Kamlangsib Fried Chicken Rice @ Asiatique The Riverfront [Bangkok, Thailand]

With all the food scares nowadays, it's unnerving to have a chicken rice stall proudly proclaiming that it is more than just chicken rice! It also didn't help with a name that sounds like a profanity in the hokkien dialect. 

The truth is less complicated; what the food establishment at Asiatique (a waterfront mall in Thailand) meant was that it served other stuff beside chicken rice (for example, tom yum kung).

I am still more interested in chicken though and ordered the fried chicken set at 109 Baht (which included soup, vegetables and two slices of watermelon. 

Rice was aromatic (wasn't oily too) but the flavour slowly tapered off as we chewed further. The chopped up fried chicken tasted juicy with a crispy crust although the seasoning was pretty light; resulting in a piece of chicken that didn't leave much impression, sadly. 

Add the Thai chilli sweet sauce; it did enhance the palatability of the fried chicken.

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Location

Warehouse Six, T11,

Asiatique The Riverfront, Bangkok

Price

Fried Chicken Set - 109 Baht

Menu (Limited)

As above.

Additional Information

Go for the chrysanthemum tea at only 25 Baht; a refreshing drink to have after a hot day of walking all over Bangkok! Note: it can be a bit sweet for some of you. 

P2 Boutique Hotel - 10-Minute Walk from Platinum Shopping Mall @ Bangkok [Thailand]

I am still contemplating if i should post the itinerary for my recent Bangkok trip but i guess it shouldn't hinder me from starting on some "detailed" postings like accommodation! 

P2 Boutique Hotel may sound familiar to some of you, especially those who are attracted by the many travel deals to Bangkok offered by Groupon and deal.com.sg; it was usually listed as one of two hotels included as part of the travel package.

Now, i am skeptical when the deal was packaged so cheaply with airfare, airport shuttle and accommodation thrown in and the first question on my mind was the hotel's proximity to the city. For all you know, it could be a 20 to 30-minute DRIVE! 

More on that later - let's talk about the initial impression. I wasn't expecting such a reception area for a supposed 3-star accommodation! The counter staff sounded friendly enough though and to be honest, i am more concerned with the room. 

Laid with parquet flooring, i have no complaint about this superior room which was relatively clean. However, the "stylish" element in a boutique hotel seemed to be missing and the furnishing did appear a bit dated.

Oh well, i don't really mind that much so long the rates are affordable, the place is tidy with air-conditioning and the bed sheet is clean. And a television with more English channels please (for this, P2 needs to improve on)! 

Although we were assigned the top floor, please manage your expectations for the view beyond the drawn curtains; i was unlucky as my side faced a rooftop carpark! My friend's room overlooked another building right opposite; again, nothing spectacular.

The usual; after the amazing stay at CityInn hotel at Taipei, i think it would be a great idea for hotels to include free snacks in every room! Come on, it would not cost that much, at least not in Thailand! 

Free wifi was available and for those who bring along their laptops, you may use the LAN cable. The network at P2 was comparatively better without the delays / lags i often faced in other hotels. 

Bathroom was clean (no bathtub). I faced a similar issue with one reviewer on agoda.com; the shower-head was permanently veered to one side, resulting in the water spraying to the toilet bowl area and soaking the floor mat! 

Corridor was bright without the eeriness found in some hotels. This would be helpful for those who have the same fear as me when it comes to overseas stay.

Breakfast the next morning was at the restaurant on the ground level. Frankly, i have given up on complimentary breakfast (for hotel stays) in Thailand; spare your stomach and eat out instead if you have the choice. 

I was eating my own words that day as the breakfast in P2 was quite good! By the way, I don't mean the eggs and toast as they are the standard everywhere.

The stir-fried tang hoon was nicely flavoured while the broccolis were cooked perfectly without being overly salty! Even the fried rice was a lot more palatable; put it this way, i had second helpings! 

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Location

1091/213-216 Soi Petchaburi 33, New Petchaburi Road, 

Makkasan, Rachathavee Bangkok, 10400 Thailand

Map

As above (a 10-minute WALK to Singaporeans' favourite Platinum Shopping Mall and a direct road down to Chit Lom BTS; fortunately, the hotel wasn't in some far-fetched location)!

Website

http://www.p2hotel.com/

Pricing

I didn't pay although i understand it was lower than S$40 a night via Agoda.com. Truthfully, how to "hiam" for that price?

Additional Information

A massage salon is situated within the hotel; do keep in mind that operating hours are till 10pm daily.

Airport transfer and tour packages can also be arranged (at a price). Maybe i should catch those lady boys or tiger shows the next time i visit! 

Print the above if you are staying in P2 Boutique Hotel; it would give the taxi driver a better understanding of its actual location! 

Hao Wei Xuan Seafood (豪味軒海鮮) @ Chong Pang [Yishun, Singapore]

Many people assume i must have been earning a lot of money given the amount of food i seem to enjoy on a very frequent basis. The truth is less glory; i am often the recipient of treats by kind friends / family members and this visit to Hao Wei Xuan Seafood is no different. 

