Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

Walking around and taking the public transit is one of the best ways to experience the local culture in a foreign city. After my visit to the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf, I hopped on a bus and headed towards Rua dos Mercadores.

Since I had only one short day to spare in Macau, I had to list down places of interest, so that I don’t miss out things I wanted to see or food I wanted to taste ;)

Macau is known as the first and last European colony in China. Macanese P (MOP$) is the currency used in Macau. Hong Kong dollars (HKD) is widely acceptable too. The exchange rate was at 1:1 during my visit.

The unique European-style architectures.

The famous Pork Chop Bun everyone should try! Silk Stockings Milk Tea is so-called because it’s as  smooth as silk stockings.

Busy street crowded with tourists.

Macau is popular for its food souvenirs.

At a public park.

The Ruins of St. Paul’s. The most famous landmark of Macau. The church was built in 1580 and was burned down in 1835 (leaving only the facade the staircase and portions of a wall).

A nice combination of colour for the building.

Another popular store for food souvenirs.

This restaurant is famous for its Macau-style desserts: Double-boiled Milk with egg White, Steamed Egg with Rock Sugar, and Steamed Milk with Ginger Juice.

Steamed Milk with Ginger Juice, to go with my yummy Polo Bun :)

Due to the time contraint, I had to head back to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry returning to Hong Kong Island. I really enjoyed my short trip in Macau.

Busy traffic in front of the ferry terminal.

The comfy seats in the ferry.

At last, I was back to the Hong Kong Island before the night kicked in.

Underground walkway is popular in Hong Kong. It’s a great way to avoid the heavy traffic.

My last night in Hong Kong, I spend it with my friend. We had supper together at a busy restaurant.

A generous serving of noodle soup with octopus.

If you allow yourself sufficient time to visit around during your stay in Hong Kong, it’s highly recommended to organize a day trip to the neighbouring city, Macau. TurboJEToffers frequent (departures every 15 minutes) ferry schedule on the Hong Kong <-> Macau route. The traveling time each way is about 70 minutes.

Some travelers visit Macau during the day and return to Hong Kong Island in the evening, in order to enjoy the night view of the city. Keep in mind that the ferry fare for evening departures is slightly more expensive, about HKD 30 extra.

I’ve to admit that my knowledge of Cantonese and Chinese characters was put into good use in this trip. It has certainly saved me from lots of troubles.

The HK China Ferry Terminal is located at the China Hong Kong City, on Canton Road. It took me a while to figure that out. I saw the ferry terminal from afar, but couldn’t get there. It was funny now that I looked back, even though it was frustrating at the time…

Busy Tsim Sha Tsui in the early morning. Everyone was getting ready for work. There were free newspapers available on the street. I was handed newly published newspaper on my way to the ferry terminal.

One of the things I looked forward to doing during my short visit to Macau, was visiting the casinos! I’m not a gambler, but have always been enjoying the fun of visiting casinos, especially the world-famous ones.

Upon arrival at the Macau ferry terminal, I was welcomed by the coach buses from various casinos. Resorts/casinos offer rides to their visitors at no cost, with these comfy, air-conditioned coach buses. It was quite an experience!

Opened in August 2007, there are currently 3,000 suites and 550,000 square feet of casino space offered at the Venetian Macao. With 3,400 slot machines and 800 gambling tables, it boasts to be the largest casino in the world!

This 40-storey building is the largest single structure hotel building in Asia and the fourth largest building (by area) on the globe.

The captivating interior design at this Renaissance-Venice themed luxury hotel and casino resort.

The main lobby of the resort.

Enchanting design and layout. I felt very much like I was in Venice!

A statue? Would you like to dress up and act like a statue with your eyes closed for a job? Honestly, I pitied the young girl…

Experience a boat ride in the canals of Venice.

After my quick tour around the Venetian Macao, I took a bus back to the ferry terminal. Employees from the resorts/casinos were well-dressed with their great, big signages. A free ride to the resort/casino, anyone?

