Local Fare in Bali (Ubud & Seminyak/Kuta/Legian)

I also came across Kafe Batan Waru since starting this thread (they have branches in Ubud and Seminyak), so thanks for adding more weight to that, and also for suggesting dishes else I have never heard of to try :)

I hadn't heard of Warung Enak and Warung D'Sawah, so have added them to the list too, thanks.

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Local Fare in Bali (Ubud & Seminyak/Kuta/Legian)

Interesting, I'd never heard of that. Seems I have a lot of reading up to do on Indonesian food so I know what to look out for :D

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Local Fare in Bali (Ubud & Seminyak/Kuta/Legian)

Thanks for the tips :)

Is this the place?: http://www.bikubali.com

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Local Fare in Bali (Ubud & Seminyak/Kuta/Legian)

My wife and I will be staying in Ubud for 5 nights, and Seminyak for 8, and while I've found a few recommendations for Ubud, I'm really struggling to find any for good Indonesian/Balinese food in the Seminyak/Legian/Kuta area :(

Here's what I've got for Ubud so far:

Bebek Bengil (for duck), Gula Bali, Murni's Warung, Ibu Oka (for babi guling)

As I mentioned, I'm looking for Indonesian/Balinese food, and have no interest whatsoever in eating anything western while away. I've not issue with eating street food either.

Any tips for Ubud or the general Seminyak area would be much appreciated!

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Singapore Food Trail @ Singapore Flyer

I was hoping to get the chow hound opinion on the Singapore Food Trail hawker centre:

http://www.singaporefoodtrail.com.sg

We've been to Singapore a few times, but haven't yet been on the Flyer, so thought we'd give it a go on the night we arrive in Singapore on the way back from Bali. The Singapore Food Trail is at the base of the Flyer, and given we'll want something close by, it seems interesting.

I guess given its location it's going to be a bit touristy and pricey, but I was wondering what the food was actually like, and if there were any specific recommendations?

Note that I do plan for us to also visitiing one or more 'real' hawker centres during our few days in Singapore :D

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Kathmandu Recommendations

Sorry, I always have good intentions to follow up with my results, but often end up forgetting and/or not taking notes at the time :}

We had a Thali lunch in a a Tibetan restaurant and a Nepali outside Boudhanath Stupa, both of which were very good, much better than expected for the location... though I'm afraid I don't remember the names :( I think there were only a few advertising themselves ass 'Tibetan' or 'Nepalese' though. It seems that most restaurants cater to the pizza/pasta crowd, so you can probably find them. The TIbetan one was on the intersection of a road leading to/from the stupa. Both had a balcony or 2nd floor seating area with good views of the stupa... sorry, not much to go on, but I reckon it'll be more obvious from there ;)

Thakali Bhanchha, a Nepalese place on the 2nd floor of a building in Thamel, was really very good (and really cheap!). Despite it's location in the heart of Thamel, it was 50/50 locals and tourists. I recall none of the roads had names, and Thamel is a bit of a maze, but if you Google it you can probably find out where it is.

We also went to the Yangling Tibetan restaurant, which was very good too. Somewhere in Thamel :)

Another place in Thamel was called, I think, Yak & Yeti, where we had the best buffalo momos of the trip :)

My advice is to gather the names of likely places (including those above), just go wandering in Thamel, and use your list as a guide (that's what we did). It really is labyrinthine, so that's probably your best bet :D

GordonS in India & South Asia

Kathmandu Recommendations

We did stay at the Hyatt Regency, although we didn't eat there.

Very nice hotel. It's right next door to the Boudhanath Stupa, which does mean it's a short drive away from Thamel - though that wasn't an issue, as the hotel puts on free transport to Thamel, and taxis are plentiful for the return trip.

GordonS in India & South Asia

Kathmandu Recommendations

I'm not American, thought I have sampled Indian food in the USA, and found it varied from average to appalling :) Having said that, in a country the size of America, I'm sure it must be possible to find good Indian food!

