vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Snack / Dessert
Inexpensive yet satisfying titbits
Kung Lee Sugarcane Juice & Pudding @ SOHO Central, Hong Kong
Apr 25th
When sugarcane is mentioned we usually think of its juice and how great it would be to have an ice cold cuppa to quench that thirst during hot days. But have you heard, seen or even eaten sugarcane pudding in Malaysia? I guess not – which is why we hunted for this unique dessert in our last trip to Hong Kong. Our destination was Kung Lee, a half-decade old shop that has been churning out fresh sugarcane juice, pudding and herbal jelly at Hollywood Road, Central since 1948.
If you ask me, the sugarcane juice here tastes no different compared to those sold by Malaysian hawkers. It has the same grassy flavor, freshly squeezed and contains no additional sugar.
Chatuchak (Jatujak) Weekend Market @ Bangkok
Apr 19th
Among the many places that we visited in Bangkok, Chatuchak (or Jatujak) Weekend Market is one of the few we truly enjoyed, so much that we would not hesitate to return again. It has thousands of stalls selling a wide range of products including cheap and delicious local foods. The atmosphere and setup are very similar to our pasar malam but it is a whole lot bigger, easily ten to twenty times the size of a typical pasar malam. But first, you should know that Chatuchak Weekend Market is only open on Saturdays and Sundays 9am to 6pm just like the name says. So plan your trip accordingly if you wish to include Chatuchak Weekend Market into your list of places to visit.
Not only the vendors are not pushy, you will also be pleased to know that the whole market is a smoking free area! If you have a nice budget for shopping I am pretty sure you will have a good time here. Why? Because even a non-shopper like me who did not allocate any money for the visit bought quite a number of items – mainly artifacts, handicrafts and of course, lots of food and drinks.
There are a few ways to get to Chatuchak Weekend Market and I think the easiest way is by the BTS Sky Train. From any BTS station, board the northern bound train and alight at Mo Chit station. Then, just follow the signs for the market. Look at the crowd and the number of vans ferrying locals and tourists outside the market, it should give you a good idea on how popular it is.
If you don’t feel like walking there are free shuttle tuk tuk services in the market. From what I see, not many people are taking it, most still prefer to walk.
There is also a Chatuchak Plaza within the market where small food courts and shops selling more expensive goods could be found. It is somewhat like a maze and feels stuffy inside due to the roofing (lack of ventilation) Because of that I would suggest going in there only after you are done touring the exterior market.
Traditional Tong Sui Stall @ Glutton Street, Muar
Jan 4th
If you are visiting Muar I am pretty sure you would visit their famous Glutton Street. Although there are quite a number of stalls along the street, most of the food is repetitive since there are multiple stalls selling the same thing. But among all, there is one dessert stall which I find quite unique and their traditional ‘tong sui‘ is worth a try.
I am not sure if they actually rotate their ‘tong sui’ selection but we were offered Tau Suan (Mung Bean dessert), green bean soup, bubur cha-cha and peanut soup on that day. Among all I would say the peanut soup would be the one to try here while the rest are pretty common. We also ordered a bowl of bubur cha-cha and to my delight, it tasted very similar to how my grandmother used to prepare it (with tapioca jelly, not many people would still do this nowadays). One taste and I was automatically transported back to my childhood.
Figaro Coffee Company @ Citta Mall, Ara Damansara
Nov 30th
On the day we went to Presto at Citta Mall, we actually wanted to have our breakfast at Dr.Cafe. But after looking at their limited selection of food (mostly sandwich and cakes) we decided to head to Figaro Coffee Company instead – which happens to be just next door.
Figaro actually hails from Philippines, where it is considered one of the most successful chain of Filipino coffee shops. In fact, from what I read they are established even earlier than Starbucks in Philippines.
There are plenty of coffees to choose from here – taste wise OK but will hardly please the aficionados. We had the Cappuccino (RM12.90) and Butterscotch Vanilla Latte (RM12.90)