Macao is a busy city, mainly due to the big crowd of tourists on a daily basis. Nonetheless, it’s nothing compared to Hong Kong Island. I took a stroll towards the Fisherman’s Wharf, one of the main attractions in Macao you shouldn’t miss.

Yaohan in Macao? Interesting…

The “Tang City.”

Unique stairs.

Souvenir store. Food/snacks you shouldn’t miss!

My favourite polo bun. A sweet bun coated with crunchy cookie dough that resembled a pineapple.

Put Chai Ko, a palm-size pudding cake.

Portuguese egg tart. Yumm…

How can you possibly miss out the dim sum in Hong Kong? There is a wide variety of dim sum dishes, which includes meat, vegetables, seafood, desserts etc.

Yummy dim sum. It’s best to enjoy with a large group of friends.

Piping hot dim sum dishes.

After my dim sum brunch, I headed to Stanley, a nice little town, with Tina.

At a bus stop by the highway.

The view of dam as we crossed the bridge on our way to Stanley.

Stanley was crowded with tourists. The Stanley Market was an interesting place to visit. There are different stores in the building, ranging from clothing, food, souvenirs, to accessories, and much more.

At the Stanley Market.

In 2000, Murray House was successfully restored in Stanley; by putting together more than four thousand pieces of stones and columns that were marked and put away, before the demolition in 1982. The demolition was due to the construction of new Bank of China Tower in Central.

In front of Murray House, a Victorian-era building.

An overlook of Stanley from the Murray House.

Murray House in 1860.

We left Stanley after spending a few hours there, and headed back to Kowloon. What else should you try in Hong Kong?

The stinky tofu! It was crispy, greasy, and stinky. Delicious!

Busy crowd, with people from different culture background.

We visited a Chinese fast food restaurant, Ka Ka Lok, or better known as Café de Coral. Serving more than 300,000 locals in a day, it arises as the largest and most popular Chinese fast food chain restaurant.

Very presentable dish with grilled salmon, pork balls, and veggies.

The yummy-looking dish with grilled salmon and fish fillets.

Why is the restaurant so popular? Delicious and inexpensive dishes, friendly staff, and cozy ambience. On top of that, effective layout and quick service! Place an order and pay the cashier. An order number will be issued. Find yourself a table and wait for the number to be called upon. Collect the food from the front counter and enjoy!

The interior look of restaurant.

I met up with some friends (Stanley, Tina, and Bessie) for lunch in SoHo, Central. It was a fun get-together, after all these years (about 3 years). Lan Kwai Fong, a street in Central, is famous for its busy and exciting nightlife; dining, clubbing, and drinking.

The double decker tram, or known as “ding-ding” by the locals.

Busy construction sites can be seen everywhere on the Hong Kong island. Its rapid development is unbelievable!

A typical ice-cream vendor in Hong Kong.

Try out the smoothie and juice. They’re great energy boosters!

Subsequently, we visited Wan Chai; HK Convention & Exhibition Centre, and Golden Bauhinia Square. It was a nice view of Tsim Sha Tsui from Wan Chai.

Causeway Bay was the next stop. It’s a busy shopping district.

Magnetic chess/board games. Anyone?

Rent a shelf compartment and promote your products! It’s a wonderful idea, due to the staggering store rental and limited business area.

Mr. Corn: Pamphlets! Anyone?

The Times Square.

Busy crowd outside Times Square in the evening.

Tina and I visited a Taiwanese restaurant for supper.

Cold noodles with salmon and crab flakes.

I had the minced pork noodles with egg and tofu.

After our late supper, we headed to the Victoria Peak by bus, for some gorgeous night views! The scene is simply breathtaking!

Peak Tram. It was the last tram of the day, from the top of mountain to Cotton Tree Drive, at midnight.

Next, we took a bus ride to the Wan Chai Ferry Pier. The night view of the island from the water is never to be missed! We headed north, back to Tsim Sha Tsui.

