St.Regis , Tianjin, China

I recently went to Tianjin for a weekend staycation. I highly recommend this hotel – great location, good service, and view.

Guests are given a complimentary drink (tea or coffee) for each day of their stay. I ordered a cheesecake to go with my coffee and relaxed on the chaise lounge. 🙂

The breakfast buffet at the Promenade had a good spread of Western and Asian dishes. There is a terrace where you can enjoy alfresco dining. One of the two German waiters was super friendly. He made an effort to ensure that everything went well. He made my breakfast experience an enjoyable and memorable one.

The St.Regis bar offers a wide selection of cocktails. The cocktails were good. There are cozy couches on the terrace, where you can enjoy your drink with the view of the river. SPG members get 1 complimentary drink. Do ask what the complimentary drinks are as it is not stated on the drink menu.

Malaysia Boleh – Singapore

On my recent trip to Singapore, I was craving for some Cendol, and someone suggested this Malaysian restaurant, located on the 2nd floor of the Jurong Point shopping center. I thought it would be a sit-down order kind of place, but much to my surprise, one had to queue up and order from “hawker stalls”, like you would if you were in Malaysia – creative concept.

I was overwhelmed by choices. Prawn noodle is one of my favorite dishes, so I decided to order one. It was decent, but hailing from Malaysia, there are better ones back home.

Ahh … nothing like a bowl of cendol on a hot day. In terms of flavor, it wasn’t up to my standard.However, it did satisfy the cendol craving I had. What I did like about it was the shaved ice. It wasn’t coarse but felt like eating fluffy snowflakes.

The Banana Leaf Apolo – Little India, Singapore

I visited Little India when I was in Singapore 2 weeks ago. I didn’t explore the place, I was just there for Indian food. 🙂 . The restaurant I found through google search, which had relatively good reviews, was The Banana Leaf Apolo. I was skeptical at first to go in, but when I saw two foreigners enter, I followed along. I think this restaurant has two entrances. The entrance I found is in an alleyway.

I am a big fan of banana leaf. I ordered the banana leaf biryani rice set lunch. It came with 2 vegetables, chicken masala, chicken curry sauce, and papadum – It cost about 10 SGD. The food was decent, the restaurant was really clean, but the service was a little slow.I wouldn’t exactly recommend this place, as it is little India, I am sure there are better options.

The Brasserie Flo, Beijing

The Brasserie Flo is a quaint restaurant with a beautiful courtyard and a bar area. The setting reminiscent of 19th century Paris. I love the warmth of the vintage wooden interior and chandeliers. I have driven past this restaurant many times and have been wanting to dine there. Finally, I did! I went with a friend two days ago to try out their business lunch special. The business lunch special comes in three price groups (RMB 148, RMB 188, RMB 198). We chose the RMB 188 lunch special which includes an entrée, a main course (Chef specialty), a dessert and tea or coffee.

We were served two amuse-bouche and a bread basket with their own made butter. I am not quite sure what the green one was, but the mini bruschetta was bursting with flavor! The flavor was amazing! The tuna was good and fresh, and the bread was crusty on the outside, warm and soft on the inside.

For the entrée, I had the salade de foie gras “Rougie” (“Rougie” foie gras with fig, Granny Smith apple salad, and crispy fig brioche). The salad greens were very fresh, and the foie gras was rich and flavorful. These two combined had a certain je ne sais quoi to it.

Next, I had the crépinette de porc Rossini, purée, sauce périgourdine (“Le Pont de l’Ouysse” truffle and pork crépinette with seared foie gras, mashed potato, périgourdine sauce. On the menu, it stated that this was a Michelin star dish. If this was indeed a Michelin star dish, then I was somewhat disappointed. It didn’t blow me away. The overall taste was nothing exceptional.

For dessert, it was the Crème brûlée and red velvet cake. The Crème brûlée was fantastic. Very creamy! The red velvet cake … let’s just say, I have had better ones.

At the end of our meal, we were given a complimentary basket of Madeleines and a box canelés. The canelés were gorgeous!

