LOVE LIFE, CHERISH MOMENTS

Loo at all the newspaper spread about this restaurant, must be good right?

The crowd at 9.30pm!

The simple menu on the table

Huge portion

Signature Wan Tan Mee (Prawn Dumplings Noodle)--25 HKD

2. 九记Kau Kee Beef Noodle

The simple yet confusing menu, with no English

   Initially, we wanted to order the best seller beef belly noodle but the broth was still cooking at that time. Hence, we opted for the soup version and it was equally good. They even provided some cardboard to hold on our hands to protect against the steaming hot soup. I adore all 3 components of the dish. Noodle was springy and soft, soup was rich and fragrant. The best part is the melt-in-your-mouth-beef belly. It is high in fat content, cooked and flavoured to the top level, giving us a wonderful after taste, especially in the cold winter night in Hong Kong.

   So, the sweetest day for couples and nightmare for singles has just over, i'm sure everyone found the best way to spend their Valentine's Day, whether you are single or not. Did you guys pamper yourself with good food, good wine, good company and good chocolate? Well, for me chocolate is not a Valentine's thing, it is an EVERYDAY ESSENTIAL!! Okay, maybe i'm exaggerating. Well, i believe most of the girls loves chocolate. I am guilty of this as well. If i could, i would drink hot chocolate, bite on chocolate chip cookies, munch on chocolate brownie and dig into chocolate ice-cream all day, everyday. Hence, i am here to write about a chocolate specialty shop that i discovered when i was in Penang. Introducing Chocolate Passion Cafe, Gurney Paragon, Penang.

Relaxing environment

Spacious design

   It was a random catch-up session with 2 of our uni friends, Esther and Abigail who happened to be in Penang at that moment. It was so hard to gather like this especially after Phase 1 ended because half of our batchmates already left for twinning program overseas. Therefore, i am very grateful and excited to meet the ladies here. We had a couple of items for sharing. They are the Chocolate Bomb, Hot Chocolate and Churros.

Chocolate Passion's Signature Chocolate Bomb--RM 19.90+

    This is one stunning desserts by just the look of it. Here's how you are supposed to enjoy it. Pour the warm chocolate over the chocolate ball and it will melt, revealing a scoop of vanilla ice-cream within. You may enjoy with the rest of the sides like strawberries, kiwis and cookie crumbs.

Ready? Get set. Go!

Pour warm chocolate generously over the chocolate sphere

A weird sense if satisfaction as i watch the chocolate sphere melts.

Tadaa!! You get the vanilla ice-cream 'surprise'!

    Presentation wise, this dish is over the top! It was my second time trying dessert like this and trust me, you will enjoy it more with this elaborated presentation even before you consume it. I do like all the combination beside the chocolate sphere. However, i would love to see more creative sides and perhaps more in amount as well, considering the price we are paying.

Churros with Chocolate Dip--RM 14.90+

Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow and Butter Cookie--RM 7.90+

Look at the marshmallow melting!!

   Sadly, this is not the best hot chocolate i've tasted. I mean for a chocolate cafe, a cup of hot chocolate is the most basic item you must have in your menu as you will be judged based on this simple drink, just like a cup of cappuccino which represents the standard of a cafe. However, we were disappointed as the hot chocolate was not rich enough and was too hot for consumption. It will be better if we were given a thicker, richer chocolate drink, with perhaps a cup of cream as a side? This is for the customers to add on cream into their drink to make it creamier on one's liking.

Company of the day! It was nice meeting you girls! :)

   Nevertheless, Chocolate Passion Cafe is still a fantastic place for gatherings, study and dates. Pricing was slightly above average, service was swift and friendly. I am really proud of Penang these days for having not just authentic local food, but also more and more quality cafe blooming around. Good job and i can't wait to share with you guys more on my trips this holiday. So, stay tuned!

Contact Info~
Website: http://chocolatepassion.com.my/
Address: Gurney Paragon, Auto City and Burma Road

   Hello dear readers! Sorry for being away for almost a week now. Some of you who follows me on Twitter might know i recently went for a short getaway in Singapore, that explains my MIA. Only 4 days in the Singa-land, i started to miss Malaysia food so much. One thing is the affordable price in my country, another thing is i actually prefer Malaysia's hawker food over the prior. No offense my Singaporean friends, you guys do better in other fields! Before i start writing about my Singapore trip, i figure it is better to write about our own, something that i have been missing. Introducing 2 great hawker food in Subang Jaya SS15. They are none other than the all time favourite Ooi Noodle House's Pork Noodle and Uncle Seng's Wan Tan Mee!

