Category Archives: Family

Family, Food, Halal, Hotels, MALAYSIA, Melaka, Melaka, Non-Halal, Noodle, Nyonya, Snack

Highlight of my Short Gateway to Melaka 2022

December 4, 2022 thammelissa 4 Comments

During the recent school break, I decided to bring my family to Melaka for a short gateway. It has been 2+ years since our last visit to Melaka.

1. Stay at Estadia Hotel Melaka

Since its a family gateway, I checked for a rather spacious rooms which offers good rates. After comparing the hotels and reviews…I then decided to choose Estadia Hotel Melaka which fulfilled my criteria.

Estadia Hotel is also a sister hotel of Hatten Hotel and the price is more affordable too. Estadia Hotel is located within a short distance with Mahkota Parade, Mahkota Medical Hospital, Hatten Square, Dataran Pahlawan. It is also next to Hatten Hotel. Furthermore its distance to the popular tourist spot, Jonker Street is about 3km.

Despite visiting on weekdays, the Melaka town road is still so busy. Probably due to school holidays.

The hotel car park is shared with Hatten Square. Remember to validate your car park ticket at the hotel lobby for the free parking. In this case, we uses TouchNGo card.

“Experience authentic Baba Nyonya culture in a splendid Peranakan mansion-home styled hotel. A perfect blend of contemporary design meets traditional textures and motifs, revel in Estadia’s magnificent décor inspired by Melaka’s ethnic heritage.”

I booked the Family Suite which has 2 connecting rooms, even with 2 bathrooms with a good price of about RM330 per night for this suite.

I would say the rooms are quite cosy & comfortable.

Coffee/ tea making facilities. I like the water bottle. So cute and nice.

2. McQuek’s Satay Celup

McQuek’s Satay Celup (Main Branch)

288 Jalan Parameswara, Banda Hilir, 75000 Melaka.

Contact No.：010-268 2998

Operation Hours：4:00pm – 11:00pm

(Closed on Wednesdays)

After getting some rest in our hotel room, we went out for early dinner at McQuek’s Sate Celup. I google search for less tourist place and stumbled upon this . You may overlook this place because it is located along the main road.

We were the early birds. Hence no crowd. I preferred this place over the popular Ban Lee Siang, because it is more spacious and more open air here. Hence I feel more comfortable eating here. Besides that, the service and taste was satisfying too.

Staff will constantly check on our satay sauce and refill them. Besides that the precook satay sauce is also available for sale. So that you can also DIY your own satay celup at home using their sauce.

3. Jonker Walk

Each time come to Jonker Walk also so hot and sweaty! HAHAHAHA!!

Discovered some interesting plaques from one of the shop.

Got attracted with these blocks. I bought one too….. with a different figure.

4) Sebungkus Melaka

Address: Lot G065- G066, Terminal Pahlawan, Jln Merdeka, Bandar Hilir, 75000 Malacca

Operation Hours : 8am – 8pm (Open daily)

Phone: 012-969 7295

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sebungkusmelaka/

We did not go for hotel breakfast, but checking out this rather new makan place which is just a short walking distance from our hotel.

A small local kopitiam serving local delicacies.

We had their breakfast set, which came with few options with an affordable price. We love the nasi lemak, the rice was aromatic and the sambal was good! (It was my lucky day….I got a double egg yolk in an egg). Besides that, the Char Kuey Teow was nice too with ‘wok hei’.

5) BESS Kopitiam

Address: Pusat Niaga, 7 , jalan PNBBU 5, Kampung Solok Musai, Bukit Baru Utama, 75150 Melaka

Operation Hours : 7.30am – 3.30pm (Closed on Thursdays)

Phone: 017-610 8055

I used to eat Nyonya Laksa at Jonker Walk, because its more convenient to eat and walk there. But recently I felt the taste has deteriorate and also expensive. Then I tried before at Donald & Lily, it was good but unfortunately it has closed down.

I google search for the less tourist one….. In resultant I was here at Bess Kopitiam.

Apparently, the Nyonya Laksa is a must TRY here. Even my Malaccan blogger friend will often dapao their Nyonya Laksa whenever she return hometown. The crowd here are mostly locals, the prices are quite affordable too.

Nyonya Laksa is a rich, coconut-based broth that originated from Melaka. The creamy broth consists of coconut milk. Tops with julienned cucumber, prawns, sliced fish cakes, bean sprout, hard boiled egg and bean curd puffs.

Looking at the color…. it was really rich, creamy and flavorful.

All in all, the Nyonya Laksa was the best, then follow up with Bihun Siam. They also sell the homemade Nyonya Pineapple Tarts, but taste average only.

6) Klebang Original Coconut Shake

Before leaving Melaka, we decided to stop over Klebang Coconut Shake for the popular coconut shake and some snacks. This place is often crowded. But probably because we were early and it was on weekday, hence there wasn’t much crowd.

The huge sign arch is pretty visible on the side of the busy road.

The coconut shake are freshly made. Ice+ Cocounut Flesh + Coconut Juice, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was quite refreshing and also a thirst quencher drink on a hot and sunny day!

