Showing posts with label #travels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #travels. Show all posts

Sunday, July 06, 2014

CX 659 Hong Kong --> Singapore 0135 h

Supper onboard.


Delightfully refreshing prawn salad with vinaigerette on the side.


Proudly Asian.
I made a choice for fried dory fillet with choy sum and steamed jasmine rice.
Late night supper club.

Followed by a selection of cheese and fruits.

Ending with a serving of Haagen Daaz ice cream. 

Life aboard Cathay Business Class. :)



Black pork in Jeju

For our last night in Jeju, we decided that we had to get some of that famed black pork.

Apparently there is a heuk-dwaeji street in Jeju which is near to Dongmun market where all the restaurants on that street guarantee that diners would be served black pork from the island's own black pigs. We weren't bothered with finding that street because there's also quite a bunch of these black pork bbq restaurants just right outside our guesthouse at Nohyeongdong which our kind host recommended for us to try.


Over the past two evenings, I've been watching families and groups of friends walking into this establishment and today, it's our turn to venture in! :)


Some of the delicious banchan placed on our table.
Those mushrooms!
My favourite.
And the paper thin slices of pickled radish and seaweed was light and refreshing.


The amount of fat is NOT for the faint hearted.
Every serving comes with mushroom and potato slices and a thick slice of onions to be placed on the grill.
The spicy kongnamul muchim is also placed on the side of the grill and a raw egg is cracked over it.
Yum!


The learner cut is pork shoulder.
Pickled onion rings in soy based sauce for dips and wraps.


*Arhm


And if you hadn't yet noticed.
Those black hairs on the skin is proof that we're having definitely having heuk dweji.
It tasted good, with a smoky aftertaste of bacon.
But if you're asking for my opinion,
this meat costs so much more than normal cuts of pork,
you might just be better off eating leaner and more tender cuts of meat from normal pigs!

Dinner was about 130 sgd for 6 pax with two portions of black pork, one portion of pork shoulder, 5 servings of rice and one beer with unlimited refills of banchan of course! :)

일도부평
72-3 Ildoi-dong (520 Yeonsam-ro) Jeju-si, Jeju-do South Korea
+82 64-724-8892

Monday, June 30, 2014

Gyeongbokgung Palace

 Gyeongbokgung Palace was built as the primary palace of King Taejo in 1395 during his reign in the Joseon period.

It was left in ruins after its destruction during the Japanese invasion of 1592 and again in 1910 when they were annexed by Japan.

Rebuilding works have been consistently been carried out on the palace grounds after 1920s in hopes of restoring the structure in its entirety to its former glory which explains the seemingly new structures in place during our visit.

We decided to take our time before we watched the change of guards at 1pm.
Arrive at least half an hour early to grab your tickets before the ceremony so that you can make your way in once the ceremony comes to a close.

It costs 3 000 won for adults from 19 - 64 years of age and 1 500 won for children between 7-18 years of age. Children under 6 and Senior citizens 65 and above enter for free.

There's currently a National Palace Treasures Museum Exhibition going on with free admission once you exit from the metro so you might want to spend some time there as well.


This is us.
At a very special spot.
Behind the Sumunjang - Chief Keeper of the gates.
These palace guard will leave for about 5 minutes before they appear again in a lineup in order of ranks awaiting the drum beat to signify the start of the change of guards.
We snuck in a shot before the ushers got the public to move to the pavements. 


Right outside the main Gwanghwamum gates.


And there will be crowds.
So be prepared.
Like my cute mum, who's happily posing for me.


The relieving batch of guards meet the current batch of guards in the open spaces behind Gwanghwamun gates.


It is a ceremony of grand proportions.
Comparable to the change of guards at the Buckingham Palace.
And very much more tourist friendly with loads of opportunities for photos and videos in the large space between the inner and outer gates of the palace.




Accompanied by these drummers with very unique drumming techniques.



And a salute to the accompanying Royal Military Band.

The ceremony takes place thrice a day at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.

Head on straight to Keunjonmun where your tickets will be checked and on the right, you'll find a visitor's information centre.

If you are joining the guided tours, there's an English tour that starts at 1.30pm.
The tour takes about an hour to an hour and a half and will end in the north where the National Folk Museum is.

Unless you've done your background research on the palace, let these complimentary tour guides give you an informative insight into the palace grounds.
Everything took on meaning when it was duly explained and pointed out to us along the way.

If it wasn't for Dad's rumbling tummy,
I would've opted to stay on for the tour of the National Folk Museum and wandered around the palace grounds for just that whimsical while more.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Marco's Oyster Bar and Grill

First time having breakfast at a proper dine-in restaurant that isn't serving dim sum.


Being totally unintiated.
I ordered a main of chicken congee.
With a side of smoked salmon,
fried egg and buttered toast.
The chicken congee was weak at best.
And had random chicken parts that were more bone than meat.


Me, 
the happy camper with my breakfast of champions.