Very neat bench design. The back rest can be moved to either left or right, depending on which direction the ferry is heading into.

Pretty lighting was seen from the Avenue of Stars.

My journey continued, as I walked north. Kwun Chung is a street parallel to Canton Road; King George Memorial Park located between them.

The Kwun Chung Municipal Services Building.

On my way to the Temple Street. Businesses are rather competitive here. Shops can be found on both sides of the street with their easily spotted large and striking signage.

A busy street.

The famous Temple Street.

Food is one of the things you don’t have to worry about in Hong Kong. Wherever you are and whatever the time is, food is always there for you. I was delighted when I saw these:

Chinese bakery!

Yummy baked goods.

The meat floss puff with dried seaweed was delicious.

Pawn shop.

BBQ Restaurant. BBQ chicken, BBQ pork, BBQ duck, BBQ…. All the BBQ delicacies you can think of, and beyond!

Whole durian or packaged durian? Take your pick!

Dried goods (shrimps, mushrooms etc.) and Chinese herbs.

The Jade Market, at the corner of Battery St. and Kansu St.

Numerous jade sellers at the market.

The night market on Temple Street was getting ready to rock!

Double-decker buses on Nathan Road.

St. Andrew’s Church, an international evangelical church, strategically situated in the heart of Kowloon on Nathan Road.

The Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard. A shopping paradise!

I took the subway to Mong Kok to meet my friend for supper.

The busy crowd at Tsim Sha Tsui subway station.

We had soup noodles (with fish) at a restaurant, in a crowded shopping complex.

Night life in Mong Kok.

Busy crowd after 10 p.m.

Are there any cookies which you grew up with? I’ve cravings of these kiddie treats once in a while.

Teddy Graham, the bear-shaped graham cracker snacks. They come in various flavours; chocolate, chocolate chip, honey, and oatmeal. Those cute little gold fishes are Goldfish snacks that are either plain or with cheddar.

I’m surprised to find Marie (or known as Maria) biscuits at the Walmart here! Similar to the rich tea biscuits, they are also a type of sweet biscuit. These biscuits are made of wheat flour, vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla flavouring. These were imported from the Philippines.

Marie biscuits taste the best with a cup of hot chocolate. Yumm…

The colourful belly button cookies! These are tiny cookies, topped with hard, coloured candies.

Oreo Sippers, a new product of Christie. Enjoy your milk with these sippers and chew on the sippers when you’re done. They tasted great! Something different for the regular plain milk :)

The Frito-Lay, a division of Pepesi Co., Inc., offers a variety of snacks. Fritos, Doritos, Ruffles, Cheetos, and Rold Gold pretzels.

Lay’s chips, anyone? Lay’schips are made of farm grown ingredients (potatoes, corn and grains), cooked in natural oil (sunflower and corn), and topped with sprinkling of salt or seasoning.

I’m always amazed by some innovative and artistic merchandise displays, which often spotted at supermarkets. This is one of them.

From left: wavy original, BBQ, dill pickle, ketchup, salt & vinegar, cheddar & sour cream, sour cream & onion, and classic.

Doritos, flavoured totilla chips. They are made of ground corn, corn oil, and seasoning.

Doritos, also a product of Frito-Lay.

Unidentified Flavour. Taste the bag of chips and name it! It’s a contest for Doritos lovers.

Couldn’t make up your mind? How about getting chips with two different flavours (hot wings and blue cheese) in one bag?

Two samosa vendors at the market? Yummy Samosa arises as a competitor of Samosa Delite since fall 2008. The latter has built up a good reputation over the years and seems to be doing well, despite the presence of its rival. One thing for sure, the local community will benefit from the variety of samosa available; in terms of taste, flavour, and price.

According to the owner of Samosa Delite, 7,000 to 10,000 pieces of samosa sold in a day! Or more accurately, half a day (6 a.m. until 1 p.m.). That’s amazing! Patel’s was the first to offer samosa in this community, but they’re no longer in business. Many people missed their samosas; thin and crispy pastry skin, with spicy goodness wrapped in them.

