Wednesday, July 28, 2010

1 day trip to Taiping

It was a public holiday my friends and i were looking forward. A 1 day trip to Taiping, guided by our so-called tour guide, Eric. Indeed, the plan he had for us went well and we get to see all the famous landmarks of Taiping.
the famous Taiping Lake, over-seeing Maxwell Hill
Of course, we also take the opportunity to savour the famous food, available only in Taiping. 
a food court located at Bangunan Seri Larut, Jalan Iskandar

according to Eric, the height of the ais kacang used to be 3 times more
char koay teow-very spicy!!
"yu yu fan" fishball noodle-Taiping's landmark food
a restaurant at Taman Tasik, just right opposite of Taiping lake
We had "choo char" at the restaurant and for 3 dishes and 4 bowls or rice, it only cost us RM27.20.
fried taufu with minced meat
marmalade chicken
fried long beans
chicken wings-must try! RM2/piece

Knowing the weather in Taiping is always wet, we could not escape seeing the wet Taiping. Eric, even gave us a lesson on weather forecast! It rained for almost 2.5 hours before the weather cleared for us to make our way to the Night Safari. 

Nevertheless, it was a nice trip over all!!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Maa Roy, Thai @ Krystal Point

Celebrated my best pal's birthday recently and we chose to go to another new place to try out Thai food. This post also marks the debut of my dslr baby...which i called, baby CNN(perhaps i might change the name knowing that i am quite a word-y person) ;
very nice setting of entrance
the menu, where you can view the business hour :)
left: iced lemon tea (RM3.50)
right: chrysanthemum tea (RM2.80)
seafood tomyam (RM23)
tofu in brown gravy (RM15)
green curry chicken (RM13)
pandan chicken (RM7.50)

I must say the food at Maa Roy Thai were superbly nice! Prices as almost compatible to that of other Thai restaurants. I must also mention the good service by the waiter as well as the lady boss. I am definitely going back for another round.

Where at?
B303-1-27 Krystal Point, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah Ahah 


or


6A, Abu Siti Lane


Tel no: 2276816 or 016-4067809

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Royal Dragon Restaurant @ Bangkok, Thailand

My recent trip to Bangkok with family has given me a chance to visit the world's largest restaurant, the Royal Dragon Restaurant. This restaurant earned its award in the statistics of the Guinness Book of Records in the year 1992. It is about an hour's drive to Bangkok's CBD. Nevertheless, the record has been taken over by Damascus Gate at Syria since 9th June 2008. 
But still, world's largest restaurant!! Can you ever imagine yourself stepping into one??
This restaurant is indeed very unique as all its waiters and waitresses wore traditional Chinese costumes (some like emperors) and waiters serve food in skates. 
As you enter, you can see a big notice of award from the Guinness Book of Records.
workers taking a break

Decorations of the whole restaurant mimics a traditional Chinese palace. This could be because they serve mainly Chinese delicacies. If you hadn't realise that you are in Bangkok, you would probably think that you are in China. 
Table settings were however not as captivating.
The food we had were the ones ordered by the travel agent so i didn't have the chance to select.
sweet and sour pork
fried fish in spicy sauce
roasted duck
fried onions and mixed vegetables
broccoli and carrot
fried ostrich meat (i didn't eat this dish)
crab stick starch soup

Judging the food i had, i would say this restaurant will never win a title for serving the best food restaurant. However, i must say again this trip is definitely worth as i get to see how the world largest's restaurant is. 
Still if you have the chance to visit Royal Dragon Restaurant, becareful of the type of dishes you choose and definitely avoid those i have above.

Where at?
35/222 M.4 Bangna-Trad Rd Bangna
Bangkok Thailand 10260.

Tel no: (662)3980037 to 42

Thursday, July 1, 2010

all the way from Australia

My long awaited holiday finally came to reality...backpacking to Melbourne-Gold Coast. It was a tiring but marvelous 8 days 7 nights trip. Could have had a longer trip but had limited off days due to my profession. *sigh*...time to change profession?
We first got to Gold Coast and then took a domestic flight to Melbourne. The weather in Gold Coast is almost like that of Penang in the afternoon while the weather in Melbourne is a little colder than Genting Highlands.
Food in Australia are way so expensive than ours! And, not to mention, the taste is not comparable at all to that of Malaysian's! Choices are limited to only 'fish and chips' and burgers unless you visit the bigger restaurants serving Koreans/ Chinese. 
nuggets and chips, extra 30 cents for the ketchup (i did not know until it was shown in the bill)

We were dreading those times when we could find the dry 'fish and chips' or burger or what they are famous for 'wraps'. Those are totally not my kind of food as i always prefer hot dishes.
chicken ham and vegetable wraps

In Gold Coast, we went to both the theme parks; Movie World and Sea World. The was a 'summer pass' promotion, a ticket to any 2 theme parks at only AUD 99.99. Nevertheless, i would not suggest Movie World for those who are not into rides as it focuses more on rides. There are more shows to see Sea World though. If you have more time to spend, you can also rent a car and drive to Brisbane. Also, get an accommodation along the Main Beach as everything is within walking distance there.

Also, if you managed to walk to Chevron Renaissance, there are lots of cafe serving cheap breakfast such as the one we got to named "Flames". A breakfast set plus juice at only AUD6
 

After so many days of the so-called dry Western food, we finally arrived at Melbourne and found a Chinese cafe, located at the Chinatown just near the place where we stayed.
unfortunately, all the food above looks nice but taste horrible! we ended up in thirst as there were lots of msg perhaps

Also, don't forget to visit the famous "Max Brenner" for their chocolate delicacies. If you are a first timer, you must try the "sukao".
sukao

I went to Sydney a few years back and comparing it to Melbourne, i personally love Melbourne much better. The city is preserved with historical building, yet at the same time, there is a contemporary feeling.
city tram (get a ride within the city for free!!) where else can you see this besides Melbourne! ;)

city of Melbourne

And, the greatest finding of our trip, the 12 Apostles. However, when we arrived, there were only 8 left...or maybe 6? Hmmm, still counting~~
my travel mates and i

our best "friend", Tarago

Backpacking has always been my choice of travel as we get to plan everything on our own. Nevertheless, you must choose the right people to travel with, preferably those with similar interests. And i must say, i am lucky to have found a group of tolerable and understanding travel mates. Looking forward to my next trip. Til then, i wish you a happy 7th July (Penang Heritage Day) holiday!! :)