The Hungry Bunny

La vaccination, c'est un sujet dont mes amis et moi, même mes collègues, parlons actuellement. Le prendrait-on, quel vaccin on prendrait si on avait le choix, et surtout, le fait qu'on soit citoyen d'un pays riche donne à chacun le privilège d'avoir un choix en premier lieu. Gratuitement encore!  Même si je ne vais pas juger si on choisit de se faire vacciner, j'aimerais que chacun fasse les recherches nécessaires avant de décider de prendre le vaccin. Il y a tellement de désinformation sur les réseaux sociaux ces jours-ci, que je suis très en colère lorsque certaines de mes connaissances partagent manifestement de fausses nouvelles. Des gens diplômés, généralement gentils et normaux, tous partageant des mensonges non soutenu par la science, c'est incroyable!  S'il vous plaît, j'implore chacun de ne faire confiance qu'aux informations diffusées par des médecins certifiés.  Si vous souhaitez connaître les prévisions météorologiques, vous demanderiez à...

진실은: 남편과 미용실 약속에 동행했기 때문에 (그는 바디 왁싱를 받고 있었어요😜) 이 인도네시아 레스토랑을 발견했어요 (남편은 한국 남자의 모든 스테레오🙊: 남편이 나보다 준비하는데 시간이 더 걸리고 거울 앞에서 더 많은 시간을 있어😂).   ================================================   I would never have discovered Dancing Fish if I hadn't fortuitously been on the top floor of Tangs Plaza. Tucked away in a hidden corner of the cavernous department store, Dancing Fish occupies the space previously tenanted by Island Cafe . The inconvenient locale was probably well and good for the latter, (i believe) because of its affiliation to the heritage department store, but Dancing Fish is unaffiliated to Tangs, so I can only hope their rent reflects how little foot traffic they likely attract. I mean, it's such an obscure cranny of Tangs , I'd never have known it was there if I hadn't been standing right in front of its indistinct entrance.  It's a shame really, as the lack of foot traffic can't possibly divine longevity in the current recession, because the food...

You know how I only visit restaurants after they've passed the 1-year mark? It's really to allow for the passage of time to weed out the duds, coz if restaurants can't survive the first year of business, they were probably crummy anyway. And even if they're good, it sucks when they get wound up at the end of the day. Ultimately, I just don't see the point of visiting new restaurants until they've been time-tested. Also, I give the restaurants time to allow them to really find their footing, iron out the kinks, make the necessary adjustments and refinements. So what you get when a restaurant is newly launched usually turns out a different, more stable and sustainable, creature after about a year. This was no more evident when we visited hipster joint du jour, The Coconut Club recently, with Izzy & Ivano. They'd dined there when the restaurant was just opened, and weren't all that impressed. But 10 months in, the food's noticeably refined. For...

Ipoh hor fan, possibly the only export of the Malaysian state that is actually renowned internationally, is one of those happy foods that's right up my Teochew-rooted alley. Unfortunately, a worthy rendition of this deceptively simple dish is tough to find in this part of the world. Enter Ipoh Lou Yau Beansprouts Chicken , a growing chain of casual semi-self-serviced eateries specializing in the soupy noodles. Ipohites will likely scoff, but I think this is the most authentic version todate, this side of the causeway. I love the premium option of Ipoh Hor Fan with Shredded Chicken & Prawn ($6.50), silky ribbons of flat rice noodles swimming in a light clear broth both rich and nuanced in flavour. The dry-style Ipoh Hor Fan with Shredded Chicken ($5.50) was just as commendable, with a delicious slick of the soy-based sauce. The Homemade Beancurd Skin Roll ($6) was adulterated with a gazillion coriander leaves, so needless to say, I wasn't a fan. Ipoh Lou ...

Malaysian export PappaRich is one of the better eateries offering authentic Malaysian street food in a comfortably upmarket, albeit casual, setting. Short of hopping onto a plane to Malaysia's culinary hotbeds KL or Penang, PappaRich is really the next best thing this side of the causeway. Serving greasy street food at hearty portions and reasonable prices, it's little wonder the chain restaurant is frequently packed. Unsurprisingly, service was awful; we never got served any water, getting a server's attention was an impossible task, and just about every wait staff sported a glum grimace. I'd asked to hold off the parsley/spring onions/coriander, and they took off ALL of the vegetables...my noodles missed their beansprouts and kangkong. Notwithstanding the woefully lackadaisical service, the Malaysian fare at PappaRich was pretty commendable. We'd been craving the Hokkien mee back in Penang, and PappaRich 's rendition did well in scratching that itch. A ...

Jia Xiang is one of the more well-known purveyors of Kuching's food export, kolo mee. Whilst it may be considered 'peasant food', and lacking in the pizzazz of our beloved local wanton mee, there's a rustic simplicity about it that's quite delicious.  Kolo mee's noodles have a texture not unlike al dente instant noodles, so there's a nice spring in every bite. Dressed in shallot oil and crispy lard, the flavours are homely, aromatic and flavourful. The Jia Xiang Mee ($7.90), the "bao-ga-liao" option with char siew, minced pork, prawns and wantons, is the default choice of most. The barbecued pork slices were surprisingly good, with a yummy sliver of fat in each tender slice. For the luxed-up premium option, get the Gold Jia Xiang Mee.  The prawns and wantons are dunked into a tasty (read: MSG-loaded) soup. The prawns, while bouncy, were practically tasteless. Diversification is key to surviving the cutthroat F&B world, and Jia Xia...

