Mushroom and Tea Shop (聚福茶行) @ Tunxi Old Street, Huangshan City [China]

Tunxi Old Street was a notable attraction at Huangshan City, and our tour guide decided to make the shop of her relatives as a meet-up point given that there was a washroom which we can use, we can have some free tea inside and that it's alongside the main road.

I am a skeptical person by nature and I knew there's more to the story. The shop (聚福茶行) was the classic tea and mushroom shop sprouting all over the old street, claiming to sell quality products that hailed from the near Huangshan.

Typical of tourists on such tour packages, we had the tendency to arrive earlier so that we do not have to inconvenience others and by the time our family reached the shop, a majority of our tour mates had already arrived. 

Yes, we got our toilet break, and also our tea. To be fair, not those tea in a sachet; real tea leaves that were brewed and filtered, on a proper Chinese tea tray! 

That's when the marketing started; the origins of the tea, the benefits, the promotions. One of the most interesting product was a species of mushrooms called 松茸 that was said to be the king of mushrooms, and blessed with the nutritional power that was 20 times lingzhi! 

Interesting because you can just pour boiling water on the mushrooms, like what you do with tea leaves, and the taste was actually good; like drinking a clear, flavourful mushroom broth. I was keen to buy actually but there was a problem; it's super expensive; like a few hundred dollars a kilogram.

Now, I may love mushrooms but I am okay with cheaper mushrooms too! So, the 158 rmb per 500 grams 香菇 (about S$60 a kilogram) felt like a much better deal in my opinion!  

Despite buying the cheaper mushrooms, I looked longingly at the huge bags of 松茸 (it's actually known as the matsutake mushroom) in front of me; I mean... I can buy like a 100 grams so that it's not so damaging to my wallet... My family had to pull me away....

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Address

黄山市屯溪区延安路48号

(近中马路/屯溪老街商圈)

Click HERE for our 8 Days Huangshan, Tunxi, Yixian, Wuyuan, Mount Qiyun, Thousand-Island Lake, Hangzhou Tour Package to China via CTC Travel Agency

MY Seafood Restaurant (明源大排档) @ Yishun Block 654 [Singapore]

One of the first world problems we faced in Singapore is not knowing what to have for meals given the sheer variety of options we have on this little red dots.

Not including restaurants, there are close to 800 coffee shops that offer economical pricing dishes and for this particular one opposite Safra Yishun; it was my first visit even though I have lived in Yishun for over 30 years! 

With numerous stalls in the coffee shop, our aim was on this tze char outlet with a common name; MY Seafood Restaurant. Not that common once you realize the MY is an acronym for Ming Yuan. 

Pork Liver - starting with this as I am not going to review since I don't eat organs and would don't understand why some people love it; like my mom! Anyway, one person's meat, another person's poison. 

Cereal Prawn - buried under the bed of cereals were unshelled prawns that were pulpy with a bouncy crunch! Loving it although they were served too hot, almost burning my tongue. My fault though, given my impatience! p.s. they served achar with this! Weird combi.

Steamed Baby Sotong -  long accustomed to the deep fried version, the steamed version takes skills to ensure the sotong wasn't under / over cooked. These didn't disappoint even though having the black pea eyes staring at us were a tad disturbing...

Baby Kailan with Sliced Fish - vibrantly fresh and cooked al dente; latter of which would infer a certain level of crunchiness that I enjoyed! Having the sliced fish increased the price and while not bad tasting, I am as happy sticking with just the vegetables and removing the fish. 

Chilli Crab -  now the star of the show, which was made up of two small crabs, with accompanying fried buns, because they are necessary for any order of this iconic Singapore dish.

The gravy was spicy but in my opinion, not as rich and as flavourful as the ones at Ban Leong. In addition, I felt it was overly thickened. Nevertheless, still a good chilli crab and would perform well for any first timer. 

Fried Buns - buns were the standard bite-sized kind that did their job. Nowadays quite hard to find a bun that impressed. At the moment for me, only the ones from forture seafood fall into the category of impressive. Problem was, I had them a long time ago and I am not even sure if standard was as good. 

Steamed Crab - leaving this to the end for two reasons; I seldom have steamed crabs when I am outside and the photographs I took of the meat were all from the steamed and not chilli crabs. The layer of white surrounding the crabs was steamed egg, packing good proteins beneficial to those beyond middle age. 

While I am more accustomed to big crabs over a kilogram each, the meat for the crabs we had so far, was fresh, meaty and satisfying! It was even more pronounced for steamed crabs as you could taste the unfettered natural seafood sweetness! While I don't mind smaller crabs, unshelling them was a pain compared to large crabs. 

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Our party of six was definitely more than happy with what we had.

Address

654 Yishun Avenue 4, 

#01-435, Singapore 760654

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Pork Liver - S$18.00

Cereal Prawn - S$22.00

Steamed Baby Sotong - S$16.00

Baby Kailan with Sliced Fish - S$16.00

Chilli Crab - S$58.80 for two

Steamed Crab - S$68.80 for two

Fried Buns - S$4.80 for six

Studio Plaza Immersive Show @ Genting Skyworlds Theme Park (Malaysia)

While window shopping at the souvenir shop at Genting Skyworlds Theme Park, we saw an entrance we don't remember seeing in our past few visits as annual pass holders.

