With the rainy season upon us, it would take a compelling reason to get out of bed (or a warm, dry office) to go look for breakfast fare. That’s exactly what your happyfoodies did, visiting the walled city of Intramuros on a rainy weekday morning maybe not much out of curiosity to ogle at the historic sites but more out of a compulsion to try something beside the usual fastfood variety breakfast.
Malaysian food is as rich as its history. In between our exploration of the heritage sites in Malacca, we got a chance to experience Peranakan Cuisine where it originated — Malacca. Recipes dating as far back as the 15th century still exist, evolving to what is now known as Nyonya Cuisine. In a restaurant tucked beside the hidden side street of Taman Melaka Raya, we found Seroni Nyonya Cuisine Restaurant. The establishment is owned by one of the last descendants of the Baba-Nyonya family, so we’re expecting to taste authentic Nyonya Cuisine.
One of the perks of eating out of town is the chance to taste unpretentious food. Not to say we’re jaded by city food but there are times when one would just like to sit down to no-frills fare. So when your happyfoodies went to Virac in Catanduanes, we had to ask the locals where they’d prefer to eat out. One place that keeps popping up is Sea Breeze Restaurant. That it’s mentioned in Jens Peters’ Philippine Guide only whetted our appetite to give it a try.
When in Malaysia, mention Chicken Rice and locals would definitely say Nam Heong as it’s equivalent. It’s an institution known for cooking Chicken rice using age-ol recipe spanning more than 70 years since the establishment started. Now there are a number of franchises in Kuala Lumpur but have they consistently serve the same quality? We trooped to one of their branches in Sungai Wang Mall to try out their famous Chicken Rice as well as some of their other offerings.
The constant rain and the cool weather these days made me yearn for a hot broth of soup to warm my taste buds. And fresh from my recent trip to Malaysia, one dish whose taste still lingers is the Bak Kut Teh (Pork Bone Tea Soup). Originally used as a therapeutic soup introduced by the Chinese, it has become a popular Malaysian dish. I first tasted the Bak Kuh Teh in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia, and here our guide Marie whose also a self confessed foodie led us to Sun Fong Restaurant, one of the famous Bak Kut Teh restauarant in Kuala Lumpur bringing in the Klang goodness in the city.
Imagine a restaurant with only one item in the menu. Hmmm, we even forgot if there was a menu at all. There is such a place – it’s Cha Ca La Vong and it’s in Hanoi. At a time when most eating establishments adopt “the more, the merrier” approach when it comes to food offerings, this restaurant in the Old Quarters of Hanoi takes simplicity to the other extreme. Who would argue with this formula when it’s over a hundred years old? That this institution is listed among the must-visit places in Vietnam gives us an incentive to try and see what’s the fuss is all about.
