My Very First Blog

Today, I would like to blog about my visit to this cafe called Seasons by Spatula located at Aurora Place, Bukit Jalil. Nice cafe to chillax.

 

Have you been here before? 

I like that mirror. 

Not crowded during the time I visited, fortunately. I never like crowded cafes and especially now when we need to social distance due to Covid-19, it's really quite risky to dine inside a crowded cafe!

There was a cute pet bunny running around in the cafe. Look! 

I had Latte with oat milk and Ava-Toast (avacado toast). Love the coffee and the toast! Yummy. 

It's a good cafe to chill or to do your work. Don't mind returning here again. 

By the way, this cafe is just about 5 minutes walk from the new Pavilion Bukit Jalil shopping mall. Very convenient place to go after your shopping. 

Cafe hopping is a trend in Malaysia nowadays especially amongst hipsters and young people. It simply means going from one cafe to another - practically trying out every cafe in town!

Is it any wonder that cafes are mushrooming everywhere to cater to these weird habits of young Malaysians? Even the not so young people are catching the cafe hopping fever. I would be lying if I were to tell you that I do not cafe hop. I do, but I don't do the extreme, that is, visiting several cafes in a day. I did that once though with a group of friends and it was fun! We visited 7 different cafes in a single day! Crazy! Not to be repeated any time soon!

I guess if you were to visit one cafe a day, you could still be considered cafe hopping. It's just that you hop from one cafe to another but on different days! Usually, I prefer to spend a few hours in one cafe to make my money worth it LOL! What about you?

Anyway, whether you cafe hop or not, I have decided to compose a song about cafe hopping! Am I the first person in the world to write a song on cafe hopping? I think so and I hope so too. Haha! I am not sure that when you listen to this song, you  will be able to imagine yourself hopping from one cafe to another.

If you do, great. If not, then just enjoy the music! :)


Note : This work and recording is copyrighted. All Rights Reserved. 

Looking for desserts in Bangkok to satisfy your sweet tooth? Why not try After You Dessert Cafe located at Silom Complex?



It was my second day in Bangkok and my friend and I decided to part ways after enjoying the yummy toasted bread at Mont Nom Sod in MBK Centre. Yes, we sometimes like to explore Bangkok on our very own - solo style - and I would suggest you do the same whenever you travel with friends.

If you have never traveled alone before, you will experience that awesome feeling of freedom, doing what you like, with no worries about pleasing or accommodating your travel partners!

Anyway, I left MBK Centre and somehow ended up at Silom Complex. What I did in between these two places would perhaps be best left for another post in future.

I had heard about After You Dessert Cafe before I came to Bangkok, so when I saw this cafe on the second floor of Silom Complex, I immediately went in.



Everything on the menu sounds so sweet! And I mean it literally. Well, it's to be expected, since it's a dessert cafe. I chose the Shibuya Honey Toast, which I was told is the bestseller.



As for the drinks, I went for iced apple cider (95 baht). Not sure why I chose apple cider but it was nice! So refreshing.



Notice that jug of honey? That's for the Shibuya Honey Toast. By the way, Shibuya toast is originally from Japan, so I was curious how this toast in Bangkok matches up. Although, I would not be able to compare since I have never tried the one in Japan! Lol.



The cup was pretty interesting. While I waited for the toast to arrive, I decided to read what's written on the cup.



By the way, you would need to order at the counter and they will then deliver to you.



After You Dessert Cafe is a chain in Thailand and you can find them elsewhere in Bangkok. The original outlet is at J Avenue, at Thonglor Soi 13.



Finally, my Shibuya Honey Toast arrived. Priced at 175 baht, the toast was huge enough for sharing with another person, but of course since I was there on my own, I ate it all myself!



The thick chunk of toast was crispy on the outside but soft and fluffy inside as there were melted butter inside. It was accompanied with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.



I don't fancy whipped cream, so I did not eat much of it. But I gobbled up the rest! Haha. If you don't find it sweet enough, don't forget to add honey from the jug of honey available.



Their tagline - There's always room for desserts - definitely gets my wholehearted support! :)



Maybe I will come here again to try their other desserts next time I go Bangkok!

There are many cafes in Hanoi, and one of the cafes I've been to is the Hanoi Soul Cafe.

Right after leaving Kim Ngan Temple in the Old Quarter, the sky had darkened considerably. Son, my tour guide from Hanoikids, quickly went in search for a cafe to escape from the impending rain.

