Train2eat with Danny Chen

Ampang is probably the first Korean township in Klang Valley before Solaris and Mont Kiara became a more popular choice for Korean expats. So if you crave for authentic Korean barbecue, I would recommend exploring this area formerly known as One Ampang Avenue. Kim Ga Ne is one of my family’s favorite Korean barbecue joint because on top of the usual pork belly and bulbogi, they serve beef or pig entrails. What’s that? Entrails, also mean internal organs or innards. Yes, not for the fussy diners. One of the must order for me is the rice balls. A simple meal by itself which you can make at home. Hot rice with seaweed, sesame and and sesame oil which you can mould into balls yourself. It’s super yummy. We ordered the beef entrails which is a combo of stomach and tripe. It is chewy but delicious but the tripe which was marinated in chili paste is very spicy. So be warned.   We also ordered the pork shoulder. The portion is quite small for its price and we had to order another portion ...

Little Bourke Street from Melbourne, of course! How legit is it? Let’s find out. The menu was rather eclectic and why not? After all, Melbourne is known as one melting pot down under. This cafe nestled along Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail. A matured residential area soon becoming the new mecca of gastronomy with neighbors like DC and Bref (By Darren Chin), David’s Bistrot, Yeast, Akar all within 1KM radius.  So, let’s see. Coffee. Tick and it’s good. Probably one of the smoothest latte, I have had in town. The house lemonade was just a bit too sour for my liking.  The barramundi & wedges - well, I did have the impression that Melbourne was the other land of fish and chips, where dory is wrapped in yesterday’s newspaper. Reminiscing uni days where fish and chips was a slab of battered fish and a whole kilo of chips. Sadly, little Bourke’s version fell short, way short. The battered barramundi was quite dry and no tartar in the world could rehydrate it....

Tosokchon (토속촌) Tosokchon is a Korean restaurant known for its signature samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup) made with glutinous rice, gingko nuts, ginseng, garlic and jujube, as well as 30 different types of medicinal herbs and grains. The restaurant, located near Gyeongbokgung Station, was also frequented by Late President Roh Moo-hyun. Samgye-tang (ginseng chicken soup) ㆍOgol Samgye-tang (ginseng Silkie chicken soup) ㆍSansambaeyanggeun Ogolgye-tang (Silkie chicken with cultured wild ginseng roots) ㆍOtgye-tang (chicken cooked in a Chinese sumac broth) ㆍDak-baeksuk (whole chicken soup) + Juk (rice porridge) ㆍ Dak-bokkeum-tang (braised spicy chicken) ㆍTongdak (roasted chicken) ㆍHaemul Pajeon (green onion pancake with seafood) ㆍAgu-jjim (braised spicy monkfish) ㆍGonggibap (rice) Directions [Subway] Gyeongbokgung Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 2. Go straight about 170m and turn left onto Jahamun-ro 5-gil Road. Tosokchon (토속촌) is located 10m ahead on the left...

Introduction passage found in the menu... "In "Dribbdebach", as we call the part of Frankfurt South of the River main, in the beautiful Sachsenhausen district, our restaurant awaits you with the traditional atmosphere of Frankfurt's apple wine culture. This is the place to get together with friends, acquaintances, business partners, travellers from all over the world in order to have a glass of apple wine (a "Schoppen", as it is called and other specialties which are typical of Frankfurt.  Stop by and enjoy the unique atmosphere." Established since 1931, Adolf Wagner is a woody tavern and institution of traditional German food in Frankfurt, famous for its apple wine and traditional Frankfurt cuisine. Highly recommended by Lonely Planet, Tripadvisor, Fodor and other travel guides. It takes about 15 minutes by tram to Sachsenhausen area and the tavern is a minute walk from the tram stop. The signboard is clearly visible from the roadside and a ...

Why are you going to Europe for your vacation? It's freezing there!!! *Grins* (think to myself, that's exactly why I am going to Europe). I actually enjoy winter, though I admit living in a cold country for extended period would require serious consideration. During my uni days in Melbourne, winter was sometimes below 6 degrees C and sleeping by the heater and dealing with severely dry and toasted skin is no fun. Anyhow, in my plans to see the world before I die, Prague was a destination on my wish list for years now. The other being, Salzburg. I have visited most of Central Europe and time to broaden the coverage towards the east. Frankly, if I could I would love to go even further east, to Romania, Poland, Slovenia and so forth but this is what I could afford for now. Of course, travelling to Europe is not cheap. The euro is 4.5 of a Ringgit? Major dent on the piggy bank and credit card but what the heck, you only live once.  So, let me share with you what I look forward...

First stop, Frankfurt. Destination number one in a 2-week European winter escapade. Flying the red-eye Malaysia Airlines flight and touching down as the day began to dawn. The clearing of immigration and baggage collection was orderly and rather painless. From Terminal 2, a 10-minute bus transfer drops you at Terminal 1, where you catch the train to the city main train station, Frankfurt Main Hauptbahnhof. Don't be confused with "Frankfurt am Main", which is the full name for the city. Anyway, it is easy to ask for direction as most locals speak English. Not planning to lament over how long this blog has been abandoned but it is a priority to resuscitate this blog in the long list of resolutions for 2015. So hopefully, this sharing of the recent free and easy trip (December 19 - January 3) to Frankfurt, Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Salzburg would bring life to this blog again. The 25 Hours Hotel Frankfurt is located about 10 minutes walk away from the Main Hauptbahnhof....