Besides the food vendors, which locate mainly outside the main building, there are different stalls in the building itself. Meat, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, beverages, handicrafts, baked goods etc.

The meat stall. Meat is freshly cut upon request.

Handicrafts that are unique and stylish. Great as souvenirs!

Freshly-squeezed orange juice. Fruit smoothies are available too.

Not surprisingly, groceries from regular stores are usually less expensive than those you get from the farmers’ market. Nonetheless, food items sold at the market are fresher; and best of all, by local producers. Some uniques items can only be found exclusively at the market, such as pure maple syrup, craftworks etc.

W. W. Boyce Farmers’ Market has been serving the Fredericton community since 1951. It opens year-round; every Saturday from 6 a.m. until 1 p.m. Hearty breakfast, delicious hot & cold beverages, baked treats, fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as local meats and seafood etc. You name it, they have it!

The main entrance of market.

How can you possibly miss the food vendors at the market?

Popcorns bagged in different sizes; “Little Bag”, “Almost a Little Bag”, and “Not So Little Bag.”

A German food stall. Wiener Schnitzel (slice of pork coated with breadcrumbs and fried) served with sauwerkraut and onions, on a bun. Besides, the menu includes chicken burger and Oktoberfest sausage.

A busy crowd in the morning.

Craving for some Greek food? Check out Pano’s!

Chicken souvlaki, beef donair, and chicken donair.

Greek Souvlaki, served with pieces of meat and vegetables on a grilled skewer. Donair, a variation of Döner kebab; thin slices of beef or chicken served on rolled pita bread with donair sauce, diced tomatoes and onions.

The famous samosa!

Samosa is a famous South Asian snack. It is a triangular pastry stuffed with minced meat (chicken, beef, turkey, lamb etc.) and spices. Vegetarian samosa is available too!

Samosa with dipping sauce.

The hot beef samosa. Yummy!

Mochi, a Japanese rice cake that made of glutinous rice. It comes with assorted flavours and fillings. Needless to say, freshly made ones are always the best!

Nonetheless, I’m contented with the boxed mochi that’s available at the Chinese grocery store.

From top: black sesame mochi, taro mochi, and peanut mochi.

They smelled good and looked delicious.

Taro mochi has smooth outer skin and creamy taro filling. My favourite :) Yumm…

Peanut mochi contained peanut butter filling and dusted with finely crushed peanuts.

Black sesame mochi contained sweet black sesame paste and coated with black & white sesame seeds.

This is a delicious sweet potato treat that I shared previously. A modified version of the onde-onde found in Malaysia, which is typically green in colour and filled with “gula melaka (a.k.a. palm sugar).”

Ingredients:
700 g sweet potato
1/3 cup + 3 tbsp white sugar
4 cup glutinous rice flour
2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:
1. Peel sweet potato and cut into small chucks. Cook them in a pot of boiling water.
2. Let boil on medium high heat for 20-30 minutes, or until tender.
3. Drain water off the pot. Mix sugar into potatoes and mash them.
4. Pour in glutinous rice flour gradually, until a pliable potato dough is formed. Use ~ 1 tbsp dough for each ball. Roll balls with both hands.
5. Drop sweet potato balls into a fresh pot of boiling water. Cook on medium high heat for about 15 minutes, or until they appear on water surface.
6. Drain water off the pot. Let cool. Roll balls on a plate of shredded coconut. Serve!

* Yield: ~ 80 pieces

It was Sugar Bush weekend on Mar. 21st and 22nd this year. Special events were held at the Kings Landing Historical Settlement, which generally opens to the public only during the summer and fall seasons.

