Unagiya Ichinoji (Suntec City) - Fix that Unagi Craving When You Don't Want to Endure the Queue at Man Man! #unagiya

I had been craving for the hitsumabushi from Man Man Japanese Unagi Restaurant for the longest time ever but i am so unwilling to spend an hour or two queuing under the sun just to get into its Bib-gourmand Keong Saik branch! 

Therefore, i jumped at the opportunity when my makan kakis suggested to check out a new unagi restaurant at Suntec City; Unagiya Ichinoji! Brought here to Singapore by Miyagawa Honten, one of Tokyo's top unagi restaurants; its roots can be traced back to 125 years ago.

While reservations are not accepted at Man Man, you can reserve seats at Unagiya Ichinoji using the chope website here! My friend did that and we were brought to our seats in mere minutes upon arrival! 

Ask for seats near the full glass windows! As it was the Christmas season, the area outside was decked out with pretty festive lighting and decorations, and as there was a light drizzle then; the atmosphere felt really christmassy.

Ordering through the tablet! One thing good about Unagiya Ichinoji is that aside from unagi, which might not be liked by everyone; there are other Japanese dishes to choose from and the variety is relatively wide. 

My objective was simple; the unagi! 

Hence, a medium hitsumabushi it shall be! There's an XL version that i think i would give a try the next time i visit with my mom as she counts unagi as one of her favourite meats.

Let's unravel the content! 

Although tagged as medium, the pricing was almost comparable to the large hitsumabushi from Man Man and i think my friend was right; the serving did feel a tad smaller at Unagiya Ichinoji. 

The full repertoire of the three ways in enjoying hitsumabushi (1) dig in as per typical unagi don style, (2) eat it with wasabi, seaweed and spring onion and (3) enjoy it with dashi broth! 

My favourite remains to be the dashi broth form! It's just so nice to enjoy the light broth that was sweetened by the unagi grilled with an in-house basting sauce said to be a recipe that was passed for four generations already! 

Granted my craving for unagi was fixed but if you ask me on my preference between Unagiya Ichinoji and Man Man; my vote shall be the latter as Man Man's unagi had a crispier texture that was slightly more charred with an intense "smoky" flavour. 

Having said that, the ability to chope seats at Unagiya Ichinoji was too hard to resist. 

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Address

3 Temasek Boulevard, #03-307,

Suntec City Mall, Singapore 038983

How To Get There

Located at Eat At Seven Suntec City, it can be a chore finding the location of Unagiya Ichinoji! To the far right end of the floor which houses Tendon Tempura Kohaku, you would find a small passage that leads deep in; just follow the floor marking.

If all fails, just remember the restaurant faces the iconic fountain of wealth of Suntec City!  

Operating Hours

11.30 am to 3.00 pm

5.30 pm to 10.00 pm

Pricing

Medium Hitsumabushi - S$32.80

(Subject to GST and Service Charge)

Garlic Butter Toast from PunBun - A Great Souvenir to Buy @ Terminal 21 Asok in Bangkok [Thailand]

According to our Chinese saying, good food must have three basic features; the colour (appearance), the taste and the aroma. While people might rank them differently, the one i couldn't quite resist is the aroma.

And it's precisely the aroma of garlic that drew me to this takeaway store known as PunBun at Terminal 21 (Asok branch). Mind you, that's like just mere seconds after i inhaled the tender grilled pork from a neighboring stall! 

Sampling was provided and this would come to the second feature; the taste. I am not so much into the appearance of the food; hence, you don't see much 'plating' in my photographs as i personally don't see the point. So what if the food 'looks' nice yet turn out to taste horrid?

Anyway, the three of us were blown away by the toast and thought this would be good as souvenirs for family and friends back in the little red dot! ^Two considerations here; what size should we get and what type should we buy? 

'Type' consists of either original butter toast, black sesame butter toast or garlic butter toast. That's easy as i tried all three and thought the third one was the best. Size is the difficult one to consider as the large one with 20 individual packs (3 pieces each) would be convenient whereas the box had 85 pieces which would be more worth it.

I eventually go with the individually packed toast as my intention was to distribute. A large one would likely be for home consumption and i think i would get super fat if i had to clean up one container before the toast expires. p.s. expiry dates are short as they use pure butter (not margarine, organic sugar with no additives! 