Overall, I enjoyed my dining experience at the Flo profoundly. Each dish had an aesthetic appeal, and the waiters were friendly and attentive.

PHONE: +86 (010) 65 95 51 35

FAX: +86 (010) 65 95 51 40

HOURS:

Lunch :Sunday – Monday : 11:00 – 15:00

Dinner:Sunday – Monday : 17:30 – 23:00

http://www.flo.cn/brasserie/

The Lounge at the China World Summit Hotel

It was a polluted day, and I didn’t feel like staying at home. So my friend and I decided to chill at the China World Summit Wing hotel lounge, perched up on the 80th floor of Beijing’s tallest building. I know it’s not the best of days to be up so high, seeing that the view would just be smog.

We went to the lounge after dinner. It was dimly lit, with lounge jazz music playing in the background. The lounge attracts mostly foreigners, couples, and rich Chinese second generations. One can dine at The Lounge, or select from the array of beverages offered.

I ordered a peppermint tea, and my friend ordered some kind of South African red tea.

Other than chilling, we also brought along our work. After working for some period of time, we felt like having dessert. I ordered a chocolate mousse with raspberry jelly and my friend the Tiramisu. The fudge cake was rich but not too sweet. The texture was somewhat dry. The Tiramisu came in a cup made of white chocolate. It was 90 percent cream and hardly any cake. The cream was good quality, and the taste was decent.

The Park Hyatt Lounge, Beijing

The Park Hyatt Lounge is perched up on the 63rd floor of the Yintai building, situated right across the street from the China World trade center. On a good day, you get a breathtaking 360-degree panoramic view of the city. The lounge offers a serene environment with lounge jazz music playing in the background, creating a relaxing atmosphere, perfect for meetings or just to chill. I love coming here to read or to do work because of the environment and that the noise level is relatively low. The staff here are friendly and professional. The lounge mostly attracts couples and business clientele.

I ordered a Cappuccino. It came with a bite-size lemon coffee cake. The coffee was decent, light and smooth. The cake was moist and mouth watering. I also ordered a black forest. It was different from all the other black forest cakes I’ve had. It tasted more like a chocolate mousse cake. There was only a thin slice of cake in the middle, and the rest was cream. The cream was velvety and not too sweet. My friend ordered a cheesecake topped with blueberry cream. The blueberries were fresh, and the cake was smooth and rich.

The Park Hyatt never disappoints!

Reservations
Tel: +86 10 85671838/1840
E-mail: dining.park.beijing@hyatt.com

Niajo, Beijing

Niajo is a little authentic Spanish restaurant tucked away on the 3rd floor of Nali Patio (A Mediterranean-style courtyard mall). This is my favorite place to come for Spanish food. The place is dimly lit with a window view on one side of the restaurant with an elegant and sophisticated ambiance. Great place to bring a date.

The manager is a Filipino, he was very welcoming and friendly. On special occasions such as birthdays, they will give a complimentary drink.

Ensalada queso cremoso, frutos rojos, berenjena, pepino, tomates, y aceitunas

The goat cheese salad with forest berries and eggplant was interesting. I’ve never been fond of any kind of fruit dressing, but this one turned out to be very flavorful. It had the right amount of dressing, so it wasn’t too sweet and overwhelming. It went well with the goat cheese and lettuce.

Croquetas de jamon iberico de bellota y pollo

The croquettes are one of my favorite dishes and a must-try. I ordered the chicken and ham croquettes. They were crispy on the outside and deliciously creamy on the inside. Taste like a crispy, creamy chicken pie. Love it!

Paella Valencia

The chicken paella was mouth watering. The portion was perfect for two. The chicken was tender, and the beans were well cooked. The first time I had their paella, it came with some kind of garlic cream which went fantastic with the rice dish. But this time there wasn’t. It was still good nonetheless.

If you are looking for an authentic Spanish gastronomy experience in Beijing, this is the place to be!

