The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Snacks & Pastries in Malacca

We have officially stepped into the 2nd half of the year. I blame the laziness in me that I have not been updating regularly last month. We started June with a long weekend and before long, July arrived at our doorstep :( We were also busy with engagements during the June weekends, thus I'm really looking forward to a slacking weekend soon to clear some of the backlogs that I have accumulated :) 

After our meal of asam laksa @ Jonker 88, we combed the streets armed with the to-buy list from our parents. Mummy Fling had instructed Fling to buy some pastries - which was like a hybrid between mooncake and 老婆饼. We almost ransacked the shop before the owner said that they do this via special orders. Immediately, Fling placed an order of 100 pieces of the hybrid biscuit, ready for collection the next day. 

 

Old-school mama shop that brought back fond memories! I spotted a lot of childhood snacks that I wanna lug home. But .... must practice constraint, the weighing machine figures don't lie.

 

My nose caught a whiff of freshly baked goodies emerging out from the oven. Instantly, my resounding resolution just crumbled to the ground :( Since good things are meant to be shared, I decided to psycho persuade the sisters to hand over their wallets, heh. 

  

We continued our adventure after a quick stop back to our room to drop off the goodies. This time round, we headed to Mahkota Parade & Dataran Pahlawan for more shopping. It was really humid in Malacca, so imagine the cold gush of air that greeted us as we stepped foot inside this shopping mall. What's even better than air-con? A wide variety of gelatos that looked so inviting #takemymoney

 

3 flavours - mango, chocolate and peppermint - for sharing. A single scoop filled up the entire cup, which was way too much for us, lol! Our best combined effort only saw us finishing the chocolate, reducing mango by 75% and peppermint by half.

Gelato Fruity
Lot No. B-43B, LG Floor Dataran Pahlawan
Jalan Merdeka, Bandar Hilir, 75000 Melaka
Opening Hours: 10am till 10pm
Tel: +60 6281 8059

 Read our Malacca adventures here:

Malacca 2014: 5 things to do in Malacca  

The Jitches: Journey to Malacca

The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Hotel Courtyard @ Heeren and Asam Laksa at Jonker 88
The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Conquering Jonker Street
The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Geographer Cafe   
The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Breakfast, Chicken Rice Balls and Heading Home 

Seoul, Summer: 10 things to do in Korea

I'm in love with Korea ❤, period. I was captivated by its charms during my first visit. I basically suffered from Korea/Seoul withdrawal after landing in Singapore. Thus, when SQ offered a promotion price to Korea, I knew that it was a god-sent sign that I have to head back. I was so desperate to go that I offered to pay for Leecher's air tickets. So, this Leecher jumped at the (sponsored) opportunity & came along for our 2nd trip to Korea :) During the 1st trip, we spent a good 8 days in Spring. With a different itinerary in hand, we headed to Korea for the summer. Here is my personal take on the 10 activities to do in Korea for summer!

1. Visit the traditional markets

 

The traditional Korean marketplace is one of the best way to soak up in the local spirit of Korea. In here, you get to rub shoulders with the ahjummas, bargain with the store-owners and feast to your heart's content. These traditional market places are littered throughout Seoul and Namdaemum Market is the most popular of all.

2. Pedal on a Railway bike 

 

Be surrounded by nature as you pedal along the old abandoned railway tracks. Fans of Running Man would instantly recognise this as this was one of the games played in ep 144. We had a fun time pedaling the entire 8km distance, so head there for a morning workout before rewarding your tummy with chicken & beer later in the day!

3. Hike up Mount Bukhansan

 

The Korean peninsula is covered mostly by mountains, hence it is no secret that hiking is one of Korea's national pastime. We embarked on a hike up Mount Bukhansan and were treated to a bird's eye view of Seoul at the top. Enough said! 

