Beijing's Hidden Gem III

1.2.3? T.R.B? It's Temple Restaurant Beijing. Another hidden gem in Beijing. Even the taxis didn't even want to drive into the restaurant because it's a hassle for them to drive all the way into the alleys and out again without any guests. We had to walk to the restaurant after being dropped off at the main street. The history for this temple is really funny because it was previously a temple which they restored and turned into a restaurant. I kept thinking they served vegetarian food since it is a temple after all.

Let's see... we had the lobster bisque (complimentary), Lyonnaise Style Frisee salad, Orange Fennel Salad, Seafood En Papillotte, Braised Lamb, Panfried Chicken Leg, Asparagus Risotto,  Chocolate Ganache Mousse, Creme Brulle, Pistachio Framboise and Tiramisu. I really loved the location of this restaurant but the food wasn't 5 star, I returned my lamb, it was overcooked despite requesting only medium well and the desserts were way too sweet to our liking. We couldn't finish some of the desserts and had to take home some of it.  All in all it was still quite an experience and would love to come back again because my companions swore that the panfried chicken was out of the world. Haha....

Beijing's Hidden Gem II

What else that was uniquely Beijing this time? French food! Haha.....I know it sounds crazy but the price is pretty crazy too! Meaning, for this level of comfort, service and quality of food, it was between US$20-55 depending on how many course you order with endless supplies of bread and complimentary desserts. Maison Boulud is so hidden that, if you didn't know, you probably wouldn't know. It was located in the former US embassy in Beijing. It was a really great and fun place to do brunch at.

We had the green pea soup, Nicoise salad, escargo, salmon, monk fish, gnocchi, lamb and chocolate molten cake. After we were done, they even served fresh madeline and a platter of macaroons and candies. 

Beijing's Hidden Gem I

When one is in doubt where to eat, one should refer to the... Time Out magazine! I have to admit, it's such a touristy thing to do, to refer to a Time Out magazine to look for eating places in a city filled with such a vast array of food. Especially when we were going towards Nan Luo Gu Xiang. It's blocks after blocks of streets and alleys filled with quaint bars, galleries, trinket shops, souvenirs, food joints and etc. That is precisely why it is interesting to find out what the foreigners are recommending the tourists to try out. Every stalls, be it drinks, desserts, or Beijing yogurt, that were somewhat famous or highly recommended by the locals were packed with crowds. But who knew tucked in a small alley, is this Korean restaurants that uses only organic produces and ingredients.

Ah, what can I say, we always order our favorite - Bibimbap.

Not forgetting japchae.

And..............the star of the meal! Ginseng cage free organic chicken! I know it's crazy to be eating chicken amidst the bird flu but but but....this is really really good. Enough ginseng flavor and the chicken, so tender and sweet. I enjoy meat and I like my meat to be cooked and tasted right! I don't know why I was craving for Gingseng Chicken for the longest time when I heard we were going to eat Korean, my mind was set on this and it sure hit the spot. Ah...that warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

Flowers and Gardens

Somewhat disappointed but not disheartened, we continued our search for cherry blossoms in Beijing! Due to the temperature differences, flowers in Beijing were scheduled to bloom much later. We were very excited to find out that there were still gardens after gardens full of cherry blossoms. How lucky were the Emperors and Empresses to have enjoyed such beauty in their own gardens, not having to fight with the iPhones, iPads and SLRs of those commoners to look at the flowers. 

 

Also, not forgetting the beauty of the royal gardens, so serene and peaceful sans the crowd.

West Lake

This is my 3rd time going to Hang Zhou, and we were lucky enough to be staying right next to the lake. Also, this time, they have an hourly water fountain and light show! So we spent a lot of our time staying in the hotel, enjoying afternoon tea while watching the water and light show :)

This is a funky restaurant right by the lake. Serving local dishes paired with light electronic music. It opens around 11am but within half an hour, there was a minimum half an hour wait. No matter at what time we passed by this place, there was always a huge crowd waiting outside. The name is really cute - The Grandma's and the menus was in the form of a magazine. I can see why this place was super packed, mainly because the price was decent and the portions were huge. Our hungryselves accidentally ordered these amount of food and we pretty much finished all of them!

