Morni莫尼 (Meichun Branch) Breakfast @ Taichung City in Taiwan

It was our last morning at Taiwan and without much research; we decided to have breakfast at Morni莫尼, at its branch that was along our driving route to the Taichung HSR station.  

There must be a reason why I chose Morni莫尼; and I had to admit that I likely search for breakfast on Google Maps, at the last minute, after checking out from Tea Way Hotel, and the breakfast eatery had a a review score of 4.3 from over 1,000 reviewers.

Already past the peak breakfast period and just a day before lunar new year's eve, it wasn't as crowded as I expected, and we didn't even need to queue for a table. 

Ordering was straightforward via the typical order list as above. Boy do I miss the variety of breakfast offerings we have in Singapore; I can't express how much I was craving wanton mee, nasi lemak, kueh kueh etc. 

 

Snacks Combo - frankly, I can't imagine the snacks in this case referred to items I could easily buy from supermarket and air-fry myself! Anyway, this was Alex's order and even though they tasted alright; he loves them! I need a new travel companion who appreciates better food. p.s. the eggs were fried with runny insides, nothing fascinating. 

Cheesy Taiwanese Egg Pancake Set - this came with a Morni milk tea, which I thought would be presented in a non-disposable cup since I am dining in. Taste wise, our Singapore teh is better; and this was just warm, not hot! 

Egg pancake is one of Taiwan's quintessential breakfast offerings and despite trying a few times; I have never quite enjoyed it. This time right, we opted for a crispier version which cost NT$5 more; and I am glad I did it for the nicer texture. 

Plus, it had that eggy aroma with tons of melty cheese! 

 

Classic Pork Egg Sandwich - yet another Taiwanese breakfast item, this often came hidden in a paper bag, encouraging us to be hopeful! I still remember the unforgettable one from JhaoChai at Taipei!  

Major disappointment with the untoasted bread; a feeble attempt of making a sandwich that I could have done a much better job myself, as far as plating is concerned. Taste wise, definitely incomparable to JhaoChai! 

=====

Last breakfast in Taiwan.

And it sure didn't impress.

Address

No. 107, Section 2, Meicun Rd, Fuping Village, 

South District, Taichung City, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Pricing

Snacks Combo - NT$45

Cheesy Taiwanese Egg Pancake Set - NT$80

Classic Pork Egg Sandwich - NT$50

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)

88 Hong Kong Roast Meat Specialist @ Lavender Street in Singapore

I am super selective when it comes to roast delights like char siew, roast pork etc as it's almost a must to eat them with carbohydrates like rice and noodles, which I limit to as little as possible on a weekly basis.

88 Hong Kong Roast Meat Specialist came strongly recommended and even though it's located pretty far at Lavender Street; we decided to pop by to check it out! p.s. it's tempting to visit the nearby Cheng Mun Chee Kee Pig Organ Soup.

After ordering and paying, wait in line for your number to be called. 

We got an auspicious number, eight, otherwise called huat! 

Wait was short and here are our order; a 3-meat platter for two to three persons, and two servings of plain noodle, which looked extremely tempting while we were queuing up to order. 

Plain Noodle - of course, you can have your noodle with added char siew, roast pork, roast duck etc but since we already had the platter; a plain one seemed to be a better choice.

Aromatic, I found the texture of the noodle to be hard, and a tad too dry, even though every strand was coated with oil, and every bite remained satisfying! 

3-Meat Platter (Medium) - I have to be totally honest with you; when I saw the platter of meat, we thought the portion was actually stingy for three persons, and it cost S$24! Maybe the eatery should consider changing it to 2-person instead. 

Let's first talk about the roast pork, also known as siew yoke. Each piece appeared longer than the usual with a thin, crisp skin, and a much fattier ratio that could be the reason why many customers claimed the siew yoke was melt in your mouth. Personally, it was good, just not spectacular. 

Due to the simple fact that we were given the crown jewel of a roast duck; i.e. the drum, meat expressed tender juiciness, and blessed with a roasted skin that didn't seem to have much fats.

Char siew looked so promising; I decided to review it last. A mushy fattiness swarmed my taste buds as my teeth slowly chewed through; though appetising, I preferred them to be more charred, like the version from Kay Lee! 

=====

Overall, food was alright but both my friend and I agreed it was pricey. And after trying the char siew here, I am actually craving for the char siew from Kay Lee! Embarrassing to say that I haven't patronized it for quite a while! 

Address

308 Lavender Street,

Singapore 338814

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Plain Noodle - S$2.50 each plate

3-Meat Platter (Medium) - S$24.00

(Inclusive of GST)

Exclusive Cable Car Route to Mercure Danang French Village Bana Hills @ Vietnam

For my first visit to Sun World Ba Na Hills, I noticed a parallel cable car system on my way up and upon researching; I realized it was an exclusive system purely for those staying at Mercure Danang French Village Bana Hills.

Including a non-existent queue to board the cable, we also literally had the whole cable car booth all to ourselves; no need for strange small talk with strangers! 

From Toc Tien Waterfall Station all the way to L'Indochine Station. What's the difference from the original Hoi An to Marseille and finally to Louvre? 

Key differences; it's a direct route, and upon exit from L'Indochine Station, you would come to the icon of Sun World Ba Na Hills; the golden globe, which is really the centre of all the actions at Bana Hills! 

Now, I took time-lapsed on my way up, and shall share the video later. The following pictures were taken on my way down Sun World Ba Na Hills; from L'Indochine Station to Toc Tien Waterfall Station.

Bottom glass cabin!

Lucky, we were. 

The 27-meter tall statue of Buddha Shakyamuni of Linh Ung Pagoda. I so wanted to check out the pavilion when I was there but the weather was simply too hot! Next time.

Start of our cable car journey and bidding farewell to the memorable 2-night we spent at Ba Na Hills! And the view down the hills was just downright spectacular! 

Let the photographs do the talking! We were blessed with a clear sky, where the terrains and cityscape of Da Nang City awed us! Further down, you could also catch the glistening reflection from the sea.

There's another cable car system to our left; according to the map, it was supposed to connect champa with taiga stations but I have never seen the cars moving before. 

Scene beneath us. Just wondering if anyone will attempt to climb the hills, in the traditional way, that likely requires hours of trekking since the hills are just about 1,500 meters tall! 

Arriving at the Toc Tien Waterfall Station soon.

A stream of water between the line of rocks that appeared like scars across an oasis of greenery. With water going downstream, I guess you are already suspecting we would be near the namesake of the cable station station.

Do you need a hint?

Big enough hint? 

Yes, the Toc Tien Waterfall! .

Not much information was given about the waterfall although I did find out that it's no longer open to the public with construction of the cable car going up to Bana Hills back in 2009. 

Water flow was quite little and I am guessing that during rainy season, the waterfall will likely be more spectacular. Anyway, you can only capture sights of Toc Tien Waterfall if you take this cable car route; possible only if you stay at the only hotel at Bana Hills; the Mercure Danang French Village Bana Hills!