bamboo! 

Deep fried berempah chicken was packed with the goodness of spices; well fried with juiciness. Just that the portion was really quite small. Guess inflation hits globally, not just in Singapore.

Cleared out the plate in no time! A friend ordered the egg on toast on curry which I didn't try, except for the curry, and it was too weak for my liking! 

=====

Address

Lot PG-01, Level Ground, 

AK Antara Signature Mall, 

Genting Highlands, Bentong,

Pahang, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Pricing

Breakfast Set - RM 16.90

Nasi Lemak Ayam Panggang - RM 24.90

(Subject to Service Charge and Tax)

Meals at Lamungan Rest Station, also known as Nantou Service Area along Taiwan National Highway 3

The national highways in Taiwan are not comparable to the expressways we have in Singapore; it's freakish long (again, in comparison) with multiple rest stations. Today, we shall talk about the interestingly named Lamungan Rest Station along highway 3.

In our decision to rent a car in left-hand driving Taiwan, we said never to drive at night for safety reasons but we were still an hour or two away from Taichung city and the sun was already on its glory way towards the horizon.

Hence, a rest was essential so that there's better focus for driving (for Alex) once night came. Anyway, it was a choice we didn't regret making as the orangey yolk with its splashes of colors in the sky was a soothing beauty.

Not to also mention the numerous trees blossoming with white flowers adding to the nice atmosphere! The flowers looked kind of familiar yet not native to Singapore.

Turned out they were plum blossoms! And do you know which country has it as their national flower? Taiwan! "Designated in 1964, plum blossom symbolizes resilience, perseverance, and hope as it blooms vibrantly even in harsh winter conditions, with its five petals representing the five branches of the ROC government and its three stamens mirroring Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People."

Lamungan actually means rainbow in the native language of the Bunun indigenous tribe and owls have a special place in the tribe, as the protector of infants! 

With too many options for dinner, we settled for something much more easier to decide; burger king! Having travelled with Alex so many times, I am well acquainted to his eating habits and fast-food dining is uncommon.

A whopper from Burger King is a safe option for sure although one thing upped the game; the burger bun tasted freshly baked! Irresistibly delicious! 

The meal with cheese fries and drink cost us NT$209. I was disappointed with the cheese fries as the cheese came from a disposable pack and tasted artificial. Come on, at least give us cheese fries similar to KFC! 

A dessert was necessary to complete the meal and something caught my attention at Milk Houses. It's not something I would eat when I am in Singapore but maybe due to a friend's recommendation and the trip to Taiwan back in 2023, it just felt right to crave for it whenever I am in Taiwan.

Mochi or Daifukumochi! There were  flavors like strawberry red bean, strawberry taro, but I am a traditionalist; the common strawberry one it shall be, at NT$65! 

Anticipating.....

Disappointment - there wasn't a real strawberry inside; just jam, cream and cake. Why jam?! Why cake?! While not bad tasting, I am a traditionalist! Alex took a small bite and there's indeed a strawberry; just a quarter of it. :( 

=====

Address

No 6, 142弄, 250巷, 

南鄉路, Nantou City,

Nantou County, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

The Jog along Tainan Canal @ Taiwan

With no gym at Princess & Elephant Hotel (P.E. Hotel) in Tainan City, it was decided that the exercise shall be at the great outdoors, with a jog along the nearby Tainan Canal! 

Here's the canal, a man-made waterway completed in 1926 by the Japanese colonial government for trade and transportation although its usage now is non-commercial and mainly recreational. 

The weird floating mascot in the earlier photograph is called Sababoy, an abomination of a fish-human breed that had the fish (milkfish to be correct) head and human legs!! That's like a suitable character in a horror movie! 

Whatever the case, let's enjoy the peacefulness of this quiet, serene canal. Even though there were proper footpaths and the time was like 8am, I didn't see many people out for exercises. Is this not a popular place or the people of Tainan only get fit in the evenings?

Was this a remnant of a city wall for Taiwan's oldest city? 

Or just something new with scenes of Tainan? 

Empty, lonesome path.

關帝聖堂 - honoring Guan Yu, the Chinese god of war, this Taoist temple was opened to the public in 1971 and stood out in the surrounding for its multi-storey temple architecture.

One of the reasons why the canal ceased to be a commercial waterway was the many bridges dotted along the canal. I counted twelve on google maps and this blue one has a whimsical name; 望月橋, moon-gazed bridge. 

Found more people exercising here; canoeing to be exact! However, I really respect their guts as it is not exactly hot like Singapore and to get wet in such cold water would be such an uncomfortable frustration.

Living in the above condominium would have been a leisure treat. Maybe something to consider when I am older, provided China doesn't attack Taiwan, and that I have some money to spend.

Something caught my attention.

Damn, I think I inherit my dad's genes for sure.

A tree full of blossoming flowers! Now, I appreciate but I am honestly ignorant to what tree that was. According to Google Search using images, it's a Pink Trumpet Tree!

Wait, that sounded familiar as I remember reading about this tree on The Straits Times, in their article about Singapore's cherry blossoms! You can read the article here. 

Alex got my dad's genes too. 

Can't wait for our trip to China in April! 

The huge banyan tree at the park alongside the canal. By this time, the sun was already quite strong and this was when my mom's genes activated; I don't want to get tan!

A pavilion? An artwork? 

Ending our jog at The Spring (河樂廣場) before strolling back to Princess & Elephant Hotel (P.E. Hotel) for a shower before checking out to our next destination! 

=====

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee (鸿興炒蘇東蝦麵) @Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre [Singapore] #tiongbahruhawkercentre

It's been a few years since I last paid Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre a visit and after walking one round, I noticed that Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee had one of the longest queue again!

Aside from the mere fact that I totally enjoy fried hokkien prawn mee, it's also assuring to see so many michelin labels at the stall; retaining the bib gourmand status from 2016 till 2025, with a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Here's my plate of of fried sotong prawn mee! Now, before I talk about the noodles, let me first declare the thing I dislike from the above; the chilli which tasted like sambal chilli from nasi lemak. An absolute mismatch in my opinion!

A mix of yellow noodles and thick bee hoon, together with slices of fish cake, sotong, prawns and eggs! For the lime, you can help yourself to as many as you want from the tub. p.s.  two half sliced lime would be sufficient.

Even though there wasn't any crispy pork lard, the flavour had that nice seafood flavour with noodles soaking up the delicious broth and fried richly with wok hei! Prawns were fresh and the squid wasn't rubbery! Just a note that there was a light alkaline aftertaste that some might not like.

I love what I had and it was satisfying.

What could have made it better?

Please add pork lards! 

=====

Address

30 Seng Poh Rd, #02-01, 

Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre,

Singapore 168898

Map

As above. 

Pricing

Fried Sotong Prawn Mee - S$5.00