The goodness of rich, buttery aroma that's enhanced by the intense garlic bits and the light sprinkles of sugar. It's hard not to get addicted although having them individually packed did help to stop the momentum of constantly eating them! Only problem is that Alex bought one tub home!

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Address

Takeaway Stall, Lower Ground (Basement Level)

Terminal 21 @ Bangkok (next to Asok BTS Station)

Website

https://www.punbunbakery.com/

Pricing

Small Pack - 75 baht

Large Pack - 140 baht

Box - 199 baht

Check out my 2018 Bangkok itinerary here!

Chong Kee Pork Satay near Hua Lamphong MRT Station @ Bangkok [Thailand] #chongkeesataybangkok

Satay is an expensive product in Singapore as one stick can set you back by as much as 80 Singapore cents and even with a minimum order of ten sticks; they are hardly filling as a meal.

Therefore, i was excited to find out a highly rated Chong Kee Pork Satay when i was researching for my last trip to Bangkok. Conveniently located in Chinatown near Hua Lamphong MRT Station, the apparently Chinese-owned eatery exuded an old-school charm common in Singapore back in the 70s and 80s.

Ordering was via this small counter and in case you don't speak Thai; there's a simple English menu which i would share at the end of this post.

To prevent misunderstanding due to communication hurdle, just point to the number of sticks you want. Minimum is ten sticks with multiples of five. Nope; no discount even if you buy a massive 300 sticks!

Served in less than ten minutes, this was in fact a second breakfast for the three of us! Satay in the morning is unheard of in Singapore but as it counts as one of my favourite local food; the timing is the least of my concern.

Now, appearance matters and at one glance; i already noticed the differences with Singapore's version of satay. The ones here in Bangkok didn't have the fatty parts and there's this unidentified milking substance on the not-as-charred meat; latter could be the glaze.

Whatever the case, i dipped the meat into the satay sauce and took a bite. Hm.... It was lean as expected and the meat was less sweet and not as flavourful as Singapore's version. Even the supposedly satay sauce was different; not chunky with peanut bits and tasted like watered down mee siam chilli.

Sadly, i was more impressed with the small serving of sliced cucumbers, green chilli and onions, in vinegar. Very refreshing to have and i was wondering if i could request for more of the cucumbers!

Despite the lack of affection for the meat, i don't see the point of wasting food and it's only ten sticks to be shared among the three of us. Would i be back for this 4.5 rated satay? Not likely as i would have a better alternative with the tender grilled pork at Patpong! 

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Address

84-88 ซอยสุกร 1 ถนน มิตรภาพไทย-จีน Khwaeng Talat Noi,

Khet Samphanthawong, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100,

Bangkok, Thailand

Location Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Pork Satay - 8 Baht a Stick

Check out my Bangkok itinerary here!

Spanish Paella with Its Iconic Chef Fernando @ Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok [Thailand] #paellachatuchakmarket

No one can deny the immense popularity of Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok and while it stands, undisputed, as a shopping icon in the capital (ranking first on Tripadvisor), it lacks a personified representation.

Hence, it's strange when people talk about this local Thai market, they often would recall this Spanish man with a wide, charming smile and bubbly personality; Chef Fernando!

A well-known figure in the market; he charmed the ladies with his unabashed comments that cut cross different languages. Many scrambled to take photos of him even though i don't think he will mind if you ask to take a picture with him.

Especially if you buy what he is selling; which was in essence Paella. A traditional Spanish dish that hailed from the city of Valencia - it never fails to stop in my tracks whenever i am at Chatuchak!

The two huge pans, filled with yellow rice and topped with prawns, mussels, long beans, green peas, drumettes and red peppers, was captivating and the aroma was alluring!

For the past few years, i kept stopping myself to buy a serving. Why eat Spanish food when i am at a place where authentic Thai food prevails and at a much cheaper price compared to Singapore?!

In my recent trip, however, i couldn't ignore the temptation anymore and since my two travel mates were open to share; we decided to purchase one plate just to try.

Those who need a table to eat, like i, could make use of the bar right behind where there are low tables and chairs. There are fans but it wouldn't help much in that usual hot Bangkok weather.

Please note the above; for those who don't understand Chinese, it means you are required to buy a drink from the bar if you intend to sit. As it's too early for alcohol, we ordered just one bottle of mineral water.