On hindsight, 
I should've listened to my girlfriend and gone for their beef steak set which she loves.
At HKD $70,
this was quite the steal for a breakfast set.
That's a palm sized beef steak, two fried eggs, ham, bacon, baked beans and buttered toast.
And an orange juice. :)

Next time you're in the mood for some Western style breakfast,
head on over.
Just opposite the road from BP International Hotel.
And you might just meet my happy girlfriend enjoying her favourite morning set.

Marco's Oyster Bar & Grill
169-189 WooSung Street
Jordan, Hong Kong

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

The Second Best in Seoul (서울서 둘째로 잘하는집)

With a flu threatening to happen. 
And a drizzle that just started,
we finally found Beans Bin in Samcheongdong.
But that could wait.
Because just across the street you'd find a humble eatery with a not-so-humble namesake.
Loosely translated,
they've called themselves the second best in Seoul.


十全大补汤
I am assuming that this means you'd find a mix of ten ingredients in this bowl of herbal remedy.
We spotted pine nuts, walnuts, red date and tasted a hint of tangerine peel.
And it is served with candied ginger peel because it could be too bitter tasting for some.
Daddy gulped most of it down but he was not a happy camper. :(


And this,
was why we decided to head on in.
Patjuk 팥죽
Pat- Red beans
Juk- Porridge
Traditionally eaten by Koreans on Winter Solstice,
which was the day with the longest hours of darkness.
It was believed to be a day where the yin is stronger than the yang which made it the best time for evil spirits to roam the human world.
Patjuk albeit a simple bowl of red beans is a symbol of the sun, fire, blood, strength and life- the very much needed yang in order to attain equilibrium.


Health wise, 
this is a bowl of nutritional yum.
Red beans stimulate the internal organs and helps in the cleansing of toxins.
And this stall serves it with a massive saealshim 새알심
a glutinous rice ball that was delightfully soft and sticky.
They only serve the unseasoned version so in case you're unprepared for this dessert, 
you have been told here to expect it to be savoury instead of sweet!
This bowl of velvety red bean dessert costs 6000 won and comes topped with cinnamon powder, chestnuts and gingko nut.


Without a comparison of what ranks first in the league of patjuks,
this was a pretty decent traditional dessert break in the boho art enclave of the Samcheongdong district.

:)

Catch the local bus service number 11 from Gyeongbokgung Station for just three stops (if my memory serves me well) and you'll find yourself conveniently alighting a few steps away from this shop.

The Second Best in Seoul (Seoureseo Duljjaero Jalhaneunjip 서울서 둘째로 잘하는집)
Address: South Korea Seoul Jongno-gu Samcheong-dong 28-21 서울시 종로구 삼청동 28-21


Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Happy Valley Seafood Theme Park Hotel RWG

Oh where oh where,
would you find


live seafood.
In tanks.
To pick at your fancy...
On top of a mountain? :)




These grass prawns.
Are scrambling all over each other.
EAT ME.
I'm superbly fresh.
I mean,
them.
Not I of course.


Claypot beancurd with seafood.
Big on ingredients.
And I mean for both the former and the latter.


Fried slices of garoupa.
Thick slices.
But these were battered.
I'd rather just have them plain and simple.


Plum sauce chicken.
This was a specialty
And rightfully so.
Satisfyingly huge portion.
Crispy battered skin on.
And they were skimping on the chicken either. :)


Sambal kangkong.
Oh my yum.
Perfectly fried.
Wok-hei-ed.
And no traces of skimpy washing of the vegetables.
Crunchy.
Savoury.
Sambal-ed.
If you take vegetables.
Make this a definite order.


And these babies? 
Sorry to be cruel.
But you died amidst a lot of fanfare. 
We loved you.
Very much.


Steamed with egg
And another 300grammes in superior stock.
Nothing superior about the stock, believe you me.
But these cost us barely a little more than SGD 10.
Seriously.
To lo chuay?
So the pinyin is terrible for hokkien.
But.
Where to find! 


And that was a pre concert feast.
Emil Chau was better than we all expected. 
A pure two and a half hours of his greatest hits, his new releases, his change in singing perspective.
Just soaking in the electrifying charge of his fans.
I'm a convert.

First concert of the year with the 'rents and our beloved family friends.
It's been a rough week for us but they made it all better.
<3 p="">

Ming Ren Restaurant Genting Hotel


Mountain view from Resort Hotel.
I was never one to bother about "the view"
Till I had my first taste of the mountain from the comfort of my room. 
Takes my breath away every morning. :)


So this was where Dad hurried off to with reservations once we checked ourselves in.
Ming Ren at Genting Hotel.


Double boiled herbal soup.
Appetizing.
Very appetizing.


Kung Pao Chicken.
It was a little too sweet for my liking.


Potato pork.
This was just like comfort food at home. 
You need rice for gravy like this.
Lots of rice.