We also tried the Nasi Lemak bungkus, Bihun Goreng and Onde-onde. I would conclude that the coconut shake was good, whilst the rest were just mediocre.

Address: Lot 130, Solok Kampung Bahagia, 75200 Klebang Besar, Malacca

Operation Hours: Daily (11am – 6.30pm) , Friday (2.30pm – 6.30pm)

Phone: 013-399 4061

~That’s the end of our short trip to Melaka…See you soon…~

Family, MALAYSIA, Parenting, Port Dickson, Travel

A Trip to Sky Ladder Pineapple Farm, Lukut

March 6, 2020 thammelissa 3 Comments

When I saw someone shared on Facebook about places of interest at Port Dickson, this particular picture of a colorful sky ladder has caught my attention. Hence I google about the location.

I decided to bring my family there for a short trip over the weekend.

This place is located at Kampung Sri Parit Lukut, Port Dickson.

From the main entrance of Kampung Sri Parit Lukut, you can reach the destination in less than 5km.

Relying solely on Google Map or Waze navigation, we wasn’t sure how the route supposed to be. We got a little hesitation when it lead us this road. LOL! However, we braved it up and drove all they way there……………….

By passing vegetable farms, oil palm plantations, narrow and uneven road…I think I would call it an adventurous trip. 😀
Along the bumpy road, we saw 2 beautiful lakes.

And finally reached the Sky Ladder Pineapple Farm!

The farm collects a very minimal entrance fee of RM1 (Adult) and RM0.50 (Children)

It was really sunny. The kind and friendly, Mr. Yap offered to drove us around the farm instead of us walking uphill. Mr. Yap is also one of the partner of this farm. Furthermore he also gave some briefing about the pineapple plantation, also the cycle of planting and harvesting.

Pineapples are widely grown here spanning the area of 5 acre land. What we are seeing here are mainly Moris Pineapple. That’s because Moris is well known for its sweetness and crunchiness. Mr. Yap also mentioned that in future they will consider the plant MD2. Apparently MD2 is known for its exceptional sweetness, golden yellow flesh, consistency in size and ripeness.

Other species like Josaphine, N36 (N36 and Josapine were locally developed for the local fresh fruit market), Nanas Batu, Nanas Sarawak, Yankee, Nanas Hijau and Moris Gajah.

Pineapple has a scientific name called Ananas and Malay name nanas.

Pineapples grow well in warm climates and it is one of the popular fruits all over the world because of its pleasant taste and smell. Moreover pineapple is a good source of Vitamin A and B and fairly rich in Vitamin C. It is also source Bromelain, a digestive enzyme, which helps to digest food by breaking down protein.

The plant has a short, stocky stem with tough, waxy leaves. Furthermore pineapple plants have a tiny root system and rely a lot on their leaves for water and nutrition.

Unfortunately we couldn’t get to see any pineapple fruits at the moment. Mr. Yap told that by another 2+ months, they should be expecting fruits. During the harvesting period, they could fetch up to 6000 pieces of pineapples.

But we still managed to see these gorgeous crown which will turn into pineapple fruit.

Next, we moved on to the corn plantation. Although most of the corns were harvested, but we could still spot some corn which are readily to be pluck.

Mr. Yap gave us the opportunity to pluck the corn by ourselves. It was a good experienced and the kids were so thrilled.

We also tasted the corn raw. It was so sweet and juicy.

It must be our lucky day, spotted a Lady Bug on the corn. Nowadays it is so rare to see lady bug.

Fresh corns that we’ve harvested! Can prepare corn soup already. hehe…

A Minangkabau House, an icon of Negeri Sembilan built next to the corn field. Apparently this wooden house is made of Chengal Wood.

This is the main attraction for Instagrammers or photo enthusiast. The ladder leading to sky. Hence its named “Sky Ladder”.

Pure pineapple juice are also available for sale. Each bottle are priced at RM6.50. Best to quench your thirst under the hot weather.

Next, we moved on to the mini Animal Petting Farm.

Kibbles for animal feeding are sold here for RM3 per pack.

We had fun feeding and get up close to these farm animals.

Mr. Yap also shared about his upcoming plans. He planned to organize educational tour especially to school children and also tourists.

Although the weather was quite hot. But this trip gave us a good experience and a memorable one!

School holidays will be coming soon in a week time. Many of us will be avoiding traveling overseas during this period of time. However you can still plan to travel local by road or to fill up this school break with some activities.

Put aside gadgets and television. Why not bring the urban kids to a farm?

Farms are educational playgrounds. By visiting a farm they can see where and how they get their foods. Furthermore, taking children to the farm gave them a better understanding on how plants are grown.

Sky Ladder Pineapple Farm

Operation Hours: Open daily 9am – 6pm

Phone: 017-617 3633

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Sky-Ladder-Pineapple-Farm-108462103924548/

Cafe, Coffee, Dessert, Family, Food, Halal, Kids Meal, Kuala Lumpur

Tea Break @Midorie x The Owls Cafe, MyTOWN Shopping Centre KL

February 19, 2020 thammelissa 2 Comments

I’ve missed out this post. I thought I should blog about this place because I felt there’s something nice to share about this cafe.