He finally brought me to Hanoi Soul Cafe located at a ship-like building opposite the picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake.






Crossing the road from Hang Gai Street to the building was quite a nightmare as there were far too many cars and motorbikes which would not stop for you to cross the road! Luckily Son was there to guide me. The trick is to just walk across the road in a steady manner and allow the cars and motorbikes to swerve around you as you walk.

I actually got the hang of it after some practice and could cross any road in Hanoi confidently during the rest of my trip. LOL!





The signboard of Hanoi Soul Cafe was displayed at the ground floor entrance of the building. By the way, I don't think the website exists. I wonder if they have a new website.





I followed Son up to the third floor and saw this signboard which leads us to the cafe.





I did not take any photo of the cafe inside. We decided to sit outside at the balcony to get a nice view of the busy streets below and also to enjoy the beautiful view of Hoan Kiem Lake.





I had a good time chit chatting with Son here and I particularly enjoyed the view while it rained outside.





I had earlier thought of ordering Vietnamese coffee but since my stomach was not feeling so good, I decided to go for coconut water instead. Son had a glass of smoothies.





We did not order any food. I guess we were still quite full after that delicious late lunch we had at New Day Restaurant at Ma May Street.





If I were to return to this cafe in the future, I would definitely order some food and Vietnamese coffee. And I would certainly go cafe hopping on my future trip to Hanoi!





By the time we left Hanoi Soul Cafe, the rain had already stopped. Son took me for some leisurely walk around Hoan Kiem Lake before showing me around the French Quarter. You can read all about it HERE.

Coming Up Next : My Kayaking Adventure At Halong Bay

During my third day in Penang, I went to The Mugshot Cafe for breakfast. Located at Chulia Street next to the Rainforest Bakery, The Mugshot Cafe is famous for their bagel muffins.



This cafe seemed to be a hit with a lot of Western tourists. I was actually surrounded by them! The menu appeared to be rather limited with just yogurt, bagel muffins and drinks.

I started my breakfast with healthy yogurt! There were many varieties of yogurt - particularly interesting was Jackfruit with Gula Melaka (palm sugar) - but I chose the Kiwi & Honey Yogurt.



Priced at RM10 (US$3.15), this Kiwi & Honey Yogurt was yummy! It was sweet and sour at the same time which was exactly what I like!



I saw a Caucasian lady at the next table eating yogurt with walnuts and raisins, which looked really delicious. I must return here next time for that! Oh, and the Jackfruit with Gula Melaka yogurt too!

There were also a few varieties of the Bagel Muffins, but I decided to choose the Bagel Muffin with Bacon and Egg.



Priced at RM10 (US$3.15), this bagel muffin came with a crispy outer layer which was filled with lots of sesame seeds! The bacon and egg inside made it looked rather interesting, with the bacon forming a cup that holds the egg and mayonnaise sauce inside.



Perhaps next time I will return for their Bagel Muffins with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Or corned beef and rocket. Certainly could make a few more trips to this cafe.

I did not order any coffee or tea to go with my breakfast meal - can't remember why though. Perhaps I was not in the mood for any drinks! Or perhaps I figured that if I were to add in a cup of Cappuccino, my total bill would have reached RM30 (US$9.45) which would simply be too pricey for a simple breakfast!



After my breakfast at the Mugshot Cafe, I went next door to check out the Rainforest Bakery. Surprisingly, the Rainforest Bakery also sells bagel muffins! I did not buy any though as I think one bagel muffin is more than enough for the day.

One of the best breakfasts I had in Hong Kong was at Kam Wah Cafe.

Located at 47, Bute Street in Mongkok, Kam Wah Cafe is a very well known and popular cha chaan teng in Hong Kong. It is even patronized by famous Hong Kong TVB stars!

Cha chaan teng, by the way, is something like a cafe or local eatery in Hong Kong that serves comfort food at reasonable prices. They can be found almost everywhere in the streets of Hong Kong and the locals love to go there for their breakfast, lunch, tea and even dinner!



On my 5th day in Hong Kong, my friend and I decided to check out this famous cafe. We had planned to visit the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery in Lantau Island that day, so we decided to wake up early for a good breakfast before the trip.

The cafe was quite full but not full enough for my friend and I to share table with others like what we did at another excellent cha chaan teng - Australia Dairy Company. Read about it HERE.