4. Visit Hongdae Flea Market

 

The Hongdae flea market aims to showcase local artists and handcrafted goods. Rather than selling second-hand goods, these artists gather every Saturday and showcase their creativity through their unique handiwork. Head there to enjoy an afternoon of impromptu street/music performance. 

5. Embark on a Korean summer food trail

 

Summer in Korea is no joke, with temperatures rising close to 35 degrees. We often find ourselves heading indoors to stay away from the heat. The best way to combat the summer heat - indulge in cold dishes like bingsu, naengmyeon and memil-guksu.

6. Catch a baseball game 

 

Catch the lotte giants in action at their home ground in Busan. Throughout the game, we were entertained by the cheerleaders on the sideline, the players on the pitch and not forgetting witnessing the first ever home-run of our lives. 

7. Conquer Hwaseong fortress

 

Surrounding the centre of Suwon, Hwaseong Fortress was constructred by King Jeongjo to honour his late father.  Listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, we braved the heat and sun to conquer the fortress wall that stretches close to 5.52km, stopping by various spots for picture taking. 

8. Play a game of Korean archery

 

While conquering the fortress, we took the chance and participated in Gukgung, also known as Korean traditional archery. This bow is relatively light and easy to pull. Follow the instructions of the instructor and you are ready to go!

   9. Enjoy the rainbow fountain at Banpo bridge

 

Want to enjoy a night's out with food and music? I will suggest that you grab some pizzas, takeaways and head to Banpo bridge for a night's out. At regular intervals, the bridge is illuminated with rainbow-coloured dancing lights, swaying to the sound of music.

10. Catch an exhibition at DPP

Located in the heart of the city, Dongdaemun Design Plaza's building itself is a piece of art for you can't find any straight lines or walls. Head to DDP on a day, catch an exhibition and reignite your artistic spirit. 

Psst .... detailed posts will be linked once completed, stay tuned! 

The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Hotel Courtyard @ Heeren and Asam Laksa at Jonker 88

Hello! This week has been extremely busy at work, as I'm covering a colleague who's off to serve the nation. Well, at least I survived the week! In an attempt to reward myself, I think I should ask Leecher to cook my fave Korean soup for dinner tonight, lol! Before I head off to for another ep of drama, I figured that I should continue on the jitches' adventure in Malacca, so I can strike another item off my to-do list :)

 

After the massage, we continued on our journey and arrived at the hotel. Fling got us a lovely room at hotel courtyard @ heeren. We dropped Fling at the front before following the staff to the back of the hotel to park the car. Complimentary parking is available for guests. Since we 走后门, this was the first view that greeted us.

We lugged all our barangs, which was pretty amazing at how much girls need to pack for a weekend trip, to the lobby where Fling was waiting for us. She had already done the check-in & was finished her welcome drink, lol! 

A glass of refreshing fruit punch to quench the thirst. Malacca was really extremely hot and humid, so this served as an awesome drink.
 
The friendly staff who made our stay enjoyable :)

We headed upstairs to check out our bedroom first.  

Tadah! Our lovely room for the night, 2 X queen sized bed to accommodate the 4 of us. Each room design combines the Peranakan style with modern elements. The room was cleaned and fully furnished with the basic necessities. I really adored the peranakan-style floor tiles that we couldn't resist a pic with our weathered pumps/slippers.

 

We lazed around in bed - which was so comfortable that I almost fell asleep - with the air-con at full blast as it was really hot outside. When our stomachs started to protest, we had to pull ourselves out from the comfort zone and headed out in search for food. 

 

Conveniently located in the heart of Malacca, this boutique hotel was transformed from a shop-house where Chinese & Peranakan merchants built their homes. I fell in love with this place at first sight - not only because of its superb location, but also due to the juxtaposition of old and modern elements in this little place. I will be returning for a 2nd visit as I refused to stay anywhere in Malacca apart from here, haha! 

