XiXiang Kaya Kopitiam - Kopi & Toast @ Aman Central Mall [Alor Setar, Malaysia]

I need my coffee fix daily but I am also quite particular about the type of coffee; not so much on whether it is Columbian, Arabica, blended as all I really desire is an affordable cup of aromatic Nanyang coffee to perk me up! 

That's what I was actively looking for yesterday morning at Aman Central Mall at Alor Setar and chanced upon XiXiang Kaya Kopitiam on the lower ground (known to Singaporeans as basement 1) of the shopping center.

Kopi Gao - sadly, my supposedly strong local coffee was overly sweet and tasted a bit thin. There's also a bitterness towards the end of each sip. How I wish I had brought along my Old Town 3-in-1 white coffee sachets!

Kaya Butter Toast - the fact that I just indulged in brunch less than an hour ago didn't stop me from having a serving of kaya butter toast. I am glad I did though as this toast was better than most of what I had in Singapore! 

Each bite was crispy without the stale hollowness I sometimes get from some "famous" toasts and the middle was slathered quite generously with rich green kaya and butter! Yummy! 

=====

Location

LG19,20, No.1, Aman Central, 

Lebuhraya Darulaman, Alor Setar, 

Kedah, Malaysia

Pricing

Kopi Gao - RM 3.60

Kaya Butter Toast - RM 4.20

Krua Apsorn - Local Thai Food in Air-Conditioned Shop near Democracy Monument @ Bangkok [Thailand]

I was deliberating if I should blog about this first as there's another similar Thai restaurant in Phuket that I want to talk about and in terms of chronology, my visit to Krua Apsorn was four months later.

Nevertheless, I am already severely behind schedule and to think that I am now blogging from a Malaysian island 712 kilometers away! So, coming back to Krua Apsorn; it's yet again another recommendation from the Great Kon!

Loving the fact that the entire eatery was air-conditioned as dining would definitely be much more comfortable; no doubt speaking from a true-blue Singaporean.

WiFi password in case you want to upload to your social media.

We took a while deciding as Alex doesn't take much chili and while the dishes with crab appeared to be popular based on online reviews, I think we should make do with a bit of variety; hence, we decided with Thai basil pork with rice, green curry with clown featherback fish balls, fluffy crab meat omelette and stir fried crab meat with yellow pepper chilli!

Thai Basil Pork with Rice - don't you just love the heart-shaped rice?! I mean the operators don't need to spend time doing it but they still do it! However, it was a tad sad when we smashed up the heart.

With noticeable chili padi bits mixed in with the minced pork, it was spicy alright although I found the taste pretty common to what you can find even in Singapore. Of course, in Singapore, you would likely fork out a higher price.

Green Curry with Clown Featherback Fish Balls - I have never liked Thai green curry and I think it's because I have never had good ones like this one from Krua Apsorn which was super shiok to have, especially when you pour the curry and mix it into the plain rice!

The curry was infused with such a myriad of flavors and spices that my taste buds were simulated with every single bite. The soup could have been thicker (I am being picky here) and I sure didn't like the fishballs which were too chewy in my opinion. Oh, and I didn't realize the small, little, fig-like Thai brinjals were so nice.

Fluffy Crab Meat Omelette - as an absolute egg lover, this was something I die die will order as it comprised of egg, crab, and fluffiness!

While the omelette was chock-full of crab meat and fluffy as promised, the taste wasn't exceptionally and that's kind of surprising given the amount of crab meat inside.  

Stir Fried Crab Meat with Yellow Pepper Chilli - almost didn't want to order this as it was pricey at 500 baht! Glad we did though as the pieces of crab meat given were chunky and an utter satisfaction in the mouth! 

=====

Location

169 Dinso Rd, Khwaeng Wat Bowon Niwet,

Khet Phra Nakhon, กรุงเทพมหานคร 10200,

Bangkok, Thailand

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

10.30 am to 8.00 pm

Website

http://www.kruaapsorn.com

Menu

As above. Right-click and save to your desktop for better resolution.

Pricing

Thai Basil Pork with Rice -  80 baht

Green Curry with Clown Featherback Fish Balls - 120 bath

Fluffy Crab Meat Omelette - 100 baht

Stir Fried Crab Meat with Yellow Pepper Chilli -  500 baht

At Akarin Tour - Our Preferred Agent near Swissotel Resort (Patong Beach) @ Phuket [Thailand]

Travelling in touristy Phuket Island has its perks; for example, there are just so many tour agent counters to choose from, even though it can be as equally mind-boggling for an indecisive person who consider too much!

Thankfully, i managed to find one tour counter (At Akarin Tour) a short distance away from Swissotel Resort Patong Beach (our accommodation in Phuket) where the camaraderie we had with the two female staff members was obvious from the start. 

We eventually signed up for the James Bond speedboat package which also included visits to Hong, Panak, Lawa and Panyee Islands! Price quoted was 3,800 baht per person but i am no weakling when it comes to bargaining and managed to shave almost 60% off the listed price! 

The trip was so enjoyable; we went back to the counter for further recommendations and Similan Islands were suggested. Now, i have heard a lot about the islands (including its reference to a hokkien profanity) but the long journey there from Phuket is off-putting! 