End of December 2019, we went shopping at MyTOWN Shopping Centre in KL.

We also visited IKEA Cheras, connected via MyTOWN Shopping Centre. We strolled around and goofed around too 😉

Then, when it comes to tea break I decided to try out Midorie x The Owls Cafe. This cafe was put in KIV list during my previous visit to the mall. Hence I decided to dine here this round.

Midorie x The Owls Cafe, is often crowded over the weekends. Thus I was put in waiting list to wait for a vacant table. Luckily the waiting time was quick. In less than 10 minutes, they called me.

The dining area is considered small compared to the other outlets.

This cafe’s signature item has to be the WAFFLE. If you are a fan of waffle… I ensured that you will have tough choice. Whether you like it sweet or savory. I couldn’t decide. I wished there were more people to share with me so that I can order more. LOL. :-p

Although it was crowded, but food were served quite fast.

Milo Dinosaur – RM15

Milo never goes wrong with anything. The waffle has a nice texture and not overly sweet batter. Crispy outside and fluffy inside. Topped with dark chocolate ice cream, koko krunch, marshmallow, and milo powder.

Iced Latte – RM12

They even have kids menu! wow….

Junior Red Bolog (RM10) , Macaroni chicken bolognese, topped with torched cheese.

Macaroni was cooked al-dente, whilst evenly coated with chicken bolognese sauce. It was so flavorful and well-balanced.

Chicky Bites (RM8) Fried Chicken Nuggets and homemade chicken bites.

Crispy yet tender chicken bites and the nuggets that I was eating consists of real chicken meat. Unlike some fast food joint.

Besides that, I felt that portion of kids meals were quite generous too.

All in all, the waffle was just like how I wanted it to be, the thick kind. Therefore, when I have a chance I will definitely revisit to try more waffles 🙂

p/s: I saw people around me were all having different kind of dishes, and it looked yummy. :-p

Midorie x The Owls Cafe

Address: Lot G-048, Level Ground Floor, MyTOWN Shopping Centre, No.6, Jalan Cochrane, Seksyen 90, 55100 Kuala Lumpur

Phone: 017-977 7518

*solely based on writer's own opinion*

Family, Food, Hotels, MALAYSIA, Travel

3D2N Staycation @Hilton Garden Inn Puchong

October 9, 2019 thammelissa 6 Comments

During the mid-year school holidays, we planned for a short 3D2N staycation at Hilton Garden Inn Puchong. I knew about this hotel through a blogger friend of mine. Apparently it is a new hotel commenced from October 2018 located at Puchong Perdana.

It wasn’t difficult to locate this hotel with the help of Waze 🙂

Ample of car park for guests and its free.

Hilton Garden Inn was attached to a mall named M Square Mall owned by Parkson. Somehow it couldn’t made it and has closed down this year. 😦

At the Hotel Lobby for check-in, the process was alright.

The new hotel comprises 255 well-furnished guest rooms and suites of different sizes with an option of either a city or lake view.

24-hour Pavillion Pantry convenience mart, located at Level 6 same level as the Hotel Lobby.

Outdoor salt water swimming pool with heated jacuzzi.

(Adult pool, Kids pool & Jacuzzi)

I would suggest you to join Hilton Honors, a loyalty program to enjoy more benefits like, better room rate, earn points from every stay under hotels managed by Hilton group. Its very simple and free of charge by just signing up via https://www.hilton.com/en/hilton-honors/

Accumulated points will be rewarded with hotel stay.

I booked the King Deluxe Room at a good rate of RM2XX inclusive of breakfast. It was really a good deal. Do check it out yourself.

Room size, 36 sq.m./388 sq.ft with comfortable mattress and pillows.

View from our room.

55-inch HDTV in bedroom and spacious desk with ergonomic chair! Complimentary Wifi in the room too. Hence it is quite suitable for family or business travelers.

Mini Fridge is also available in the room.

Little pantry that comes with kettle, bottled water, sachet tea and coffee.

Safe box, iron, ironing board are found in the wardrobe.

Bathroom with Separate Bathtub

Hands up if you too like big mirrors with good lighting! 😀

Bathroom toiletries.

I read from their website that the hotel provides “Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries”. But not sure why we only got the above. May be ran out of stock. Hmmm……

Since it was raining the noon we check-in, so Jet settled with Bath Tub first la.

We settled our dinner here at The Garden Grille restaurant during the first night.

The Garden Grille; al-fresco dining or indoor dining located at level 6 same floor as lobby. Offering both Asian & Western food.

If you want to opt for room dining, it is available from 7pm to 10pm.

But since we were the hotel guest, we were given 20% discount off bill.

Pizza

Thin and crispy crust pizza just like how we liked it this way.

Nasi Goreng Kampung

Seafood Tom Yam

The 1 page ala-carte food menu is quite simple. These few dishes we had were quite good. I would say the portion was generous for the price.

