Ba Na Brew House @ Sun World Ba Na Hills in Danang [Vietnam]

Now, I am generally not very bothered by deals but when it comes to a free glass of beer (250 ml) offered by Sun World Bana Hills when we collected the cable car coupons as part of our stay; I am definitely all in! 

Redemption at this Ba Na Brew House, which wasn't hard to find as it had that unmistakable "brewery" look. Honestly, I was prepared to just go in, get my drink, finish it, and then go off.

What I didn't realize was that there's an "experience the bana brew house journey"! Oh well, nothing's ever truly free, and since time was on our side, why not.

Look at those numerous, huge fermentation tanks! The brewery opened in August 2024, and said to be Vietnam's highest at 1,400 meters.

We were made to descend all the way to the bottom-most floor, although there wasn't anyone to give a tour. Well, if it's just a "process", we would just go with the flow before going up to the floor where we can get our beer.

Finally saw the counter for free beer! 

Six types of beer available in the brewery but as it's complimentary or part of a package; the ones I wanted were all sold out. :(

I had to make do with my least favorite.

The dark lager, which I thought was stout! 

How to drink beer without snacks?! The brewery was well aware and had staff members going around with a trolley full of chargeable snacks.

Went with a horrid tasting pretzel (cost 50,000 Vietnamese dong) that was cold, and dotted with large salt crystals. Is that supposed to the usual case in Germany? 

Happy with our dark lager. Not amazing for me as it was a bit richer in flavour whereas I always prefer something light like Tiger Crystal.

My mom seldom drinks but on this trip, given the abundance of cheap beer, she almost had a glass every day! Thank god she didn't too intoxicated.

 

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Location

Sun World Bana Hills

Map

As above. 

Loong Kee Chinese Restaurant @ Gohtong Jaya in Genting Highlands [Malaysia]

Windmill Upon Hills is located at the mid-hill of Genting Highlands but for frequent travellers, the mid-hill they remember was a stretch of eateries nearer to the Genting SkyWay cable car station.

Out of the many eateries, the most famous had to be Loong Kee restaurant. Commanding a review score of 4.2 on Google Maps from over 2,400 reviewers; I had been wanting to check it out and finally got to doing so in my last visit to Genting Highlands. 

Taking three shops, you can bet that there were plenty of tables and chairs, although I had to admit that arriving at 5.00 pm would give us much higher hope of securing seatings. I did realize, however, that even Genting Highlands weren't as crowded this time. 

After a few deliberations, here's what we had; three of which were their signature dishes! Would have loved to order more but there's only so much tummy space, and I actually didn't research beforehand on what else would be a die die must eat! 

Lala Clams in Superior Broth - given the cool highlands climate, I would think a pot of hot soup will always be soothing and stomach warming for most! 

Come to think about it; I bet Dai Tao Lala Pot will make extremely good business at the highlands, especially with their charcoal pot. The above, as seen, was powered using a gas canister; not exactly a preferred fuel for food connoisseurs.

Tasty broth with an intense alcohol and complemented by chilli and ginger; every mouthful was shiok and especially tempting with the big lalas. Granted, the broth from Dai Tao Lala Pot was even more appetising but I am not complaining given that it is Genting Highlands.

Aside from lalas, there were even tiny crabs in the soup! 

A bit sad though as they could have grown much better. 

Loong Kee Signature Pork Belly - have you had those caramelized baby squids before? This would be the pork version and still as addictive with its crisp texture and caramelized taste! I would say this is unique! 

Stir-fried Eggplant - my friends loved them but not me; the texture was like soggy potato wedges and I don't even like potato wedges! Taste was more like hae bee (dried shrimps) and my verdict would have been better if the texture was crispier. 

Homemade Tofu with Cai Po - at RM 20.00, I would have thought this should be vegetarian with just preserved radish (cai po). Turned out the topping also included a generous amount of minced pork! 

The homemade tofu was smooth and overall, pretty good.

Eat it with white rice for a better dining experience! 

Wat Tan Hor - literally horfun that was a lot wetter than the ones we see in Singapore. A cantonese version, this had the essence of wok hei yet lacked the flavor to impress us. One word: bland. 

Hokkien Mee - as a frequent visitor to Malaysia, I am aware of the hokkien mee available in Malaysia and there were in fact two types; the black one (typical in most states except Penang) and the soupy one (common in Penang and more like our prawn mee soup in Singapore). 

Frankly, I had better Malaysian black style hokkien mee. The one at Loong Kee was acceptable with a nice saucy, slurpy texture that wasn't as sweet. Compared to Wat Tan Hor, the hokkien mee was better.

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Before and after! Some hits and misses but for the prices we paid for, for six dishes plus a pot of tea and that it's a popular restaurant; I would think it's value for money! 

