Cliff(y) Goes Dining

Creamy, curry-like baked chicken! Time really flies; it's the last day of January, and this is the last review of the month. Even though it wasn't my first time walking past the food court, last month saw my virgin experience dining under the artificial sky of the enormous resort hotel. Out of so many food options to choose from, my siblings and I went for Portuguesa Porto Exterior, serving Portuguese cuisine.

Famous shrimp roe noodle with addictively sweet broth! To add to the list of Macau eateries in this blog, I tried to do a research before arriving at the destination. I had previously overlooked the fact that Macau is pretty famous with its noodle with shrimp roe, and many food bloggers point out the existence of Wong Chi Kei, an eatery that is conveniently located at the iconic Largo Do Senado, or Senate Square.

Free upgrade = free snacks! Some people argue that a trip to HK wouldn't be complete without visiting the other Special Administrative Region of China, which is Macau. Previously, I had never booked seats online with the ferry company, but I did for my family last month. To our delight, we were given a free upgrade to the Cotai First seat each.

Juicy salmon steak, coupled with more-than-decent hot milk tea! Maxim's Caterers Limited, the largest food and beverage corporation and restaurant chain in HK, set up its first Hong Kong Day café in 2010. Before enjoying the night breeze at the Avenue of Stars, my family and I went for a quick dinner at the Harbour City branch.

A bowl of hot tofu pudding on the way to Yung Shue Wan!  After a what-I-considered-to-be-pretty-light lunch, we decided to walk back to Yung Shue Wan to catch a ferry back to the main island instead of trekking all the way to Sok Kwu Wan as my mom wouldn't be able to walk too far. On the way back, we stopped by a small shop with a shelter, specialising in dou hua  (Chinese silken tofu pudding).

Vinegary noodle with juicy wantons! Welcome back to HK! On my second visit in December last year, I decided to explore Lamma Island once again. Just about 30 minutes away from the bustling city by ferry, it's pretty much a tranquil island with a relaxed pace of life. Instead of having a seafood meal like what I did before at Lamma Hilton Shum Kee Seafood Restaurant , I went for something simple near Hung Shin Ye Beach. Note that this eatery doesn't have an English menu, so I'm going to give a simple name to each of the dishes below together with its actual name in traditional Chinese characters.

A variety of instant noodle, including Vietnamese 'pho'! UPDATE (30/06/2019): As the old international terminal has now become the domestic terminal, this review isn't representative of the current Vietnam Airlines Lounge at the new terminal. The clinical Terminal 2 for international departures wasn't at all lively in the morning. Save for the colours from paraphernalia sold at some kiosks, there wasn't much to see. Thankfully, there's an unobstructed view of the tarmac from the lounge for those who love aircraft spotting. There weren't that many people either that day, so I was able to sit back while waiting for the flight to take me home.  

Mouth-watering appetiser of smoked salmon and caviar! Truth be told, the haze in Hanoi, Vietnam was suffocating. For someone who likes to explore by walking, I considered it to be a waste of opportunities that I had to grab a cab twice during my stay in the city. However, even though I was relieved on the last day that I'd be breathing clean air again soon, I started to miss the city with its warm hospitality.

A unique combination of fish cakes and shrimps! It wasn't only my virgin experience with Vietnam, but also my first time flying with its national carrier last year. Currently receiving the Skytrax 3 Star Airline rating, Vietnam Airlines is striving to gain one level up by 2016. I booked an Economy Class seat for the SIN-HAN (Changi International Airport, Singapore - Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam) sector, and a Business Class seat for the return flight.

Aromatic fried chicken with coconut bits to end the trip! This review is the last part of the 2D1N Ha Long Bay tour with Golden Lotus Cruise. After the fun kayaking session that followed the simple breakfast , we checked out of the cabin and made our way back to the port. Subsequently, we had lunch at a restaurant nearby before being transported back to the capital city.

A very simple breakfast before kayaking... After the decent dinner the previous day, we chose to relax at the upper deck of the Golden Lotus Cruise. If sitting down and enjoying the night breeze sound too boring for you, fret not, you can sing karaoke or try to do squid fishing with the crew. Afterwards, we really had a good night sleep.

Enjoying dinner after a day of fun, especially during cave exploration! After we had our lunch onboard the cruise ship, we went to explore Sung Sot Cave. Literally means 'Amazing Cave' in English, it features spectacular stalactites and stalagmites, bathed in colourful illumination of lights that are strategically placed. We also went to watch the sunset at one of the islands at Ha Long Bay.

Welcome lunch to kickstart the Ha Long bay tour! Happy New Year 2015! We, the members of Cliff(y) Goes Dining, sincerely hope that everyone has had a good start to the year. Continuing from where we left off last year, we're going to write about the food that we had during our 2D1N Ha Long Bay tour with Golden Lotus Cruise (3*). For the uninitiated, the said bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring thousands of limestone karsts. It has also attained the status of one of the New7Wonders of Nature since 2012.