Kam Wah Cafe is famous for their polo bao (also spelt as boluo bao lit. pineapple bun) so that was something we made sure we order. We also ordered their egg tarts and milk tea.



The egg tart was one of the most delicious I have ever eaten! The filling was soft and smooth and the thickness of the crust was just right. Definitely beats Malaysia's famous Tong Kee egg tarts in my opinion.



The polo bun was absolutely awesome! Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, it was the best polo bun I have ever eaten in my life! No kidding!

For the uninitiated, there is no pineapple in the polo bun. It is so called because the top of the bun resembles pineapple skin. So please do not search for the pineapple and make the mistake of asking the waiter where the pineapple is. LOL!



There are many ways to eat this polo bun. You can just eat it plain as it's slightly sweet on its own. Or you can eat it with eggs sandwiched in the middle.

But the most delicious is to eat it with salted butter! Polo bao with a thick slab of butter wedged in the center is known as polo yau. This can be found in a lot of cafes throughout Hong Kong, but the best is probably at Kam Wah Cafe. Somehow, the saltiness of the butter mixed with the sweetness of the polo bun's crust makes it taste oh, so heavenly.

Gosh, I'm drooling even as I'm writing this!



I've forgotten to take a photo of the polo yau - must be too hungry that I gobbled it up before realizing I did not take a shot! LOL!

We also ate another version of polo bun which came with char siew (barbecued pork), shredded lettuce and mayonnaise sauce.  It was super delicious!! But I still think nothing beats the simple polo yau.



By the way, they provide forks for you to eat the polo bun. You need the fork to press down and compress the bun before putting in your mouth. At least that's how I see the locals eat their polo buns. Please do not use your hand and eat it like you are eating a McDonald's burger. LOL!

As for the milk tea, I have tasted many milk teas in Hong Kong during my trip and I have to say this one is the best so far!! Of course I have not been to enough places to say it's really the best, but I think you will not be disappointed with the milk tea at Kam Wah.



Their milk tea has strong tea aroma and very smooth on the throat. It's also not sweet because they use evaporated milk, not sweet condensed milk. For me, it was even better than the one I drank at Australia Dairy Company which is another cafe I highly recommend.

The brand of milk they use is the Black & White Milk from Holland as seen from the cups and also the plaques hanging on the wall.



By the way, I have to say that the pairing of the milk tea and the polo bun was just perfect! Add an egg tart to this combination and you will have the most delightful breakfast ever! I've forgotten the price but I think this set (picture below) will not cost you more than HK$50 (US$6.50 / RM21.00).



My friend and I were so satisfied with our meal here that we decided to return for breakfast again the next day!  One thing good about Kam Wah Cafe is that despite being crowded most of the time, the service is prompt and the waiters and waitresses are not rude, unlike in many other eateries in Hong Kong.

It was our 6th and last day in Hong Kong, so we made absolutely sure we would not miss another round of breakfast at Kam Wah Cafe.

This time, we went for egg tarts, thick toast and milk tea.



The egg tarts were so delicious I was tempted to take away some but in the end, I did not.



The thick toast came with melted butter. This was not my favorite as I felt it was too unhealthy with the excess fat, sugar and oil.



Of course, we also ordered the polo bun. How could we not? LOL!



I heard that pork lard were used for the top crust of this polo bun - probably that explains why it was so delicious! Further more, it was no ordinary pork lard. The pork lard was imported all the way from Holland!



Can you see the char siew (barbecued pork) and shredded lettuce with some mayonnaise sauce? Yummy! If you only eat ONE thing at Kam Wah Cafe, make sure it's the polo bun!



Besides the polo buns and egg tarts, the cafe also serves noodles, macaroni and ham in soup, and also instant noodles with luncheon meat and egg which the locals seem to love so much.

There's also a counter at the shop front where you can buy the buns and egg tarts for take-away.



I missed the Hong Kong polo buns and milk tea so much that when I came back to Malaysia, I went on a desperate search for them. Unfortunately, I could not find any that could match the quality and taste of the ones I had in Hong Kong.

The polo bun I had at OldTown White Coffee was horrendous to say the least, and the milk tea was no where near the Hong Kong standards. Even the polo buns sold at most bakery shops were far from good. Looks like I have to fly to Hong Kong again just for their yummy polo buns, egg tarts and milk tea!

If you ever go Hong Kong, do not miss this Kam Wah Cafe. It may not be the best cafe in Hong Kong, but it's absolutely one of the very best!