.Honeymoon.Dessert.(满记甜品).

Honeymoon Dessert is one of the places I frequent when I’m craving for more chinese desserts (the other being Ah Chew Dessert, of ‘cos).
One fine afternoon, me and Iing decided to have a dessert feast instead of our usual one bowl of dessert each.

1. Baked Taro with Sago
I love this dessert so much. Eat it while it’s served hot!

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2. Durian Pancake
Lotsa D24 durian flesh in this yummy dessert!

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3. Almond Tea with Black Glutinous Rice (warm)
One of Iing’s favourite. Comforting!

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4. Red Bean Soup with Grass Jelly
Another of Iing’s favourite!

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5. Coconut Sago with Grass Jelly and Green Tea Icecream
My ultimate favourite must-order everytime I visit this place…!!

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I need to go back to Honeymoon soon…..

Are you salivating already?? *teeheehee*

.my.big.3-0.

So, I’ve officially joined the gang of big 3-0s 2 days back. Many thoughts going through my mind as I crossed the line into this phase of my life.

The past couple of years hadn’t been easy. Shitty things happen when I least expected. People come and go. Lessons learned. I try again and again. And I see things/people more clearly now. I’ve grown to know better, what/who matters and what/who doesn’t. Well, how many 30 years will we have in our life right?

I’m blessed and thankful to have a small group of people who stood by me and love me for who I am, who trust and don’t judge me. (Of ‘cos it’ll be even better if a ‘boyfriend’ is added to this small group too haha..)

Here’s how fortunate I am during this ‘transition’ period. (Warning: pictures of gorgeous babes and hunks and prezzies coming up!)

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Now now, kindly excuse me while I go make more wishes.

World peace!

.Food.Tasting.at.Paradise.Teochew.Restaurant.

Last week, I was invited by Paradise Group to a sponsored food tasting session at their new kid on the block, Paradise Teochew Restaurant (潮樂軒), located at the Chinese Swimming Club. With this, Paradise Group aims to extend deeper into its roots of being the experts in Chinese cuisine.

Teochew cuisine is famed for its deft handling of seafood and poultry, particularly in bringing out the natural taste of the fresh ingredients used. It is also known for being a celebrated source of healthy and light dishes, being light-handed on the seasonings and with minimal use of oil.

I was delighted when checking out their extensive menu of over a hundred dishes of Teochew style signatures, from appetisers and braised specialties to a full line-up of seafood, meat and poultries, and even coupled with an array of dim sum offerings. Diners will be sooo spoilt for choice!

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After deciding on my choice of dishes, I sat back and allow myself to soak in the happy atmosphere of the spacious and brightly lit restaurant. At the same time, nibbling on the peanuts side dish as well as having a Glutinous Rice Tea to help revv up my system before the awesome meal.

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Our appetiser was the Braised Trio Combination in Teochew Style (潮式卤味三拼盘).
Price: $22 for small / $33 for medium / $44 for large.

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Consisting of Braised Duck Meat, Braised Octopus and Braised Pork Belly, couple with Braised Beancurd at the bottom too. The meat was braised so nicely and I actually finished them together with the skin and fats (which usually I’ll pick them out and just eat the meat parts). It’s my first time eating octopus braised in this way too!

Next up for our Main No. 1, we had the Sautéed Pomfret Fillet with Tomato and Salted Vegetables (咸菜番茄煮鲳鱼件).
Price: $28 for small / $42 for medium / $56 for large

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The tomato soup base was rather refreshing when coupled with salted vegetables and onions. The pomfret used was really fresh too!

For our Main No. 2, we went for Stewed Pork Ribs with Bitter Gourd and Cucumber in Casserole (黄瓜凉瓜排骨煲).
Price: $18 for small / $27 for medium / $36 for large

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Warning: This dish is for bitter gourd lovers only.

The soup tasted really nourishing, with the bitter gourd aftertaste lingering in your throat for awhile after you swallowed it. But it made me wanna keep sinking my spoon into the casserole for more. The pork ribs soaked in all the goodness from the soup, though I was wishing the meat can be a ‘lil more tender.

