A Place I Would Recommend to Have Nonya Food

Continuing from the previous post.

My friend and I dropped by Malacca for dinner before heading home. Malacca is full of the peranakan heritage. It is probably the best place to try nonya food.

We went to Makko. This place needs little introduction because it is very popular there. It opens at 6pm, and we were lucky to have a place for us because we waited outside the shop 10min before it was opened! By 6.15pm it was all packed. There were reservations that filled about a quarter of the tables there.

Well from the outside, it already gave me the rustic look. Here's some pictures of the inside.

Yup, stained glass, very old looking furnishing. There were some newspaper cut-outs on the walls too.

Since there was only the two of us, we only managed to order a few dishes. Here goes:

Chinchalok Omelette (foregrouind) and otah-otah.

Some chicken dish which I forget the name... my bad!

Nonya Chup Chye, or mixed vegetables.

Prawn with pineapple (ananas) and tomato sauce.

We also had Chendol which was awesome. Total damage? About RM$90. The dishes were not rich foods, but they were flavourful, very typical of nonya food.

Just some observation. Around the area there are also several eateries selling nonya food, but they were empty when we walked past them after the meal, and Makko remained busy with patrons patiently waited for seats. Some left their contacts and went for a walk because the wait was about 45mins.

So, if you happen to be in Malacca, do give this shop a try, but do go early. It is not difficult to find this place though.

~ZF

1-Day Eat and Eat Trip in Malaysia

Yes yes, did a day road trip to Malaysia with a mate to eat.

Set off at 5.30am from Singapore and reached Klang (Selangor) at about 10am. The objective was to try the bak kut teh from this shop:

1000h. But 10am was too late for any bak kut teh, so I settled for the pig trotters.

According to my friend, the bak kut teh uses spice and such, but I thought it was just braised. Nevertheless, I found it not bad. They can be quite stingy to the soup/braise though. The damage of RM$33 consisted of 2 rice, 1 pig trotter, 1 rib and 1 plate of intestines with chicken leg. Portion was decent.

They are pretty popular and have their own pre-mixed spices and I bought a packet to try.

1300h. Next we went to Sweet Inn Seafood and Noodle for prawn mee. It's crispy noodle topped with gravy which I believe was cooked from prawn broth. There's a big prawn accompanying the dish. Too bad I am not a big fan of prawn.

Then we make our way to Malacca.

Stay tuned for the Nonya restaurant we tried in Malacca.

~ZF

Some Tips on Photography That Will Put You A Cut Above The Rest

So you have a camera and probably have read any photography books you can get your hands on. But you are still not satisfied with the photographs that you took. Well, I hope to share some photography tips (3 to be exact) here based on my personal experience!

1. See in Lines

Seeing your object's surrounding in lines and how they both interact helps in composition. Lines can be symmetrical line, segment lines. Symmetrical lines divide your picture and/or object proportionally and equally, whereas sector/segment lines divide your picture into segments, so you can decide which segment to place your object. The rule-of-third grid is an example of a set of segment lines.

Lines may intersect and these points of intersections can be considered as vanishing points.

More importantly, lines can be use to guide viewers to the object of interest.

Here's some examples.

There are many lines in this photography. The centre pillar acts as a symmetrical line. This creates a mirror effect. Also the additional use of vanishing point adds some dimension to the picture. Can you identify the vanishing point?

Here, I attempted to use the tram lines as a segment line. I took this photograph with a tram in the middle to add some flavour too. There is also a symmetrical line too. Can you identify it?

Here's an example to guiding lines. The stair as a visual guide to draw the viewer's attention to the viewing pod, the structure that looks like an onion.

2. Use Creative Frames

Extending on Tip #1, lines can also be used to frame up your object. 

Here are some examples.

This is not so obvious, but I have used the trees as a frame. 

Parapets or walls along the corridors make good framing lines. Sometimes they make photographs look interesting.

3.  Observe, Observe

This may seem obvious enough. Being observant helps you pick up interesting perspective, and may make your photography trips fruitful.

I managed to spot this heron peering, as if waiting for a train on a platform. heh~

Well, I did say three tips. But here's a bonus one: Keep Shooting! Practise, practise, practise. Observe, apply lines and snap away! 

Also, it is important to have fun!

Alright, hope these help!

~ ZF

Hoi To (Hong Kong) Roast Meat/Noodle House

Now, here is one roast meat shop you can try if you are craving for some savoury roast meats. We ordered some for last Christmas' Eve lunch. The roast pork is something to die for!!

You know how some roast duck meat is hard and tough? I am always wary about that. But the roast duck meat is juicy and tender, the skin is crispy. Says a lot about the culinary skills.

Roast Duck.

We also ordered the Soy Sauce Chicken. Juicy, soft and not salty!

Soy Sauce Chicken

Finally, the roast meat is AWESOME. The skin is crispy, despite being packed and transported for about half an hour from the shop back to the office. Most importantly, it does not taste oily.

Roast Meat.

If you are interested, here's the address:

Hoi To (Hong Kong) Roast Meat/Noodle House
BLK 133 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 ST 12
#01-1635
Singapore 560133
Tel: 6453 3304

~ ZF

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year to everyone reading this post.

May 2015 be a fruitful, prosperous and happy year for you!!

~ZF