I've spent quite a bit of time in India, so am quite familiar with Indian food, and would be after Nepalese and Tibetan during my time in Kathmandu.

Thanks for the tips, it gives me something to go on :)

GordonS in India & South Asia

Kathmandu Recommendations

Nobody? :(

GordonS in India & South Asia

Kathmandu Recommendations

I'm going to be in Kathmandu for 7 nights in December, and have hit a bit of a brick wall looking for restaurant recommendations :(

I came across one post on Chowhound, but that was pretty much it.

I know next to nothing about Nepalese cuisine, but know that's what I want to eat while in Kathmandu - so any information on Nepalese cuisine in general would also be useful. In terms of price/style, I'm interested in anything from hole in the wall to fine-dining.

Any help would be much appreciated :D

GordonS in India & South Asia

Kuala Lumpur - Best Fish Congee in KL ... or Malaysia?

I tried Hon Kee's 'shredded chicken' congee with you tiao at Lot 10 a couple of weeks ago... and I really wasn't impressed.

Despite being topped with a generous portion of 'chicken', I got congee made with a fish stock... and I don't like fish...so that would explain why I didn't like it very much :D

But aside from that, the 'chicken' was decidely unpleasant - it was more like string... _actual_ string. Tasteless, and no matter how long you chewed it for, it still had the texture of string in my mouth... blech!

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Singapore - The Revamped Hong Lim Food Centre

That's the route I took on the day it was closed for a 'wash day' :)

I'll save a link to those directions though, since I will almost certainly forget them before June :)

Thanks!

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Kuala Lumpur - Ho Weng Kee wanton noodles at Hutong

So after a visit to Duck King for roast duck noodles (also in Hutong food court), I decided I still had room for some crispy wantons.

I couldn't complain about these bad-boys being lukewarm - straight out of the frier and onto my plate :) Somehow the wrappers had a sort of smokiness about them - whether by witchcraft, voodoo, or just the art of cooking them to within that magical, narrow window that teeters just seconds away from burning, I don't know - but the wrappers really were exceptional.

My only gripe was that there was only a pea-sized drop of pork filling in each one, barely enought to taste - but honestly, I don't think I would have cared too much if they were completely empty!

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Kuala Lumpur - Ho Weng Kee wanton noodles at Hutong

I found my way to Ho Weng Kee's stall in Lot 10 tonight - a good tip :)

The noodles truely were delightful, great flavour and texture. While admittedly I haven't had a lot of char-siu, this stuff was the business - it was almost as if it was half cured, which gave it a more intense flavour. The wantons soup was also very good, though I reckon the noodles and char-siu were the star of the show. I was planning on trying some fried wantons too, but my belly was full!

One thing did let things down though - everything was only lukewarm, which was a shame, because otherwise I was really impressed.

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Singapore - The Revamped Hong Lim Food Centre

Thanks for the evening tips :)

My next trip to Singapore won't be until next June, but that'll be for a holiday instead of business - so more time for eating - I'll bookmark this so I don't forget.

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Hanoi

For bun cha, I highly recommend Bún Chả Đắc Kim at 1 Hang Manh. Bun cha is the most incredible rice noodle soup with pork patties and a mountain of fresh herbs (and fried spring rolls at this place too) - but honestly, this description _cannot_ do justice to the amazing flavours, with their perfect balance of heat, sweet, sour and savoury. If I ever go back to Hanoi, this is my first stop :)

AFAIK this place is only open for lunch. It doesn't look like much from outside, but someone will guide you inside the building as you approach - it's the kind of place that looks tiny from the outside, but inside there are several floors all packed with tables. No English is spoken, but that's no problem, as they only serve bun cha. Once you're seated they will just bring it, and use some hand signals to give you an idea of what you are supposed to do with the 10 or so plates of goodies you will have in front of you :)

I was there in January, so I don't remember exactly how it cost, but I think it was around £5 GBP each - but you get a huge amount of food for that.