Next up was our vegetable choice of Braised Mustard Green with Shredded Conpoy and Dried Shrimps (瑶柱虾籽大芥菜).
Price: $18 for small / $27 for medium / $36 for large

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Frankly speaking, this was my first time trying mustard green, without any prior knowledge of how this vegetable was going to taste like. I have to say, this dish made me feel really healthy and for consuming my daily intake of 2 portions of greens. This crunchy vegetable has an aftertaste similar to that of bitter gourd, but with an even rawer taste. If you are not a fan of mustard green, do still have a taste of the clear and sweet stock base.

I can never do without rice for a day, and being a fried rice lover, I’ll definitely not miss out on Fried Rice wih Yam in Teochew Style (潮式芋头炒饭).
Price: $14 for small / $21 for medium / $28 for large

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Generous portion of various ingredients like prawns and yam in this fried rice! The small size can actually serve 2-3 pax, but it’s so yummy I think I can have the whole plate to myself.

Every meal has to end with a dessert, hence we chose a very Teochew style dessert of Crispy Pumpkin, Yam and Sweet Potato Strips (金银三宝烙) which we haven’t tried before.
Price: $12 (one size)

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Eat it while it’s hot! This dessert was sooo addictive, couple with the peanut bits sprinkled on top. Even though I was already very full from the previous dishes, I simply cannot not have more than one serving of this. Highly recommended!!

With a sweet ending to this food tasting session, the overall experience was really pleasant and comforting (to our satisfied tummies). The PR Manager of this restaurant, Leon Teh, had been really helpful and attentive to all our needs, patiently introducing and explaining to us about each dish that we ordered.
Although this place is a ‘lil far off for me since I stay in the North (Chinese Swimming Club is located near Parkway Parade), I’d loved to bring my family here one day for them to try the lovely and healthy dishes, and for me to give their a dim sum a go too.

Thanks again to the Paradise Group for this experience!
I hope you guys can go try it out too!! ^_^

Paradise Teochew Restaurant
Address: 21 Amber Road, Chinese Swimming Club, #03-01 (via Arrival Pavilion), Singapore 439870
Tel: (65) 6348 7298

Business Hours:
Mon-Fri
1130am to 330pm (last order at 3pm)
6pm to 1030pm (last order at 10pm)

Sat, Sun & Public Holidays
1030am to 330pm (last order at 3pm)
6pm to 1030pm (last order at 10pm)

.Food.Tasting.at.Taste.Paradise.

Ola!
So, having been missing from this scene for quite awhile, I’m back now to bring you saliva-inducing snippets from my recent food tasting session at one of the establishments under the belt of Paradise Group.

Taste Paradise (味之楼) opened its doors in 2006 as a cozy and intimate restaurant in Chinatown. With good reviews and at the encouragement of many satisfied customers, the restaurant was relocated to ION Orchard in 2009 to serve diners in a grand and majestic ambience, at a more convenient location.

Marking 9 years of establishment with tens of thousands of satisfied diners, Taste Paradise embarks on a new journey of providing an exceptional dining experience that engages all senses with a new menu, refurbished restaurant interior and the usual excellence in service.
2015-08-09-14-45-26_deco[1]As Paradise Group’s Brand Ambassador, I was really elated to be invited to this food tasting session for its new menu launched recently, showcasing more Cantonese delicacies and refreshing takes on modern Chinese dishes.
2015-08-09-14-50-25_deco[1]Our sumptuous 7-course meal kicked off with Crisp-fried Soft Shell Crab (肉松软壳蟹) tossed with Pork Floss for our appetiser. (S$15.80 per serving)
2015-08-09-14-48-35_deco[1]As the name states, the soft shell crab was crisply fried well, and coupling with pork floss was a match-make in heaven.