I honestly don't have much experience with Paella and although i do enjoy the lightly flavoured rice with burnt bits and the tender, juicy drumettes; it didn't hit me as something out of the blue. For 160 baht, i thought it's not something i would order often given there were many food options in the Chatuchak market nowadays.

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Location

Section 8 of Chatuchak Weekend Market

Bangkok, Thailand

Pricing

Paella - 160 Baht a Plate

Check out my Bangkok itinerary here! 

Cenang Beach - The Liveliest and Most Popular at Langkawi Island [Malaysia] #cenangbeach

I mentioned about Cenang Beach on my review of The Cliff restaurant in Langkawi and since we also happened to stay along the beach at Cenang Plaza Beach Hotel; it's a given that i would come out with a more substantial post on the beach that's said to be the liveliest in Langkawi! 

The above shows how close our hotel was to the beach; we had a balcony overlooking the beach but the usage was non-existent as it couldn't accommodate three of us. To be fair to the hotel, it's our fault to have smuggled in a friend.  

Entry to the beach where banners and posters bombarded you with the many beach activities that you can join; from parasailing, jetski, paragliding, paramotor, banana boat to many more!

Photographs uploaded here were taken primarily over two days and while daytime has its benefits of sunlight with many beach activities; i prefer Cenang Beach at night when it morphed into a destination of relaxation. 

The Cliff Restaurant in Langkawi - the cliff it is on separates Cenang Beach from the much quieter Tengah Beach. I took a look at the beach on Google Map and trust me, you are better off on Cenang.

Photograph of my friends with the large Langkawi sign! 

Our hotel for four nights - Cenang Plaza Beach Hotel. 

For review and more photos, click here.  

Cenang Beach features a wide shoreline with a gentle slope; even though it claimed to be the most popular in Langkawi (which i believe), you don't get the overbearing crowded atmosphere seen elsewhere. 

Random photos on the popular activities; many, especially families with young kids, prefer to stay off the water and build sandcastles! I don't think you can do much snorkeling here as water wasn't crystal clear.

I spent some time picking up seashells along the stretch of about 1.5 kilometers! As usual, i threw the 'collection' back to the sea at the end of my walk; i always believe in bringing nothing back from nature except for photographs, and a nice tan. 

A piece of wood with barnacles; for a moment, i thought it's a sea cucumber! 

Beachfront accommodation where you can relax and have bottle of beer with the view of the setting sun in front of you! Am i envious? Not really as i think such locations don't give you much privacy.

Note: vehicles do drive in and it's best to keep a safety lookout! 

Boats being towed away at the end of the day. 

Sunset at Cenang Beach - it's a pity there were too much clouds on the days i was on the beach although having them resulted in another scenery that's just as magnificent. 

Since the airport is rather close to Cenang Beach, those arriving and departing at sunset would have the nicest view compared to people on the ground.

More photos! There were like a few hundred photos on sunset along Cenang beach and it would be a waste if i just kept them in my hard drive. Those who want to use the photos and would like a higher resolution; please do feel free to email me at a6729@singnet.com.

Uncle with a metal detector! I wonder what treasures he had found so far. 

Panorama and others! At this point, we had already walked to almost the end of the long stretch although the beach extends past the corner of Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa, which i didn't bother walking to. 

Really nice resort with children-friendly pools that my niece and nephew would enjoy. Honestly, i wouldn't mind if my family plan a visit to Langkawi! 

CBA - supposed quite a good restaurant residing in Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa. 

Photo of Alex with his hairy legs! Our friend flew home one day earlier than us although on second thought, we should have flew home together as my flight the next day was pretty early! 

When night falls, operators of drinking holes would put out tables on the beach! The concept was nice but the one thing i hate most is to have sand on me when i am fully clothed with my handphone and camera on me. 

Bean bags might help but again, i have an issue with how clean they are! I ever had a beanbag at home and it got dirty real fast! By the way, there are always fire performances, for free! 

Hm.... i think, it's a bonfire.

Thirstday Bar and Restaurant - this would be my kind of place to have a drink although i didn't step in as i only happened to walk past on my last night in Langkawi and we already had dinner. 

Throughout my four nights in Langkawi, the place we often patronized for drinks was the Yellow Beach Cafe. Reason being it's near to Cenang Plaza Beach Hotel and even if all of us got high on alcohol, it's just a short walk back.

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Location Map

As above.

Click here for our 5 days' itinerary in Langkawi.