芙蓉烧蟹 - From Seremban & Said to Be Famous for Grilled Crabs @ Johor Bahru in Malaysia

I am usually not drawn to new eateries but when I was taking GRAB from Johore's immigration custom to KSL shopping mall; this new building at the corner of a junction drew my attention! 

Aside from the factory-like setting with high ceiling and big-ass fans, it was its name that got me curious; Seremban grilled crabs. I love the grilled crabs from Singapore's Happy Crab and Crabman and I wondered if they would be cheaper in Malaysia! 

Unlike the ones in Singapore, the variety sold here was a lot wider and functioned more like a full fledged seafood, tze char restaurant that was popular in Seremban, a Malaysian city near Kuala Lumpur. I shall share the menu at the end of this post for reference purposes. 

Setup after ordering - fried wanton skin (nice), a bowl of homemade chilli (more on this later), hot water for our utensils and most importantly, tissues in a box! In Singapore, eateries would have commonly charged us for wet tissues. 

Chrysanthemum Pu Er Tea - chargeable at RM 5.00 a person. The ethnic Chinese believes that when we eat sinful food, we should drink tea to wash down all the bad things. Furthermore, plain tea is still better than sweetened drinks.

Dragon Chives Vegetables - lightly stir fried, this unique vegetables tasted refreshing and perfectly cooked. I have had instances whereby they were either overcooked (too soft and limp) or undercooked (well, too hard of a texture with bitterness).

Furong Omelette - I am hardly adventurous even when it comes to tze char dishes. Unless there are key signature dishes, I am good with 'regulars' like the furong omelette as I would have eaten enough to compare the differences.

Honestly, this had the trademarks of a good furong omelette; oily, fluffy insides, crisp edges, slightly sweeter taste and with ingredients like char siew, prawns and onions. What missed the mark was that the omelette was a tad too salty.

Signature Wantan Mee - in Chinese, the words "sheng mian" wouldn't have motivated me to order. But this was said to be the signature and I guess a small plate shall make do for us to try.

After taking a bite, my friend said this was likely fried with pork lard. My taste buds couldn't discern but one thing for sure; it was amazingly delicious! And yes, I did find tiny pieces of crispy pork lard, absolutely delightful.

Remember the chilli; time to put it to use, although it was a nice complement to the furong omelette too. It's a 'package' anyway, with vegetables, eggs and noodles.

I must tell you - the chilli was so good; I was tempted to buy one bottle back home. It was like a pandora's box, releasing a perfect amalgamation of flavors that romanticized the taste buds; creamy, zesty, spicy yet with a touch of sweetness! Goes well with anything! 

Grilled Crabs - now on the star for the show! Yes, they appeared similar to what I had at Happy Crab and Crabman although I can still a stickier layer on the shells. Key difference was of course the price; two of these cost RM 130 (about S$40) whereas one in Singapore would have been priced between S$40 and S$50.

Frankly, the layer of sticky sauce was thick and the result was an over-saltiness when your fingers were all smeared with the sauce. In addition, the sauce crusted up when cold and made it harder for me to crack the shells further to get to the meat.

Meat wise, it wasn't not bad. Just that it was a bit dried, especially the meat in the legs, which made it difficult to dig out the meat. p.s. the chilli sauce was a must and I wondered if I should have ordered for steamed crabs instead. 

Messy state of the crabs after dissection! 

I had to kowtow to my friend; he painstakingly removed all the crab meat from his crab, topped his plain rice and then drizzled with the homemade chilli sauce. The look itself was a winner and the expression on his face said it all. Pity I am too impatient for that. Haha. 

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For S$40 for two crabs, I am not complaining. However, I am not that impressed with their grilled crabs as compared to the rest of the dishes which were a lot more memorable. Both the signature wantan mee and homemade chilli sauce are keepers! 

Address

323, Tebrau Hwy, Taman Century, 

80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

12pm to 12am

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Chrysanthemum Pu Er Tea - RM 5.00

Dragon Chives Vegetables (S) - RM 15.00

Furong Omelette (S) - RM 15.00

Signature Wantan Mee (S) - RM 12.00

Grilled Crabs - RM 130.00

(Subject to Service Charge)

Lenin Garden @ Hanoi [Vietnam]

Are you aware that Singapore has over 400 parks? Knowing Singaporeans; it's not a favorite pastime for locals to check out the parks given our hot and humid weather.

However, this specific, normal looking park at Hanoi is different and all because there was a statue of a man known worldwide, especially among the countries under the communist regime. 

Vladimir Lenin; founder of the Russian Communist Party and better known as the Father of Russian Revolution that toppled the century-old monarchy. As a student of secondary school history, I touched the Russian history briefly, and he was no stranger to me! 

This statue was actually a gift from Russia in 1982; a 5.2-meter bronze statue on a 2.7-meter marble platform, we actually chanced upon the quiet park which was previously known as Chi Lang Flower Garden and renamed as Lenin Garden in 2003.