Our starter was a Combination of Pan-seared Foie Gras, Wasabi Mayonnaise Prawn and Sliced Peking Duck. (味之楼经典三品 — 煎鹅肝,芥末奶滋虾,北京片皮鸭) (S$22 per serving)
2015-08-09-14-57-04_deco[1]We were advised by our friendly server Vincent Lee, who also happens to be the supervisor of this Taste Paradise outlet, on the sequence in tasting this dish for the utmost experience. So we had to start off with the foie gras, which literally melted in our mouths. I was never a foie gras person, but I finished this in record timing.
2015-08-09-14-52-55_deco[1]Next would be the peking duck skin, which was crispy and yet with some juicy fats to add to the taste.
2015-08-09-14-55-48_deco[1]Followed by the succulent prawn, in which matching with wasabi mayonnaise never goes wrong. Lastly, eating the chunky watermelon piece which helped to prep our palette for the dish to come.
2015-08-09-14-54-36_deco[1]For the soup, we decided to go for the Double-boiled Whole Yellow Melon Soup with Assorted Seafood and Diced Mushrooms (海鲜炖金盅), as I’m not a fan of shark’s fin. (S$18 per serving)
2015-08-09-14-58-55_deco[1]2015-08-09-14-59-44_deco[1]Having boiled the melon as a whole for hours with generous amount of ingredients (lots of dried and fresh scallops, fish maw, crab meat, diced mushrooms and duck meat), the soup tasted heavenly. And when we scooped the soup up the long melon ‘passageway’, some bits of soft melon flesh were scraped off onto our spoons too, adding even more melon taste to the whole experience.

Up next! Pan-seared Kurobuta Pork with “Dang Gui” Sauce (当归黑豚肉) for our meat option. (S$22 per serving)
2015-08-09-15-01-00_deco[1]2015-08-09-15-01-38_deco[1]This dish was SO. GOOD. The pork fillet was really tender with bits of fats in between, and the “dang gui” sauce was an interesting and refreshing twist. Something which I hadn’t tasted before elsewhere. *thumbs up*

Our 5th course was Crisp-fried Edamame Tofu with White Truffle and Mushroom Sauce (白松露翡翠碧玉), because I love truffle be it white or black. *cues Michael Jackson’s song “Black or White”* (S$8 per serving)
2015-08-09-15-02-54_deco[1]2015-08-09-15-03-24_deco[1]It didn’t disappoint me! The white truffle taste was strong enough yet not overpowering, and went really well with the crispy-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside edamame tofu. I can have 2 to 3 servings of this at one go.

Because I really love truffle, I chose for my main dish to be Stir-fried Angel Hair Pasta with Black Truffle Sauce with Assorted Seafood (黑松露海鲜天使面) (S$12 per serving)
2015-08-09-15-04-33_deco[1]Lovely truffle smell whiffed past my nose, and its taste filled up my whole mouth when I tasted the pasta. Plus I’m more of a seafood than meat person, hence I was happy to see chunks of fresh scallops and prawns in this dish as well (as with all the previous dishes with seafood too).

Sadly, we’ve come to the last course of this sumptuous meal for the day. To end on an sweeter note, we chose 2 different types of desserts to try out.
Warm Double-boiled Hashima with American Ginseng and Red Dates (温泡参红枣炖雪蛤). (S$12.80 per serving)
2015-08-09-15-05-57_deco[1]Coupled with a generous portion of hashima, I can already feel the collagen taking their spot under my face skin after consuming it.

Combination of Chilled Mango Puree, Black Glutinous Rice with Ice Cream and Pumpkin Pastry (甜品三品 — 杨枝甘露,黑糯米伴雪糕,南瓜饼). (S$10.80 per serving)
2015-08-09-15-08-29_deco[1]2015-08-09-15-10-54_deco[1]2015-08-09-15-09-35_deco[1]One scoop of the refreshing mango puree, one bite of the chewy pumpkin pastry, then one small spoonful of the black glutinous rice with coconut ice cream. More than perfect ending! So satisfying! *smack lips*

Next time when you are having a headache on where to bring your family and friends for celebrations and gatherings, why not go to Taste Paradise and check out their exciting new menu! I guarantee you will not be disappointed! *wide grin*

.days.of.ving’s.life.:.hongkong.episode.7.