We had a good sleep , recharged and ready for the buffet breakfast! 🙂

Breakfast was at Garden Grille. As we enter the dining room, on the left hand side was the cold section. Of fruits, salad, ham, cheese, yogurt and fruit juice.

Food were placed in these sexy red cast iron cookware.

F&B Manager (in dark blue coat) was quite friendly and attentive towards the guests.

I like peanut butter + chocolate spread 🙂

The breakfast here was just average. Food varieties wasn’t that much. But I must compliment their croissant. It was so good! Crisp and buttery pastry.

After the breakfast, I took a drive to Sunway Pyramid which was about 10km away.

Vacation will not be complete without spending time at the swimming pool.

Jet had fun playing at the pool.

*Playdoh time & Snack time.

Staycation means no house chores! HAHA! 😀

We literally just laze around, to relax our mind and body. You may think that I am silly. But I think its workable.

We really enjoyed our stay here at Hilton Garden Inn Puchong.

Other facilities available here are gym room, meeting room and laundry.

Make your reservation at their website:-

https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/

Hilton Garden Inn Puchong

Address: Jalan DM2, Desa Millennia, 47150 Puchong, Selangor

Phone: 03-8084 1299

If you are fan of Chinese Dim Sum, there are quite varieties of them at Puchong. I drove to Foo Hing Dim Sum House , about 4km away (open daily from 7am to 3pm) at Bandar Puteri Puchong.

Address: 1st Flr, No. 31, 33, 35-G, Jalan Puteri 2/6, Bandar Puteri Puchong, 47100 Puchong, Selangor

Phone: 03-8060 0546

As we arrived around 1pm, the restaurant was quite crowded. But we were given a number and waited for the staff to call out our number. Although it was crowded, but the waiting time was around 15 minutes.

We seated at the air-conditioned room. You will see staff carrying tray filled with dim sum be it steam or fried. Just raise your hand they will come over to you. Besides that, you can also order certain dim sum from the menu.

At Foo Hing Dim Sum House, the Portuguese Egg Tart is a MUST order. It was very nice and freshly baked. Crispy layered crust with smooth egg custard filling.

Family, MALAYSIA, Melaka, Memories, Parenting, Travel

Noodle Doodle @Mamee Jonker House, Melaka

August 7, 2019 thammelissa 4 Comments

Located at Jalan Hang Jebat, one of the UNESCO heritage building at the popular Jonker Street in Melaka. It is easily sighted because of the big MAMEE signage. Mamee brand or Mamee Monster is not something new to many of us. Mamee Monster was a popular snack during my younger days. I like to smash it then add the seasoning powder into it and shack it. 😀

*feeling so nostalgic*

Do you still eat Mamee Monster noodle snack? Yes, I do.

During the impromptu public holiday, I brought my family for a short trip to Melaka.

At Mamee Jonker House, you could shop for merchandises or products, participate in their activities (Lil Monster Kitchen or Noodle Doodle) or even dine in their cafe which serve mainly local food.

Since I didn’t have a chance to DIY my cuppa noodle at Yokohama Cup Noodles Museum, Japan……why not trying it here.

Each cup is priced at RM5.20. You can choose between Chicken or Curry or Tom Yam flavor seasoning for your noodle later.

These coloring pens are provided there. Despite children, I noticed that many adults enjoyed coloring and decorating the cup too. I believed coloring could help to relieve stress.

Jet was patiently coloring his cup of instant noodle.

“I’m gonna color my monster in pink!”

Our limited edition cup 🙂

After you are done decorating the cup, head over to the “Packaging Station”, at the end of the room.

You will need to begin at Step 1. Step 1 and 2 basically about filling the cup with a piece of instant noodle.

Step 3 will insert the seasoning sachet into the cup.

Then, you are required to select 4 out of 6 condiments. Choose from dehydrated chilli, cabbage, chives, corn, carrots and green peas. Therefore you can custom made your cup of noodle with your favorite choice of condiments.

Sealing the cup noodle.

Cup noodle came out of the ‘Shrinking Machine’ was let to cool before collection. An expiry date was stamped on the cup. I noticed that it has shorter shelf life compared to those we bought from supermarket.

As we were leaving, we spotted the Mamee Monster mascot. Everyone was trying to take photo with him, while Jet was pulling me away because he is afraid of mascots. =_=

All in all, it was a good experience and a fun-filled activity to do with your children.

MAMEE JONKER HOUSE

Address: No 46 & 48, Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street), 75200 Melaka.

Contact No. : 06 – 2867 666

Opening Hours:

Monday to Thursday 10.00am-5.00pm
Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10.00am-7.00pm

Website: www.mameejonkerhouse.com

Family, Food, MALAYSIA, Non-Halal, Noodle, Penang, Snack, Travel

8 Hours Tour in Penang with KLOOK

July 25, 2019 thammelissa 4 Comments

If you are a local Malaysian, you can either drive or take a public transport to Penang.

But what if you are taking a public transport like bus or airplane to Penang? How are you going to move around the island?

You can either rent a car with or without a driver, a bus or uses the e-hailing service.