 
A pic before heading out to hunt for food ;)

Finally, a view from the front door. I didn't know that Qian took this until she uploaded it to the whatsapp chat. She said this is very VictoriaBeckham-ish, lol! If only I'm as successful as her!

Courtyard @ Heeren

91 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock,

75200, Melaka, Malaysia

Tel: +606 281 0088

 
The #1 thing to do is to head for a bowl of Asam Laksa at Jonker 88. This place needs no further introduction to those who frequent Malacca. The place is bustling with people from the time their doors open in the morning till closing.

Check out the prying eyes looking for a vacant seat/table. Haha, this reminded me of the "waiting" queue for table during lunch hours for CDB. It was all about strategy and instinct, and to a little extent, luck. Both the ordering and waiting queue were pretty long, so we headed off in 2 groups to get the mission done.

  

The order counter used to be in front of the shop, but they have since moved it inside. While most customers will order the combi: asam laksa with a bowl of chendol, we chose to order just asam laksa instead.

   

Tadah! The prized bowl of asam laksa that we all craved :) It used to be overspilling with ingredients. Now portion seemed to have reduced quite a bit. Well, times are bad and it seemed to show subtly everywhere. 

Jonker 88 ( 大寶小食)

88 Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street)

75200, Malacca, Malaysia 

 Read our Malacca adventures here:

Malacca 2014: 5 things to do in Malacca  

The Jitches: Journey to Malacca 
The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Snacks & Pastries in Malacca
The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Conquering Jonker Street
The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Geographer Cafe  
The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Breakfast, Chicken Rice Balls and Heading Home  

The Jitches: Journey to Malacca

On a random day via our whatsapp chat, the Sisters decided that we should embark on our first solo trip. After a quick look through on our availability, we decided on the date & destination. So, this was the starting point of our road trip to Malacca. Fling managed to got us a lovely room at a boutique hotel within a short notice. As I'm typing this entry, I just got "activated" for another Malacca trip with the in-laws later this year ;) 

We debated on the various mode of transport - taking coach/self-drive a rented car etc. Thankfully for us, a kind friend of Fling offered to loan us his car over the weekend for our road trip! 爱死你了;) Thus, Miao & Fling collected the car on the day of departure while Qian & I headed towards Woodlands station for pick up. Clearing the customs was relatively fast - we expected jam of 2h but managed to clear it within 1h. A great start to our trip! We then headed to Fling's place to pick up her barang-barang. 

 

Goofing around while waiting for Fling to get ready. We bought identical aviators, but mine didn't survive the Korea trip so I had to make do with another one. A short 15 min wait spanned to over 1h at the lobby. We tried means and ways to contact her as we couldn't access her floor without an access card. Just when we decided to shout out her name, Fling appeared and turned out that she had a minor crisis with her contact lens, lol! 

Fling took over as the driver and drove us all to Malacca. Before that, we need to top up on fuel for our tummies, as well as the car. We stocked up on snacks and drinks at the petrol kiosk for our journey to Malacca. We even assigned roles for this trip, lol! Qian will be the auditor for taking charge of expenses used on the car. Fling & Miao are the appointed drivers while I'm in charge of our kitty fund + taking pictures. Once the car had its fill, we made a pit stop at Ah Hong Kopitiam for breakfast.

We were all famished and immediately placed our orders! Check out our "hunger" faces, lol :)

I ordered a set which came with mee siam, with otah and chicken wings + drink at RM11.90. The mee siam was quite dry and plain that I had to mix in lots of chilli to get the kick. Nevertheless, I love the crispy chicken wings. We spent around RM46 for breakfast, which worked out to SGD$4.50 per pax.