DAY 7 ! ! !
2nd last day of the trip!!! Too fast!!! >.<

Started the day with a comforting and heartwarming breakfast to get our gears going!!!
Porridge / Chee Cheong Fun / Red+Green Bean Soup / Soya Bean Milk
N I C E E E . . . . . . . *burp*
After which, it’s a long day in walking around (aka shopping)!
Needed to help couple of friends check out some stuff which they were interested in getting.
1st stop: SILVERCORD at Tsim Sha Tsui!

I like this mall! It has many shops/brands which I fancy, all in one mall.
Another / Double-Park / 5cm / Izzue / Fred Perry / Mercibeaucoup (to name a few!)
Happened to pass by this cool shop which this awesome paragraph on its window.
Love it.
In case you weren’t able to read the whole passage, here’s it!
“There is darkness inside all of us, though mine is more dangerous than most. Still, we all have it, that part of our soul that is irreparably damaged by the very trials and tribulations of life. We are what we are because of it, or perhaps in spite of it, some use it as a shield to hide behind, others as an excuse to do unconscionable things. But truly, the darkness is simply a piece of the whole, neither good nor evil unless you make it so. It took a witch, a war, and a voodoo queen to teach me that.”

Love it. Really.

After we were done with shopping at Silvercord, it was still raining.
Hence, we decided to grab a drink and some light bites at SWEET DYNASTY near Silvercord!!

Address: 28 Hankow Road, Hong Kong Pacific Centre, B/F, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Station: Tsim Sha Tsui (Exit L5)
Hours: Daily 12pm – 230pm; 630pm – 1130pm
Contact: (852) 2377-9877
Walnut Paste / Soya Beancurd with Red Bean Paste
One word.
Disappointing.
Walnut Paste was watery without much walnut taste.
Red Bean Paste was watery too that’s not sweet.
Soya Beancurd was so-so.
Totally different from the 1st time when I tried it. -_-

咸煎角! This is not bad, but Tim Ho Wan has even better ones.
流沙包!!! This one nice!
They ran out of the ones with pandan skin.
*waiting*
*nom nom noms*
After chilling for some time at Sweet Dynasty, the rain finally stopped!!!
Time to move on to the next destination.
THE PENINSULA Hotel.

Gotta say.
I really like the decor of the hotel.
And its h~i~g~h~ ceilings…….
Right. Why am I at such an atas place???
Two words.
CHROME. HEARTS.

Address: Salisbury Road, The Peninsula, Mezzanine Floor, Shops M11, ME11-13, Kowloon
Station: Tsim Sha Tsui (Exit F) / East Tsim Sha Tsui (Exit L3)
Contact: (852) 2739-6113

Love their accessories….!!!
Just one thing.
I don’t understand why staff working in such shops need to be SO snobbish.
Same goes for some other branded boutiques too.
Please smile and be professional.
You don’t have to look at your customers from head to toe before you decide how you are gonna serve them.

Since it’s the last night in Hong Kong, we decided to go back to Bon Bon Cafe for dinner!
Sooo gonna miss their food…….
In fact, I’m missing it now as I’m typing this post!!! *droolsss*
The dumplings (bottom right) are sooo yumsss…….
They are filled with braised meat instead of the usual minced meat.
I’m not exactly a meat-lover, but this is so good I can finish the whole bowl by myself!!
Not forgetting the addictive pickles which I mentioned before in my 1st post for this trip!!!
After filling our tummies, another (also the last) round at our favorite 7-11!!!
Not forgetting, need change all the stickers which we received from 7-11 to change for Sanrio figurines!!
Such cute stickers!!
We got the Monkey (I forgot its name) and Minna No Tabo!!
Didn’t manage to get my Kuromi! 🙁
Packing time!
Had a hard time trying to stuff everything into my luggages!!!
Heavyyy……
Reluctantly went to sleep after packing since it’s the last night afterall!! >.<

Final episode for this trip will be out soon!!
Do stay tuned!! ^_^

.days.of.ving’s.life.:.hongkong.episode.5.


DAY 5 ! ! !
Goodyyy Rainyyy Morninggg !!!!!