Nevertheless, we were convinced to make the trip even though the package was much more expensive at a discounted 2,500 baht a person! While the islands were beautiful and the tour was one of the best i ever had; there was a hiccup which i would share in time to come.  

Anyway, you know who to look for if you happen to be staying in the Patong Beach area. Just look out for the small tour counter outside Wealthy Pharmacy (next to 7-11) along the stretch of Swissotel Resort Patong Beach! 

=====

Location

38, Ruamjai Road, Patong Beach,

Kathu, Phuket 83150, Thailand

For my summarized 5-day, 4-night  itinerary to Phuket Island with my dad, click here. 

Galaxy Tailor - Tailor-Made Shirts in Bangkok that Wouldn't Burn a Hole in Your Wallet! #galaxytailor #bespoketailor

Rajawongse Clothier in Bangkok had been the one and only bespoke tailor I would strongly recommend in the past but maybe due to fame, the price for its tailor-made shirts had seen significant increases over the year; to the point that I feel that the G2000 shirt offerings are better worth my hard earned money.

Thankfully, I happened to chance upon a blog post by aspirantsg.com while researching for my Bangkok trip a few months ago and judging from the promotion of 5,000 baht for three shirts, two pairs of pants, and one silk tie; I knew it's a must to check out Galaxy Tailor!

Time to choose the fabrics for which there was a pretty good range from the thick booklets! I totally went bonkers looking at the patterns as I would like to be adventurous yet always fall back on dark colors.

Worse for the pants as nothing beats black as the easiest to match any shirt color and pattern! Okay, I admit I am boring although I prefer to use 'practical' for my decision.

Measurement taking for which much attention was given by David or Wijay, owners and co-partners of Galaxy Tailor. It's actually fun talking to the both of them but note that they prefer tight-fitting shirts whereas I don't like my attire to be too tight.

The main reason why I like custom made shirts; you get to decide whether you want centered box pleat at the back of your shirt, a pocket, buttoned collars, covered front panel etc.

Most important thing after you have done your measurement and paid a deposit; arrange a date/time (usually a day or two) for a fitting to determine whether you require further change like a loosening around the chest/waist area etc.

Galaxy Tailor can send your purchased and tailored products to your hotel but i always feel that it's better for a final fit even though limited time in Bangkok can make it a real challenge!

Nevertheless, i am quite happy with my pants, shirts and tie! The only issue was that one of the shirts was a bit too tight at the chest. However, i managed to get in contact with David on facebook and he told me to bring it back to him for amendment, which i presume is at no extra cost!

Would definitely be back! p.s. you can actually buy online via their website here but i am old school as i always prefer to feel the material of the fabric, see the color/pattern before i can decide. 

=====

New Location

5/13 Phetchaburi Road, soi 47 (Soi Soonvijai),

Bangkapi, Huaykwang Bangkok, Thailand

Map

As above (next to Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Soi Soonvijai / across from Amari Residences Bangkok). The current store isn't as convenient as the last one near Asoke MRT station but grab is so convenient nowadays. Furthermore, you can also check out the nearby NANTA performance if you happen to be in that area! It was enjoyable and you can buy the tickets online at Klook; the rate was one of the cheapest! 

Website

http://www.galaxytailor.com

Pricing

Package A - 3 custom shirts, 2 custom pants and 1 silk tie

(at 4999 baht)

Package B - 5 custom shirts, 3 custom pants and 1 silk tie

(at 7999 baht)

Christina Ee Traditional Nyonya Cendol near Jonker Street @ Melaka [Malaysia]

I was in Melaka (also known as Malacca) over the weekend and remembering my cendol overdose along Jonker Street few years ago; i wasn't exactly looking out for what's possibly the most popular food item in this UNESCO world heritage site!

However, the gluttonous devil within me kept emphasizing again and again that we are in this historic site and it will be an enormous pity if i didn't manage to even get a morsel of this nyonya ice dessert. There were many stores to choose from and i eventually cast my lot for Christina Ee.

The shop itself is like many others in the area where you can buy local food products as souvenirs for family and friends back home and also sit down for desserts, drinks and sometimes, food.

With just three small tables, i think it's reasonable to only expect drinks and desserts and the truth is that there were just four items listed on the place-card; the traditional nyonya cendol, the durian cendol and the ice blended spin-offs.

Since i like durian by itself (as a durian), i am going for the traditional nyonya cendol and the above was served in less than five minutes!

Loving the freshness of the coconut ice and the finely shaved ice that's drenched with pure gula melaka (palm sugar), this was such a thirst quencher in the hot weather and it was so blissful to have that fragrant taste of the rich palm sugar going down my throat! Prefer it even sweeter? Help yourself to the bottle of melted gula melaka on the table!

If there's one thing to complain about; it would be the cendol which is actually the green worm-like stuff on the ice. Not that they were bad but it would have been the perfect dessert if the store were to use the palatable cendol by Changi Village Cendol Melaka in Singapore.

=====

Location

8, Jalan Hang Lekir,

75200 Melaka, Malaysia

(branch off from Jonker Street)

p.s. opposite the popular Geographer Cafe.

Map

As above.