Dim Sum at 荣茂茶室 (Restoran Rong Mao) near Jonker Street in Melaka [Malaysia]

Before making our way home back to Singapore from Melaka, we decided to have dim sum for breakfast and my brother in law dropped us right in front of 荣茂茶室 (Restoran Rong Mao)! 

You can order direct from the large bamboo dim sum steamers or wait for the staff to bring along trays of dim sum items for you to choose from. p.s. not on trolleys though. 

As you can see, the whole place was crowded at about 9.30am and by the time we left, there was quite a long line right outside the eatery. Do note that it was a Sunday when we visited so I am guessing that weekdays would likely be less crowded. 

Menu pricing for reference; most expensive item was large dim sum item, which cost just RM6.00, less than S$2.00! The thing is that I am generally not very impressed with dim sum in Malaysia but I shouldn't be complaining given the pricing. 

Here's what we had; I am not going to go through every single item as the place felt so rushed and busy, and my family was so hungry; I didn't want to lengthen their non-stop salivating while I take pictures and slowly type down my review. 

Lo mai kai was good with tasty, flavourful rice although do be mindful that there would be bones in the chicken! Almost wanted to order seconds bu I need to control my carbohydrate intake.

Especially when we ordered quite a lot of buns, from pork bun, to char siew bun and large meat buns. While the meat filling was satisfying, the taste was either a bit on the bland side, or just plain savoury without the meaty sweetness that could have enhanced the palatability. 

So much carbohydrates! On usual days when my younger sister would join us on trip, she would be the one devouring all the "skin", ensuring that nothing was truly wasted. 

Xiaolongbao didn't look like much, and indeed, the meat was alright tasty. Key takeaway was the meat broth that had seeped out of its thin dough skin; amazingly juicy! Oily it was too but well; I don't eat xiaolongbao everyday. 

Salted egg bao was the last item sent to us as the person had forgotten our order! The yellow ball with a shiny sheen was almost a guarantee to order whenever I see it on the menu. 

Soft skin with yummy liquid sweetness! 

Too thick a dough; eat slowly and carefully! 

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I am unsure if I would be back given that there were so many other eateries to try in Melaka. And for me, I would prefer toast and nasi lemak over dim sum in Malaysia. 

Address

32, Jalan Tukang Emas,

75200 Melaka, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Pricing

Total - RM 80.30

ICG Chicken & Burger @ Yishun Industrial Area [Yishun]

For some time, I had heard of an eatery at the industrial area in Yishun that commanded a higher review score of 4.9 on Google Maps from over 900 reviewers. Now, Yishunites are infamous and it's time I paid a visit to ICG Chicken & Burger! 

Known for their Korean style chicken, I am honestly looking forward to a heavily decorated cafe-like setting that made all customers feel that they have teleported to the Land of the Morning Calm. Truth was; more like your typical no-fuss local cafe. 

Slightly better decor at the back, albeit still a pretty feeble attempt. Anyway, the menu was extensive and we had a hard time deciding what to order. Aside from Korean favorites like fried chicken, ginseng chicken, there were also pizzas and pastas; befitting its korean fusion bistro tag! 

Fantastic Four Party Set - even though there were nine of us, we decided to get this set which included 3 medium fried chicken, 2 burgers, 4 french fries / hash browns, 4 sauces (mustard pickle / creamy onion) and 4 drinks. p.s. normal fries and browns. 

Nine different kinds of fried chicken and we went with Sweet & Spicy Chicken, Garlic Soy Chicken and Jalapeno Chicken! Typical of all Korean fried chicken, the batter was the same and it was the crispy kind, albeit thicker as well.

Personally, the batter was not too bad and the meat inside remained full of juice. On the "marinade", the sweet and spicy, and garlic soy didn't deviate from the usual, whereas the jalapeno tasted more interesting.  

Burgers wise, we went with Garlic Soy and Creamy! Other options included sweet and spicy, beef and spicy gangjung. I was more looking forward to the creamy onion as we recalled having something similar at Choongman Chicken Silom.

Now, the one thing that seriously needs improvement; the bun which tasted like those store bought kind!! The patties provided were more like a larger slab of fried chicken. Both were good with garlic soy having a more intense flavour whereas the creamy being sweeter with slices of onions. 

Hawaiian Pizza - although charged at S$18.90, this had so much ingredients that were simply put, satisfying! While thin crust, the base was just all crispy without the fluffiness that some pizza lovers prefer. When I was younger, I prefer thin crust but now that I am older, I prefer more bite. 

Ginseng Chicken Soup - leaving this to the last as it totally impressed me! Broth was rich of ginseng, and it was both appetising and flavourful. Totally the go-to dish when it was rainy outside!  

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Would I be back? Maybe for the ginseng chicken soup.

For the burgers, only if they change the buns!

Address

2 Yishun Industrial Street 1,

#01-11, Singapore 768159

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Fantastic Four Party Set - S$63.90

Hawaiian Pizza - S$18.90

Ginseng Chicken Soup - S$13.90

(NETT)

Cable Car Ride To/Fro Huangshan via Yungu Cableway

To get to Huangshan, the UNESCO World Heritage Site in China, it's essential to take a few modes of support, from a shuttle bus to the yungu cableway; operational in 1986, rebuilt in 2007 and said to be one of the earliest in China! 

Let's start with the journey that was about 2,666 meters in length, and across an altitude difference of 775 meters. It might pale in comparison to Sapa but back in 1986, I bet this installation would be considered as technological feat.

Photographs along the way. I don't know why but the photographs taken using my iPhone didn't do justice to the actual sights, which were a lot nicer.

The kind of scenery that my dad loves. 

Landscape looked almost unreal, especially when we neared the other end of the cableway. It's like towering blocks of large rocks, peppered with strips of greenery that creeped up to the hilltops, yet without the capability to envelope them. 

More photographs before we reached the end of the cableway! 

My return cable car ride back to Huangshan City was nothing exciting as the whole place was just foggy and I can't see shit! Nevertheless, the above was more to show the checks required for all foreigners; using their passport to clear admission! That's unheard of in most other countries.

Not that inconvenient but which means you have to keep your passport with you at all times. And this is dangerous for careless guys like me.

Bye! 

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