Ah Hong Kopitiam
60, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/4
Taman Sutera Utama 81300
Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Tel: +60 12 771 9600

After our breakfast, we were ready to hit the roads. The back-seat passengers (Qian & I) started distributing drinks and snacks to the drivers group. We gossiped for a long while before the sleeping bug took charge. Qian & I concussed at the back while the drivers brought us safely to Malacca. Good job girls, love you *muacks*

We arrived at Topic Healthcare Centre for our massage. Qian & Miao headed for full body massage while Fling & I opted for foot massage. I always find massages are relatively expensive in Singapore, thus I'll head for a massage whenever I'm in BKK/Bali/JB. I love Balinese massages the most ;) The foot massage package that I had was around RM$50 (if I recall correctly). Fling & I chatted for the whole duration that time just flew by us without us knowing it.

Topic Healthcare Centre
177 & 177A, Jalan Merdeka
Taman Melaka Raya, 75000
Melaka, Malaysia
Tel: +60 6281 6957

I will be back with more entries documenting our sister trip, so keep a lookout for it ;) 

*****
 Read our Malacca adventures here:
Malacca 2014: 5 things to do in Malacca  

The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Hotel Courtyard @ Heeren and Asam Laksa at Jonker 88
The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Snacks & Pastries in Malacca
The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Conquering Jonker Street
The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Geographer Cafe  
The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Breakfast, Chicken Rice Balls and Heading Home  

Leecher's Birthday 2015: NOX, Dine in the Dark

 

Since we had japanese omakase dinner for Leecher's pre-birthday celebration, I decided that we should try something different for his actual birthday. Thus, we headed to Nox, Dine in the Dark for Leecher's actual birthday celebration. As the name suggested, patrons basically dine in the dark relying on the other senses - taste, touch, smell and touch - on the culinary journey. 

Upon arriving, we were ushered to a table in the main hall. I ordered a Rubus Pink cocktail, which was an exquisite combination of raspberry, vanilla and the aroms of rosemary. Leecher went for wine-pairing menu instead, where he get to enjoy 3 selected wines to match every course of his dinner. We opted for the drinks to be served upstairs during dinner.

  
 That was the only amuse bouche that you can see before adjourning to the dining hall. Before heading upstairs, there are a couple of items to take note:

1. All personal belongings are to be kept inside the locker. 
2. (if you like) Pay a visit to the toilet first. 
3. It is totally pitch dark in the dining room, apart from a tiny red source that comes from the security camera.
4. Always follow the instructions of the server.
5. Call for the server if help is required. 

In short, stay put at the table and don't move around unless necessary. When we were ready, our server appeared at the door leading up a flight of stairs. He is visually impaired but he acted as our eyes in total darkness. I put my hands on his shoulders, with Leecher behind me, as he guided us up the stairs and into total darkness. He moved about swiftly and I had a hard time catching up. He led us to our table and guided us to the chairs. It was pitch dark, akin to 伸手不见五指. Our server gave a short introduction on what was on the table - fork/spoon on the left and right, plate in the middle etc. When the dishes were served, we had to eat in a clock-wise direction starting from 6'0 clock. Initially, I had my eyes opened but decided that I should probably close it since I can't see a thing anyway.

We had a mystery 3 course meal which came with 4 small tapas sized dishes for each course. It felt like going through a blind test. We had to guess what we were eating for all the 12 dishes presented. I told Leecher jokingly that the chef don't have to worry about plating; just cook, put into plates and served. I basically scrapped my food off the plates, as I wasn't sure if I'm missing out any food that could be "hidden" at a corner, lol! 

After the meal, the server will led you back to the main hall where you will regain your sight. My eyes took a while to adjust after being in total darkness for some time. Then, a questionnaire will be given where you have to write down what you think you had earlier before they reveal the pictures of the dishes on the tablet.

Birthday cake for the birthday boy. This tiny cake costs me $20 as I couldn't bring my own cake into the restaurant.

Rather grainy pictures as the camera doesn't work well in dark environment. Nevertheless, happy birthday my love. Another year older, so make sure you are one year wiser!

Thanks for the wonderful experience, Nox! 

Nox, Dine in the Dark

269 Beach Road

Singapore 199546

Tel: +65 6298 0708