Let's see...from top left, we ordered the potato and mushroom hot pot, spicy and sour vege fish, pickled radish, dessert (red bead, mango, lotus seeds and sticky rice ball soup), garlic pork slices, spicy cold noodle and lotus root stuffed sweet sticky rice. 

Shanghai 2013

This time we only spent 3 days in Shanghai, apart from visiting the Bund and a few other typical tourist attractions, we went to search for something different; cherry blossoms! Yes, there was a huge cherry blossom festival in Shanghai. 

We read about the cherry blossom festival before we reached Shanghai. Hence, after we got into Shanghai, we immediately arranged a trip to visit the cherry blossom gardens. Unfortunately, we were 1 week late for the cherry blossom festival. 

This was the last batch in the garden...

According to the locals, they bloomed early this year and due to the big wind, there were all gone after  1 week. So, they recommended that we visit the tulip garden instead!

My oh my, a tulip garden in Shanghai ? 

Actually, the garden was quite spectacular. I believe they have all types of tulips and colors featured in the garden and it was also probably the biggest tulip garden outside of Holland. Never had I thought I would be able to see such array of tulips outside of Holland. It was very breathtaking and exciting. The ticket wasn't cheap, but I would say it was worth it, because I get to see such an spectacular tulip garden! :)

Of course we had a great time in Shanghai but what really made this trip memorable were the tulips!

Summer Fat Camp 2010 - Destination I

Summer Fat Camp 2010 is not an annual event. When the invitation lands on your lap, you grab it and don't think twice. It is not limited to only 1 destination but to many, where to? It is up to the organizers and all you need to do is to pay for your flight tickets and the rest is planned and covered for. The schedule is crazy but the experience is - priceless. Thanks to all the wonderful organizers!


Location 1 : Shanghai
My first stop was to go to Shanghai and to attend the Expo 2010. Frankly, it was really an awesome event, unfortunately, it was way too crowded. An average of 40,000 people attend the Expo, entering the Expo first thing in the morning took us 2 hours, let alone lining up to go into the exhibition halls. I was told that the to enter the China Hall, many lined up for 4-5 hours. So I didn't bother hence I didn't get to see a lot of the cool ones, I barely made it through the day and spent only a limited time at the Expo. If you have the patience to be in line for hours and be a part of the mob, you should definitely go and check it out.

The best part about this China trip is the accommodation!
My camp coordinator had the best accommodation mapped out! When the hotel's restaurant was fully booked, we just ordered room service. :D
Check it out!

Then of course, how could we forget camp food? Insufferable camp food? *Haha* On the first day, we went for Ajisen Ramen and it was pretty good.

For the next few days, we were stuffed with the best of the best in Shanghai. The best Shanghainese food that I had tasted was at Xiao Nan Guo, not only the food came out beautiful, the tastes were amazing! Most of the dishes looked simple but the tastes from the fresh ingredients were incredibly accentuated by the master chefs. We had the sticky rice in lotus root, salad, drunken chicken, seafood tofu (looked very plain but tasted very good), mixed mushroom, fish, Long Jin prawn, and my favourite is the sticky rice balls in sweet rice wine.

Somehow we always miss Japanese food so we had - Dory fish hot pot rice, agedashi tofu, and Rainbow sushi. When the weather got too unbearably hot, we hopped into Tian Mi Mi (dessert chain) for some grass jelly red bean soup and cold ice tea. Also, not forgetting the famous Lao Ma Mi Xian, thick vermicelli, best eaten either hot or cold.

Of course, not forgetting the Shanghai night scene.

And the famous Bund.

And the crowded Nan Jing East Road.

It's crazy, but I love the lights and colors. They're so vibrant and full of life! Glad to be back in Asia again. ♥



Location II: Hangzhou


We also went for a 2-day trip to Hangzhou, it was pouring during those 2 days, so we didn't really get to enjoy the West Lake but at least we get to see the beautiful lotuses.

When you travel, it's best to have local friends because they will bring you the best local restaurant. We were treated to the famous Cai Die Xuan Restaurant.

Location III: Suzhou


What's famous in Suzhou? The old gardens, temples and canal streets. And what is cheap there? Silk scarves. Well, only if you know how to buy and bargain for them. For the cheap price that I got for the scarves, I still think I was sold the imitation silk scarves although the lady looked insulted when I asked her so. Haha....

Next stop - Philippines.