Nakajima Suisan Grilled Fish @ Takashimaya B2 Food Hall [Singapore]

I am not a fish lover - to put it more correctly, i don't like to order fish when i am dining outside as they are priced a lot higher than other meat, especially when you want it to be as fresh as possible.

Mom, on the other hand, thinks fish is the best protein and with that in mind, Joyce suggested meeting up for a meal at Nakajima Suisan Grilled Fish. Said to be popular among fish lovers, i was still taken aback by the queue in front of us!

Note: don't be a sheep by happily joining the queue; please go to the main counter, order your food and pay for it before you join the queue which was, in simpler terms, for table and seat(s).

Seating area is small for about 30 persons, thereabout and the wait can be excruciating if you are going with a larger group. As there were just my mom, sister and myself, i am already thankful to have been seated within 25 minutes! 

Tea was free flow with a roasted aroma that was so enticing; we almost didn't want to leave! Service was prompt; as soon as your cup was half emptied, the service staff would appear to top it up. 

Tissue paper dispenser on each table; common in Malaysia, i am just happy a dining establishment has implemented it without charging for wet tissue which is usually chargeable on a per piece basis. 

Chawanmushi

Made freshly daily, this would require a preparation time of about 10-15 minutes; time that's totally worth it as it was packed with flavours for just S$3 a bowl! Darn, i almost really learn how to make chawanmushi at home! 

Shio Saba Set

I would have preferred Gindara Teriyaki but it was unfortunately sold out and i had to go with the outlet chef recommendation instead. Don't eat the grilled saba skin unless your taste buds can accept the saltiness! Other than that, i thought it was too dry for my liking. Sigh... i am missing the grilled mackerel from Jeju Island. 

By the way, each set came with miso soup, salad, rice, pickles and kobachi (tofu in my case). Salad was the kind drenched in familiar tasting sesame sauce whereas there's nothing exceptional about the miso soup and tofu.

Shima Hokke Set

This wasn't on the main menu but tasted much better than my shio saba. 

The fish meat was moist, cooked just right and the skin was slightly crispy. For something so perfect, it has to be marred by the many tiny pieces of fish bones! They were such irritations! 

Ika Teriyaki Set

It's never good to place all your eggs in one basket and that's precisely the same rationale Joyce followed when she chose squid instead of fish for her order! 

Absolutely good choice as the squid was grilled to perfection with a texture that's not rubbery and not soft. With a mildly sweet teriyaki sauce brushed against the meat, i was on the verge of doing a non-negotiable swap with my sister.

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Location

391A Orchard Road,
Takashimaya Shopping Centre,
B2 Food Hall, #B201-1,
Singapore 238873

Menu

As above. Special items are indicated at the counter. 

Pricing

Chawanmushi - S$3.00

Shio Saba Set - S$12.90

Shima Hokke Set - S$16.50

Ika Teriyaki Set - S$11.50

(Subject to GST)

Penang Style Cheng Tng Lookalike - Restoran Traditional Home of Dessert (汕头街四果汤) along Kimberly Street @ Penang Island [Malaysia]

My original intention was to turn in early for the night on day two of our Penang trip but my travel mate had to tell me about this cold, traditional dessert he had earlier! 

At 10.00 pm, a timing i normally would not take any food / desserts, i found myself on Lebuh Kimberly looking at these three almost-side-by-side shop houses that were still filled with hungry customers. 

My reliable source told me to go for Restoran Traditional Home of Dessert (汕头街四果汤); the last three Chinese characters are translated to four fruit / nut (果 can mean either) soup.

In case you couldn't remember the name (as we did), just look out for the words "since 1933" when the stall first started out as a roving hawker before world war 2. 

Si Koh Soup (四果汤)

With only one tummy, i had to choose my desserts carefully and it's a no brainer to go for their signature dessert; the Si Koh Soup (四果汤)! 

Mix of ginkgo, lotus seeds, longan and red beans served in a bowl of ice-filled sweet soup, the first thing that came to mind was cheng tng and those who have been following my blog would know i am a big fan of cheng tng! 

Taste wise, i must say it's almost on the same level of my favourite Ye Lai Xiang at Singapore's Bedok Corner; albeit without luxury ingredients like dried persimmons, winter melon. Nevertheless, the reduced sugar in comparison to Ye Lai Xiang would likely appeal to the older generation.

For that price of about S$1.20 a bowl, i am not complaining although improvements can be implemented for the relatively longer pieces of ice; crushing them into smaller bits would result in better enjoyment of the supposedly healthy soup. 

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Location

84, Lebuh Kimberly,

10100 Georgetown, Pulau Pinang,

Malaysia

Map

As above.

Menu

As above. 

Pricing
Si Koh Soup - RM 3.60 (Small)

For the itinerary of my short 3-day, 2-night trip to Penang, please click here.

走进不二法门 - The Place with Many Life-Sized Buddha Statues at Kek Lok Si @ Penang Island [Malaysia]

I got trigger happy again and there's no way i can cover the biggest temple on Penang Island in one or two postings; however, i have no idea what this area was and shall henceforth title it as the place with many life-sized Buddha statues.

