Macau - Non-Stop Eating Tour

The last country I visited on my tour was Macau, just an hour or so ferry ride from Hong Kong. I went there with my cousins, Elisa and Kenny just for a day trip, which was plenty of time to explore the area and eat a ton of good food. We basically spent the whole day on a mission to try Macanese food, starting with lunch.

It was such a strange place; the old part of the city was really charming, with narrow streets, colorful colonial buildings and old signs written in Chinese and Portuguese. (Ironically, I understood the Portuguese, not the Chinese.) The new part of the city was dominated by towering casino buildings (some that were just eyesores *ahem* Grand Lisboa) and screaming neon lights. I only took a few touristy photos. The rest are of food!




Ruins of the Church of St. Paul


Close Up of the Ruins of the Church of St. Paul


Alright, let's get to the food...


Crab Congee
A whole crab in a big bowl of congee. What's not to like? We sat at these tables with plastic sheets on top so we could just chuck the shell bits on the table.


Deep Fried Frog Legs
Tasted like chicken.


Pork Burger
A pork chop in a mini French baguette bun.


Elisa and I Getting Our Pork Burger Grub On
Yeah, I was excited to eat it.


Elisa and Kenny with Teem Fun (Sweet Desserts)


Desserts Up Close
Water chestnut soup with mango ice cream, almond paste soup with mango ice cream, and something with sago and fresh mango (I can't remember!). They were surprisingly not very sugary and the quality was really good (not watered/sugar-watered down).


Pastéis de Nata
My only quest in Macau was complete. They were delish!


Shrimp on Toast and Portuguese Sausage


Galinha à portuguesa


Pasteis De Bacalhau (Portuguese Cod Fish Croquette)
This was my favorite dinner dish = fried potatoes and fish!


Serradura - Macau Sawdust Cake/Pudding
Almost like a tiramisu minus the liquor and chocolate.

On top of all this (for one day, remember), we walked into some specialty shops, where you could try all their good. They totally encouraged it cause they want you to buy it. I had a really good ginger chewy candy, almond cookies, phoenix rolls, and beef jerky. ::sigh:: All this writing about food makes me wish I was back in Macau...

Almost one week in Phnom Penh..

..and it was way too much time here -- 6 nights! I originally wanted to stay for only 2 nights, but things kept happening. I got in a day after the Water Festival bridge incident, so the city was in mourning, and several tourist sites were closed. It was enough reason for me to extend my stay. Then I found out Rachel and Marin (travelers I met in Laos) were coming in, and Simon was about to arrive; I had even more reason to stay.

There really is not much to do in Phnom Penh, though. The important sites (in my opinion) are the Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields. I read a little bit about the Khmer Rouge before arriving in Cambodia, but going to these sites gives you a better understanding of what happened and what Cambodians (currently around the ages of at least 40 years old) had experienced, and the horror of genocide. What's really crazy was this all happened in the mid to late 1970s. Really not long ago at all.

The Genocide Museum(S.21) located in the city of Phnom Penh. It used to be a high school, but the Khmer Rouge turned it into a holding pen for prisoners, until they were taken to the Killing Fields, about 40 min from the city. I was definitely feeling somber during the visits to both places. There were a lot of graphic pictures showing types of torture methods and tools used. The Killing Fields are nice and peaceful now, but imagining bodies in the pits was quite disturbing. I felt like I wanted to cry several times. And I had the eeriest feelings while walking through the holding pens in S.21. And all this was on my first day in Phnom Penh.


S.21

Killing Fields

The next several days were really chill, since I took my time. Let's see, I...

- went to check out some markets. The Orussey Market was selling these bad boys.



- walked around the waterfront. It's a nice area, and locals do hang out there, but it's very touristy.



- went to a CouchSurfing Meet Up. That was cool to meet some other travelers and locals in the area. We ended up bar hopping and then dancing to hip hop at the end of the night.



- ate an expensive dessert at the Foreigner's Correspondence Club (FCC). Twice.


Rich Chocolate, Hazelnut, and Figs Tart. You devil, you.

