Monday, May 31, 2010

Hong Ming Food Services (Crab) at Taman Setia Indah, Johor Bahru

Hong Ming Food Services (N1 34.424 E103 46.011) is located in the middle of  Jalan Setia 9/17 of Taman Setia Indah, Johor Bahru. From the name of the restaurant, I believe they were started from food catering services (correct me if I'm wrong).

Hong  Ming Food Services at Taman Setia Indah, Johor Bahru

As I understand, they are famous with their Honey Crab.
we visited the restaurant on a Saturday night around 8pm, the restaurant was Full of customers!

Indoor area
Outdoor area
There were outdoor and indoor to cater different kind of customers. I would prefer indoor because I need the light for food photography. Both areas were Packed!

We placed our order once we got our table...

Our foods order :-
1)  Brinjal mixed with Petai Bean (Parkia speciosa or stink bean) and other vegetables.
2)  Spicy Clam
3)  Honey Crab (Signature Dish)

Brinjal mixed with Petai Bean and other vegetables

Spicy Clam

Honey Crab of Hong Ming Food Services

The first and second dishes served on our table with white rice, but we gonna wait for the Crabs....the funny part was, we waited the Crabs until we finished Everything on the table and Still no sign of it! The lady boss Keep on saying that the Crabs will be serve at the last?! That puzzled us! After everything finished, the LAST dish should serve on the table, right? (I don't wanna comment on their bad management)
We continue to wait for another 20 minutes...at last, the Crabs appeared! We had to taste the crabs without the rice....

Overall, the dishes were Excellent! Thumbs Up for the three dishes! We like the 2 Big crabs! But...bear in mind, you gotta be very patient and wait for it! We (2 adults & 1 child) spend 1 hour 30 minutes for our dinner, it was TOO long!

The Damage : MYR79.00 for 2 adults and 1 child. Reasonable price. But we put them at the last of our Seafood list because of the Crabs take too long to Appear! (Waiting time is too long!)

Foods rated : 4/5
Service rated : 1/5

Hong Ming Food Services
29, Jalan Setia 9/17,
Taman Setia Indah,
81100 Johor Bahru.
Tel : 07-3597782 / 012-7187782

Location map of Hong Ming Food Service

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Puteri Harbour at Kota Iskandar, Nusa Jaya - Johor

Puteri Harbour (N1 24.667 E103 39.380) is located at Kota Iskandar, Nusajaya - Johor (Near to Gelang Patah town). We visited this Harbour on a Saturday for our photography session.

"Puteri Harbour is the jewel of Nusajaya. This waterfront precinct, is an integrated waterfront and marina development that spans 688 acres offering a panoramic view of the Straits of Johor. Puteri Harbour redefines luxury living and offers boundless real estate benefits to the astute investor. Located adjacent to Kota Iskandar (Johor state new administrative centre), Puteri Harbour will be a unique luxurious lifestyle community, offering the experience of exceptional waterfront living, dining, entertainment, the arts and culture in a safe and picture postcard natural setting." Source from here.

The info center or reception at Puteri Harbour

The area is open for public, and we were pleasantly snapping our photos without any restriction. Once you walk pass the reception area, you will entering an open area with full of coconut tree! A Tropical smell! :)



Right side of the building (The architecture is done by Philip Cox)

There's a cafe located at one of the end of the building. Nice environment, it's Nice to relax yourself in the cafe with a Ice Cold Beer in this Hot weather.

The cafe at the Puteri Harbour buidling

We were continuing pressing our camera shuttle until we walked to this point to have a rest...
Let me share some photos around our first pit stop...:)




The S.O.S. station

We continue to walked after a short break, the path lead us to the end of the Marina bay...along the way, we spotted many yacht (in all size) were docking side-by-side....



This Yacht is for sale...wondering how much??

This was the Biggest Yacht we spotted at Puteri Harbour at that moment

Do you know what is this 'round thing' hanging on it??

A full view of the Puteri Harbour from the end of the Marina Bay

The Harbour is protected under the Security Surveillance System. You will notice the CCTV cameras are everywhere! Yes, you are being monitored! :)

The CCTV Surveillance System at Puteri Harbour 

The friendly Security Guard during patroling the Marina area...

I noticed the sitting area are design and build by the Theme of 'Wave'. Correct me if I'm wrong...



Please don't bring your children here to playing and running around, it's not allowed by the authorities and the other Main reason is...there is NO railing along the promenade...kids might easily fall into the water! Beware!


I cannot imagine that...what if I own a yacht and I can easily sail to anywhere around the World?! Oh! What a good life! Dream it rather than NO dream! Haha! Will working towards this one of the goal, who knows One day my dream might come true? :)
There were many ad about the selling the used Luxury Yachts at the building...
Tempted but cannot do anything...haha!

The advertisement about used Luxury Yacht

Friend who shoot like a Pro.

The above photos were taken by Canon EOS 450D with ND Filter.

Location map of Puteri Harbour of Johor.


Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Din Tai Fung Taiwanese Restaurant at Bishan Junction 8, Singapore

Din Tai Fung (鼎泰丰) Taiwanese Restaurant (N1 21.039 E103 50.943) is located at Bishan Junction 8 Shopping Complex, Singapore. I love to taste their Xiaolongpao 小笼包 (Little Dumpling) since the first time I had it at Taipei 2004. Let me start with their History...