Episode 4 A Dash of Colourful Kuala Lumpur #MH48hours brought to you by Malaysia Airlines and train2e@t Published on  Feb 3, 2014 A 48 hours layover in Kuala Lumpur is plenty of time for a mini adventure. Join Danny Chen, the author of Train2e@t, in this episode as he discovers places around the Brickfields & Batu Caves. After arriving at KL Sentral, you can opt to stay at a stylish Aloft Hotel. Walk to Kuala Lumpur's Little India at nearby Brickfields, the tiny enclave that offers enough of an injection of local colour filled with saree shops and banana leaf rice restaurants. Experience in a fun and open atmosphere at MaiBar, the Tiki themed bar on the rooftop of Aloft with a great Kuala Lumpur city skyline view. The next morning, take a commuter ride to Batu Caves and climb up 272 steps leads up to Temple Cave.

Episode 3 - Under the Shade of the Twin Towers #MH48hours brought to you by Malaysia Airlines and train2e@t. Published on  Jan 2, 2014 A 48 hours layover in Kuala Lumpur is plenty of time for a mini adventure. Join Danny Chen, the author of Train2e@t, in this episode as he discovers places around the Petronas Twin Towers. Spend the afternoon enjoying Madam Kwan's truly Malaysian cuisine at Pavilion shopping mall. A short walk from there, check out what's happening at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and walk along the KLCC park to see the twin towers up close. Watch the sunset over the skyline of Kuala Lumpur at Marini's on 57 perched on the 57th floor of Petronas Tower 3. The next morning, start with morning walk at the KLCC Park and spend a few hours visited the world's highest double-decked bridge and discover what makes the Twin Towers special through cutting-edge displays and vibrant exhibits at Level 86's observation deck.

Episode 2 - The Charm of Old Malaya #MH48hours brought to you by Malaysia Airlines and train2e@t. Published on  Sep 13, 2013 A 48 hours layover in Kuala Lumpur is plenty of time for a mini adventure. Join Danny Chen, the author of Train2e@t, in this episode as he discovers some of Kuala Lumpur good old charm. Spend the quite afternoon enjoying English Afternoon Tea with a Malaysian twist at the Orchid Conservatory of The Majestic Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. A short walk from the hotel, discover some of the cities oldest building including Kuala Lumpur Railway Station & the National Mosque.Take a train to Bandaraya station and explore the busy street of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and stop for dinner at the Coliseum Cafe, one of the oldest serving restaurant in Kuala Lumpur.For supper, catch a train to Kampung Baru station and try out one of the famous Nasi Lemak in town at Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa.In the morning, spend a few hours and visited the exhibits of Islamic arts t...

Episode 1 - A Pocket in the City #MH48hours brought to you by Malaysia Airlines and train2e@t. Published on  Aug 17, 2013 A 48 hours layover in Kuala Lumpur is plenty of time for a mini adventure. Spend the whole afternoon shopping around Jalan Bukit Bintang and stop by for a coffee at The Loaf, Pavilion. At nightfall, scavenging the buzzing food street of Jalan Alor, hunt down the charcoaled fire-grilled chicken wings at Wong Ah Wah, before adjourning to the watering holes of Changkat Bukit Bintang. Escape into the harem for a musical treat at No Black Tie. Sober up from the jazz intoxication with a piping hot bowl of Ngau Kee beef noodle for supper. In the morning, a short stroll away through the back lanes of the Marriot and Ritz, discover the Malaysian chinese coffee shop culture and enjoy the local petit déjeuner at Restoran Win Heng Seng. For an even more authentic ambience, brave the Bukit Bintang wet market and have a cup of kopi-o and toasted bread with kaya...

The trailer for the train2e@t series brought to you by Malaysia Airlines. Published on  May 29, 2013 A food hunt series with one of Malaysia's food enthusiast on Malaysia Airlines YouTube Brand Channel - http://youtube.com/malaysiaairlines

My first collaboration with Malaysia Airlines and the assignment was to host top bloggers from the United Kingdom on a street food escapade downtown city centre. I had so much fun! Published on Jun 22, 2013 If there's one thing that's well known about Malaysia throughout the world, it's culinary delights that we often take for granted. 5 UK's top bloggers took the streets of Kuala Lumpur & Malacca in search of the best foods Malaysia has to offer, while taking in the sights & sounds of the two cities which are clear cut opposites. Paul Dow -- TravMonkey,  https://twitter.com/travmonkey Chrissie Walker -- Mostly Asian Food & Travel, https://twitter.com/mostlyfood1 Julie Falconer -- A Lady in London, https://twitter.com/aladyinlondon Victoria Brewood -- Pommie Travels, https://twitter.com/pommietravels Charlotte Giver -- Your Coffee Break, https://twitter.com/UrCoffeeBreak