Saturday, January 29, 2011

MY2011 - Dawn @ Taiping Lake Gardens

Taiping Lake Gardens is so synonymous to Taiping that it is probably the most visited tourist attraction in Taiping. Besides being a tourist attraction, it also provides a green lung to Taiping residents for their daily jogs and exercises.

 

 

Established as the first public garden during the British rule in Malaysia (then Malaya), the Taiping Lake Gardens was originally a tin mining site which was later abandoned. Since its heyday and up until today, this 64 hectare land has been proudly declared as the most beautiful and well maintained garden in Malaysia.

 

 

Malaysia’s oldest (some claimed Asia Pacific’s first) golf course was also co-located here, but was closed in 1995 due to the hazard it poses to the Lake Garden users. Thus, a large golf ball had since been erected as a memorial to the first golf course in the nation.

 

 

As I am back home in Taiping, I decided to accompany my parents for their morning walk at the Lake Gardens. Things hasn’t change much, but I did realised that the clock on the clock tower is now replaced with only a faceplate. (Maybe the clock should be restored??)

 

 

Walking around the jogging tracks, I have also found (at least for me) a brand new attraction in Taiping Lake Gardens, and I am sure bird watchers would love it too.

 

 

See the white spots on the trees? If you think that its a flowering tree, look closer.

 

 

I am still looking for the species/name of the bird, but from the look of it, its probably a type of migrating bird that lives on mangrove trees. And the attraction, at dawn, the birds will flock together, flying towards the East.

 

 

OK, maybe the pictures taken weren’t clear enough. I will try to capture a video of it next time.

 

 

And at the end of the 3.5km track, one could then join the group exercise …

 

 

… or have a go at the pebbled reflexology path …

 

 

… or even chase (or easily get chased) by the resident monkeys!!

 

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Thursday, January 27, 2011

AU2011 - Mylan

Just to have a simple 2.00pm lunch at this multi-award winning restaurant required us to book in advance. And to make things worst, even though we had a reservation, we still had to wait for about 10 minutes before being seated. That is how busy Mylan usually gets!!

 

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From past experiences, it is usually worth the wait. So, during our recent visit, we ordered their Chicken Fillet Pho Noodle Soup …

 

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… and Crispy Chicken Oriental Noodle Soup.

 

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While it is usually worth the wait, this time, it proved us wrong!! Lesson learnt, never go to Mylan again during peak hours, unless we want another serving of harden crispy chicken and underdone chicken fillet.

 

 

Mylan Restaurant
193, Keira Street, Wollongong, NSW 2500.
+61 2 4228 1588


Mylan on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

AU2011 - Fontana

We were back to Fontana Italian Restaurant and Cocktail Bar again, and this time, in addition to re-ordering their strongly recommended Risotto …

 

 

… and Spaghetti Marinara …

 

 

… we decided to also give their Oyster Kilpatrick …

 

 

… and Fettuccine Carbonara …

 

 

… a try. I guess the only conclusion is, everything in Fontana is a highly recommended must try!!

 

 

Fontana Italian Restaurant and Cocktail Bar
61-65, Crown Street, Wollongong, NSW 2500.
+61 2 4226 2727
http://www.fontana.com.au/


Fontana Italian Restaurant and Cocktail Bar on Urbanspoon

Saturday, January 22, 2011

AU2011 - The Old Siam Style

In search for cheap eats around Wollongong, we stumbled across The Old Siam Style Thai Restaurant’s wide selection of $9 lunches.

 

 

Offering dishes with a flexible selection of meat, noodles and sauces, we decided to try their Pad See Ew …

 

 

… and Wonton Noodle Soup.

 

 

Accompanying our meal is also a supposedly fresh and young coconut.

 

 

However, the coconut drink was a total disappointment (as it wasn’t fresh at all). But through this visit, I think I have found the best Pad See Ew in Wollongong!!

 

P/S: I used to think that Thai Basil’s version was the best, but after they changed their chef, their Pad See Ew is now way too dry.

 

The Old Siam Style Thai Restaurant
157, Keira Street, Wollongong, NSW 2500.
+61 2 4226 6388

Thursday, January 20, 2011

AU2011 - Ichi-ban Boshi

Without realising, it has been five years since we last had a meal at Ichi-ban Boshi. Time really flies!!

 

 

After a stroll around George Street, we decided to give Ichi-ban Boshi a revisit to see how things have changed all these years. Besides their increasing popularity, where the queue went all the way to Kinokuniya Book Store, the most obvious is their redesigned menu.

 

 

We couldn’t really remember what we have ordered five years ago, but since they claim to serve authentic Japanese noodles, …

 

 

… we decided to try their Tokyo Ramen …

 

 

… and Kimuchi Ramen.

 

 

And guess what we had for drinks? After browsing through their drinks menu, we took the risk to try their Green Tea Latte, (possibly) making it the weirdest lunch combination we have ever had.

 

 

Anyway, it seems that after all these years, they still manage to maintain the quality, which explains the ever growing long queues. So, please make sure you get there early if you plan to give them a visit!!

 

 

Ichi-ban Boshi
500, George Street, Sydney, NSW 2000.
+612 9262 7677
www.ichibanboshi.com.au‎


Ichi-ban Boshi on Urbanspoon
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