1. Subang SS15 Ooi Noodle House's Pork Noodle


   This famous pork noodle stall is located at The Ooi's Noodle House, on Jalan SS15/4b, a walking distance from Taylors' College (Canadian Pre-U Building). Rumors had stated that this pork noodle is so good that crowd doesn't mind the 45 minutes and above waiting time. To avoid such hassle, Mr. J and i visited this stall early in the morning, as early as 8am. However, we still gotta wait for 20 minutes for our breakfast. I guess this is because the owner really takes time in making individual bowl of pork noodle for each customer. Hence, each bowl of pork noodle can be customized, up to your preference. For us, we added an egg for each bowl, just for an extra richness.

Subang SS15's Pork Noodle (small, with egg)--RM 6.50

Look at the richness of the soup

   After trying the first sip of the soup, i have no regret for waiting so long for this. The soup was thick and rich with porky fats, shallots and garlic. The sliced meat was lean and tasty, minced pork was melt-in-your-mouth-soft, liver and other inners were deliciously cooked, everything was packed with the natural flavor of pork. I also appreciate that they added lots of greens (Sawi) inside, giving a refreshing after taste in this bowl of bold flavors. I must recommend you guys to add an egg to your noodle because it really gave a smooth texture to the soup!

Char Siew Wan Tan Noodle--RM 4

Deep Fried Pork Noodle--RM 7

   Hi my lovely earthlings! As some of you might know, i went to Hong Kong for a short getaway with my family a while ago. My conclusion on this city is it holds a wide range of good food! From local to Western, Hong Kong has it all covered for good quality and amazing flavours. Today, i am going to write about the signature cuisine that represents Hong Kong at its best: Dim Sum. This is mainly because Hong Kong is densely populated with Cantonese, as Guang Zhou is just next to it. Hence, Cantonese who loves dim sum brought over this wonderful cuisine to Hong Kong and the next minute, this place is packed with Chinese restaurants that offer dim sum. Today's star will be Tim Ho Wan, one of the most popular dim sum chain in Hong Kong and even to neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Singapore!


   Tim Ho Wan gained its popularity when its owner Mr. Mak Kwai Pui won a one Michelin Star Award. He then started this dim sum influence all over Hong Kong, opening one branch after another. Tim Ho Wan also recently opened the pioneer restaurant in Mid Valley Mall. I wanted to visit before this but was discouraged by the big crowd lining up in front of the restaurant every single day. Therefore, i decided to visit the original Hong Kong's Tim Ho Wan instead to see what's so great about this dim sum chain that got all Malaysian so hyped up!

We had to queue for a good 30 minutes under a 17 degree weather.

    I visited Tim Ho Wan, the Olympian City branch in Hong Kong. Olympian City is a shopping mall in Olympic area, just next to Tai Kok Tsui Road where we stayed and it is easily accessible via Hong Kong's highly developed MTR. Therefore, it is more convenient for us to visit this branch. Although it was during tea time when we went to this restaurant, but we still gotta queue for our turn for 30 minutes. This is how popular Tim Ho Wan is, even in its originating country.

Simple Menu

Order sheet & prices

   As you can see from the photo above, Tim Ho Wan keeps its menu simple by offering just a few items for each categories. You just have to state the amount you require for each item on the order sheet, send it back to the waiter and wait for your food to be served. Tim Ho Wan is famous for The Big 4 Heavenly King Dim Sum, which comprised of Baked Bun with BBQ Pork, Vermicelli Roll stuffed with Pork Liver, Pan Fried Turnip Cake and Steamed Egg Cake. All 4 items here is their most popular dishes and it is a must-have whenever you visit Tim Ho Wan. We ordered all except for the Steamed Egg Cake. We also got ourselves the must-have in Dim Sum restaurants: Siew Mai and Har Gao (Prawn Dumplings), along with our all time favourite Lotus Rice and Teow Cheow Steamed Dumplings.

Baked Bun with BBQ Pork--$19 HKD

   From the moment i took my first bite, i already knew this is my favourite dish! The crisply and slightly sweetened butter bun was so delightful to bite in. Then it revealed its beautifully cooked char siew (BBQ Pork) fillings which was warm and fragrant. This is just the perfect food for winter and i could eat this every single day!

Vermicelli Roll with Pork Liver--$19 HKD

    It was my first time eating Chee Cheong Fun with literally pork filling inside. I don't mean char siew, but this was filled with pork liver. Hence, i got to taste the amazingly smooth consistency and rich flavour on each bite.

Pan Fried Turnip Cake--$15 HKD

    Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. What more can you ask from an ordinary but memorable piece of Fried Turnip Cake? The difference here with Tim Ho Wan's version was the coarsely chopped turnip and its juiciness then burst out from every mouthful. A big thumb up for this item.

Siew Mai--$26 HKD

Har Gao (Prawn Dumplings)--$26 HKD

Teow Cheow Steamed Dumplings--$14 HKD

Crystal clear skin

    Next up, all 3 steamed dim sum was great as well, but less memorable compared to the 3 items mentioned above. No doubt that Tim Ho Wan uses top quality material to create these dim sum that was chewy, juicy and flavourful.

