Yan Foo Chee Cheong Fun (甄富猪肠粉) @ Penang in Malaysia

As I grow older, I realize I tend to crave for traditional fare, including food that was part of my childhood growing up. One of them would be chee cheong fun, otherwise known as rice rolls.

When I was in Penang, I purposely sought out the above push cart, which only had one item on their menu, chee cheong fun and blessed with a history going back to 1979! Would it remind me of the good, old chee cheong fun of the 80s / 90s?

Many customers would request for takeaways but if you wish to have a table / chair to sit down, just proceed to the coffee shop beside the cart. p.s. do order a beverage as the coffee shop needs to earn money too! 

Our order of chee cheong fun! Visually, it had the old school feel and I honestly can't wait to dig in! I was more surprised to see two different sauces and hope the redder one wasn't chilli. 

The darker sauce was the type I was more accustomed too albeit a lot thicker, stickier and saltier than the typical, lighter hoisin sauce. I had more issue with the red sauce; it was literally the pungent prawn prawn paste used in rojak and I absolutely can't accept this novel concept.

Chee cheong fun wise; texture was strangely, satisfyingly hard and I did enjoy it with the viscous dark sauce. Unlike some poor quality chee cheong fun, it didn't stick to the craze lines on my teeth too!  For RM 3.00 for a plate of two rolls, I am definitely not complaining! 

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Address

201, Lebuh Kimberley, George Town, 

10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Map

As above. 

Operating Hours

From 7.30am to 12.30pm

(While stocks last)

Pricing

One Roll - RM 1.50.

(Minimum Order of Two Rolls).

Batam Nest - 100% Pure Edible Bird Nest with Rock Sugar on Batam Island [Indonesia]

One of the things I enjoy having in Bangkok is bird's nest and when we were checking out kueh lapis stores in Batam; we strolled past the above shop selling what was touted to be pure bird nest with no preservatives and artificial coloring, available for dine-in.

Of course we had to go in, mainly to check out the pricing, in comparison to what we commonly had in Chinatown at Bangkok! Setup was almost like a common tea house in Taiwan, and I was most worried that there will be hard-selling.  

 

Not an issue as I was in Batam with three formidable ladies, my mom, and my two sisters, who are no saints when it comes to bargaining and walking away from hard sellers. Furthermore, our family would find it troublesome to cook the raw bird's nest. 

Thing attracting us was definitely the double boiled bird's nest! Costing 156,000 rupiah (around S$13), you get a pot of basic yet superior bird's nest with either rock sugar or honey rock sugar, and free toppings including ginseng, Chinese wolfberries and/or red dates! 

There were also the options of having it served hot, cold or warm. 

Given the hot weather, I am all for cold! 

Three pots! Color differed depending on whether you get rock sugar or honey rock sugar and for topping wise, you can choose to have all three or remove those you dislike. We almost contemplated no sugar, but the bird's nest will be bland if we were to go ahead with it.

For S$13, I must say the amount of bird's nest was generous and it didn't feel as if I am just swallowing sugary water. Even the slices of red dates were nice! Did I feel any healthier after that? As with most tonics, long term consumption would be the solution and I sure aren't rich enough to sustain such a lifestyle! 

But if I am in Batam again, I am going to drop by. 

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Address

Next to Reborn Massage Penuin, 

Jl. Komp. Penuin Centre No.2 Blok R, 

Lubuk Baja, Batam City, Riau Islands 29444, 

Indonesia

Map

As above. 

Additional Information

Although it can be an eat and go situation, the staff members were kind enough to offer us a pot of water for us to rest a wee bit more in the store. 

There wasn't any hard selling and if you decide to bring back some bottles of cooked bird's nest, you can refer to their rates as above. p.s. there's a sugar free option! 

Charming Taipei Taiwanese Tea House (戀戀台北茶屋) - Extra Value Set @ Northpoint City Mall in Yishun [Singapore]

It's no rumor that Northpoint City Mall is big for a neighbourhood shopping mall and even though I live mere minutes away; there were corners I seldom checked out and hence, the surprise when I chanced upon Charming Taipei Taiwanese Tea House (戀戀台北茶屋).

 

While I am not a huge fan of Taiwanese meals, the extra value meal with a picture of braised minced pork rice (known as luroufan) caught my attention. As a person who loves fateful encounter, it was decided to give this a try! 

Delivered within ten minutes; standard would be cabbage and salad, with options for one main (six to choose from), one side (four to choose from) and a drink that cost less than S$4.50 on the menu. I went with braised pork rice (obviously), king oyster mushroom fries and iced soya milk with no sugar. 

Cabbage - was this lightly stir fried or boiled? It was oily but texture tasted a bit raw in my opinion. Nevertheless, I am a cabbage lover and this was a nice addition to reduce my guilt of not eating healthy.

Salad - a small portion of fresh, crisp lettuce doused with Japanese sesame dressing. Basic yet satisfying. I forgot to add that both salad and cabbage can be refilled at no cost! This would have appealed to my elder sister! 

King Oyster Mushroom Fries - plump, crunchy with a soft interior that was incredibly enjoyable; to the extent I would pay for ala-carte in the future! The batter was just a thin film over the meaty mushroom and I love that it wasn't overly seasoned, allowing me to savour the natural, earthy flavor of the fungi! 

Braised Minced Pork Rice - your typical plating that included the rice topped with a scoop of braised minced pork, some pickled cucumbers and half a braised egg. First mouthful - didn't stand out as far as taste was concerned, meat was more lean than fats, resulting in a tougher texture. 

Taste was more savory than sweet and while not impressive; each subsequent mouthful heightened the addictiveness and the ending was was a strangely satisfying! Kudos to the pickled cucumbers which hit the spot; I wouldn't mind buying if the owner decides to sell the pickled cucumbers separately for takeaways! 

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I will be back again! p.s. a reminder never to order the soy milk as it was powdery, and to ask the kitchen to remove the sinful sesame dressing from the salad next time. 

Address

1 North Point Drive, #01-121 

Northpoint City Mall,

Singapore 768019

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Extra Value Set - S$17.80

(Inclusive of GST)

Dragon Bridge Show from Haian Riverfront Hotel Da Nang (Riverfront Deluxe Room)

Main reason why I chose Haian Riverfront Hotel Da Nang as our choice of accommodation was due to its direct view of the city's iconic dragon bridge from the riverfront rooms.

Apparently I didn't read deeper into the bridge when I was planning my trip, and here comes the bonus. There was supposedly a show from the bridge and that explained why the river cruisers were congregating near the bridge coming 9am!

It wasn't just one or two; I counted about eleven eventually and they essentially lighted up the Han River with their beautiful lightings! I guess I should plan for a night river cruise for my mom in our upcoming trip.

At about 9am, the dragon came alive, breathing balls of fire that looked scary even though I was about 800 meters away! There was supposed to be water after the fire but I didn't bother catching the entire show as I was already planning to check out the show onsite next day!

Catching the dragon bridge show was said to be a must-do and you may catch it if you happen to be at Da Nang on weekends! Do note that the show starts at 9.00pm and lasts about 15 minutes.

Time lapse video for viewing! 

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Click here for my 8 Days' Itinerary to Danang (The City of Bridges) & Hoi An (The City of Lanterns) in Vietnam