Food Republic @ Vivocity (No more!)

Any of you out there had your meal at Food Republic @ Vivocity and felt like you've just walked into a "butcher's shop"??? Hahha!!

There was a receipt that was circulated, where someone was billed S$19.20 for a bowl of yong tau foo!! It's really RIDICULOUS!!! Apparently, this particular yong tau foo stall doesn't display the prices of the items.. so without doubt, you'd think pieces of fishballs, tao pok etc won't cost that much right??? Somemore in food court leh... WRONG!! VERY WRONG!!! ABSOLUTELY TOTALLY WRONG!!! Can feel the emphasis on how EXPENSIVE the food is???? Hahhaha!!!

Anyway, that receipt didn't come from me. But we certainly can sympathise with whoever this patron was. my colleagues and I also had our most exorbitant food court meal there before we got this receipt - shucks!! Here's what we had and the prices we were charged:

Economical rice: 2 meat + 1 vege + fried rice: $9.80

Economical rice: 2 vege + 1 meat + white rice: $6+

Economical rice: 4 dishes (can't remember what choices) + white: $7+

Yong tau foo: Laksa yong tau foo: $7+

Essentially, the economical rice was not so economical loh!!! CRAP!! hahah!!

IT WAS MY COLLEAGUE'S FIRST AND IT SHALL BE THEIR LAST AT FOOD REPUBLIC VIVOCITY!! Perhaps these were the only 2 stalls which serve exorbitant dishes!!! I don't know..

So, everyone out there... please be "careful".. check the prices first before you happily take the items hoh hahha!!

Food Republic @ Vivocity - BANNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wah Lok @ Carlton Hotel (1 Oct)

Got news of my PB! Happy!! Hahah!! So, decided to go for some good food - a treat to my hubby hehe...

Have heard about Wah Lok's cuisine so we headed for Wah Lok @ Carlton Hotel. They were having promotion for its roast duck.. but shucks! forgot how much it cost for half a duck.. think $18.. quite reasonable.. these were the dishes we had.. total bill came to S$80+ if I remember correctly. Sorry, pictures not too clear.. took with my mobile phone...

Not too bad lah.. especially the roast duck! Actually we'd prefer that they don't pour the sauce over the duck, else it was crispy without it. So, if you plan to order their roast duck, ask if they can give you the sauce separately.

Generally, the dishes were just right for me.. meaning not too salty.. so for those people who prefer more tasty food, these may not be great for you...

Think they are more famous for tim sum, so we may go back some time... some time lah... haha!!

Traders Hotel, KL (11-13 Jan)

Had the opportunity to stay at Traders Hotel in KL because of a business trip hehee... that's the lovely part of a business trip - free flight, free accommodation and sometimes free meals from boss!! Hahaha!! But that also means hard work leh... but so far ok lah.. can be tiring but not killing ;p

Ooh!! This was the first time I fly alone! And when I fly, I always like to take the window seat, cos I love to look out when the plane takes off and touches down, and enjoy the amazement and wonders of the plane, made possible by engineers!! The best part is when the plane moves just above the layers of clouds. EVERYTIME without fail, I get emo about this - seeing how magnificient the sky and horizon is, and the cottony layers of clouds.. these are really really marvelous & magnificient sights!! Simply beyond what words can describe!! The AWESOME creations of God!!

It's also the first time I fly to KL cos usually I'd take coach. Hence, when I arrived at KLIA, I didn't know that the departure & arrival halls require a short ride on the Aerotrain (or what we call the Skytrain in Singapore) to the immigration/ check-in areas. So, as usual, I just followed the crowd hahaha!! People rushed on the Aerotrain, I also went on. People walked to Immigration area, I also followed hahah!!!

Ok, on the hotel. Traders Hotel, if you haven't known, is under the Shangri-la group, so what do you think?? It was great!!! Fantastic!! No complaints!! It wasn't the best I've stayed at KL but it was fantastic! The corporate rate cost us S$177 nett per night inclusive of breakfast - quite reasonable right? I stayed for 2 nights as I had to do booth set-up the day prior to the fair, which wasn't tough as the booth was quite nicely done up already ;)

Here are some photos of Traders Hotel:

Check-in area on the 5th floor of the hotel
My SUPER-DUPER comfy king size bed!!

Working desk and don't-know-how-many-inch Samsung flat panel TV

The bathroom - I had a good soak!!

Lollipop on the towel
Set of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel

View from my room on the 21st floor

Breakfast area - very good variety & spread!!

Sky Bar - pool. I LOVE it!! But no, I didn't use...

KL Twin Towers


Talk about the hotels I've stayed in KL, here's my ranking (based on overall experience):
1. Mandarin Oriental - needless to say
2. Marriott & Traders (same)
3. Crowne Plaza
4. Impiana
5. Parkroyal
6. Istana
7. Coronade

With budget consideration, Impiana is the best option. See my earlier blog on it http://tiramisho.blogspot.com/2007/07/kl-mega-sale-30jun-3jul_06.html

Feeling the taxi (fare) pinch...