- got my bangs trimmed at a salon. That was fun, since the hair stylist couldn't speak English. They had a look book though, so that made it easier. Telling them to thin the bangs out was a little tough, but they got it right.

- went to tourist sites: Royal Palace, National Museum, and Wat Phnom.


Royal Palace


National Museum


Wat Phnom

- went to Sorya Mall. This place was a trip because there was a rollerblading rink upstairs, some sort of chicken restaurant on every floor (fried, grilled, baked....), a cinema, and a Swensens's Ice Cream shop (not sure why but these are premium ice cream shops in SE Asia. I didn't know of any other shops except in San Francisco).




at one of the chicken restaurants


rollerblades!

- fell in love with mangosteen. Even though it was expensive.



- had some good Cambodian desserts.


herbal jelly, coconut milk, simple syrup, and some sort of fruit.

And that is all about I can remember... It was nice to take my time though. Probably the more relaxing part of my trip. Sometimes you do need a vacation from vacation.

Japan Day 1: Kyoto

Rick, Wendy, Dan, and I got into Osaka Kansai Airport in the late evening. By the time we figured out how to take the JR train to Kyoto, ride the train for almost an hour, and then finally arrive in Kyoto, it was pretty late. We had a short 10-min walk from Kyoto train station to our hostel, K's House. After checking in, we went in search of food, and luckily, the hostel recommended a few late night spots in the area.

We checked into Donguri (about 2 blocks from K's House), where I had a Negi-yaki mix served on a warm grill that was the size of basically 80% of the table. The Kujo-leeks were yummy and refreshing. I felt like I hadn't eaten my vegetables in Hong Kong.





Afterwards, I split an ice cream sundae with Rick: 2 black sesame ice cream scoops, red beans, mochi balls, whipped cream, and a crunchy wafer/cookie all on top of a matcha cake. I liked the dessert better than my dinner.

NYC - Eats

My favorite thing about New York is all the food options here. Not only is the food good, but sometimes surprisingly cheap as well. Here are the standouts so far:



Magnolia Bakery - Key Lime Cheesecake

This bakery (of Sex in the City fame) is known for their cupcakes, but this little Key Lime Cheesecake was calling my name. It was pretty darn good. Not too dense or overly rich, with a hint of key lime. I sucked on the lime a little bit - bad idea.





Hampton Chutney - Masala Deluxe Dosa

This is it! This is my new favorite dish. It is a cross between a crepe and an injera (Ethiopian spongey bread), filled with yummy goodness. The Masala Deluxe had spinach, jack cheese and roasted tomato, and it came with your choice of chutney (we had cilantro - very refreshing). I shared one with my friend, so it was a perfect light dinner, but I could have easily eaten the whole thing. It was THAT good. Now I am going to have to find a dosa place in the Bay Area.



Soba-ya - Yuba Sashimi and Zaru Soba

Wow. One word: Fresh. My friend told me this place is best known for their hand-made noodles, and they did not disappoint. We started off with a few appetizers, but the Yuba Sashimi was outstanding. I could not believe how soft the tofu was. It was like silk. And my Zaru Soba was excellent. Very simple, just topped it off with Nori seaweed. So delicious!





Wah Mei Pork Chop Fast Food - Fried Chicken and Rice

I came here two visits ago. Sad I didn't get to eat this last time I was here, but made a trip this time around. Total hole-in-the-wall spot (barely any seating), but dang, this food is so good. Special super tasty gravy sauce with pickled vegetables over rice, little bit of cabbage, plus an egg on the side...mmmm. And the chicken leg? Nice crisp on the skin and the meat was moist. Yes, they are known for their pork chop, but please, try the chicken.

And that was Round 1 of NYC eats. More to come...

SF - Taiyaki

One place I always have to stop by whenever I am in Japantown is the little Taiyaki stand. (It's located in the Japan Center, where most of the restaurants are.) Taiyaki is basically a pastry treat made with waffle batter, which is poured into a fish-shaped mold, and a sweet filling. They have more flavors now, but since I haven't had one in a while, I had to get the original red bean filling. It was so good! Make sure to get yours heated, so you have a nice little crust and the filling is warm. So glad I stopped in to get one. I'll have to try the chocolate banana one next time.