Address

35, Jalan Jati 1, Gohtong Jaya, 

Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Pricing

Lala Clams in Superior Broth (S) - RM 30.00

Loong Kee Signature Pork Belly (S) - 32.00

Stir-fried Eggplant (S) - RM 18.00

Homemade Tofu with Cai Po (S) - RM 20.00

Wat Tan Hor (S) - RM 15.80

Hokkien Mee (S) - RM 15.80

(Subject to Service Tax)

No 1 Sweet Potato Balls (第一名地瓜球) @ Yizhong Night Market, Taichung in Taiwan

Recognizing Chinese characters might not be a good thing; when I saw 第一名地瓜球, which means number one sweet potato balls; I knew I had to give it a try! 

Ordering was unique although it would have been clueless if you don't read Chinese! You have to take the number from the above, wait for your number to be call, order and then pay after getting your order! Wouldn't it be easier for a queue system instead? 

Anyway, I am only a tourist.

And lucky seven it shall be.

Unlike the usually roundish sweet potato balls, the ones here were oblong, like turtle eggs! Texture was crisp on the outside, with stickier insides that reminded me of nian gao. While not bad, I personally prefer the hollower type with both crisp outside and inside. 

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Address

No. 22, Yizhong St, North District, 

Taichung City, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Pricing

One Serving - NT$30

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)

Mini Bite Stinky Tofu (迷你一口臭豆腐) @ Yizhong Night Market, Taichung in Taiwan

With three stinky tofu stalls within meters from each other, you can so imagine the stench for non-lovers and the great dilemma by lovers! I am lazy and went for the one with the presumably shortest queue; Mini Bite Stinky Tofu (迷你一口臭豆腐)! 

Freshly fried only upon order; waiting would be the norm and it didn't help that there were limited seats in the small shop! No wonder many people appeared to be taking away.

Serving was fast though; we got our serving of mini bite stinky tofu in about five minutes! Costing NT$55 a "plate", I personally felt that each piece wasn't exactly mini-bite; not gigantic for sure yet definitely not mini. 

Good thing about this stinky tofu, they were not heavily drenched with sauce! Instead, there was a hole in the middle where the thick sauce was poured in! This was good news as I so hate my supposedly crisp tofu skin softened under too much sauce! 

Took a bite; and I was sold. Crispy outside, soft and jiggly inside, with a stench that I could only describe as heavenly. Sauce was unlike any I have had; appetising with a mix of strong garlic and mustard. And the pickled vegetables were also on point. 

Alex didn't want to share as he claimed to be too full. Yet, he couldn't resist after seeing how much I love every morsel. He had a small bite, realized how good it was, and ordered another serving all for himself! 

Remember to "clean up" after yourself. In Singapore, we are now trained to return our tray but I thought it would be better if recycling is also inculcated into our social norm....

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Address

No. 20, Yizhong St, 

North District, Taichung City,

Taiwan 

Map

As above.

Pricing

Stinky Tofu - NT$55

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)

8 Taels Charcoal-Grilled Chicken Cutlet (一中8兩碳烤雞排) @ Yizhong Night Market, Taichung in Taiwan

I usually don't return to the same night market when I was in Taiwan back in 2025 but the allure of two food stalls resulted in us going back three times! And on our last night, I absolutely can't resist joining the long queue for 8 Taels Charcoal-Grilled Chicken Cutlet! 

Line was perpetually long every time I walked past and despite the low review rating of 3.2 on Google Maps; I told myself it's our last night and I needed to understand what the fuss was all about! p.s. obviously the fiery fire was a captivating factor for bystanders. 

There were fifteen people in front of me and it was kind of amazing that I was almost right at the front of the line in less than 10 minutes. The productivity was unmatched starting with the frying of the chicken cutlet in boiling hot.

Followed by a light grill over burning charcoal, before a thick layer of sauce was slathered on the sizzling chicken cutlet. Just the visual spectacle was enough to whet my appetite!

Can't wait to dig in but I really prefer to have some seating so that I can eat immediately; nothing beats having the food fresh and hot from the griddle! Let it sit a while more and I can imagine the chemical reaction affecting both texture and taste! 

Here's the gigantic piece of cutlet, uncut! Tael is a actually a weight measurement in the Chinese community although it differs from country to country, and 8 taels is equivalent to 300 grams in Taiwan. 

Two words verdict - nice. Do note that while the sauce slathered on the fried and then grilled piece of chicken was appetising (think there was a dash of lemon for extra zestiness), it did have the disadvantage of softening the crispiness of the skin. Meat was tender but surprisingly didn't shred smoothly as my teeth bit through. 

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Worth the queue?

Maybe, if it wasn't too long. 

Address

No. 9, Zunxian St, North District, 

Taichung City, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Pricing

Charcoal-Grilled Chicken Cutlet - NT$100

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)