The busy crowd has taken me by surprise when I arrived with a group of friends around 10 a.m. last Saturday. There were long lineups to purchase admission tickets. After standing in line for fifteen minutes to pay for the ticket and breakfast, it was an hour later before we were being seated for breakfast. The busy crowd was unbelievable. I had been there in the previous years and it was usually quiet in the morning. Everyone decided to be there early to beat the crowd this year, I supposed. Unfortunately, things are unpredictable sometimes.

The pancake and maple syrup breakfast is an annual fundraiser event organized by the York Sunbury Search & Rescue. A hearty and delicious breakfast. It was worth the wait!

The volunteers in orange shirts were busy serving the crowd.

A generous serving of breakfast; two pancakes with maple syrup, toast, two sausages, two strips of bacon, baked beans, and scrambled eggs. Yummy!

Horse-drawn wagon rides were offered to visitors.

Maple sap was boiled in iron cauldrons over an open fire, as a demonstration of maple and sugar making 150 years ago. A lady in costume was scooping out some piping hot maple syrup to make maple candies.

A sweet treat of candy-on-the-snow was sold for $2/stick.

The making of candy-on-the-snow: pour hot maple syrup on snow, and roll the slightly harden candy with a stick when settled.

The super sweet maple candy. It was a nice treat!

How much maple sap is required to produce pure maple syrup? The ratio of maple sap needed and pure maple syrup produced was a stunning 40:1!! The making of maple syrup is highly weather-dependent; slightly above freezing point during the day and a few degrees below overnight is perfect for maple sap flow. The harvest season again, is weather-dependent; usually about three weeks. Pure maple syrup is costly.

A demonstration of wool processing with a spinning wheel.

An iron cooking stove/oven in a farmhouse.

A close look at the ancient cooking stove/oven.

A sampling of buckwheat cake was offered.

Subsequently, we made our way to the Joslin farm to visit some animals; sheep, chickens, pigs etc.

Sheep in the barn.

The grist mill and frozen stream.

Winter view at the waterfront.

I’ve been participating in the Sugar Bush weekend for the past few years and truly enjoyed it. It’s a must-see for those who like to experience the welcoming of spring in a traditional New Brunswick fashion.

The level of hotness and spiciness of hot chili peppers is rather subjective, depending on individual taste and cultural background. Capsicum is the genus of these plants.  As a little kid, chilies fall under the “adult food” category; I didn’t have a clue why adults enjoy them so much. I had no desire to give them a try, since it was perceived as a torture to taste buds! I used to dislike peppers, be it chili peppers or the regular green peppers. My “adult food” list included coffee, alcoholic drinks, raw garlic and onions, bitter melon, phoenix claw (a.k.a. chicken feet) etc.

Eventually, I learned to appreciate the unique taste of “adult food”, including hot chili peppers. I like the taste of food on its own, don’t get me wrong. A hint (or splash, when in a greater amount) of these miraculous hot spices add a distinct flavour to food.

What is your tolerance threshold for hot, spicy food? Is there a standard measurement for the spicy level of chilies? Wilber Scoville developed the Scoville scale in 1912. “Scoville Organoleptic Test” was performed as a subjective measure of the heat level of chilies. Testers sipped a solution of sweetened blended pure chilies, with  increasingly diluted concentrations, up to a point where there is no more burning sensation to the mouths. A number was then generated for individual chili peppers, on the basis of how much water needed for the dilution before the tasters can no longer taste or feel the heat.

The heat factor is expressed in the multiples of 100 units. 1.5 Scoville Units are based on one part of chili heat factor in 1 million drops of water. Pure capsaicin (the main hot ingredient in chili peppers) is rated between 15 and 16 million Scoville Units! It creates burning sensation in any tissues that come in contact; an irritant for humans and other mammals.

With the emergence of advanced technology, liquid chromatography is a more scientific and accurate measure of capsaicin levels.

These sweet bell peppers have zero Scoville Units.

Jalapeno scores between 2,500 and 8,00o Scoville Units.

Finger hot chilies are slightly hotter than jalapeno.