When I traveled with my family to Penang earlier this year, I decided to book a private chartered car by KLOOK. I booked an 8 hours tour, so that we can travel in a group without hassle. This private service has all the bases covered including fuel costs and highway tolls.

In this case, you can either plan your itinerary or get suggestions from the professional driver. The driver contacted me a day before the travel date to know about my travel plans. Therefore we could plan our journey smoothly.

Driver was very punctual with the given time. We planned to start our journey at 10am. Driver arrived at 9.45am with Toyota Hiace which could easily fit up to 10 person. Other than that, the vehicle was clean and comfortable.

1) Kek Lok Si Temple

We decided to go Kek Lok Si Temple as our first stop because it is located further away from Georgetown. Distance was about 10km but traveling time may take about 30minutes depending on the road traffic.

Kek Lok Si Temple is a Buddhist temple situated in Air Itam, Penang, Malaysia. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.

Above is the landscape view of a 30m height pagoda tiers with combination of Burmese, Thai and Chinese architectural style.

Kek Lok Si Temple is divided into 3 zones. Ground, Mid Section and Hilltop where you can see the tall statue of God of Mercy, Kuan Yin.

Driver drove us directly to mid section.

The mid section of the temple comprised of temples, gardens, the pagoda and the four heavenly kings pavilion

I wished for Health and Happiness.

If you are tired or have difficulty in climbing the steps, you can use the Incline Lift to Hilltop, the statue of Kuan Yin.

Ticket price for Incline Lift – RM3 per way (Adult), RM1.50 per way (Children below age 12).

The inclined lift moves gradually uphill. We enjoyed the ride which could also admire the beautiful view.

Indeed very beautiful. The 99ft bronze Kuan Yin statue with octagonal pavilion supported by 16 columns. It is the tallest Guanyin statue in the world.

A pond filled with Koi fishes.

The garden at hilltop here is breathtaking and relaxing…………..

…………….but the weather was too scorching hot.

There were also statues and benches resembles the 12 Chinese Zodiac.

(traveling downhill via inclined lift)

Kek Lok Si has changed so much (in a positive way) compared to the last time we came here.

Kek Lok Si Temple ,

11500 Ayer Itam, Penang

Contact No.: 04-8283317

2) Ayer Itam Assam Laksa

After Kek Lok Si Temple, we stop over Ayer Itam for the famous Assam Laksa. Same spot, same stall, same owner over the decades. You will never skip Assam Laksa when you come to Penang.

Although the flavors may not be as good as those early days, but still a satisfying bowl of Assam Laksa.

Clikc HERE to read in detail about Ayer Itam Assam Laksa.

Ayer Itam Assam Laksa
Jalan Pasar, Paya Terubong,
11500 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Operating Hours: Daily, 10.30am – 7pm

3) Teddyville Museum Penang

From Ayer Itam, we moved on to Teddyville Museum which is located at Batu Feringgi.

Distance was about 16km from Ayer Itam (approx. 30 minutes drive)

The adorable teddy bear museum which showcases Penang’s famous tourist destinations, food culture, historical events and things about Penang

Read my full review about Teddyville Museum HERE 🙂

Address: 56, Jalan Low Yat, Puncak Ria, 11100 Batu Ferringhi, Pulau Pinang

Open Daily from 9am-6pm

4) Cecil Street Market 七条路巴刹

We wanted some authentic local Penang food. Hence the driver suggested this place.

I do understand that we had very little time in Penang. But this hawker centre has most of the local Penang food under one roof. Therefore it allows us to try varies dish. Furthermore this place is less tourist, affordable price and the food tasted good too.

Read from my earlier post HERE 🙂

Address: 40-48, Lebuh Cecil, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang

Open Daily from 7.30am – 7pm

5) Chew Jetty

“Clan Jetties form part of the Penang Heritage Trail. There used to be seven jetties until one was demolished by fire and now six remain. Billed as one of the last bastions of old Chinese settlements on the island, this waterfront society is home to houses on stilts of various Chinese clans. Located straight down from Lebuh Chulia (beside the Kapitan Kling Mosque) at Pengkalan Weld (Weld Quay), these water villages are over a century old. Each jetty is named after a Chinese clan – the Chew Jetty is the most tourist-friendly with the most stilt-houses.” (source from http://www.penang.ws/penang-attractions/clan-jetties.htm?cid=ch:OTH:001)

Along the wooden jetty, there are wooden houses on both left and right side. Small stalls are setup by house owners in front of their house.

Items sold here are mostly souvenirs, handmade crafts and little food.

There is this shop that sells Big Bowl Noodles. I’m quite interested to try, but all of us were still so full after makan at Cecil Street Market.

Spotted some interesting wall mural here.

The above mural themed ‘Folklore by the Sea’ painted based on the resident’s lifestyle during those days.

Walk towards the end, you will see the jetty. Boat ride service is available here.

It was quite interesting and a good experience. You could spend maybe around 1 hour here, stroll, take photos, and look see the environment here.

People suggested to come here during sunset for a beautiful view.