3rd Floor Nali Huayuan (Nali Patio)
81 Sanlitun Bei Lu, Chaoyang District
Beijing, China
北京市朝阳区三里屯北路81号
那里花园三层邮编100027

niajo@niajo.com | +86 010 5208 6052

Punjabi Indian cuisine, Beijing

The Punjabi Indian restaurant serves up Indian-Pakistani cuisine. This cozy venue serves up great Indian classics such as Paneer Saag and Murgh Makhani. The restaurant is furnished with South-Asian ornaments and Indian paintings. When you enter the restaurant, there is a strong aroma of spices and incense. There are four window booths decorated with Indian fabrics. This is my go-to place for Indian food and it might just be the best in Beijing.
I am from Malaysia, and Indian food is one of the major cuisines there. Having been exposed to Indian food at a very young age, I have come to love it. Some dishes remind me of home. They have a comprehensive menu which makes it hard to decide what to order. Nonetheless, the food here is awesome!

Plain Dosa

One of my favorite Indian dish. Indian crepe served with coconut chutney and curry. Lovely!

Paneer Saag (Spinach Cottage Cheese)

I have never been a fan of this dish, but it is a refreshing dish from all the curry dishes.

Butter Chicken and Garlic Naan

One can’t go wrong with butter chicken and naan – the pair goes well together.

Malai Tikka (creamed marinated chicken Tikka)

served with 3 different dips – jam-like sauce, bbq sauce, and a green minty sauce. It went very well with the green mint sauce. The chicken itself is a little bland.

Mixed vegetable curry

This curry was very flavorful, great for vegetarians.

Mushroom Masala

If you are a fan of button mushrooms, then this is the dish to get!

Gosht Kadhai

A very savory lamb curry.

Mutton Biryani

This rice dish is delicious! The mutton is tender and flavorful. It’s good on its own or with curry.

Malaysian hawker cuisine

Malaysia is a place of culinary diversity, with Chinese, Indian and Malay influences.

I went back to Malaysia two weeks ago to celebrate Chinese New Year with my family. My dad is from Kuala Lumpur, and my mom is from Kuching, Sarawak.

I thought I share snapshots of a few traditional Malaysian foods I had.

KLCC Park, Kuala Lumpur

Prawn Mee

Prawn Mee is egg and rice noodles in a savory shrimp stock accompanied with usually sliced hard-boiled egg, chicken shreds, prawns, bean sprouts, fried shallots, and sambal.

Char Kuey Teow

Char kuey teow ( Char = fried, kuey teow = rice noodles) is one of Malaysia’s top dishes. It is rice noodles fried with pork lard, dark and light soy sauce, chili, often de-shelled cockles, bean sprouts, Chinese chives, prawns, and egg.
It is a must-try!

Curry Laksa

Curry laksa is a coconut-based curry served with a choice of egg noodles, rice vermicelli, or both. The one I ordered had bean curd puffs, fish balls, bean sprouts garnished with mint leaves, served with a side of sambal chili sauce.

Kuching (snapshot was taken from my hotel)

Chinese style chicken curry

One can’t be in Malaysia and not try chicken curry. There are many varieties of chicken curry: Malay, Indian, Nyonya, and Chinese. Chicken curry paired with rice is heavenly!

Ice Kacang

This is one of my favorite Malaysian desserts. It tastes way better than it looks. It is shaved ice drizzled with creamed corn, evaporated milk, condensed milk, gula Melaka (palm sugar), and red rose syrup. Underneath, you’ll find grass jelly, red beans, nata de coco, cendol, peanuts, and sometimes colored jelly and sea coconut. There are many variations now in terms of the ingredients. But I prefer the original flavor.
The ice kacang shown in the picture is the Kuching style ice kacang. It does not have as many ingredients as the one we get in Kuala Lumpur. But all in all, still good.

Nothing beats having ice kacang during a hot day in Malaysia.

There is an endless list of amazing hawker food. Unfortunately, these are the only snapshots I took during my trip. If you do travel to Malaysia, be sure to try these mouth-watering dishes. 🙂