Train2eat with Danny Chen

Just want to share some food shots from my Krabi trip. Nothing extraordinary for those who have been to any Thailand cities or towns. I mean, You can find about the same in any part of Thailand but nevertheless, it is such a delight for me to savour this goodies in Krabi... from the sidewalk food stall to the tourist class restaurant to the al fresco thai dining eateries. Well, enjoy... these are what I discovered in my short holiday in Krabi and Phi Phi Island... Krabi Day 1 Street food... as greasy as they come. This is the Thai version of roti canai (for my fellow Malaysians) or prata (for my Singaporean friends). Sorry, more like roti telur (bread with egg) with dollops of butter inside. Served with a drizzle of condensed milk and sprinkle of sugar... rolled into a cigar with a piece of yesterday's newspaper. Yes, isn't that interesting... peel the paper and munch like you are having a crepe or popiah.... Hmmm go figure. Next stop, was to try the oyster omelet...

Located behind the famous Maxwell Food Centre. Somewhere amongst the beautifully conserved colonial shop lots. The Scarlet is situated at the corner, all the way up Erskine Road. The entrance to the hotel lobby is situated on the second shop lot. The corner lot is where the hotel restaurant is. The decor at the lobby was mysteriously gothic? I don't know why I feel that way... maybe because it was very dimly lit. Heavily carpeted. Dark furnishing but nevertheless, the front desk personnel greeted with so much warmth. I bet they could melt and iceberg. I was most impressed with the service. Another impressive discovery was how big Scarlet actually is. I thought it was a small boutique hotel and occupies probably 3 shop lots and possibly housing 20 rooms. But I was so wrong. As I was led to my room, I went through a good 50m walk through a maze of rooms and apparently Scarlet occupies the shops all the way down to 7-Eleven. That must be a good 10 lots at least. If I remembe...

Welcome to my new series on boutique hotels around the region. These are some pictures taken at the Red Ginger Chic Resort in Krabi. I stayed in the "Clubhouse" room, which is really a loft. Spacious. I really like the day bed in place of the conventional sofa settee. Really nice for afternoon naps or even card games with friends. Nice view of the pool. Service is great. Not a big resort, so you can be assured of peace and tranquility. 5-10 minutes walk to the night market and also to the seafood restaurants. For more details on pricing and booking, please look up the website. http://www.redgingerkrabi.com/

I ought to really carry a sling bag with me every time I go out. So that I have no excuse for not bringing my camera and uploading blurry pictures here. Blurry photos does not do justice to the food... My fault... I'm bad... I'm bad... You know it! (bereavement of MJ's  passing... still). Anyway, Mum's Place is one of those eateries that is so reputable that people are willing to travel the distance to have dinner there. Though the menu has grown over the years but what most patrons return for are the local nyonya dishes which I refrain from calling simple because the preparation required to present an unpretentious looking dish does not necessary mean that it is  any lesser. Well, Gordon Ramsay don't have to pound red shallots, chilly and belacan for his fillet mignon. Not to undermine western cooking but I believe all form of cuisine deserves it's place in this world. Maybe I am just being argumentative, I am sure may people would agree with me. Gosh, it is th...

De Maw is fairly new... I think probably less than 2 years old and the chef was from one of the notable 5-star hotel. Some say Mandarin, some say the former Ming Court on Jalan Ampang. Though fairly new but it has already created quite a reputation i.e. extremely huge serving, great taste and reasonable price. It is not hard to find. From town head towards Cheras via the old Cheras Road. The easiest and least confusing way would be to take the Jalan Pudu. If you are in town, from Pudu Jail, head towards Cheras until you pass Jaya Jusco at Taman Maluri. Then keep left and when you see PGRM but do not turn into the road leading into Taman Shamelin. Instead just go straight into the secondary road. De Maw is the first shop lot on your left. The restaurant is air-conditioned but it seats probably around 10 tables. So, reservation is a definite must.  The must-try in De Maw.... the shark's fin soup... No offense to our animal protection activist friends but if you do not mind, the soup ...

Lau Heong, is a hidden gem. Tucked in the hustle and bustle of Sentul. Very popular with some 98.8FM dee- jays, of which I had the privilege of dining with. : ) Well, I shall not name who he is but he has been telling me about this place for the longest time but of course, due to his busy schedule, we never quite made it here until this fortunate day when heavens part and the sky rained gold and silver ingots... so drama, right? And this is only for a meal... Anyway, Lau Heong is located in the middle of the shop lot, Jalan 3/48A, Sentul Perdana. A bit difficult to find but if you ask around, I think you will get there. It has alfresco dining and non-air conditioned area on the ground floor and air-conditioned upstairs.  As good as it sounds, the place was very busy and we were lucky to get ourselves a table upstairs. Since I was there with a celebrity dee-jay, I enjoyed the little bit of attention that deflected my way. Little bit la... I left the ordering to you-...

Located on the basement of Ikano Power Station. A few stores away from the Taiwan Shihlin Street Food. New addition to the wide selection of local eateries.  This one is not ordinary by the way... Different versions of 'Pan Mee" (handmade noodle) in mince meat with sambal and raw egg or with chicken rendang. All sorts on the menu, but these were the two i tried. Don't forget to dose it with the spicy, fiery sambal... A bit pricey but worth a try or two...

Where do you go when you have a bus load of hungry guests coming to town?  What else? Bring them to Overseas Restaurant. Convenient location, delicious food and reasonable prices. I must caution you about reasonable price though, play save and go with the all-time favorites. Stay away from the fish because the price is seasonal and can be very expensive. So, what to order? Advanced booking is required for the char siew and siew yoke (roast pork) and if you would like steamy serving of soup, best to also order in advance. Other favorites include the homemade beancurd with petola (seng kuah), the prawns in special sauce (ask for the normal prawns and not the big head prawns, if you are on a budget). The spinach or "yuen choi" in soup is also good. The "captain" recommended the herbal duck which turned out to be our favorite that night. The meat is soft and infused with explosion of herbal flavours... simple and unpretentious dish. Simply delicious. The other recommend...