To read more information and history about Chew Jetty, click HERE.

Chew Jetty was our last destination before we ended our 8 hours tour. It was a fruitful day without having to rush.

Would you like to share where will you go in 8 hours?

Chinese, Family, Food, MALAYSIA, Penang, Snack, Travel

3D2N @Maritime Suite Penang and Food Nearby

June 24, 2019 thammelissa 10 Comments

During the first term of school break this year, we made a family trip to Penang by plane. It was just a short 3 days 2 nights trip. My mom has been wanting to visit Penang because the last trip she went was many years back when we were still teenagers.

I came across friends recommending this place, Maritime Suite Penang which is located at Georgetown, Penang. This property is quite new actually. Okay, the main reason of me choosing here instead of hotel….is that everyone could fit into 1 unit. Otherwise we’ll need to book few rooms to fit all of us.

Above photo is the ground floor of the apartment. There are Food & Beverage Shops, Convenient Stores (7 Eleven & MyNews).

List of shops:- https://automall.com.my/#

Distance from Penang International Airport = 14km

Well, there’s always pros and cons in everything. We are only allowed to go into our respective apartment unit about 2pm because they need to do cleaning. Unlike hotels, we can leave our luggage/belongings at the lobby.

Hence, this was our first stop before its time to check in to the apartment.

Yes! It is the famous Teo Chew Cendol at Penang Road. We were lucky to be early to beat the queue. You can have the cendol either in a bowl or a plastic cup for take away. Well, I personally felt the cendol is just average. The kidney bean was nice, but the gula melaka wasn’t strong enough for me. Perhaps I’ve put high expectation to it since it is so popular. Anyway, it is just my personal opinion. You may think otherwise.

Next, we came to Tean Ean Local Products to buy some local confectionery and not forgetting the freshly made Tau Sar Pheah (baked flaky pastry biscuits filled with a sweet or savoury filling made from grounded mung bean).

There are many big brands here in Penang but Tean Ean is one of the recommended ones by the local. It has more varieties of products.

Ok lar, tired already…woke up so early in the morning to travel. Time to get some rest in the apartment.

Before that, we settled our lunch at Iyara Thai Cuisine. Price was on higher side, but taste wise was good.

View from our apartment.

Love the high window, would love to sit at this spot to enjoy the seaview. However it might be quite hot in the afternoon due to the direct sun.

Room size : 93 m²

2 Bedrooms with 3 Queen Sized Bed

2 Bathrooms

A key card is required to enter the premise. So, I assumed its quite safe lar.

There’s also an average sized swimming pool, but didn’t get chance to use it. Not enough time 😀

Mom was happily checking out the kitchen.

There’s microwave, plates and utensils, electric portable stove, pot, electric kettle, refrigerator.

Includes Free Wifi

Master Bedroom at Loft with 2 Queen Sized Bed

with En-Suite Bathroom.

Bedroom 2 with 1 Queen Sized Bed and a common sharing bathroom.

Jet was very excited to know that there’s a claw machine shop downstairs.

Luckily I managed to get one from the machine. These machines are tough man!

There’s this new food court quite a short distance from Maritime. Its called “Fisherman’s Wharf Food Corner Penang”. Varieties of food offered here. Prices are slightly on high side compared to hawker stalls in town.

槟城渔人码头 Fisherman’s Wharf Food Corner Penang

Open Daily 11am – 1am

Other than that, we also visited Cecil Street Market for lunch and breakfast before we leave Penang. Reason we chose Cecil Street Market because it was recommended by the local and it is just 2km away from where we stayed. We eventually skipped Gurney Drive because the local people told us it is overrated and expensive.

9 Awesome Food To Try At Cecil Street Market

shared by Penang Foodie blogger.

We didn’t try all the above, but had what we felt attracts us.

Wantan Mee stall, was seen working non stop serving plates of wantan mee.

Nyonya Kuih

Popiah (non-fried version)

Filled with sauce and main ingredient was stir fried turnip. A simple and yummy snack.

The Pancake (Ban Chien Kuih) from this stall was nice. Its crispy when its eaten hot. Filled with corn and crushed peanuts.

Pasembur

A Malaysian version of salad. Filled with cucumber, bean sprout, turnip, fried bean curd, prawn fritters then drenched with sweet spicy peanut sauce.

Mee Jawa, a traditional Javanese style noodle, it is from Indonesia and also popular in Malaysia. The dish is made of yellow noodle, chicken, vegetables, egg and spices. I noticed that not all places having the same flavors.

Penang Fried Radish Cake. The flavors are very similar to Char Kuey Teow. A simple dish which main ingredients are steamed radish cake, bean sprout, egg, dark soy sauce and seasoning.

Penang White Curry Mee (with pig blood)

The White Curry Mee here was good especially the broth. And its not too spicy.

Duck Meat Kuey Teow Th’ng

Duck meat were thinly sliced, served with kuey teow and soup. The duck meat and soup were the 2 main important items.

