Restoran Ho Poh @ Puchong, Selangor

It's been a long long while since we blogged! Due to work and personal commitments, we have been spending our no-life lives for almost 1 year. Here we are, sharing our latest visit to Restoran Ho Poh in Puchong. Hopefully, we will have more posts coming up in the near future!

Taipei - 8 Days 7 Nights

Taipei City, the capital of Taiwan, is well known for its exciting nightlife, interesting history and scrumptious foodstuffs. From spectacular sceneries to friendly people, this city has given us the best 8 Days and 7 Nights we had. We planned for this trip since 6 months ago, and it turned out that this highly-anticipated trip was beyond our expectation. We fell in love with this place instantly.

Grandmom Desserts @ Seri Kembangan, Selangor

Not sure whether do you remember or not, before the rise of contemporary cafes and bubble milk tea stalls, 'Yu Yuan' or Yam Ball dessert was the hype of all gatherings, meet-ups, must-trys etc. We had a few 'big brands' that sold this Taiwanese dessert, made up of ice, yam balls, red beans (or green beans), grass jelly etc. It is cooling and filling at the same time, thus was the most 'trendy' foodstuff before.

Kedai Makanan Tepi Sungai @ Taiping, Perak

Prior to our trip, we came across some online articles about having seafood in Taiping, and apparently Kuala Sepetang (formerly known as Port Weld) is quite famous for its fishermen village and its seafood. The drive from Taiping town center to Kuala Sepetang took us about 45 minutes, as we passed by the charcoal factory and oil plantations along the way. If you have been to Pulau Ketam or Tanjung Sepat, Kuala Sepetang is more or less similar to them.





Once we got down from our car, the smell of fishes and the water accompanied by the breeze gave us a warm welcome to the village. The restaurant was pretty hard to find as it was away from the main road. Also, there were so many restaurants with the identical name, Restoran Tepi Sungai / Restoran Kuala Sepetang. We ended up calling the owner, and he was kind enough to lead us the way there.

Sentosa Villa @ Taiping, Perak

This is our first post on hotels we have stayed.

Taiping - 2 Days 1 Night

Taiping, situated in between Ipoh and Penang, is the city which has the most rainfall in Malaysia. If you are looking for a relaxing trip with a sense of nature and tranquility, Taiping is the place where you should be. It is easily accessible via the North-South Highway.

Day 1
- Depart from Kuala Lumpur (KL) around 12pm.
- Arrived Taiping around 3.00pm, via the North-South Highway.
- Checked in at Sentosa Villa.
- It was raining heavily, stayed in hotel and took a stroll around hotel's facilities.
- Wanted to eat the Ansari Cendol but it was closing.
- Went to Restoran Port Weld (aka Restoran Tepi Sungai) to have dinner.
- Adventure at Night Safari Taiping.

Day 2
- Went to Restoran Air Kacang for light breakfast.
- Went to Larut Matang Food Court for brunch.
- Visited Taiping Museum.
- Depart back to Kuala Lumpur (KL).

Naan Corner @ Ampang, KL

Being in this multicultural country, we are lucky as we have more than 10 food genres to choose from everyday. If you are a fan of Naan and Tandoori, Naan Corner is definitely where you should be! This stall has more than 30 years of experience in Ampang, beside SPCA. Since our parents' generation, they had been offering authentic Naan and Taandoori, as well as other dishes such as Nasi Kukus, Mee Rebus and others. If you have an international friend who wishes to try Malaysian Indian-Muslim cuisine, this is definitely where you should bring them.

ButterUp @ Seri Kembangan, Selangor

Recently the trend of morning coffee / brunch is rising among us in KL, and we are pretty sure that you definitely have heard of Acme Bar & Coffee, Tous Le Jours, Butter & Beans etc etc. Quite a lot of them are located quite far away from Bukit Jalil / Seri Petaling; thus we may have to get up early and travel all the way to KL for a breakfast / brunch. However, who does not want to have more sleep in the weekends?

Following our discovery of ButterUp in Serdang, it meant heaven for us as it is very nearby for people who come from Bukit Jalil, Seri Petaling or even Seri Kembangan itself. Located within some traditional Chinese coffee shops, this cafe / bakery is not easy to discover if you are not attracted by the exterior design of the building. Hidden pearl among the shells, and we found it!

Restaurant Carbon Brasa (炭世界) @ Puchong, Selangor

This restaurant is located opposite IOI Mall within the IOI Boulevard area. Due to lack of parking space in the area, it took us quite some time to finally decide on visiting this restaurant. From outside, it is not hard to see that the restaurant's decoration is based on a vintage theme.

The signboard

Ye Olde Smokehouse @ Cameron Highlands, Pahang

We have always been a fan of awesome European architecture. One day, we would love to travel to European countries like England, Scotland, Rome, Italy etc etc to admire and to be amazed by one of the most unique architecture in the world. However, based on our current budget, we only afford to pay a visit to Ye Olde Smokehouse during our Cameron Trip. One day, we shall afford to travel to Europe! Definitely.

