Bangkok: Gaggan

So when I told J that I was going to Bangkok, she told that I had to eat at Gaggan and my first reaction was, “Indian food? But I’m going to Thailand!” Nevertheless, she was convinced that I should try and get a reservation and if successful, I would not regret the experience. I was skeptical, and even more so since I already had a reservation at Le Du. So when I actually managed to get a late 9pm reservation at Gaggan, my immediate thought was “crap, how am I going to eat 25 courses at 9pm at night?”. J was nonplussed and just told me to “go for it.” 

Taipei: Choose me Cafe & Meals

One of my favourite features of Taiwan is the number of themed cafes that keep popping up all over the city. Each cafe strives to be different from the other, and in some way, most manage to create a distinctive feature of their own. During my latest trip to Taipei, I was really eager to visit Choose me Cafe which was rather famous for their “cartoon” cakes.

Taipei: Yong Kang Beef Noodle

If Singaporeans argue over where is the better chicken rice, I suppose Taiwanese would beg to differ with each other on whether is the better beef noodles.

Yes, we actually some a glimpse of this conversation where our Taipei based friends insisted that Yong Kang was the place to eat beef noodles. So this is a eating trip right (culture totally took a back seat here), so after our first xiao long bao lunch, we actually headed to Yong Kang beef noodles for our second lunch. 

Taipei: 红翻天生猛海鲜Hong Fan Tian Live Seafood

This was a restaurant located really near our hotel which our friends brought us to for dinner. Feels like one of those fresh seafood places we see around in Singapore, where you select which seafood you like and they cook it on the spot. Of course, the freshness is likely to be better and as we found out, the prices were very very decent as well. We rushed here (kinda) after a day of taking photos around the CKS Memorial Hall, including this rather funny shot below:

Taipei: 盛園絲瓜小籠湯包 Sheng Yuan Si Gua Xiao Long Bao

I’m so glad that when S and J brought us to eat xiao long bao, they did not bring us to din tai fung, but to another XLB place, which they said was just as good and one of their favourite places. We have din tai fung in Singapore, so I did not really fancy visiting it again, even though the flagship Taiwanese branch is super famous.

Taipei: Mume

There are Michelin star restaurants and then there is the Asia 50 Best Restaurant List. Some restaurants make it to both, if there is a Michelin guide for their country, but in others where Michelin has yet to officially issue a guidebook, the Asia 50 Best Restaurant List is another alternative when looking for fine dining options in a particular country.

London: Marcus

This is the twelfth post in the overseas trip series to Iceland and London

So, the last Michelin experience I had in London, after Dinner by Heston and Pollen Street Social was at Marcus, the day before I was scheduled to fly out of London. Perhaps I was feeling a little weary (I had been on the road for close to three weeks already and I was feeling quite ready to fly back home), so instead of opting for the tasting course menu, I settled for having the set lunch menu instead.

Hanoi: Xôi Yến

This is the third post in an overseas trip to Hanoi, Vietnam.

So when I first knew that I was going to Hanoi, my first reaction was to ask one of my Vietnamese friends where to go eat in Hanoi. She gave me a few recommendations, but one that stood out and that I managed to try (in my very short time there) was Xôi Yến, a sticky rice restaurant. 

Hanoi: Banh Mì 25

This is the second post in an overseas trip to Hanoi, Vietnam.

My last day in Hanoi, I had an early afternoon flight so it meant that we would be checking out early in the morning. Rather than stay in for the hotel breakfast, I decided to take a trip to the Old Quarter for some banh mi. I had heard a lot about Banh Mi 25 so I already had a place in mind. 

Hanoi: Bun Cha Nem Cua Be Dac Kim

This is the first post in an overseas trip to Hanoi, Vietnam.

My first trip to Hanoi was over 5 years ago. It was like a trip of firsts. First trip since I found my job, first time to Indochina, first time I got scammed (yes and right when I landed in Hanoi, got scammed by the taxi driver to pay an “additional” toll of USD17).

That said, Hanoi was also where I started my backpacking trips around Asia and where I met many friends whom I still keep in contact with. More on that later.