Showcasing the Studio Plaza Immersive Show, it was opened in December 2025 and said to be "a multi-dimensional digital gallery perched at 6,000 feet above sea level". 

Featuring "cutting-edge interactive installations, high definition LED projections and 3D spatial audio", it was an experience I found marvellous, as if we are standing in the middle of everything, starting from the start of universe, to the mountains and in the seas! 

Visually stunning, my eyes were hooked to the surroundings, from the top to the bottom, where each step I took could mean a splattering of colours. 

Towards the end, it felt almost like I was sucked into the world of Avatar, where the night sparkled with colors, and the nocturnal animals treated it like daytime for humans.

Only when the doors open that we were pulled back into reality; it was still daytime. p.s. only five shows a day; hence, plan carefully! 

Did you know that guests of Resorts World Genting and Resorts World Awana have early access to Genting Skyworlds Theme Park?! 30 minutes earlier, and you can comfortable conquer two attractions! My recommendations? Sambal Gliders at Rio and either Terraform Tower Challenge at Andromeda Base / Independence Day: Defiance at Central Park.

Video for your viewing pleasure.

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Address

Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park,

Resorts World Genting, 69000 Genting Highlands, 

Pahang, Malaysia

Kiến Trung Palace @ Hue Historical Citadel [Vietnam]

Standing at odds with the many ancient buildings within Hue Historical Citadel, Kiến Trung Palace was however a refreshing sight with its imposing height, size and contrasting use of red-lacquered windows! 

Located towards the back of Vietnamese last dynastic capital, it was "destroyed by the Viet Minh during the Indochina Wars", and reconstruction took place more than a century later, with completion only in 2023. 

Let's proceed to take a look at the palace said to be the residence for the last two emperors of the Nguyen dynasty, which ruled Vietnam from 1802 till 1945. 

One of two pavilions flanking the palace which was originally built in 1923, and lasted only about 24 years. It was like a Chinese pavilion, yet not like one. Mom looked like one of the noble ladies with that pose; without dressing like one! 

More photographs with the iconic building.

A close-up look of the palace; said to be "designed in the eclectic style, combining elements of Italianate, French Baroque, and traditional Vietnamese architecture". What I found more captivating were the excessive use of ceramic decorations.

As with many historical attractions in China, South Korea, Thailand and even Malaysia, you can also rent the traditional local attire for a fee. This is something you wouldn't see me doing since I get irritated when it is too warm, and I am always worried about hidden fees.

The welcome room, flushed with chandeliers, and decorations that would have not be stranger to most palaces in Europe. Those who know the history of Vietnam would know it was colonized by the French, influencing the culture, the architecture and even the food.

On display behind the glass cabinets would the collection of English porcelains that was more than a century old. Not sure if they were rescued from the palace but they looked too well-preserved, without any chip. 

This pretty lady was Empress Nam Phương; the last empress of dynastic Vietnam, who was dressed in the traditional wedding attire in the portrait. Borned in 1913, she gave birth to two princes and three princess, and died in 1963 in France. 

I wouldn't of think too much about the mix of porcelain and a violin until I took a closure look at the information label. Darn, this was one of only five porcelain violins in the world, and handcrafted by violinist and artisan Nguyen Xuan Huy!

A traditional sedan; honestly, it looked a bit too compact.

I would be surprised if it was used by the emperor / empress.

Portrait of Emperor Khải Định, and his son, and future emperor, Bảo Đại. 

When we were visited the palace back in 2025, there was an exhibition talking about Vietnamese ceramics, some of which were a few centuries old! Although labelled as cultural heritage, they meant little for a non-cultural person like me.

I was curious, however, with the above. Called lime pots, they "are small traditional containers used to hold slaked lime paste (calcium hydroxide), which is a key ingredient for chewing betel quid across Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Malay Archipelago.".

The men's ao dai looked so comfortable; I actually wouldn't mind getting one set for the fun of it! So long they are not too expensive! Anyone has recommendation make one in Vietnam?

More porcelain...

Honestly, I thought this was a trophy.

Turned out to be  flower vase! 

A cafe where visitors can take a rest. I would love to do so but as I was on a day trip, the timing wasn't as relaxed and we still have one more item on our itinerary! Definitely an excuse for me to spend a few nights in Hue in the future! 

Well, I would have totally assumed I would sit on these chairs.

This corridor was flushed with information of the last two emperors of the nguyen dynasty, with bios of Emperors Khải Định and Bảo Đại, the abdication of the last emperor (signed in Kiến Trung Palace), some info of the palace and many photographs. 

View of the scene in front of Kiến Trung Palace.

Ahead would be Thai Hoa Palace.

I don't know you but I absolutely adore the million pieces of small ceramic tiles that covered almost the entirety of the palace's facade. They might not seem much from afar and the devil is in the details as you step closer! 

p.s. cannon looked more like a decorative item, than a historical one. 

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Address

Within Hue Historical Citadel, 

Hue City, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Click HERE for My Day Trip to Hue City: The Former Imperial Capital, with Chinese Speaking Guide