KC Kwang & Sons Grape & Tomato Farm @ Cameron Highlands, Pahang

Almost every one who visits Cameron Highlands will definitely pay a visit to the strawberry farm, tea plantations, flower parks and so on. However, not many of us know that Cameron Highlands also produces grapes and has grape farms. In our 3D2N trip to Cameron Highlands (view the itinerary here), we visited the KC Kwang & Sons Grape & Tomato Farm, which was located nearby the Blue Valley, and is accessible through the Simpang Pulai exit. 

Rose Valley @ Cameron Highlands, Pahang

Yet another landmark in Cameron Highlands. On the way up to Brinchang from the Simpang Pulai road, the Rose Valley can be easily seen on the left hand side of the road. The valley is renowned for its huge collection of roses, which can be seen around the entire valley. We really admire the patience of the owner of the valley, as we can see that a lot of effort has been put in to take care of all the roses around.

Hardworking bee ~

Ee Feng Gu Bee Farm @ Cameron Highlands, Pahang

Over the years, Ee Feng Gu Bee Farm had been recognised as one of the landmarks in Cameron Highlands. Many people, including us, visited the farm on purpose, to purchase their 100% natural honey as souvenirs. Looking for some time to spend before visiting the Brinchang Night Market on our Cameron Highlands trip, we eventually stepped into the bee farm on an educational path, to understand where does honey come from.

Kea Farm @ Cameron Highlands, Pahang

Our last day in Cameron Highlands trip started with a visit to Kea Farm. It was actually a morning market (Pasar Pagi), which sells local agricultural products. The location was not far from our hotel, Copthorne Hotel. Parking is scarce at that area, so happened that we went there on a Monday morning so the traffic was not that bad. Would like to advise those who are staying at Copthorne Hotel to walk to the market area, instead of driving. It should be within 10 minutes of walking distance. While enjoying the cool breeze, you don't need to worry about parking. Why not? =)

Laviino Cafe & Blueberry Earthouse @ Cameron Highlands, Pahang

Along the way up to the BOH Sungai Palas Tea Plantation & Tea Centre, another attraction awaits. On the left side of the road, there is a steep entrance to the Blueberry Earthouse. The specialty of this attraction, is that, the building is designed like a Stone Age building, internally and externally. Matching the concept of an "Earth" house.

Sungai Palas BOH Tea Plantation @ Cameron Highlands, Pahang

The Sungai Palas BOH Tea Plantation is one of the signature destinations that one must go to during the visit to Cameron Highlands. Many of us, Malaysians, grew up drinking Teh Tarik (Milk Tea) and this is where our aromatic tea drinks come from. The view was breathtaking, and we got to enjoy the authentic Teh Tarik at the Tea House as well.

Kwan Kee Charcoal Steamboat @ Cameron Highlands, Pahang

The second dinner of our Cameron Highlands trip was a visit to Kwan Kee Charcoal Steamboat. The Brinchang Night Market was not open (that day was a Sunday night); so we had ample parking spaces to choose from. Brinchang town was peaceful and less crowded, so we got to enjoy the cool breeze and relaxing atmosphere in the town.

Kwan Kee Restaurant is not difficult to spot, as it is on the main street in Brinchang town, where all the steamboat restaurants and shops were located. There were a few selections, all of them provided charcoal steamboat, a specialty of Cameron Highlands, but we eventually chose Kwan Kee, since it was the most crowded one (typical KL looking-for-food style). Other than charcoal steamboat, the restaurant also caters for stirred fried noodles and typical chinese meals with many dishes to choose from. They even sell venison dishes. Poor deer. Look for the restaurant with many Chinese words sticking around the walls, then you will be in the right place.

Brinchang Night Market (Pasar Malam) @ Cameron Highlands, Pahang

At Cameron Highlands, you can hardly find nightlife activities as there were no major shopping malls, cinema or pubs around. One of the activities that can kill your boredom, city bugs, is the Night Market, or called 'Pasar Malam' in Bahasa Malaysia. Almost every one who comes to Cameron Highlands will definitely pay a visit to this place, and we thought we should too! The major difference between the Brinchang Night Market and the KL Night Market is, of course, the heat and the temperature! In KL, at the end of your Pasar Malam shopping, you will be covered with sweat and smell which are totally unbearable. In Brinchang, occasional cool breezes attacked us down the spine. We ended our Pasar Malam visit with zero sweat and jackets on.

Watercress Valley @ Cameron Highlands, Pahang

Cameron Highlands, as usual, well known for its plantations and farms and agriculture activities, has a lot of farms and valleys and gardens for us to visit to. One of the unique ones would be the Watercress Valley (西洋菜谷), which we visited on the first day of our visit. It can be easily spotted if you are travelling from Brinchang to Boh Tea Plantation / Lavender Garden, as you will see it on the right hand side. It is also nearby the Ee Feng Gu Bee Farm.

The main entrance signage

Lavender Garden @ Cameron Highlands, Pahang

Lavender Garden, we suppose, is quite a new attraction, which was constructed in these few years. Both of us could not recall seeing this when we traveled to Cameron Highlands few years ago. It is situated quite far away from the main attractions and cities - Tanah Rata and Brinchang. When you drive towards the Simpang Pulai end of the mountain, you will see Kampung Raja. Continue driving, 2km before the attraction there will be a signboard to assure you that you are on the right track. Parking is scarce at this attraction, as you may have to park further down the road if you visit during peak seasons.

Decoration at the main entrance