Crunchy prawns on a bed of delightful greens.


Threadfin or ikan kurau.
This was fish with a hearty bite.
Lightly salted gravy with slivers of chinese black mushrooms and minced meat served on the side.
Dad likes the fish simple.
I take the sauce.
All of it. :)


Perfect for a post dinner chill out.
Preferably with a live soccer match.
I missed the simple times with you. :)

Sunday, September 09, 2012

what's there to do ontop of the mountain?

Because we had an early start and a late night. 
Dim sum on a lazy sunday late morning couldn't have been more perfect.
Here at Genting Palace,
dim sum is only served on Sundays till 2.30pm.




With the way prices go in Singapore,
these specials were considerably pocket friendly. :)



This was flowy,
and every bit the savoury sweet I was looking for.


But then there's also the egg tart with a flaky tart shell that I really liked.
But so did you.
And thanks for taking two egg tarts while I got two custard buns.
How.
Fair's fair?


These cubes of radish cake were crisp on the outside but soft on the inside.
And they were crunchy too possibly because of the preserved radish bits.
Even the beansprouts couldn't stop you the strict non-vegan from savouring this. :)
*Tip: Skip the XO sauce and make an order of their sambal chilli.
It's an extra charge but it's well worth it.
Its the ultimate compliment to dish and many others.
Comes in a big saucer and is a chock full of dried shrimp flavour.


Chicken cheese tart.
The taste of the cheese didn't come through with the bland chicken fillet encased within these fried beancurd skin wraps.


dumplings in chilli oil were satisfying parcels of minced prawn and pork/chicken I cannot remember right now.


scallop chee cheong fun.
the scallop was too thinly cut it broke apart too often.
the chee cheong fun was silky smooth and very tasty with the soy sauce gravy.
Mmmm :)


This was a pretty dish.
Mango duck roll special.
We didn't think mango went very well with duck.
Perhaps sweet navel orange slices?
The mango eaten on its own was sweet.
And the duck meat while flavoursome, was too dry.


And the last of our hearty brunch.
The colour looked good,
the glutinous rice was cooked well just the way I liked it.
Except this was more a taste of soy sauce than the tasty juices from the mushroom and meat filling.
But remember that sambal sauce?
It made everything better :)


And it's out to the theme park for the rest of the day! :)


Exhilaration never looked more colorful.
This was a quick queue and just the start of all the fun that RWG's theme park has to offer!


Going back to the time where dinosaurs ruled the land.


It was a water ride that went a small loop but there was a presentation in the middle of it all that took a while.
And just look at that! 

Impressive hey.
Carnivorous.
He's your type.
Non-vegan.


Queueing up for the go kart took me forever.
We're talking 1.5 hours.
It seems there were a few issues with visitors who cut the queues and were firmly dealt with by the management.
But on the other hand, there were strange requirements like not being allowed any form of baggage.
Not even a small sling bag.
Which simply meant I had to go on this alone because it was just too much time wasted on the queue and still required a locker for valuables.
:(


Now this.


Is where you get to see a panoramic view of Genting.
From the highest point.
If you dare to keep your eyes open.


But you only have a while to take in the sights because.


It's a sudden mad drop before they haul you back up for that breathtaking ride.
And then it's over too fast too soon.
Not for the weak hearted.

And there was also the corkscrew ride which was a mad rollercoaster!
*Tip: Keep a watch on the maintenance timings and come just right before they open again.
I went at 5pm and I didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes for a turn.
Which simply meant I had time for two turns on it :)

And then it was dinner time.
Where else but Happy Valley Seafood at Theme Park Hotel just a hop across from the main entrance to the theme park.

Look at all the fresh seafood on offer.










Boston lobster in cheese, garlic and butter sauce.





Think lobsters in nacho sauce.
That's a pretty darn good combination hey.
But eat it hot before it all coagulates together.
:)



These prawns were fresh tiger grass prawns.
For 9 good sized prawns at RM $25,
I thought this was a steal!
But skip the drunken prawn option.
Their broth was too weak on the taste.
I think tom yum or a simple ginger garlic option might be a better choice of cooking.


Fried chicken in plum sauce.
This was a small order.
But the portions were generous.
The batter wasn't done so well.
And probably because it was served lukewarm,
the fried chicken wasn't all too exciting for me.


Seafood fried mee sua.
This tasted like it was fried in the canned pig's trotters.
But I doubt it.
There was diced meat and we think it might be duck.
And what a pleasant surprise it is. :)
Loads of beansprouts the way I like it for that crunch and fresh crunchy prawns.
Savoury and it was a good carb option but there were some clumps in the noodles that I'd be happy to do without.

Just for two, these dishes meant we were so well fed I was waddling like a penguin by the time dinner was over.

Once again, it's thanks to Nuffnang and Resorts World Genting for their generous meal provisions and the all access theme park pass.
Proud to be a Resorts World Genting Evangelist :)