Entree Kibbles: 2025

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Nuo Mochi 糯圆麻薯 @ Holiday Villa Hotel in Johor Bahru [Malaysia]

I have a lot of sinful food indulgences in life and if not for my frequent exercises, I bet I would have ballooned, like a balloon, literally! One of those things I can't resist was muah chee.

And when Gwen mentioned, during our day trip to Johor Bahru, a store that sold good muah chee at Holiday Villa Hotel, I couldn't wait and decided to get a pack shortly after!

Honestly, I had stepped into Nuo Mochi a few times before but it was more the daifuku that caught my eyes! I wouldn't have known that our traditional muah chee was available, if not for Gwen's recommendation.

Preparation in progress.

Anticipation in wait.

My Traditional Mochi Box with a mix of sesame powder and crushed peanuts! Well, not really traditional in the traditional sense since the mochi appeared to be not your usual plain white version.

Looking like grapes, instead of the random scissor-cut shapes, the green shade for the crushed peanuts was lighter than the sesame powder. Tastes between the two confirmed that the one for crushed peanuts was pandan whereas matcha was reserved for sesame powder.

Texture wise, it wasn't as chewy, sticky soft as the traditional muah chee I am accustomed to; harder, with a QQ bite would be how I would have described it. Between the two, crushed peanuts were better tasting given its similarity to traditional muah chee, and the sesame powder had a less preferred bitter aftertone.

Eating them together, as suggested by Gwen, would be one way to improve the overall palatability although if I would to eat it again, I would have gone with the crushed peanuts! p.s. I don't generally like matcha, unless they are in drinkable form.

=====

Address

Gf-Shop 21, Menara Malpakat,

Holiday Villa Hotel, Jalan Dato Sulaiman,

Taman Abad, 80250 Johor Bahru,

Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia

Location

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Traditional Mochi Box - RM 10.50

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Preserved Fruits from 正合興蜜餞行 @ Anping District in Tainan [Taiwan]

I knew Tainan as the oldest city in Taiwan, with a history spanning over 400 years! Aside from its historical significance, the one thing that the city was known for would be their preserved fruits, said to be the best!

According to a Taiwanese friend, there were many preserved fruits stores around and his friends recommended 正合興蜜餞行, which appeared to be along the main Gubao Street but its entrance was alongside a short lane instead.

With no sampling, over twenty types to choose from, I was spoilt for choices and at the same deep in a state of dilemma! Prices were very affordable though and I eventually chose four different kinds for my mom.

List of preserved fruits; I remember getting numbers 2 and 4. Forgot to take photographs after I passed to my mom and once I remember, she had already finished everything! Her verdict: she loved every single pack and claimed the taste was different from the preserved fruits we get in Singapore.

=====

Address

No. 47, Gubao St, Anping District,

Tainan City, Taiwan

Map

As above.

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)

Sunday, October 12, 2025

1-Alfaro - Modern Italian Rooftop Restaurant (La Torre) & Bar (La Luna) @ Labrador Tower in Singapore

I truly like rooftop bars and restaurants, for a very simple reason; I wouldn't have to pay extra for the view provided the building is tall enough and offers a breathtaking panorama!

Hence, when I heard of 1-Alfaro, a rooftop restaurant and bar, at Labrador Tower, I suggested it as a venue for a birthday dinner for a friend! p.s. it helped that the tower was near where I worked, just a few train stations away.

To get to 1-Alfaro, you have to first go through the main lobby of Labrador Tower. While it might appear that all lift lobbies required special access, you have to go to the far left.

A special lift lift shall bring us up to the topmost floor; level 34.

How tall is Labrador Tower? 183 meters!

Interior of the indoor restaurant wing - La Torre.

Photographs taken at night when we left.

Outdoor shall be the outdoor bar known as La Luna. Correct me if I am wrong but it looked more like an extension of the restaurant, and for people who love outdoor, non-air-conditioned seating.

Not for me as I love air-conditioning in hot and humid Singapore. I could tolerate the humidity at night when temperature is cooler, but the sun had yet to set. Sadly, only outdoor seating was available; so, suck thumb.

Nevertheless; let's be positive as it was a cloudy day and there was a light breeze! Furthermore, it's hard not to marvel at the impressive landscape, facing the busy Singapore Straits, where more than a thousand ships pass through everyday!

With an unblocked view, it was mental therapy for the tired soul. And just in case you are wondering if access is granted only for diners of 1-Alfaro; it's not! The 34th floor can be accessed by anyone, and at no cost, from what I see.

Beer - it's a Monday evening and with all the blues that came with the start of the week, a glass of draft beer would be necessary to cheer me up! Gosh, I am turning into a habitual beer drinker; nowadays quite common to be one glass a day!

Classic Cocktail - a Margarita for the birthday boy but I stole a sip. Well, I am no cocktail connoisseur and prefer the bitterness from beer nowadays.

La Luna Twist - I was wondering what flatbread was and totally didn't expect pieces of wrap with just a dip! But, the dip was a clear winner for the bland flatbread; it's like a perfect combination of tomato puree and onions! Sweet yet sour. Yummy for sure.

Wagyu Fat Potato - like cuts of thick potatoes, and likely fried in beef fat. Not bad tasting but S$16, you can give this a miss. For me, a plate of truffle fries would have been more appealing.

Fried Lasagna - I love lasagna and this was ordered due to curiosity on my end! Ingredients included beef, mozzarella cheese, parmesan tomatoes, basil and bagnetto rosso; latter of which I have no idea what it was.

Whatever the case, it was unforgettably palatable! Cheesy with bites of minced beef, these five pieces of fried lasagna would be well-like by lasagna lovers, with only one complaint. Each piece was just too tiny!

And you need to dip it in the onion-tomato dip!

Sedap max!

Spring Chicken - said to be renowned for its rich flavour and tender texture, this nicely named French Savel Cornfed Spring Chicken "Galletto" was just normal.

Bolognese Pasta - said to be house-made tagliatelle, this was like atas mee pok, with an earthly flavour. Taste wise, acceptable. Look, I am not into authenticity so don't count on me should you be into flavors from Italy. I have never been there too.

Seafood Stew - this should be a safe dish, I feel, and the broth was indeed intensely rich with the flavours of crustacean, and prawns were fresh! Clams had sand in them (lucky I didn't break any teeth), fish was mushy and bread was too chewy for my liking!

With nightfall, visibility dropped and the little battery operated light on our table was switched on for some visibility. I am glad we ordered our food earlier as I wouldn't be able to see what we had. And it would be bad for phone photography too!

Night view in Singapore remained spectacular. With all the light pollution we have on mainland Singapore, I can understand why Singaporeans can't see much stars.

We were lucky to catch glimpses of the full moon that day!

=====

Would I be back? The food was nothing to shout about although the view was nice, the atmosphere was relaxed. I have more of a beef with the unacceptable service of 1-Alfaro, with the exception of one gentleman. The rest were either haughty, unfriendly or a combination of both.

When you have outdoor seating, it's important for any dining establishment to ensure someone is stationed there at all times. I had to go in to the restaurant twice to have my order taken! I was pretty pissed off by the obvious lack of service, and decided to go elsewhere for desserts.

Address

1 Pasir Panjang Rd, #34-00,