Sometimes, even those user review websites can get it so wrong. Take Kong Kee Seafood Restaurant for example; it consistently scores well on many a restaurant review website, but the stark reality is that the restaurant, as it stands, is a far cry from its heyday. The lack of a dining crowd on a weekend evening was indicative of how much its standards have slipped.   It didn't help that service was somewhat deficient as well. A manifestation of the brewing troubles we have with our immigration policies, we witnessed a heated argument between a local Chinese man and the PRC cashier, which made for a most uncomfortable meal. We could not wait to get out of there. The Original KL Charcoal Hokkien Mee ($6 for small) looked better than it tasted. I know they pride themselves for using udon noodles here, but the lack of eggy goodness in those flat yellow egg noodles may be why it wasn't as tasty as truly authentic Hokkien mee in KL. Also, the wok hei was woefully missing in a...

*Sidenote: Pardon my choppy posts, as I'm dealing with moving house and an upcoming trial. Oh my, when it rains, it pours.* I've always thought Old Town White Coffee is like a Malaysian version of Killiney Kopitiam . A primarily kopi place with a smallish warm foods menu centered around the breakfast duo of kaya toast and soft boiled eggs. Turns out, on closer inspection of its menu, the fare served up is really quite extensive, and very much in line with that of Madam Kwan's and Grandma's . Being a Malaysian franchise brought in by the multi-hypenate funnyman Mark Lee, the food is grounded in Malaysian classics like assam laksa, prawn noodles, nasi lemak, and ipoh hor fan. You wouldn't think that a skinny guy like Mark Lee would know much about food, but the food here is pretty awesome. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality, and how incredibly value-for-money the stuff is here. Take for example, the Signature Dry Ipoh Chicken Hor Fan ($8.90), which is ...

Gurney Drive has quickly become a popular joint for Penang food. They are very reasonably priced, offer fair and authentic quality and substantial portions, 3 things Singaporeans love and what made this chain successful enough to keep sprouting up branches all over our little island. That's also the reason why we take away from Gurney Drive quite regularly. The Penang Malay Mee Goreng ($6.90) with a sizable number of fresh seafood, squid and prawns, and chunks of fish cakes and beancurd were fried with scrambled eggs and yellow egg noodles, coated in a sweetish spicy sauce, the typical Chinese style. The Penang Fried Koay Teow ($6.90) were commendable, with the flat rice noodles fried with a smoky accent. Chinese sausages, prawns, fishcakes, eggs and small but fresh cockles completed the dish. The best part about the Gurney Nasi Lemak ($5.90) was the very fragrant coconut-flavoured rice, good enough to eat on its own. The side dishes of curry chicken, crispy ikan bi...

Copthorne King's Hotel may look like an unassuming, and somewhat run-down hotel in the midst of the 5-star accommodations that throng around our little island, but this is one hotel that really shines through its food. It's Chinese restaurant, Tien Court , serves exquisite delicacies, while its coffee house serves up one of the best Penang food around. It could be Singaporeans' never-ending love for buffets, as we were here on a Tuesday night and the entire buffet restaurant was full. But, I've long heard people rave about the Penang buffet here. While the selection may not be as varied as The Line at Shangri-La, or as luxurious as Greenhouse at the Ritz, the food here is authentic, hearty and comforting. That said, we weren't really in the mood for a buffet (we're both trying to stay trim for our wedding...hah!) though we were in the mood for some Penang cuisine, in ala carte portions. The Penang Chicken Curry ($16.80), a rich creamy and headily spicy non...

We were terribly hungry after the wedding dinner so we went hunting for some Ramly burgers. Unfortunately, the ones the taxi driver brought us to were closed, so we opted for the convenience of a 24-hour room service at the hotel. Come to think of it, we've never had a holiday without at least an order of room service. I guess we're just the kind of people that would order overpriced food purely because we're happy to pay for convenience. I chose the Poulet Grille (RM$34.80), a succulent grilled chicken thigh with micro greens and sumptuous pumpkin mash, finished with a drizzling of chicken jus and lime barbecue gravy The Raja Ayam Penyet (RM$21.80) of a crispy chicken leg, home-made sambal, local fresh greens ulam-ulam, pickled fruits and fragrant brown rice wasn't great. The chicken was over-battered and under-marinated, while the rest of the dish was just incredibly ho-hum. The dessert of Sago Gula Apong (RM$19.80) with Malaysian sweet fresh mangoes, ...

Kuching may not be known as a gourmet's paradise, but there are some must-try eats unique to Kuching. There's the famous export that's kolo mee. And there's Sarawak laksa, which, despite its name, isn't really laksa at all. As we only had one afternoon to try all that Kuching had to offer, we asked the hotel concierge for suggestions as to where he thought was the best Sarawak laksa. After a lengthy discussion with the bell porter and taxi driver, we were sent to this old-school coffee shop, just minutes away from the hotel. The coffee shop was filled with local Kuchingites having lunch, a sure sign of authenticity.  The Sarawak Laksa (RM$5.50 for large) is really more like our local mee siam, but totally unique and unlike anything we've ever had. The prawn stock base was spiced up by sambal belachan base and cut with sour tamarind and lemongrass, which gives it its sourish spicy flavours, reminiscent of mee siam, but with a nutty, smoky accent. Strips of o...