Link on Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=201706099345611743331.00048fff258345c0535c7&ie=UTF8&t=m&z=16&vpsrc=6&iwloc=00048fff5b60b775985ac

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Singapore - The Revamped Hong Lim Food Centre

Heh, sorry, my fault for mentioning KL first :D

Back to Singapore - what is the Hong Lim Centre like in evenings? Are many stalls open? If not, are any other hawker centres recommended for evening eating?

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Singapore - The Revamped Hong Lim Food Centre

Thanks again for more tips :D

I'll probably be on my own most nights in KL, so hawker food or casual street-front places are ideal for not feeling like a norman sitting eating on my own :)

I went to the Lot 10 food court when I was in KL on vacation in January and was really impressed with the selection and quality - I'l probably go back, and I'll be looking out for Ho Weng Kee :)

I also previously went to the Jalan Alor food street - quite touristy, but I recall it was quite good. I think the place I ate at may have been called 'Dragon View' or something like that.

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Singapore - The Revamped Hong Lim Food Centre

Hah! So my Singaporean colleagues took pity on me and took me to the ABC Brickworks hawker centre for lunch - because they have wantan mee - well worth the wait :D

Now I can leave Singapore satisifed ;)

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Singapore - The Revamped Hong Lim Food Centre

Thanks for the tips, not sure when I'll be back in Singapore but I'll be sure to take a look :)

Will be in Kuala Lumpur for a week on Saturday (working in Port Klang, but commuting from KL), and I notice you've been posting a lot about KL recently. I'm staying in KLCC so I'll see what goodies I can find :)

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Singapore - The Revamped Hong Lim Food Centre

Gah! I should have read that facebook post a bit more carefully - the whole of the Hong Lim centre is closed today for a 'wash day'!

Another colleague had informed me that I'd surely be able to find wantan mee on nearby Smith Street (though he wouldn't vouch for how good that might be :)

There was a single stall selling wantan mee on Smith Street... and it was closed!

My last night in Singapore, and no wantan mee for me :`(

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Singapore - The Revamped Hong Lim Food Centre

Thanks, I spoke to a Singaporean colleague today and he said much the same thing. I'm about to head there now, though I'm not really sure what'll be open at this time. I really wanted to try Ji Ji Wanton Noodles, but according to their facebook page they are closed today :(

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Singapore - The Revamped Hong Lim Food Centre

I just tried to find Hong Lom FC for the first time, exited the MRT at New Bridge (I think), but just couldn't find the place. According to Google Maps I should have been on top of it, but all I could see was a multi-story car park and what appeared to be an apparment block:

http://www.chow.com/restaurants/924953/hong-lim-food-centre

I can only imagine I've missed some kind of secret entrance ;)

Any tips on how to find the place?

Thanks!

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Help with China (Guilin, Nanjing, Suzhou)

Was mapping your Nanjing recs in Google Maps, and remembered I'm staying in the Sofitel on Shanxi Road - so within esy walking distance of 4 of your suggestions... perfect :)

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Help with China (Guilin, Nanjing, Suzhou)

Many thanks Ting Ting, that gives me a lot to look at! I wasn't aware of dianping.com either, so thanks for that too :)

Do you know if any of the places you mentioned have English menus?

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Help with China (Guilin, Nanjing, Suzhou)

I'm still hoping someone will :(

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Chiang Mai Recommendations

:D

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Chiang Mai Recommendations

I ate at Huen Phen in December and was also dissapointed - I found everything to be a bit bland. Not recommended.

Strangely it was really busy, and they were turning away people without reservations at the door.

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia

Help with China (Guilin, Nanjing, Suzhou)

Thanks buttertart, those are the first solid leads I've got so far! I seem to recall you suggested Fu 1088 in Shanghai a while back, and it turned out to be a great choice, so I'll certainly heed your advice :)

GordonS in China & Southeast Asia