Khind Stand Mixer SM506P - 5 Litre Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl and a 1,000 Watt Motor from AEON Tebrau in Malaysia

From the start of my baking journey, I had heard of the queen of all stand mixers; the brand, KitchenAid. With beautiful colors that sparkle in the eyes of amateur bakers, it's my dream to own one.

Pity the pricing for KitchenAid was just too exorbitant for me to stomach and when my economically-priced Sensonic Stand Mixer died on me a year ago, I worked with a simple hand mixer until I got the Khind Stand Mixer today! 

Purchased from AEON Tebrau in Malaysia, and delivered back to Singapore by my kind sister and brother in law, it's time to unravel the beauty within that commanded a 1,000 watt motor and a 5-liter stainless steel mixing bowl. 

As with most stand mixers, the accessories included whisk, a mixing hook and a kneading hook. A complimentary spatula was also provided but I already have quite a few in my kitchen.

Measurements for the Khind Stand Mixer, model SM506P, as follows: 353 x 240 x 320mm. I love kitchen appliances that are bright red, since they contrast well with my black and white kitchen theme! 

Almost forgot - it came with a splash cover too! 

I can't wait to use it but before then, let's clean them up first! The stand mixer came timely as I was tasked to make cinnamon rolls for reunion dinner on the eve of Lunar New Year. For those wondering about the pricing for this stand mixer; it was priced RM 227. Based on current exchange rate: about S$65!  

Dong Xuan Market - Just the Ground Floor of Hanoi's Biggest Indoor Market @ Vietnam

Dong Xuan Market was well known as the biggest market in Hanoi and for bargain hunters, it's a must-visit for the expected exhilaration when one scores a great deal! 

Built in 1889 by the French, it was heavily renovated in 1994 after a major fire, resulting in a slightly more modern interior that reminded me of Singapore malls built in the 1980s. 

Similar to Chợ Bình Tây, it would be an eye opener for those not accustomed to the layout that would have safety officers shaking their heads, given the numerous safety issues on site. So what would you expect to buy or see from the market? 

Souvenirs! A relatively good range from lacquered wares to key chains, fridge magnets etc. Nowadays, I am actually quite lazy to bargain, since it can be so time-consuming! 

In addition, Cho Dong Xuan is a wholesale market; hence, it's always easier to bargain if you are buying in bulk. I was also fortunate that no one had came out with fortune beckoning pigs in different colors as I might just buy the whole set.

There were shops selling shoes, handbags, watches, bras, caps, socks and a reminder of the COVID pandemic; masks! If not for the fact that Alex wasn't keen to explore the market much, I might have gotten a few pairs of those CROCS imitations! 

I believe you can buy the mannequins if you want. 

Dried foodstuffs - the 'aroma' isn't for everyone but for a Chinese who often accompanies his mom to the such markets, catching whiffs of the smell would actually make me crave for signature dishes that my mom would cook during festive periods.

Knowing my mom pretty well, it's highly probable she would spend her time going through the products and making some neat bargains. To put things in context, she bought salted vegetables from Bangkok and had even hand carried raw yam from China!

You can find electronic products too although I didn't remember seeing a lot. Maybe they are more on the higher levels, which I didn't manage to explore. 

A wet market can be found at Dong Xuan Market; the raw stench can be hard to stomach but still an interesting walk-past. I found these poor soft-shell turtles, which are also delicacies in Singapore amongst the Chinese, although I am not a fan.

Random photographs for reference.

Did I buy anything at all from the market? Of course I did! My objective was to get lotus seed snacks and got them from this super lovable lady manning the store (Name: Lan Ca, at B1 level, Unit 37-37a). Her pricing was reasonable at 390,000 dong per kilo for the lotus seeds and 200,000 dong a kilo for the cashew nuts. She stuffed me with so much lotus seeds! 

I would have gotten dried jackfruit chips from her too but she didn't have the products. So I got them from another store that's faced the main road surrounding the market; Huong Hung. 

Pricing wise, I couldn't remember but it was the only store I saw that offered jackfruit chips. What I wasn't quite happy about from this store was that she shortchanged on the weights, even though I admit I did sample quite a bit. Okay, seemed more like my fault.

This concluded my short post on Dong Xuan Market! 

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Address

Đồng Xuân Market, Đồng Xuân, 

Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Map 

As above. 

Click here for my Week-Long Itinerary to Hanoi - City of Lakes, Ninh Binh and Halong Bay @ Vietnam

Tao Garden Hotel (桃花園飯店) @ Taoyuan City in Taiwan

It was already 8.30 pm when we arrived at our first accommodation for the 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package by Chan Brothers; Tao Garden Hotel (桃花園飯店), a four-star hotel.

I wonder what four-star means in the Taiwan context as it seemed to deviate from international standards; there wasn't any swimming pool although I was more disappointed to hear that the gym was closed for renovations! 

Room 605 - a Comfort Twin Room that's about 25 square meters big. The hotel itself was built in 2013 and had a total of 240 rooms. Key attraction, apparently, was its proximity to Taoyuan Station. p.s. not the HSR station.

For your reference; typical hotel setup with carpet flooring. As always, I am not very particular with hotels so long it is clean, has ensuite toilet and windows. Nevertheless, I did feel that the television was a tad too small, given that my house is equipped with an 85-inch one. 

Rest of the room - I love hotels that provide in-room safe that was open from the top! Similar to what I encountered at ibis Melaka. Hotels should make this the norm! 

Unimpressive view from the hotel window.

Note: this was taken the next morning.

Bathroom - simple, no rainfall shower. I did take issue with the thinness of the towels. One of our travel mates also complained that the hair dryer had a weak airflow, and kaput on her after a short while of usage.

Dated looking toilet amenities; would you take any home? For me, I would bring back the shower cap and pack of toothbrush and toothpaste. What do I do with them? Shower cap is a great protection for the shoes you are putting into your luggage!

Breakfast venue the next morning! Typical for tour packages, hotel breakfast would be included and this would be beneficial if I am travelling with my parents, who require breakfast to kick start the day.

Spread for your reference; quite a reasonable spread with local Taiwanese options. Sadly, I am not big on breakfast and given the guilt of not being able to exercise the night before; I was even less motivated to stuff my tummy. 

Just grabbing a little of those dishes that caught my attention. There's luroufan too although in my opinion, it's more minced meat than fats. Taste wise - average. 

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Address

No. 151, Fuxing Rd, Taoyuan District, 

Taoyuan City, Taiwan 

Website

http://www.taogarden.com.tw/en/

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