It's an invitation by the paternal grandmother of Jovyn and Jerald to have dinner together (thank you auntie)! The call was on us (the Teo family) to decide on the location and mom suggested Hao Wei Xuan after receiving favourable feedback from her Chong Pang kakis. 

Hot Plate Beancurd (铁板豆腐)

Well, this is one item on the tze char menu that seldom gets me waxing lyrical about it. To make matters worse, i was quite put off by the weird tasting egg beancurd served here. 

Broccoli with Scallops (西蘭花帶子)

The simple way to review this is using the two-prong approach; firstly, the broccoli must be cooked to the right optimal crunch without having to taste raw and secondly, the scallops must be fresh. In all, i am quite satisfied with this dish. 

Mummy Pork Ribs (妈蜜香排)

My love for sweet stuff is well known and i must admit i totally dig the caramelised surface of the pork ribs which was delicious to bite into. The only problem rested with the meat; it was tough to chew!

Red Grouper Steamboat (红斑鱼炉)

Personally, i don't usually order fish steamboat when i am outside as the price is likely to be high and it would be more worth my money to place it with the steamboat restaurants along Liang Seah Street.

There is of course a difference in the freshness of the fish and the type of fish your stomach would eventually be digesting. My key issue is more with the broth. 

No doubt the red grouper was fresh but the soup had a fishy aftertaste that wasn't anyone's cup of tea! Okay, i am not really a boiled / steamed fish lover so do take my comment with a pinch of salt.

XO Crab Bee Hoon (XO螃蟹粗米粉汤)

My dining experience with XO Crab Bee Hoon has so far been quite positive; there could be problems with the crabs yet seldom with the broth itself. 

This would be the rare exception; the broth tasted thin, lacking the richness many look forward to and the flavour was just not up to par! Using the XO to compensate the lackluster flavour is just not acceptable! 

Dry Salted Egg Crab [咸蛋蟹 (干)]

Offering both dry and wet versions, we eventually went with the order taker's favourite; the dry one. Boy was i disappointed! It was salty with a dash of spiciness while i like mine to be a balanced amalgamation of sweetness, saltiness and spiciness. In addition, the very essence of salted egg failed to penetrate the crustacean's shell. 

Fried Four Beans (四大天王)

Surprisingly, i am most impressed and satisfied with the fried four beans (namely ladyfingers, petai, brinjal and french beans) stir fried in belachan; the taste was absolutely marvelous and great with plain rice! 

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Location

Block 101, Yishun Avenue 5, #01-101 

(Yummy 101 Coffeeshop)

Price

Hot Plate Beancurd - S$15

Broccoli with Scallops - S$30

Mummy Pork Ribs - S$20

Red Grouper Steamboat - S$50

XO Crab Bee Hoon - S$43 a kilo

Dry Salted Egg Crab - S$43 a kilo

Fried Four Beans - S$15

Menu

As above.

Additional Information

Hao Wei Xuan has actually taken over the tze char premise of S99 Seafood that i blogged on last year! S99 has now moved to the next block which was literally right across the street less than 30 meters away.

Fuji Japanese Restaurant @ Platinum Fashion Mall [Bangkok, Thailand]

With over ninety branches in Thailand alone, the reputation of Fuji Japanese Restaurant cannot be undermined and even i made it a point to visit every time i am in the Land of Smiles! 

Four long years; that's exactly how long it has been since i last stepped onto the top floor of Platinum Shopping Mall! As usual, i marched straight to Fuji where i am going to have my late lunch and our very first meal after touching down in Bangkok.

California Roll

The taste of UFO Maki  at Megumi was unforgettable in the mind of Alex and he thought this would be a great substitute. 

Pity they were not even half the standard and were, in my honest opinion, as normal as those you can find in takeaway sushi counters.

Tamago Yaki

For a person with a sweet tooth, i found these to be a tad too sweet and deviating from the norm, juicy too! It's like having a piece of tofu that has been over-saturated with too much sweet sauce. 

Fuji Bento Tempura Set

This was a must-order whenever i patronised Fuji and i knew i wouldn't do it much justice if i am not going to blog about this super worth the value bento set! 

I am now wondering if my taste buds have changed in the past four years. I was honestly unimpressed with almost everything you can see in the bento; tempura came warm and not crispy hot; grilled section was not amazing with a weak flavour;  those deep-fried breaded items were slightly better but failed to contain my disappointment over the whole set. 

Worst of the lot was the sushi; some parts were mushy and absolutely unpalatable. Even the "safe" inari turned out to be dry and wrinkly! :(

Watermelon Frost

Frankly the best of what i had at Fuji! The frost was sweet and didn't appear to be filled with artificial sweetener. By the way, a fellow friend had a meal in Fuji at Don Muang airport a few days later and he commented it was pretty nice! So i am keeping my fingers crossed that the bad experience i had is limited only to the branch at Platinum! 

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Location

Level 6 of Platinum Fashion Mall

[Right next to the food court]

Website

http://www.fuji.co.th/

Price

California Roll - 230 Baht

Tamago Yaki - 80 Baht

Fuji Bento Tempura Set - 320 Baht

Watermelon Frost - 70 Baht

[Subject to Service Charge]