Maybe because it was a Friday, the parade was quite empty and it didn't help that the area wasn't near any commercial districts, even though it was opposite the Vietnam Military History Museum and walking distance to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long and Temple Of Literature.

A few skateboarders though, and a family playing soccer. 

Iconic flag tower from the Vietnam Military History Museum. Quite a number of tourists there but they don't really cross the road to check out the Lenin Garden.

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Location Map

As above.

Click here for my Week-Long Itinerary to Hanoi - City of Lakes @ Vietnam

Helium Balloons - They Should Be Banned @ Hanoi Hoan Kiem Lake [Vietnam]

It was my first morning in Hanoi, and I was thoroughly immersed in my enjoyment of the cool 20 degrees Celsius climate while jogging around the legendary Hoan Kiem Lake in the old quarter of the capital city. 

To meet my five-kilometer target, I had to jog around the lake a few times, and on my second round, something shimmering caught my eyes. I squirmed my eyes and there it was; a deflated helium balloon amidst the greenery.

An absolute eyesore! Frequency bias set in and I couldn't help noticing more and more of these deflated helium balloons up in the beautiful trees that lined the lake's perimeter. 

Now, my version of "find wally". Could you take a look at the following pictures I took and count the number of deflated and abandoned helium balloons? Note, these pictures were all taken around Hoan Kiem Lake.

How many did you manage to spot? 

Do keep in mind that sometimes, one tree can have as many as six deflated helium balloons. For someone who works in facilities management, these are serious pains in the ass as it's actually costly to remove stuck balloons. A deployment of scaffolding can set me back as much as S$800, each time. 

Even if they manage to float away, it's not good for the environment as well. Personally, I think helium balloons should be banned for environmental and sustainability reasons. Responsibility should also fall on the party (e.g. parents of kids) who release the balloons and cause them to be stuck. 

Sadly, it's unlikely the popularity of helium balloons would ever die down as kids (and some adults) absolutely love them; the pigs ones were so kawaii! And with demand comes supply. On weekends when the streets of the old quarter were closed to motor vehicles, helium balloon sellers would come out in full force to market their wares! 

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Click here for my Week-Long Itinerary to Hanoi - City of Lakes @ Vietnam

Banh My Mama @ Hanoi in Vietnam

While on my way to have our first pho in Hanoi, we can't help but being drawn to this hole in the wall stall that had a queue. A check on Google piqued our interest further; a rating of 4.9 from over 600 reviewers! 

The Great Kon couldn't resist joining the queue and honestly, the wait wasn't too long; just about 10 minutes and totally acceptable under the nice, cool springtime weather in Hanoi.

Instead of being toasted in the toaster oven, the baguettes were heated up in a double-sided griddle. I can only hope it would turn out to be crisp and toasty. No tables were available although you can wait for an available chair to indulge in your banh mi. 

There were four of us and we guess it would be hard to secure the seats. Hence, takeaway would be good for us. With 16 options for banh mi, clueless us just went with the most expensive Banh Mi Thap Cam. 

As expected, the baguette was pressed too thinly and points were also deducted for the lack of texture as there was absolutely no crustiness; felt more like a warm pita bread. 

Quite generous stuffing within the baguette and although we had no complaint about the taste; it sure wasn't exceptional for us to forgo this for a better meal elsewhere. For 30,000 dong (about S$1.70), I must say price could be a reason why google rating was so high! 

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Address

54 P. Lý Quốc Sư, Hàng Trống, 

Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Banh Mi Thap Cam - 30,000 Dong

Click here for my Week-Long Itinerary to Hanoi - City of Lakes @ Vietnam

Deep Fried Snacks @ Quán Gốc Đa in Hanoi [Vietnam]

I am a huge fan of deep fried food although I am mindful that I should cut down on such an unhealthy diet, given my blood's penchant for a high cholesterol level. 

However, when one is on holiday with a bunch of friends, there is a beautiful word called "sharing". And that's what we did when we walked past Quán Gốc Đa, where the sound of sizzling oil caught our attention.

With about ten deep fried items to choose from, there's a need for moderation as we were on our way to have pho, and just a few minutes ago, a banh mi from a few doors away was just devoured. 

The Great Kon shall make the decision and he brought back spring roll and four pieces of wanton in a paper bag. Must QC first and if they turned out to be good, we can always return to try the rest of the food. 

Deep Fried Spring Roll - filled with meat, this was like the larger version of those spring roll you find in bun thit nuong. Crust was a bit too thin and I prefer a thicker crust for better texture. 

Wanton - four pieces for 24,000 dong (about S$1.40).

Filling was similar to the deep fried spring roll but with more mushrooms, resulting in an overly earthy taste. Not something I would buy again. From the menu, I am most curious about the prawn crackers. Maybe in my next trip to Hanoi! 

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Address

52 P. Lý Quốc Sư, Hàng Trống, 

Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

p.s. I didn't see spring roll though. 

Click here for my Week-Long Itinerary to Hanoi - City of Lakes @ Vietnam