Today on our itinerary, we went to familiar grounds!
Changing trains at Central station in order to get there.
Yes.
Just had to do the tourist-sy thingy of taking pictures of the station.
And of coz posing with it. *hashtag ootd wiwt central hk*
While waiting for our friend to reach, couldn’t resist shopping at Sogo supermart at Causeway Bay!
Colorsss…….
Another round of stuff for friends and family back home.
Too cute!
Finally lunch time!!! *wide grinz*
Itacho Sushi at Causeway Bay…
There were more sushi and other dishes which we ordered but ate too fast so only managed to capture these…
Prices were around the same as compared to Singapore’s.
Of coz as usual in order to burn off calories after a hearty meal…
SHOPPING TIME!!!!!!!

Hong Kong is such a sinful place when it comes to eating and shopping my gosh…….
So many nice stuff which caught my eyes and tempted me to get them……. >.<”
Spent the whole afternoon in just Causeway Bay alone.
Chocoolate / I.T / i.t / some pop-up shop that sells really cool stuff but I forgot the name / a mall that resembles our Far East Plaza / etc etc
Too busy shopping so didn’t take pictures along the way.
Will show some of my purchases towards the end of this post!!

Before we realised, evening crept in and it’s dinner time!!!!!
Decided to revisit Mido Cafe after so long.
I remembered I really like the 60s feel of this Hong Kong cafe when I first tried it couple of years back.
Plus the food was very affordable and came in big portions.

Address: 63 Temple Street, Kowloon
Station: Yau Ma Tei (Exit C)
Hours: Daily 830am – 10pm
Contact: (852) 2384-6402
Truth be told, I was a ‘lil disappointed this time round.
Their prices increased, yet food standard dropped.
Previously I really enjoyed just a simple Egg & Luncheon Meat Fried Rice coz they cooked it well.
This time though, it was just so-so.

Hence, this.
Actually, just an excuse to let me play with my food.

No meal’s completed without desserts!!
So even though it’s been raining the whole day, we simply had to comb Temple Street for some Chinese desserts.
And found this small dessert shop with I didn’t register its name.
Hot desserts on a cooling night are ever-so welcoming.
It kind of made up for the slight disappointment I’d with Mido Cafe.
Pardon me looking as if I was being forced to smile.
Blame it on the wet weather…….
(It’s ok if you are indoors. Not ok when you are outside carrying lotsa barang-barang and still need to hold a brolly.
Ok enough of whinning.)
Finally back to the hotel!!!
Photo flood of what I bought!!! (Immediately brightened up my mood.)

Closer look of the lovely snacks from Sogo supermart!
At the same time chomping on my Nameko snack!
Each box came with a temporary tattoo thingy!
Too cute………….
Love.
Love.
Love.
Love all my purchases!!! *juggles snacks*

Episode 6 will be out real soon!! Do stay tuned!! ^_^

.days.of.ving’s.life.:.hongkong.episode.4.


HELLO HELLO!!! *waves madly*

Here are the previous episodes:
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3

4th day of my Hong Kong trip!!!
Rise and shine!!!
Dropped by a friend’s house first before going for lunch together.
Love the door knob!
There happened to be an outlet of Tim Ho Wan near his house, so there we shall go for lunch.
Finally I’d the chance to try it out and see what all the hype is haha…

Address: 2-8 Wharf Road, Seaview Building, G/F, Shop B, C & D, North Point
Station: Fortress Hill (Exit A)
Hours: Daily 10am – 930pm
Contact: (852) 2979-5608
While waiting for our table….
Was kinda crowded on that day!!!
Yays we got our table after a short wait!!
Hungryyy……….
Verdict:
The Char Siew bun is really yumsss!! (That coming from me who’s not a fan of meat haha..)
I really like the Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf, as well as the Carrot Cake.
Other than these, the rest were normal nothing exceptionally mind-blowing.

After filling our tummies, we needed to shed off some calories.
So……
SHOPPING TIME!!!

Saw this at the side of the road while walking to the MTR station. *shudders*
At this multi-label shop called ‘another’ at Tsim Sha Tsui.
Who doesn’t love sales???
More shopping!!
Time passes so fast when you are having fun.
Before we know it, it’s time for dinner!!!
We decided on this Italian restaurant called Lupa.

