Por Lor? Polo? Whatever you may call...

Breakfast in Hong Kong has a strong Western influence owing to its era of colonisation for about 150 years. Simply walk into any of the tea houses (char chan teng) in Hong Kong and you will be greeted by the harmonious blend of east-meet-west breakfast in their menu. While the breakfast sets are wonderfully paired with both Chinese and British ingredients - e.g. Char siew Spaghetti and scrambled egg set, Chinese noodles and butter toast set etc. - the Hongkies generally mix up anything they can think of, creating a variant cuisine which is usually widely accepted by the community. Thanks to its culture that nurtures its people into ones with high adaptive features, that nothing ever sounds strange to them as long as it is practicable. 

Old Town White Coffee (Gao) @ RM3.20

It's the surface of the bun that gives rise to the name - Po Lor - literally translated as pineapple in Hong Kong version of Cantonese.

Por Lor Bun (or Polo?) with Ham and Cheese @ RM4.20

7-11 bread in Bangkok

While I was wandering around the Suvarthabumi International Airport in Bangkok, I chanced along the 7-11 convenience shop and discovered this petite looking bun filled with tuna and shredded chicken. The baked products of Thai 7-11 are of higher quality compared to our G brand bread. The buns were fresh and soft with some lovely savoury filling.

These cute mini buns were moulded into shapes of mushrooms.

The Oldtown Triplets

Three teachers, armed with three empty stomachs, three appetites and three personalities, arrived at Old Town White Coffee 5 minutes after the dismissal time of school. CL, the big sister who has a sweet tooth, ordered Iced White Coffee and Ice Fire Polo Bun drizzled with excess amount of golden syrup. SE, the out-of-towner who is superb health-conscious, went for Hot White Coffee and Peanut Butter Toast which she claimed to be 'lighter' than the kaya butter version (I wonder...). As for Pam the rice-skipper, a set of steamed Hainanese Bread (definitely a healthier option) and black coffee (free from milk and sugar) were the only food that aroused her interest. 

Steamed Hainanese Bread @ RM3.50

Peanut Butter Crispy Toast @ RM1.50

Polo Bun @ RM4.20

White Coffee @ RM3.50

Black Coffee @ RM2.20

Iced White Coffee @ RM3.80

OLD TOWN WHITE COFFEE

No. G01 and G02

Taiping Sentral,

36, Jalan Istana Larut,

34000 Taiping, Perak.

Malaysia.

Tel: +605-807 9828 / +6012-5267128

Business Hours: Mon. - Sun. 8.00 a.m. - 12.00 a.m.

Pizza Hut Wow Savers 50% discount

Pizza Hut's "half the price" promotion is back! Now, you can enjoy pizza, pasta, chicken wings, bread etc. at only half the price. Forget about burgers and fried chicken loaded with unbearable amount of fats and switch to a healthier (when making comparison) option which guarantees a better taste and value-for-money deal. 

MONDAY SPECIAL

Hawaiian Chicken Personal Cheesy Lava Stuffed Crust Pizza @ RM6.00

MONDAY SPECIAL

4 pcs of Wing Street - Oriental @ RM3.95

WEDNESDAY SPECIAL

Soup-of-the-day and Garlic Bread @ RM3.25

THURSDAY SPECIAL

Island Supreme Personal Pan Pizza @ RM5.75

FRIDAY SPECIAL

Garlic Bread @ RM1.50

*** You must be wondering why Tuesday special is not found in the post above. Well, the reason is: I am not a beef person. :p

Autumn Stroll in Hong Kong - Hong Kong International Airport Gourmet Tour

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport, was named the world's best airport by Skytrax. With plenty of shops and dining options, the Skyplaza in HKIA is definitely worth a visit. You will not get bored spending hours in the airport. Instead, many tourists arrived in the airport much earlier to do some last minute shopping. My family and I reached the airport 5 hours before departure and we continued to enjoy Hong Kong food in the airport till we finally boarded the plane and bid goodbye to Hong Kong.

Roast Goose Rice @ Maxim Food2 (HK$38)

Despite being a fast food outlet, Maxim's roast products are qualitatively and quantitatively good.