Nasi Lemak with Sambal Ikan Bilis

Maggi Goreng, a popular noodle in Malaysia. Using instant noodle (Maggi) as the main ingredient. Followed with bean sprout, fried beancurd and spices. A simple and delicious dish.

Cecil Street Market 七条路巴刹

Open Daily from 7.30am – 7pm

Difference between Fisherman’s Wharf Food Corner Penang and Cecil Street Market, Fisherman’s Wharf Food Corner is more towards fusion food. They served local, Japanese, Western, Korean food. Unlike Cecil Street Market, served mostly authentic local Penang food.

3D2N ended too quick. We enjoyed the accommodation here. Made us feels like a home.

How did we move around in Penang?

I uses both MULA and Grab E-Hailing App.

Family, MALAYSIA, Penang, Photography, Travel

TeddyVille Museum @Penang

April 25, 2019 thammelissa 7 Comments

Well, a family friendly gateway wouldn’t be complete without visiting this place. Located away from the busy town centre, Teddyville Museum is situated at Batu Feringgi. To be exact it is actually at the Ground Floor of DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang.

For your info, I love all kinds of cute stuffs. 🙂

To save the hassle paying on the spot, I purchased the online ticket via KLOOK few days before I came here. Not much savings tho, but its convenient. Moreover I can collect credits for my KLOOK account with any purchase I made through the web.

On a side note, there is a RM10 voucher attached to the ticket. You can use it as rebate from their souvenir store. However it is only applicable for purchase of Teddy Bear / T-Shirt.

As we enter, we began with some old age bears, from one of the very first batches of teddy bears ever made since year 1900.

The museum map. Floor size of 9000 sq.ft. You could easily spend an hour or 2 depending on the duration you take on each stop.

Then we started of with some history about Fort Cornwallis.

Aren’t these bears look so cute! Wait a minute, was that Captain Francis Light ? To read more about the history of Fort Cornwallis, kindly click HERE

3 Baba & Nyonya Bears were having a tea break. Do you want to join them?

The Indians were celebrating Deepavali, and kuil at the background.

Thaipusam festival.

Above, we could see the Malays were celebrating Hari Raya. I could see them busy preparing the lemang, dodol, the popular Malay delicacies during Raya celebration. (Look at the adorable Mak Minah teddies)

Kampung House – Wooden Wonders

Gong Xi Fa Cai. The God of Prosperity to usher Chinese New Year. Also shown here the meaning of God of Prosperity and Lion Dance.

Kek Lok Si. The Kek Lok Si Temple is a Buddhist temple situated in Air Itam, Penang, Malaysia is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.

After learning about the 3 main racial of Malaysia, we moved on to the famous Char Kuey Teow at Siam Road (Jalan Siam). It is a popular local food.

Look at the frowning bear. Getting under mood with too many orders?

Pusat Penjaja Anjung Gurney is one of the biggest and famous hawker centre that is located at Gurney Drive.

Check out the details of the foods on each tables. And did you notice the foodie bear there? *I shall take photo of the photo and post it on my Instagram* LOL!

Batu Feringgi with water sports and night market.

*Teddy having Sun Bathing*

Penang Hill is also known by the Malay name Bukit Bendera, which actually refers to Flagstaff Hill, the most developed peak.

Tourists, adults and children were admiring the view from Penang Hill.

Durian, the King of fruit. Both the human size bears were enjoying the fruit.

Moved on to the famous food stalls in Penang. Toh Soon Cafe, a legendary cafe located at the alley of Lebuh Campbell. It is famous for its Roti Bakar or known as Toast Bread. I was told by the local, the crowd is fantastic. Advised to go early to queue.

Mr. Teddy doing his Signature Teh Tarik or known as Pulled-Tea.

Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul.

“Reaching Up” Mural, Cannon Street, George Town, Penang

“Little Children on a Bicycle” Mural, Armenian Street, George Town, Penang

Thanks to Ernest Zacharevic for these beautiful wall arts which draw much tourists here.

Click HERE to have the location map of the wall arts.

Bread-man / Snacks on Wheels. They are popular during my childhood days. I used to chase them to buy snacks! 😀 But nowadays its rare to spot them.

*Victory!*

Penang Bridge Marathon is an annual marathon event held in Penang Bridge, Penang.

Penang Dragon Boat Festival

The Penang Dragon Boat festival is part of the culture’s history which took part since 30 years ago.

Bayan Lepas Free Trade Industrial Zone. These human size bears were seen assembling the electronic parts.

Barbershop, often operated by Indians are still popular among the Malaysians.

Malaysian Batik is batik textile art of Malaysia. The most popular motifs are leaves and flowers.

People who come to Penang, will usually bring home some local products (i.e biscuits) as souvenirs. Ghee Hiang is one of the famous and old brand in Penang.

Next, they even have Malaysia’s famous athletes, Dato’ Lee Chong Wei and Dato’ Nicol David.

End the exhibit with a lovely corner of a bear in a Hot Air Balloon (in conjunction to Hot Air Balloon Fiesta) and a message of I ♥ PG, I Love Penang.

You can also get your photos printed out here by Canon.

