Cliff(y) Goes Dining

How good is the award-winning black pepper crab? I've known the existence of House of Seafood for quite some time, though it was only recently that I went all the way to Punggol Settlement for the very first time. There's another branch at Petaling Jaya's 1 Utama Shopping Centre, which is the largest shopping mall in Malaysia.

How about some apricot and fig sauce on your duck confit? Situated along Bukit Timah Road is Le Rida, a restaurant that offers a curious mix of French, Middle Eastern and Indian dishes. There's also a fully-stocked bar for those who prefer to have a drink or two with light bites. One fine evening, I went there to have dinner.

Last dinner at Dome Café in Singapore... UPDATE (24/06/2019):  The café has closed down. Dome started out as a small coffee roasting business in Perth, Australia in the 1980s. Dome Cafés have been around in Singapore for more than 20 years, but there's only one branch left now at Parkway Parade. Having said that, it's been made known that the remaining branch is going to cease its operation on 23 June 2019.

I love thick Indonesian chicken congee! Here's the last post to wrap up my December 2018 food adventure series. Before flying back to Singapore, my BFF and I spent a night at J Hotel (3*) in Jakarta, Indonesia, which is located within 15 minutes from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport by car. The hotel serves buffet breakfast from 5.00am daily.

Truly 'sedap' (lit. delicious) grilled carp! My BFF and I were back in Jakarta, Indonesia for a one-day stopover after our rather short journey to the Middle East and Africa. For dinner, we wanted to have a seafood meal, so we went to a highly rated restaurant called Lembur Kuring, which is located not far from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Chinese dishes done right and, in fact, better than the rest! After a long enough layover to make full use of Al Mourjan Business Lounge at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, it was time for my BFF and me to take our second last flight of the year. We boarded one of Qatar Airways' Boeing 787-8 aircraft that'd bring us back to Jakarta, Indonesia.

Truly delicious vegetable 'korma' to go with long-grain rice! Describing itself as a lounge that offers "surroundings that rival those of any 5* hotel", Qatar Airways' flagship Business Class lounge is where I spent my 8-hour layover at Hamad International Airport. Overall, I was impressed by the quality of food and beverages served.

No Arabic coffee and dates, but decent fine-dining experience overall! My BFF and I scored a really good deal on Qatar Airways last year, flying in the Economy Class on QR957 that brought us to the Middle East and the Business Class on QR240 and QR956 to return to Southeast Asia. Let's take a look at the food and beverage service from Istanbul, Turkey to Doha, Qatar.

Washing down tasty cooked food with 'raki'! UPDATE (01/05/2020):  With the closure of Istanbul Ataturk Airport to commercial passenger flights in April 2019, the lounge has closed down. My last moment at Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Turkey was spent at Millennium Lounge, which is located on the second floor of the international terminal above the food court. I found the selection of food and beverages to be on the smaller side, but I didn't want to eat a lot anyway prior to the Business Class flight to Doha, Qatar.

Scrambled eggs with more tomatoes than eggs... It was my second time staying at WOW Airport Hotel (4*) near Istanbul Ataturk Airport, which has recently stopped handling commercial passenger flights due to the opening of the new international airport. I didn't have breakfast there during my first stay, but did so during my second stay before flying out of Turkey.

Virgin experience with hazelnut-sans-chocolate spread! On my third visit to Istanbul, Turkey, I stayed at Hotellino Istanbul (4*) that's situated near Gulhane Park. This hotel is better than the nearby Gulhane Park Hotel (4*) in terms of not only buffet breakfast, but also politeness of and service rendered by the staff.

Drawn by the aroma of grilled mackerel sandwich~ Balik ekmek (lit. fish bread) is Turkey's answer to street food. According to my sister, the government has unfortunately pretty much clamped down on street vendors selling those aromatic fish sandwiches. We happened to spot a street vendor near Karakoy Ferry Terminal on our way to the renowned Karakoy Gulluoglu .

Sumptuous seafood casserole cooked in saffron-based sauce! As a doting big brother, I treated my sister who loves seafood. The name Sultanahmet Fish House appeared when I tried to do online search of good seafood restaurants. Interestingly, the phrase "where sultans have dined for centuries" is written on its webpage, although the restaurant was only founded in 1994.