Thai chilies, between 50,000 and 100,000 Scoville Units!!!

“Mysteriously Hot Peppers?” Hmm…

“Dried Hottest Chili?” Perfect for cooking!

What about habanero peppers? How hot are they? The orange habanero chili is between 150,000 and 325,000 Scoville Units, where as Red Savina habanero is between 350,000 and 575,000 Scoville Units!!!!! The latter is also known as the Dominican Devil’s Tongue Pepper or the Ball of Fire Pepper in Guyana.

Who is the hottest of all? With Scoville Units greater than 1.04 million, Naga Jolokia is crowned with the title of “hottest chili in the world,” by the Guinness World Records. Ghost Chili of Ghost Pepper are some alternative names given to it.

The tolerance of hot chili peppers comes with years of practice. How to make the hot chilies hotter? Snap or cut chilies into smaller pieces in cooking, without removing seeds. Another proven experience is that previously frozen fresh chilies (i.e. green Thai chilies) taste hotter! There are different kinds of hot in dishes prepared with chilies: spicy hot, numb hot, sour hot, burning hot, tearing hot etc. The best ones would have to be those that are appetizing, with its pleasant smell and astonishing great taste; the more I eat, the more I enjoy!

It was St. Patrick’s Day yesterday. Go GREEN with a big GRIN!! Wearing a green shirt, putting on St. Paddy’s costume and accessories, and drinking green beer are some of the ways to celebrate this Irish national holiday. It’s widely celebrated in many places around the world; North America, England, Australia, and New Zealand.

This special day was celebrated in local Irish churches during early 17th century. It’s an annual feast day (usually Mar. 17th) to celebrate Saint Patrick (c. AD 385-461), a patron saint in Ireland. St. Patrick is believed to have used shamrock (a three-leaved plant) to explain Holy Trinity to the Irish. St. Patrick’s Day is known as a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. It’s a major celebration for those of Irish decent, with an increasing number of non-Irish people participate in the celebration each year.

Besides some exciting parades held in different cities worldwide, Chicago river (Chicago, Illinois) is dyed green annually for this special occasion. Furthermore, Calgary Tower in Canada replaced its top exterior lights to green compact fluorescent lamps in conjunction with St. Paddy’s Day celebration this year.

Looking for a special treat for St. Paddy’s Day? How about a slice of yummy chocolate cake, coated with incredibly delectable ganache and sprinkled with candied shamrocks? Best of all, it contains a secret ingredient which has a lot to do with Irish! Guess what? Two cups of Guiness stout in this cake! Surprisingly, I didn’t taste the beer at all. A very “chocolatety” cake, loved it!

Craving for some spicy food? How does a bowl of hot & spicy curry laksa sound? My curry laksa story begins with a sachet of curry laksa paste from Malaysia; and I’ve been wanting to try it out since a year ago (thankfully curry paste hasn’t expired). I was hoping for someone who is willing to help preparing it. Finally, the curry laksa topic was brought up by my roommate (who is also a great cooking buddy), and we decided to give it a try!

The instructions given to cook the curry laksa were easy. Simply add the paste into hot boiling water, then add desired ingredients (chicken, shrimps etc.) and coconut milk. Serve curry laksa with cooked yellow noodles or rice vermicelli; or better still, both! After some discussions, we agreed to prepare curry dish separately, not one but two; and serve together with curry laksa!

To ensure an authentic dish of curry laksa, we spent hours (more than 3 hours) in the kitchen. We cooked a pot of chicken curry, a pot of seafood (shrimps, scallops, and haddock fillets) curry, as well as a pot of curry laksa. 

This ultimate curry dish was served with yellow noodles and rice vermicelli, curry laksa (red curry soup), chicken curry (yellow curry), seafood curry (red curry), green beans, bean sprouts, and hard-boiled egg; garnished with mint leaves. It was as delicious as the local curry laksa in Malaysia, if not better! Three other Malaysians who tried it would agree with me too ;)