Lotus Rice--$27 HKD

   Not too bad for this sizzling hot char siew glutinous rice, wrapped in lotus leaf. As you can see, the inner filling was so moist that it flowed out of its wrapping. It would be perfect if it were to be less oily.

Simple, humble interior set up

   I must say, i was so impressed with Tim Ho Wan's quality dim sum and cuisine. Its interpretation on dim sum did not differ much from what we had in Malaysia, but was stronger on its flavours and definitely more memorable. Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong was a little bit more affordable compared to the one in KL. For this meal (shared among 3 pax), it costs us about RM 25 per person, but in Malaysia, we got to pay RM 40 per person for the same items. The service here was surprisingly pleasant and we did have a great time dining with Tim Ho Wan Hong Kong. We really miss it and can't wait to go back for more in the future!

Contact Info~
Address: 72, GF, Olympian City 2, 18, Hoi Ting Road, Tai Kok Tsui
Phone No.: 23322896
MTR Directory: Olympic Station, Exit D3
Website: http://www.timhowan.com/

   Good Friday peepo! I am sorry it has been way too long since i last blogged. Yours truly had been strucked down with a one week fever with nasty virus. However, no worries as i am all good now, recovered and as fit as a fiddle! LOL. As a sign of sorry, i would like to give you guys a big review of the year! Okay, maybe i am exaggerating. It is something that every girls would love to the once in a while--hi tea! Yes, i went to an afternoon tea session with none other than Mr. J, my faithful foodie companion. We chose Lounge in The Park, Mandarin Oriental Hotel out of so many different afternoon tea places because rumors said, it is one of the best that one can never miss! Hence, Mandarin Oriental it is. I would recommend you to call up and make a reservation first, just to be safe.




   Lounge in The Park is situated on the Ground Floor of Mandarin Oriental Hotel, right at the center of the hotel lobby. Stepping into this lovely Anglo-Oriental space, overlooking the KLCC Park, this hotel dining space is aimed to give its customers the best relaxation and enjoyment over a cup of tea. I love every single details of its interior, right from the wooden carvings on the wall, right to the simple and elegant china. For the day, we ordered 2 sets of Traditional English Afternoon Tea Stand, each comes with a pot of tea and a stand of light bites.

Traditional English Afternoon Tea Stand--RM 78++

Earl Grey Tea

White Chamomile Tea

    There are plenty of tea to be selected from. I chose a white tea--White Chamomile tea because it is low in caffeine, but it is refreshing, calming and is a perfect complementing tea to go with all the sweet treats we were going to enjoy. Mr. J went with his usual favourite: English breakfast tea--Earl Grey Tea because he loves the strong essence and caffeine punch. Both of our tea did not disappoint, they were just as how we expected them to be. Good thing here, the tea is refillable, unlike TWG Tea Salon which did not allow me to do so. By having a free flow warm water, we get to enjoy our afternoon a little longer in this wonderful, elegant place.

Toppings to go with scones: (Clockwise from top) Clotted cream, Lemon curd, Strawberry & Rose Petal jam, Orange Marmalade jam

   Each set comes with a variety of sweet and savoury delicacies, 4 types of jam and toppings to go with our scones. I will start with the bottom layer and work my way up to the top tier.

Bottom Tier: Sweets

Middle Tier: Savoury

Top Tier: Scones and sweets

   No doubt that these afternoon tea stand are posh, delicate and elegant on the eyes. However, it would be better if the savouries were to be placed on the bottom tier because the proper way of enjoying an afternoon tea tier is to start with the bottom layer and go up. A savoury-to-sweet progression is more favourable to be. I can't wait to dig into them! Let's start with the bottom tier shall we?

Bottom Tier: Sweets

Chocolate coated almond crunch

Strawberry macaron

Perfect texture!

Chocolate Praline

Chocolate Praline

French Lemon Tart Too sourish to be likened

Miniature New York Cheese Cake Love how they used chocolate sponge cake as base instead of cookie base.

Basil cream in sundried tomato roll

Roasted beef laugen bread sandwich with horseradish cream

Egg branded in olive rosemary focaccia

   I dislike some of their bread because i thought they were too dried and not very pleasing on the palate. However, flavour was alright.


Top Tier: Sweets & Scones

Chocolate Chip Scone

Original Scone

Caramel and Pear Petit Pot

Raspberry Tartlet love this petite tart!

Illy Coffee Eclair

Yours truly posing with my afternoon tea stand

My date for the day

     Overall, we had a pleasant experience here with Mandarin Oriental's Lounge in The Park. Their service was spectacular with attentive staffs and the environment was appropriate with the price we were paying. Tea was good, but there were some hits and misses with the food. Nevertheless, we did enjoy our time here. Girls, let's save up a little bit and have an afternoon tea session with your girl friends because i assure you, this is fun and memorable, and of course, will be a very photogenic outing! I hope you enjoy this write up, i'll be back very soon with more updates! xoxo