Twin Chicken Rice Set @ Maxim Food2 (HK$40)

Roast Goose Rice @ Tasty Congee & Noodle Wantun Shop 正斗粥麵專家 (HK$68)

Poor appearance, the roast goose was slightly burned thus resulting in the rubbery texture of the meat. I actually thought I was eating waxed meat...   o.O

Macau style pork chop bun

Compared to McDonald's hamburger, the pork chop bun is big on taste and more value for money.

Chilled dessert trio 

HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Chek Lap Kok,

Lantau Island,

Hong Kong.

Website: http://www.hongkongairport.com 

Autumn Stroll in Hong Kong - Cheung Heung Coffee Shop

Probably one of the oldest coffee shops in the Western District, Cheung Heung Coffee Shop has been the favourite place for breakfast and tea among the residents in the westernmost region of Hong Kong Island. Mr Chow, the owner, bought the coffee shop over in the 70s and has since been running the coffee shop the traditional way for nearly 40 years. Over here at Cheung Heung, the staffs are seen in the white top uniform and all of them are entirely males.

Over the years, there hasn’t been much changes on the food served. Food recipes passed on from the previous owner has been well treasured and preserved by Chow who realizes the importance of keeping the traditions.

Their cocktail bun is one of those food items which have been carried forward for years. While many bakeries are making use of the leftover (butter, sugar and desiccated coconut) to make the filling of the cocktail bun, Cheung Heung are willing to spend extra by stuffing the buns with expensive store-bought lotus paste. 

Cheung Heung Coffee Shop
 祥香園茶餐廳

Cocktail bun filled with sweetened lotus paste

蓮蓉雞尾飽

The common cocktail bun in most coffee shops are filled with a combination of sugar, butter and dessicated coconut but the one at Cheung Heung is uniquely stuffed with sweetened lotus paste. 

Polo Bun

菠蘿包

Baked Char Siew Bun
叉燒包

Also worth eating is their cookie pastry egg tart

These egg tarts are sold outside the entrance of the coffee shop, neatly arranged in a 2-tier rack.

Cheung Heung Yuen Restaurant

祥香園茶餐廳 
107 Belcher's Street, 

Kennedy Town, 

Western District

Hong Kong.

Tel: (852) 2855 7911

Cafe Barbera @ Kuala Lumpur International Airport

The concept of dining in the airport has always been mistakenly labelled as food served and taken in a rush, grab n go, cold, tasteless etc. This misconception no longer fits the new generation of airports, especially the award-winning 4-star airport like Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) which has a world ranking of the fourth place after Hong Kong, Singapore and Incheon Airports.

With more world class cafes being opened in KLIA, you are strictly not allowed to force yourself to gobble whatever fast food you could grab in the airport and board the plane with severe bloatedness in the stomach. So when you step into the Departure Hall, you will be amazed by how the Italian coffee culture is being adopted into the hustle bustle situation of the airport, at the same time enabling the customers to enjoy themselves over a satisfying cup of coffee before they leave. The pleasure of dining in the airport is almost guaranteed with the cosiness and warmth ambience of Cafe Barbera.

Cafe Barbera @ KLIA (Departure Hall)

This present lot of Cafe Barbera was formerly occupied by Cafe Ritazza which has since moved to the Arrival Hall in the 3rd floor.

The wide range of coffee is featured on the wall to cater to the needs of customers who often find the Italian terms of coffee incomprehensible.

The pastry shelves

The sandwich shelf

 Cappuccino Italiano @ RM8.90

Cappuccino Shakerato @ RM10.90

(Note: Caffe Shakerato is made up of iced espresso shaken in a cocktail shaker and served in a wide mouth glass) 

Espresso Shakerato @ RM8.90 

The coffee barista must have a good skill in shaking the coffee in order to produce a nice cap of foam which is able to float the beans on top of the espresso.

Chicken wrap @ RM12.90

Tuna Croissant @ RM11.90

Custard Strudel @ RM8.90

Sardine Puff @ RM8.90

Affogato

Gently pour the hot espresso over the scoop of vanilla gelato to melt the gelato.

The melting of the gelato produces a creamy and tantalising taste of both coffee and ice cream.

Cafe Barbera @ KLIA

Main Terminal Building (Level 5) 

Departure Hall,

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)

Malaysia.

Tel: 603-8776 6626

Website http://www.caffebarbera.com/

Email cafe@barberacoffee.com