Address: 31 Queen’s Road Central, LHT Tower, 3/F, Central
Station: Central (Exit )
Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm – 3pm; 6pm – 11pm / Sun 12pm – 11pm
Contact: (852) 2796-6500
Food was rather good coupled with organic white wine.
I really like the ambience of the restaurant too!
So much so that I think we stayed for almost 3 hours there!
And a meal’s not complete without any desserts!!
Finger-licking good……….
Tired from all the walking throughout the whole day, hence the day ended without any routine trip to 7-11…
Love all the stuff I bought during the day!

Episode 5 will be out soon, so do stay tuned for it!!! ^_^

.KL.retreat.

Travelling Ving is back!
This KL short trip actually happened before the recent Hong Kong trip.

We chose Hotel Capitol for its awesome location in Bukit Bintang area, plus with good room rates.
(It’s located just next to Sungei Wang Shopping Centre and Low Yat Plaza, and only a 5-minute walk to Berjaya Times Square, Pavilion, and the Monorail station.)

First meal in KL was at U-Village Hong Kong Restaurant, situated just across our hotel.
Address: LB – R1, Sungei Wang Plaza, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100
Phone: (+03) 2148-9686
Their char siew is a must-try!
After a hearty lunch, shopping time!
First stop — Berjaya Times Square
Address: 1 Jalan Imbi  55100 Kuala Lumpur

许留山!
As usual, night snacks~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 2’s lunch was at Delicious (there’s an outlet in Singapore’s Scotts Square).
Unfortunately, it wasn’t much of what the name suggests.
Address: Bangsar Village II, 2 Jalan Telawi 1  Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to head elsewhere for desserts.
I’d read about this cafe called Antipodean Cafe with rather good reviews, hence gave it a shot.
Address: 20 Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur

Menu on the wall! They are known for their brunch items too.
Lemon Meringue Tart + Sticky Date Pudding. Both SEDAP…….
Bangsar Village is equivalent to our Holland Village, with many cafes/restaurants/bakeries/shop-houses/retail shops.
While exploring the area, we came across this rather cool multi-label boutique called Seethrough.
They carry mainly Asian designers’ stuff, with quite a number of Singapore designers too! (eg. my favorite local label Depression)
Address: 25-1 Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar

Ving bought this skulls-filled punk style pull-over from a Jakarta designer!
It’s a ‘lil too hot for Singapore’s weather though.
I can’t wait to wear it to cooler countries!
Jalan Alor for dinner! Many zi-char stalls for you to choose from.
Rise & shine for Day 3 of the trip!
Lunch was at one of my favorite restaurants in KL. Madam Kwan’s (Pavilion’s outlet)!!!
(This year they opened their very first overseas outlet in Vivo City!)
We actually saw Madam Kwan herself!!! *fangirl mode on*

Address: 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Belachan. Rendang. Assam. *droolsss*
I’ve no idea what I was doing.
(That dessert’s from Madam Kwan’s, though.)
Shopping time!
I love toys/figurines, if you haven’t already noticed from my previous posts.
(Wait a minute. Have I mentioned about it in my previous posts? Ok whatever. I LOVE TOYS/FIGURINES. There… Now you know.)
I ended up getting this big Line plushie for free! Super cute!
(It’s still in its original box, at a corner of my room. Couldn’t bear to dirty it!)
Batman and Superman (in between the 2 adults) patrolling the city.
Getting ready for Justice League already?
(Pardon the super bad resolution.)
KLCC has this toilet which you’ll need to pay RM2 to enter.
Ving checked it out to see what’s so great about it.
Verdict: If that’s for RM2, Ion Orchard’s toilets can charge each human S$2 to enter.
Last dinner in KL at Kampachi!
Address:
We had the honour to try the King of Tea.
It’s so light, it felt like drinking plain water that’s slightly sweeter.
Real smooth down your throat.
This convenience store opposite our hotel sells past issues of magazines at really cheap prices, even when it’s just past a month.
As usual, I couldn’t resist.
Last meal in KL at U-Village HK Cafe! =(
Sky’s on fire.
Till next time!!! Can’t wait for my next overseas trip already!!!
When’s it gonna be???