Singapore’s Iggy’s is Asia’s best restaurant according to the Miele Guide which made its grand debut last week. The guide is claimed to be Asia’s first truly independent regional restaurant guide.
The Miele Guide 2008/2009 edition evaluates restaurants in 16 Asian countries… Brunei, Cambodia, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
The top 20 restaurants according to the Miele Guide 2008/2009…
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Some interesting culture and places in Hong Kong; as featured in the 6th episode of The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) season 3.
Central
Central is the major business district and also the administrative centre of Hong Kong; the area probably has the highest concentration of skyscrapers in Asia.
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Dim Sum breakfast a couple of weeks ago at the Clan Restaurant in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The restaurant’s signature dish is a creation of its own… the gai wo bao (鸡窝包 - literally chicken nest bun) which is basically a combo of two popular dim sum dishes i.e. the loh mai gai (糥米鸡 - chicken glutonous rice) and chicken bun.
To be frank, I am not a fan… it’s a clever idea, but the taste just doesn’t click for me. My sister kinda love it though; and judging from their business, lots of the folks seem to like it too.
These days almost all dim sum restaurants in the Sri Petaling area is selling this chicken nest bun, but Clan Restaurant is still the most popular place for the dish… originality still matters obviously.
For KL folks, the address of the restaurant… 140, Jalan Radin Anum, Sri Petaling.
Fast Food Fish Head is the (weird) name of a Chinese restaurant in Seri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The restaurant is famous for its steamed fresh-water fish.
Dinner with my family on Sunday (Oct 5)…
Steamed catfish with Chinese fermented black beans
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Had lunch at this De An Eatery (德安小吃) during my Taiwan trip in May 2008 at the small town of Fonglin in Hualian County, en route to Taichung City. The food was quite nice, and I loved their pork knuckles…
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Manggong Cake (盲公饼 - literally blind-man biscuit) is a speciality of Foshan city in Guangdong province, China. It’s a traditional biscuit (despite officially named as cake) made of ground nuts and sesame seeds, first created in 1800 by a blind fortune teller… hence the name.
Foshan’s Manggong Cake which my sister bought back from
Guangzhou last week
The Manggong Cake is a popular souvenir for foreigners who visit Foshan or Guangdong… and the most well known brand is Heji (pic above). Not the tastiest biscuit I’ve had to be frank, but we got to appreciate a traditional recipe that has existed for over two centuries.
Pig innards congee (猪杂粥) is a common delicacy in Canton-based Chinese community, i.e. Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, and some parts of Malaysia and Singapore etc.
Pig innard congee, takeout from a shop in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur
The pig innards congee in Hong Kong is a bit different from those we have in Malaysia. The pork innards (liver, kidney, intestine, lungs, stomach etc.) in Hong Kong are normally cooked fresh with the congee, whereas in Malaysia the innards are pre-cooked and seasoned before adding into the congee.
Both style has its pros and cons… but the essence of the congee is with the rice porridge itself. The smoothness and thickness of the congee is often more dictating than the pork innards. The one I had in the photo for example was a bit too watery.
Chinese and some other Asians are quite accustomed to this dish, but westerners might take this as one of those bizarre food adventure.
A Chinese banquet is normally held during special occasions, like weddings, new year, festivals, or sometimes a family gathering or business meeting. A typical Chinese banquet will have 8-10 dishes on its menu.
Some photos of a Chinese banquet, taken during my family dinner at Kok Thai Restaurant in Ipoh, Malaysia last weekend…
The appetiser, or the ‘cold dish’ in Chinese, is often the indicator of how good the restaurant is; the food presentation is vital and sometimes more important than the taste
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