History
"The founder of DinTaiFung was Bingyi Yang, born 1927 in China’s Shanxi Province. In the summer of 1948, Bingyi Yang decided at the age of 21 to leave the KMT-CCP Civil War in China behind. He boarded the ferry “Hualien” and decided to seek his fortune in Taiwan with an uncle there. With the help of his uncle’s wife, Yang found his first job in Taiwan – as a deliveryman with “HengTaiFung”....“DinTaiFung” soon stopped selling oil entirely and became a full-fledged restaurant. This was also where the legend of how “DinTaiFung” became an international brand began." Source from Here.

We were invited by my brother in-law in one of the Sunday afternoon to take our lunch at Din Tai Fung Restaurant. I will definitely won't miss this chance because it's been more than 6 years that I never have a chance to taste the Delicious Xiaolongpao (little dumpling) again! :)

Nice and tidy Taiwanese style in the restaurant

Once we ready, my sister in-law did the order. I'm anxiously waiting for the dumplings to serve on the table...
The first dish that served on the table was the Famous Din Tai Fung Appetizer.

Appetizer

Follow by the Steamed Cold Chicken (Forgive me, I don't know what they called it in English). It was really as cold as just took out from the fridge! And...the chicken was gentle and succulent! 

Steamed Cold Chicken

One of the Din Tai Fung Signature Dish : Special Recipe Noodle.

And my Favorite!! Xiaolongpao 小笼包 (Little Dumpling) !!

Famous Xiao-long-pao 小笼包 from Din Tai Fung

Accolades
Din Tai Fung is known internationally for its xiaolongbao. Din Tai Fung was ranked as one of the world's top 10 restaurants in 1993 by The New York Times.

You gotta be careful when you bite on the dumplings, because the juices might just spill everywhere!! Haha!

We also ordered their Famous Fired Rice with Pork Chop. It was also one of the Best dish of that day! I never taste it before at Taipei, first time in Din Tai Fung of Singapore.

Signature Fried Rice with Pork Chop

Even I cannot really remember 100% of the taste of Din Tai Fung at Taipei, but I can assure that the dishes serve in this restaurant are as good as the Main shop in Taipei!
Delicious!

Rated : 4.5/5

We will definitely come back for more!!

Operation hour :-
Week day and Saturday : 11am - 10pm
Sunday : 10.30am - 10pm
Public Holiday : 10am - 10pm
Official website : http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/index.asp

Location map of Din Tai Fung, Singapore


Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Onn Kee Bean Sprout Chicken Rice at Ipoh, Perak

Onn Kee Bean Sprout Chicken Rice (N4 35.639 E101 05.057) is located along Jalan Yau Tet Shin of Ipoh old town, the shop is just next to Lou Wong which is selling the same dishes (Bean Sprout Chicken Rice).
We had tasted the Lou Wong chicken rice, this time we wanna try his competitor - Onn Kee Bean Sprout Chicken Rice.

It was full indoor and outdoor session during we walked in...10 minutes waited for our table.

Took our order as same as we had it at Lou Wong Restaurant. The boss (who prepare the chicken) seems like not as friendly and patient as the staffs in Lou Wong Restaurant...

The Famous Bean Sprout from Onn Kee Restaurant

The chicken looks better than Lou Wong Restaurant

Not to forget the chicken feet

Actually, I don't take chicken feet, because I don't really enjoy and don't wanna waste it! So my wife had it all! :)

The Herbal Tea drink provided by the shop

Overall, Satisfied!

The Damage : MYR40.00 for 2 adults and 1 child included drinks and A pack of 'half chicken'! Hehe! Gonna taste it again later....Reasonable price.

Now, I don't know which shop to step-in (between these 2 shops) during our next visit?! Both are equally good!

Location map of Onn Kee Bean Sprout Chicken Rice at Ipoh, Perak


Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Padang Brown Lok Lok, Penang

Padang Brown Lok Lok  (N5 24.861 E100 19.003)
My last visit here was about 10 years ago! My parents like to bring me here when I was a kid...during that time, everyone at Penang just named it The Padang. And I only realised this time the area called "Padang Brown", I believe the Restaurant on Penang Hill was named from the same person 'David Brown'. (Correct me if I'm wrong)

The Padang Brown Hawker Center of Penang

We were having our lunch here after the Qing Ming Festival. I missed the Lok-lok very much, and I felt comfortable and enjoy having the lok-lok even under the hot sunny day! :)

The Lok-Lok

The empty table was fill up in a minutes! And it has everything on the table...

"Lok Lok is similar to a steamboat where fresh food is skewered on bamboo sticks and cooked in a pot of boiling water, dip into the special sauce and you are in for a great time trying 30 over different varieties. For example fresh clam, cuttlefish, fish ball, sea snail, jelly fish." Source from here.

Beside the foods, I also love the chili sauce very much! Which mixed with dark sweet sauce which I cannot find elsewhere at Johor.

The Chili and the Dark Sweet Sauce for the Lok Lok
Some photos of the Lok Lok...

Spring roll with crab meat

The Jelly Fish

Beside the Lok Lok, I also ordered the Penang Assam Laksa. And surprisingly, it was delicious! Almost the same standard as the Famous Ayer Itam Assam Laksa!

The Damage for the Penanag Padang Lok Lok : MYR55.00 included drinks for 4 adults and 1 child. My stomach was full and it last me until 10pm dinner! Haha!

Location map of the Padang Brown Lok Lok of Penang