Crystal Crown Hotel (CCHJB) - Walking Distance to KSL @ Johor Bahru [Malaysia]

Those taking a GRAB or driving to KSL City Mall from the causeway would likely notice this towering building at the corner of a busy junction that borders Tebrau Highways and Jalan Dato Sulaiman.

Housing the 3-star Crystal Crown Hotel, I finally got to staying there after noticing it for so long, even before KSL Mall was built! Back then, Singaporeans love to visit Holiday Plaza, which is said to be a ghost town now. 

Just for information, the hotel started operations in 1993 and from the lobby, I bet Crystal Crown Hotel was likely quite grand in the old days. 

Like reputable hotels in the past, you could also find some shops on the ground floor; like a tailor, a convenience stall and even a hair salon. There's even a pretty highly rated Japanese restaurant on level two. 

While awaiting for our room key cards, I noticed this QR code which served as a digital concierge, which was really convenient given the importance tied to mobile phones nowadays; there's a higher risk of me losing my wallet than my phone. 

Bright lighting along the corridor on our floor; I requested for high floor in my request through the booking portal and was pretty disappointed with the 6th floor that was allocated. Oh well, there's always the caveat that they would try their best to accommodate. The lowest level for rooms was the 5th floor. 

Room 603

Come, let me indulge you with the pictures of our Superior Twin Room that looked quite minimalist, and maybe just a tad boring, without even any painting! By the way, would you prefer carpeted flooring? I do! 

The said to be newly renovated room wasn't equipped with USB sockets, which would be quite a norm in new / renovated hotels nowadays. What's rarer to find is USB-C sockets. 

More photos, including complimentary bottled water, electric kettle. I didn't notice an in-room safe whereas a mini-fridge was found hidden in the cabinet next to the wardrobe. Basic stuff. 

Even though there's no balcony, I was in awe of the spectacular sight! On second thought, I guess it would have been even more impressive if I was on a higher floor....

There's a direct, unsheltered path leading to KSL City Mall; just cut across the road flanked on both sides by private housing! p.s. My Malaysian friends could never understand why Singaporeans love KSL mall so much. 

Did you notice the two retro looking chairs that looked out of place? I must say they could have been here for the last few decades, judging from the stains. Our wet towels would usually be thrown over such chairs; not this time. 

I am so loving the white and black concept of the washroom; it appeared so bright and sanitized. Favourite feature had to be the mirror with the backlight. Only issue? The toilet roll holder was loose and toilet roll kept falling off! Oh yes, another one, no bath mat! 

WiFi password. 

Not very strong signal. 

If you are too lazy to travel to KSL City Mall for the massages, you can consider having them in Crystal Crown Hotel instead; at RM88 for an hour of traditional Thai massage, the price was competitive. 

Swimming Pool

Even though the hotel was said to have undergone a renovation in 2020, elements of its age can still be noticed, like the above super dated signage. 

After walking past the wooden door, I was under the impression the path would lead me to a service and maintenance area. Thankfully, I am checking it out in the daytime. Should it be night, it would have been a harrowing experience. 

Nice yet pretty basic pool.

And just so you are wondering, there is no gym. 

Buffet Breakfast

I only paid S$60.29 for a night stay at Crystal Crown Hotel and was surprised that buffet breakfast was included for two persons at the Chatter Cafe on level two!  

For your reference! Relatively simple yet limited variety; you do get salad, bread, porridge and local delights like roti canai and nasi lemak. 

Nasi lemak sambal was not bad but there wasn't any fried chicken. Roti canai was fluffy although it lacked the crispiness I always looked forward too. Nevetheless, I am not complaining for things that were complimentary. 

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Most important question: would I stay here instead? To be frank, I don't mind if the rates were cheaper than KSL Hotel & Resort since the latter had an irresistible benefit of being connected to KSL City Mall! 

One of the reasons for choosing Crystal Crown Hotel was the bridge that would have connected us to Taman Sri Tebrau where there were plenty of food choices like Hai Kee Seafood etc, but it appeared to be have been closed off for an extended period of time! p.s. 芙蓉烧蟹 is just next to the hotel. 

Address

117, Tebrau Hwy, Taman Century, 

80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Website

https://www.crystalcrownjb.com/

Pricing

Superior Twin Room - S$60.27

(via Trip.com)

Chun Shui Tang (春水堂) - The Founder of Bubble Tea @ Big City in Hsinchu [Taiwan]

Bubble tea is so popular in Singapore that there are people who have to drink at least one cup a day, and there are numerous bubble tea chains in this small little island. Back in 2021, I even came out with a post listing 11 bubble tea shops in a mid-sized shopping mall of a suburban Singapore town! 

But do you know that bubble tea originated from Taiwan and the shop said to be the creator was Chun Shui Tang (春水堂), originally called “Yangxian Tea Shop” in Taichung? I was aware but only had the opportunity to dine at 春水堂, at its Hsinchu branch in my recent trip.

Scan QR code to order! 

We waited quite a while and decided to ask why the food took so long. Turned out we were supposed to pay first at the counter after ordering! Fault was mine although I thought it would be good to have a noticeable reminder after I put in my order on the phone. 

Pearl Milk Tea - a must to taste the original bubble tea that was created in 1987! Infused richly of tea, this was milky, frothy and reminded me of how I fell in love with bubble tea the first time I tried it in Singapore! While the sugar level was indicated as optimal, it didn't feel overly sweet and I am loving the mini black pearls that were chewy yet didn't stick to the teeth! 

