Simply Jang Son

Woke up this morning and found myself having this lump on my left cheek...Just had my lower left wisdom tooth extracted at the dentist yesterday and was given a week's MC ... Woohoo ~ The procedure was traumatic...A few jabs of anaesthetic around the area before cutting the gum open to expose the wisdom tooth, followed by drilling of the tooth into fragments before the poor dentist using all the strength she had to try to dig out the root canal. After half an hour of surgery, the wisdom tooth was finally removed albeit in many pieces before the dentist stitched the wound. Anyway, gonna 'suffer' for the rest of the week and I guess only fluid food allowed and NO seafood for the first few days before I can chew and enjoy my favourite food again. Argh...I miss my Mee Rebus, Fried Chicken etc etc.

Was back from Shanghai on Sunday morning. Oh man, the weather in Shanghai was freezing ! Imagine it was -1 degree celsius when we touched down the night before. Woohoo~ That's my favourite. Oh yes, I did manage to buy some of my 'Must-watch' HK drama series....That should give me enough reasons/excuses to stay in my room during my overseas stay :D That's what I always tell myself but always end up doing other things or heading out :P

Oh yes, did I tell you guys that I made a very last minute decision last weekend to go Penang for a night ? Sound crazy right but I truly enjoyed the trip. Oh man, it's the food that made me go wild ! Here's what I did...

Penang ( 30-01 December )

View out of my Balcony @ Copthorne Orchid Hotel in the northern part of the Island.

Got this hotel room at a very good deal...approx S$ 65 per night, considering that it was a very busy weekend with most hotels being full and that I only booked it the night before. Nice Seaviews and the location wasn't that off. Room wise was decent and spacious :D

Penang is not only a food paradise, it does have numerous famous temples that are worth a visit...

Visit to 2 popular Temples

And so what's my main aim of visiting Penang just for a night..to be precise...it's less than 24 hours ?

The answer lies in....

Penang Delicacy !!!! Chendol, Hokkien Mee ( Prawn Noodles ), Char Kway Teow, Laksa and Curry Mee....Woo...Really nice. No joke. The Chendol was really nice and it was from one of the famous stall which many celebrities have visited. It was so refreshing under the hot and humid weather. The Hokken Mee was spicy and the soup was damn tasty. The Char Kway Teow was one of the best I ever had. The Laksa was different from the ones we have in Singapore...it's more sour and not that spicy. Lastly, the curry mee that I had was not bad. The soup was more like our Singapore style laksa rather than the typical curry we always have. Since I only have a day in Penang, there's still many local food which I have yet to try. Nevertheless, I shall be going JB soon with LL for our food hunting adventures :D

Adelaide ( 21-23 November )

After almost a year, I finally got the chance to visit Adelaide again. Though there aren't much things to see and do in Adelaide city itself, there's one place where I would visit for sure....

Central Market

'Market-ing' @ Central Market

What Central Market offers...Fresh Fruits & Vegetables, Dried fruits, Coffee & Tea, Chocolates, Australian specialties such as Nougats, Plants, Freshly baked pastries and bread, dips etc etc etc. What's best is that...they are all very affordable and fresh !

Only bought for myself some titbits from the market while the 2 girls bought lots of fruits and mushrooms to be brought back to Singapore. After about a 2-hour 'market-ing', our stomachs couldn't take it anymore and we had a sumptuous and hearty breakfast at this cafe in Central Market...

Scrambled Eggs with Bacon and Toast, A hot and crispy ham & cheese croissant coupled with a mug of hot thick Chocolate....Woo....What more can one ask for !!!

Chinatown @ Adelaide

Auckland ( 15-18 November )

Guess what....I went to Auckland again...3rd time within 2 months :D

And...I think I am falling in love with Auckland !!!

Be frank, the City itself or rather the downtown area where I usually frequent is really boring and dead. What made me fall in love with her is the food Auckland can offer. Yea, it's food that make Jang Son so hyperactive :P

The Mussels @ The Occidental are one of the best I ever had. Most importantly, I love the Thai food in Auckland...they are simply so nice and delicious. I wouldn't mind having Thai Food every single meal :D

The view from Devonport ... Auckland Skyline

This time in Auckland, I managed to visit an island off the shores....Devonport. Thanks to Ed who brought me there.

On our way to Devonport...

The journey took about 20 minutes and a return adult tickets cost about S$9.

Some interesting landmarks in Devonport

While exploring the area near the ferry terminal, we came across this Bed & Breakfast Inn which was very unique and beautiful...it has a real beautiful garden blooming with different types and colours of flowers.

Peace & Plenty Bed & Breakfast ... A very nice and cozy place to spend a night in.

Other interesting things that we came across while walking around the island.

Taipei ( 30 - 01 November )

The thing I like about Taipei is its friendly people and its delicious food. A visit to Taipei will be incomplete if you fail to patronise its famous night markets. As I had a 2 nights stay this time round, I managed to visit 2 night markets ... Shilin & Yong He :D

Enjoying our Shabu Shabu in the heart of Ximending...The slices of beef was so fresh and delicious. Nice Nice Nice.

Our Night Market snacks...

The fried assorted mushrooms which PE bought was really tasty. The moment I tried one, I was hooked !!! We went to this famous stall in Shilin which specialise in 'Cho Beng' aka Snow Ice shavings....Woooooooo......it simply melts in your mouth :P The Chow Tofu (fermented beancurd) was really crispy on the outside and soft on the inside...Nice. One of the best I had was the 'Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang' which I bought it from a stall in Yong He...I vowed I will have it again on my next visit. Oh ya, the dessert chain stall which specialises in Yam balls and Grass jelly is a must try in Taipei :P

A Glimpse of Yong He Night Market

In my opinion, this is one of the better night market and definitely worth a visit.

Seoul & San Francisco ( 07 - 14 November )

The Beautiful view out of my hotel room windows in Seoul.... Autumn Time

Saba Fish Dinner @ Namdaemun.

Not forgetting the popular Chicken Stew @ Myeungdong ... Look @ everyone's expressions while tucking in... Yes... It's that nice !

Shopping in Myeongdong

Joanne introduced to us this makeshift stall @ Myeongdong which sell Grilled Chicken Stick...Hey its unique and nice lol. Many told me that the KFC's fried chicken in Seoul taste much better than in Singapore...so I had my share and hmmm it did taste better alas much crispier. :D

Finally after a day out @ Myeongdong... we decided to go ...

O'Sulloc for our Green Tea Desserts !!! Nice Ambience and Good selection of Tea and Desserts. A must visit though a little expensive.

Thanks to Estelle who brought us to this Dim Sum Restaurant @ San Francisco Chinatown

Actually the Dim Sum was quite delicious considering you are in the USA and what I like most was that they are still pushing those dim sum carts just like the old days ... very nostalgic eh :D Something rare these days.