Anyone of you taken taxi recently and got a shock from the new increased fare?? I knew there was going to be changes or rather increase in taxi fare but got a BIG shock when I hopped on a cab in town after 10pm to be slapped with a $3 surcharge!! Apparently, this is applicable from 5pm all the way to midnight and from Mon-Sat!!! My goodness!! Thought such surcharge should end by 9pm mah...??? DARN!!

Also, if you have noticed, or perhaps it's just me, there are more empty cabs running around now, right?? Especially in the mornings when I am going work, whenever I walk onto the roads, cabs will start slowing down.. no no, I didn't even look at them or look like I needed a cab.. so whenever these cabs slow down or even stop, I had to wave and signal that I am not taking cab!

I used to take cabs home after night out with friends but now I have to really think twice, or bear with taking MRT to Lakeside before hoping on a cab. So friends, please, let's not have our gathering in town anymore hahaha!! Anywhere else outside CBD is appreciated!! Hahah!!

Feeling the pinch... but what to do....??? If we have to take, we have to right??? I suppose this is still anytime cheaper than owning a car hoh??? Yes... self-assurance... Hahahha!!

Here's the new fare, if you haven't already know...

Basic flag down fare

$2.80 - $3.20 depending on the type of taxi you got onto

Midnight surcharge

50% of metered fare from 12am to 5.59am

Peak hour surcharge

35% of metered fare Mon-Fri 7-9.30am, Mon-Sat 5-8pm

This is the BIG KILLER!!

CBD surcharge

$3 from 5pm-midnight. Another murderer!!

!#$%^^&*()*#$&^#$&*^%

Taiwan Day 17 (29 Dec Taipei-流浪街头与桃园机场的日子)

Breakfast at Dante Coffee

Checked out One Star Hotel but left our luggage with the hotel while we roam around the area around where we stayed including searching for food/ gifts for friends/ colleagues.

Whenever we travel, we’d make it a point to go for at least one good or more upmarket meal before we leave for home. So we headed for lunch at a japanese restaurant in one of the lanes. Though it was not the classy shopping mall type, the food was quite good! We ordered 2 meals at NT600 and NT450 each. The entire course included items such as sashimi, fish roe, tempura, unagi, seafood soup in tea pot, 1 grilled fish and 1 crispy whole fried fish. No rice but by the end of the meal, we were really FULL!!

After roaming a few hours, we checked into Royal Hotel. NT360 for first 2hrs and each subsequent hour cost NT100. But it was SUPER log-kok loh. The room had a strong moist stench too!! Got mosquitoes some more!! We didn’t even dare to use its towels nor sat on its sofa chair hahaha!! After 1hr, I asked my hubby if we could change to another hotel hahah!! I asked a few around this area but unfortunately NO ROOMS!! Sad!!! Too bad loh… have to put up with Royal Hotel loh… *SOB*. So, whoever’s reading this, please NO NO NO Royal Hotel ok hahah!! BAN BAN BAN!!!!

After our 17 days trip, other than the original 3 bags (2 back packs & one 20inch trolley case) we brought here, we also had 3 plastic bags full of goodies!! In the end, we bought 2 luggages - a 24inch + a 20inch Jack Wolfskin trolley suitcase - cost NT2980! I think they were quite cheap leh hahaha!!! Or is it not???? ;p

Dinner was fried rice at another stall found in one of the lanes. It was recommended by someone from Tripadvisor. Perhaps we didn't get the right stall cos it wasn't as fantastic as I thought it would be ;p

Checked out of Royal Hotel at 9.30pm cos they had guests coming. Took 国光客运 to Taoyuan Airport. With the discount coupon from the 5day pass, we got discount off from the bus ticket – NT 110/pax (if not, it would be NT125/pax).

Our flight was on Sun 30 Dec at 6.20am!! I know!! SUPER early loh… We were toying with the idea of either checking into any of the hotels here for day use, check out to leave for airport before midnight (no public transport after that) or stay one night at Taoyuan, near the airport. We chose the former cos we weren’t sure if we would be able to call a cab at 3am!! And most hotels near Taoyuan Airport were at least about 20min drive away, which I was told cab fare would cost abt NT500 (or NT1,500 from Taipei to Taoyuan Airport). So, we decided to be one-night vagrants at the airport hahaha!! Actually this was first suggested by Yen & Stephane haha!! First time for both of us…

Our vagrant hours began from 10.45pm to 4.30am till we woke up to check in. No proper sleeping place so can only sit and try lying which didn't really help.. by the next morning, we realised that there were better seats at Burger King at B1 which we would definitely had a much better sleep!

That was the end of our 18-day round Taiwan trip (effectively, 17 days lah hehe). Reluctant to leave hahah!! Enjoyed this trip very much, not forgetting the 血拼 (= shopping hahhaa!!) and the different experiences with different people and places of accommodation. I doubt we had covered the MUST-DOs in Taipei, so WE’LL BE BACK!!! Hahah!!

Anyway, including airfare, accommodation, food & shopping, we spent a total of about S$4,500 (for 2 pax). Not that bad lah hoh??? Hehehe…