Deep Fried Chicken - similar to the ones from the Taiwanese snack stalls like Shilin in Singapore, these were equally addictive with a light batter, juicy chicken meat, but I did think the serving was quite small. Well, can't complain when it was 115 Taiwan dollars; less than S$5.00.

Braised Beef Noodle Soup - generally not the kind of main meal I would order but my dad is a noodle lover and since he isn't averse to eating beef, I guess this would appeal to him. p.s. love the accompanying pickled vegetables, which were enjoyable and reminded me so much of the kind that bak kut teh eateries would usually sell.

Noodle was okay, beef was alright and for the soup, it looked so misleadingly rich that I was surprised to find a pretty light taste after taking a few sips. 

Shumai Duet - sometimes I order things based on pictures and don't read further into their ingredients. The picture seemed like siew mai and I happily ordered without realizing it was a mix of what I assumed were the typical siew and some rice balls! 

I could totally do without the rice balls, which tasted like those from lo mai kai, albeit not as savory. Siew mai was delicious though; bursting with flavorful juice as my teeth bit through prawn-pork dumpling.

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A shiok meal! I would love to have a second cup of that bubble tea but the pricing of 190 Taiwan dollars, about S$8.00, for one serving was a bit hard to stomach! 

Address

299, Floor B1, Zhongyang Rd,

East District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan

Map

As above. 

Website

https://www.chunshuitang.com.tw/en/

Order List

As above.

Pricing

Pearl Milk Tea - 190 Taiwan Dollars

Deep Fried Chicken - 115 Taiwan Dollars

Braised Beef Noodle Soup - 250 Taiwan Dollars

Shumai Duet - 190 Taiwan Dollars

(Subject to Service Charge)

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers

Margaret Drive Sin Kee Chicken Rice - Michelin Bib Gourmand @ Holland Drive in Singapore #michelin

Malaysians love to dig food in Singapore but one Malaysian friend said he can only agree that there's one dish in our little red dot that wins Malaysia; chicken rice! 

I am not here to ignite the often-heated debate between Singapore and Malaysia. My objective was simply on chicken stall, specifically Margaret Drive Sin Kee Chicken Rice stall that was recently awarded Michelin Bib Gourmand.

The coffeeshop was packed but the longest queue was no doubt the chicken rice stall with more than 10 persons ahead of us! Thankfully, it cleared fast and our wait in the line was no more than 15 minutes.

Here's our order; half a steamed chicken, three bowls of rice, and one plate of bean sprouts! Frankly, my preference was for roast chicken even though the authentic Hainanese chicken rice was steamed. Whatever the case, I can still eat, just that I would remove the gelatinous skin.

Beansprouts - mainly to hoodwink our bodies that we would need to supplement the sinful meal with some vegetables. Well, I have always enjoyed beansprouts, so long they are not undercooked. 

Rice - just the look of it and I knew this would be one healthy bowl of rice. Dry it was, without the oily sheen often covering each grain of rice from other chicken rice stalls. While delicious to indulge in, it lacked the addictive aroma that would have enticed me to ask for second serving.

Chicken - chunky pieces with a thin layer of skin, I can understand why the stall was awarded michelin bib gourmand. Although it was chopped into such generous chunks, the meat was tender and retained the juiciness that some steamed chicken often lacked and had to supplement with oil.

Sauces - the last cog of the wheel would have been the chilli sauce but here at Margaret Drive Sin Kee Chicken Rice, many were apparently enamored with the ginger sauce too! To be honest, I thought the ginger dip was bland and way too watery. Chilli sauce was my cup of tea; spicy punch with a touch of sweetness! 

Explosion of flavors happened only when you eat them together; the rice, the chicken and the chilli sauce! I was especially taken by the chilli sauce; so much so that I needed a top up! p.s. note that naysayers would likely dislike this kind of chilli sauce. 

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In summary, it was a satisfying meal and I would love to drop by again for their chicken rice chilli! Just wondering if they would help debone the chicken as it's so tempting to gnaw on the bones, which can be so messy! 

Address

40 Holland Drive, #01-39, Stall, #5, 

Chang Cheng Mee Wah Coffeeshop,

Singapore 270040

Map

As above. 

Operating Hours

11 am till 8pm, while stocks last

(Closed on Mondays)

Menu

As above. 

Cash Only. 

Mae Varee Mango Sticky Rice @ Thonglor in Bangkok [Thailand]

When it comes to Bangkok, there are food that I would hold my craving from until my two feet had landed in the city! One of which is more brand specific, which would be Thipsamai. Another would be mango sticky rice.

This time round, we decided to try a famous one all the way at Thonglor after a heavy Japanese meal finished with desserts at a chocolatier cafe. Commanding a high review of 4.3 from over 2,400 reviewers, I must say my expectation was high.

Only issue, which I wasn't aware before visiting, was that there wasn't a dine-in component and I had to go for takeaway. And on second thought, 150 baht was pricey right?

There were many other desserts to choose from but I needed to be disciplined, especially when I already had too much for dinner. My objective was mango sticky rice, and I should just stick to ONE final dessert to conclude the day.

This was it; the environmental unfriendly plastic pack of mango sticky rice, the accompanying sachet of crispy mung beans and a plastic bag of coconut milk. Takeaways kill the joy sometimes. 

150 baht gave us three piles of colored sticky rice, and one full seedless mango cut into thick chunks. Sadly, mango wasn't sweet enough and rice was a bit too hard for my liking although the green one had a nice, pandan flavor! Overall, still acceptable when eaten with the sweet, thickened coconut milk and mung beans but for the price I am paying, this was a major letdown.

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Address

1 Thong Lo, Khlong Tan Nuea, 

Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Map

As above.