It's a pity i didn't have the wide-angle lens and the above is the best i can manage. Of course, in the midst of the excitement (to take more photographs), i have conveniently forgotten that the iphone has the panorama function.

The above will give you a better idea on the number of statues and we are only looking at one row; with four walls surrounding the three-storey building, it's a lot of them! 

A notice on the side mentioned a donation of RM 400 that would help towards painting the "holy statues"; obviously, it would increase your merit and hopefully help you to reduce your karma when you die. Sorry, i don't follow that warped rationale. 

Fountain on the ground floor of the building, with a cross-legged Buddha statue on a lotus-shaped pedestal. From the design and colour, this status appeared to have Thai influences which weren't all that surprising since Penang is rather near Thailand. 

View ahead; as Kek Lok Si was built on the side of the hill and it's an upward climb to cover every part of the temple, the sight was pretty good although it can't be compared to Penang Hill.

Guess what's the marker that i would take? The KOMTAR tower somewhere middle right in the above photograph. Time to go up the stairs! 

Before that, the gigantic guanyin statue that's at the back. New to the scene, it's now identified as the new icon for the temple. What's the old one then? I shall show you shortly as the view was more impressive on the second floor. 

萬佛寶塔 - the ten thousand-buddha pagoda; unlike common Chinese pagodas that are slender and tall, this unique structure was the old icon and one that i remember fondly from the trips made to Penang two decades ago.

With so many buildings at the back, i am wondering if we should extend the timing of the van driver as we had expended half of the rental timing and at this point, was not more 25% done with the temple! 

Lioness with two cubs on the edge of a wall; notice it's piercing stare in the same way that a mother would do in order to protect its kids.

Towering buildings on the side that i found familiar; don't they look like BTO flats in Singapore?! Anyway, property prices in Penang are said to have spiked in recent years! 

View ahead again but this time on the second floor.

A traditional Chinese temple archway; normally, this would be the entrance for a temple. In this case, the only way for you to venture ahead was to climb over the stone fence and roll down the hill. 

Three main golden Buddha and Bodhisattva on this level. There was a third level which wasn't accessible (it was gated and locked). On a positive side, it means more time to explore the rest of the temple! 

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Location Map

As above; within Kek Lok Si Temple

For the itinerary of my short 3-day, 2-night trip to Penang, please click here.

Rainbow Ice Ball (彩虹冰球) along Armenian Street @ Penang Island [Malaysia]

I was 10 when i had my first ice ball and since then, i didn't touch a single one as it was a huge challenge trying to eat as much as you could before it melted away. 

26 years later, i chanced upon this ice ball shop along a street in Penang that was renowned for its street art and was captivated by pictures of the rainbow ice ball. I was apprehensive but i figured that with a much bigger mouth, i might be in a better position to enjoy the dessert that was popular in my parents' childhood.

For a moment, i was thinking if the lady had gotten my order wrong as the last ice ball i had wasn't prepared in a bowl! Nevertheless, i had no issue accepting chendol or ice kacang if that's what's in her mind.

I worried too much; to make the ice ball, she cupped two bowls of ice together and with a fast stroke, the ice ball was ready to be dressed. 

You are free to choose three flavours (each in their signature colour) and i couldn't quite remember what i selected except that the purple grape was one of them.

Ta-dah! In all simplicity, this was just ice with sweetened flavoured syrup yet in the hot, sunny weather i had to endure that day; happiness enveloped me as i slowly chipped off the compact ice! So shiok! With two sticks sticking out and a square, plastic bowl to hold the melted ice, eating it was so much easier! 

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Location

Along Lebuh Armenian,

Penang Island, Malaysia

Price

Ice Ball - RM 2.50

For the itinerary of my short 3-day, 2-night trip to Penang, please click here.

The Super Good Muah Chee from the Man on Scooter @ Penang [Outside Kek Lok Si 極樂寺]

Renowned as a food paradise, the one thing i realised about Penang food is that the portion is generally small which means i am always in seek of snacks / desserts after my main meal.

On day two, i had char kway teow and prawn noodles for lunch yet my stomach was telling me to go ahead and order muah chee from this man on scooter! Nothing fanciful about this mobile stall with just two laminated posters (showing the price) and a big umbrella to shade from the sun. 

There wasn't any queue (just one group ahead of me) and the man was quick to make my order despite using only one hand to prepare my packet of muah chee. I read somewhere that muah chee is actually easy to make and maybe i should try out in my kitchen in time to come! 

Nice little golden nuggets encased in a mix of peanut bits and sugar; the muah chee was soft to the bite without sticking to my teeth! The peanuts were fresh and aromatic with just the right sweetness. To share the "fats", i offered the muah chee to my travel mates and everyone said it was super good! 

We attempted to buy a few packets after touring Kek Lok Si but the man was already not at the spot! A friend's son was devastated! For the benefit of those who would be visiting Penang soon, appended above is the map for your reference, with the red snowflake indicating the location where i last found the man on scooter. 

 

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Location

Near entrance of Kek Lok Si

Opposite Beng Chin Garden Kopitiam

Price

Muah Chee - S$3 a pack

For the itinerary of my short 3-day, 2-night trip to Penang, please click here.