Xiao Long Bao

A trip to Shanghai would not be complete without trying the oh so famous 'xiao long bao'. There are several shops in Shanghai worth trying and one of them is this authentic place for xiao long bao.

This little shop located near the Park Hotel is pretty popular for tourists and locals. I had little trouble finding the place and if you are unable to locate this place try asking the locals and they will be more than happy to help you.

The 'xiao long bao' is very tasty and has loads of soup in it for you to slurp and tantalise your taste buds when you take a bite. The two most famous dumplings in the shop are both the crab and pork ones or just ask the lady at the counter she will be more than happy to help you. Be forewarned she only speaks mandarin and you might need some sign language to help you to place orders if you can't speak mandarin.

The price is very reasonable and the portions big enough to fill your hungry tummy after a day's of shopping.

So, if you are in Shanghai, head to

Jia Jia Tang Bao

90 Huanghe Road

Shanghai

Near People's Square,

Price- cheap

Portugese egg tart in Macau

I have written about the famous portugese egg tart in Macau before. The other famous shop that sells tasty portugese egg tart in Macau is Margaret O Nata's.

Margaret's Cafe portugese egg tart is comparable to Lord Stow's bakery in Macau, Coloanne. Which is better? It is difficult to choose between the two but I find Margaret's 'pou tart' ( that's what they would say in Cantonese) is a bit more crispier!

In terms of location, Margaret's Cafe e Nata is located in Macau main island so definitely more convenient for tourists. If you are having trouble finding it, it is near the Grand Emperor Hotel and close to Casino Lisboa approximately 10 minutes walk from there. If you see the jewellery shop called Chow Tai Fook near Casino Lisboa, it is behind this shop located in a small lane.

Margaret's Cafe e Nata

Edificio Kam Loi

Macau

Cost-cheap

Dry style curry mee

Have you tried the dry style curry mee? This type of curry noodles is quite unique as most places in Malaysia does not sell the dry style curry noodles.

So if you do drop by Ipoh, you might want to try this curry noodles which is famous in Ipoh. It taste good and the curry is not too spicy. It is certainly worth giving it a try if you have some spare time around Ipoh.

The little coffee shop in Ipoh is

Kedai Yee Fatt

39, Jalan Kampar

Near the MGS Girls School( at the roundabout)

Ipoh

Price- Cheap

Taste- 7/10

P.s this shop also sells the herbal tea with egg which is pretty popular!

Beef noodles in Ipoh

Do you fancy eating 'ngau yuk fan' (beef ball noodles)? There are many varities of this noodle soup and there is one famous stall in Ipoh that is for you to try.

This stall is actually famous for beef brisket (ngau lam) noodles but since I am not a fan of beef brisket I opt for the usual safe option of beef ball instead of the briskets.

The beef ball is nice and springy and the soup clear and tasty. And not to forget the chilly sauce is special. Not too spicy but just right and tasty.

Feeling hungry?

Go to

Cheong Kee Beef Noodles ( Two sisters )

At 'Wai Sik Kai'

Near Sam Tet School

Jalan Sultan Idris

Ipoh

Price: Cheap

Tau fu fah

Tau fu fah ( bean curd dessert) is a dessert sold in many places and well liked by many. However, to find good ones is not easy. Most of the time, you would find the tau fu fah too lumpy and thick.

In Ipoh, there is a nice little stall that sells good tau fu fah. It is pretty famous in Ipoh and most people would know it. I even saw tours buses stopping by and looks like it is a tourist attraction.

The tau fu fah is soft and silky. The texture is smooth. The tau cheung( soya bean drink) is nice as well. However, be fore-warned the tau fu fah 's portion is small. Maybe you will need to eat 2 bowls to fulfil your taste-buds.

Funny Mountain SoyaBean/ Tau fu fah Stall

49 Jalan Theatre

Ipoh

( near Lou Wong and Yee Hup Biscuit Shop)

Price- cheap

Wat tan hor ipoh style

Besides being famous for Ipoh sar hor fun, there is a little gem in Ipoh to be discovered. If you like 'wat tan hor',( fried noodle with egg gravy) this shop is for you to try.

The 'wat tan hor' is bit different from the ones you find elsewhere. The version of this dish has more gravy than the usual. The 'sar hor fun' noodles in this dish is ultra ' silky and soft'. The gravy is ultra nice as well. Very very tasty!

The other thing this shop is famous for is the wait for the noodles to be served. Minimum wait is 45 minutes for the dish to be served. But well worth the wait I must say!

This shop is open at night.

Kedai Sun Seng Fatt

Near Lau Ek Ching Street

Ipoh

Price: Cheap, RM 5.00 per person

Dim sum back to the olden days

If you are in Macau, there is a nice place for dim sum that you might want to visit. What is special in this dim sum place is the well -preserved interior which brings you back to the olden days of 1960's.

Yes, this dim sum place is about 40 years ago and I don't think the interior has changed much since it has been opened. There is a nice exhibition of paintings, calligraphies and antiques for you to view in this place and they are pretty old.

Oh, the dim sum is pretty nice too. Although the selection is limited, you could get the authentic char siew pau( pork bun), gai geok( chicken feet) and siew mai ( pork dumpling). The portions are a bit bigger than the usual ones you get. And the tea is stored in big jars which you could choose from. The speciality in this shop is also the tea!

Location

Long Wa Tea House

Rua Norte de Mercado Almirante Lacerda,

Macau

Open: morning to noon

Price : Moderate

This place is featured in the film Look for a star ( 2009) - featuring Andy Lau and Shu Qi

Opposite the Red market ( hung gai si)

Try it lah!