Last but not least, its shopping time! Don’t forget to utilize the RM10 voucher if you planned to buy any Bear or T-Shirt here.

Before leaving, don’t forget to take photo with this 10ft tall Bear at the entrance.

This Teddyville Museum is like a Little Penang. Using the human sized bears and miniature sized bears to bring out the Malaysian culture, but also exhibit the popularity of Penang island. Be it food, street, tourist spots and also some history of Penang.

I’m amazed on how much effort they put everything into so detailed and fine. Especially the hawker food stalls at Gurney Drive. Thus, I also like how they explained every segment in story board. Oh ya…did I mentioned that the bears have very smooth fur too. You can gently hug these furry bears 😀

Plan your visit here with your child. Its fun and educational. I’m sure they will enjoy this place.

TeddyVille Museum

Ground Floor, DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang
56, Jalan Low Yat, 11100 Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia.

Contact : beary@teddyvillemuseum.com
Tel : 04 890 5345 / 016-550 5949

Open Daily 9:00am to 6:00pm

Website : http://teddyvillemuseum.com/beary/

Family, MALAYSIA, Melaka, Travel

Sky Deck @ Hatten City, Melaka

April 9, 2019 thammelissa 4 Comments

Where can we go in Melaka? Most of the popular tourist spots, we’ve visited them before.

Thus, I discovered about this place upon doing some Google search.

*An aerial view of the location. Photo by Hatten City

Located at Hatten City , Sky Deck is adjoining to Element Mall. A mall that is quite big and new.

For hotel guests of Hatten Place and Double Tree by Hilton will get the privilege to enjoy free access to the Sky Deck.

However for non-hotel guests, you just need to pay RM15 per person (Introductory Offer) which includes RM10 F&B Rebate voucher.

After you get your ticket, the friendly staff will lead you to the lift and up it goes to 44th floor of the building. The lift was quite fast. We reached 44th floor within few minutes.

p/s: You can skip the group photo shoot if you don’t plan to purchase the photo.

So, I was at the Melaka’s highest 360° panoramic view. I am enjoying this spectacular view on a sunny day. Apparently the best view is during sunset. Perhaps, you can plan your visit during sunset then followed by a sky view dining here. hehe…..

Its a nice place to chillax.

At the observation deck, was so windy.

As you exit the lift at ground floor, there is a small souvenir shop in case you want to purchase some souvenirs.

The F&B consists of :-

He’ Feng Chinese Cuisine at Level 43 (fine selection of a la carte Cantonese cuisine)
Aromas Coffee Club at Level 43 (a place for coffee fix)
Gales at Level 44 (a semi-fine dining Western fusion feast)
The Drift at Level 44 (an all-day free and easy bar)

Too bad that I did not utilize the RM10 voucher. Hence I can’t comment much about that. Perhaps another round when I got the chance to stay at either Hatten City Hotel or Double Tree by Hilton. 🙂

I read some positive reviews about “Aroma Clubs Coffee”. I shall put this in my KIV list.

Continuation to the above, you can also spend some shopping time at the Element Mall, which is at the same building.

Claimed as biggest mall in Melaka. Quite new, but there wasn’t much shops yet.

I think the interior is quite nice. It uses Melaka’s Historical spots as part of the design.

Sky Deck @ Hatten City

Hatten City, Jalan Melaka Raya 23, Taman Melaka Raya
Malacca City 75000

Operation Hours: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/SkyDeckHattenCity

**Good News for those born in Melaka!!
In conjunction to “Declaration of Melaka as a Historical City” on 15th April 2019,
you are entitled for Free Entrance on 14 & 15 April 2019 (10am to 10pm).

Family, Hotels, MALAYSIA, Melaka

Hotel Review : Hotel Arissa Melaka

March 18, 2019 thammelissa 7 Comments

During end of last year’s school break, I decided to spend 2 nights at Melaka together with my family. Although I did the online booking 1 month ahead, but there wasn’t much choice of hotel that has Family Room. It is either very expensive or its booked.

I came across Hotel Arissa Melaka, a boutique hotel which is quite new. The building has total of 74 rooms. If I’m not mistaken it was since year 2016. Read some positive reviews from the former guests. Hence I booked a Premier Room for 2 nights at around RM420 inclusive of breakfast. The hotel is located in Melaka city. So, I think location wise is considered good since its located in town.

This is the Hotel Lobby.

The check-in process was quite fast because I’ve already made payment when I did the online booking. However a security deposit of RM50 is required upon checking in. This deposit is refundable during check out.

If you are driving, you can park your car at the open-air car park just behind the building. It is free. I will usually drive and park at the hotel, then move around Melaka city using Grab car, to save hassle. hehe…..

The hotel’s lobby has many nice photo spots.

These old-school biscuits are available at the hotel’s lobby. And its free for guests! So, while waiting for check-in or your car to arrive, you can also munch on these biscuits. 🙂 That’s a very nice gesture.

The room looked new and clean. Furthermore the interior is nice and modern. I like the color combinations too. Premier Room sized 29 m²/312 ft² with 1 single bed and 1 queen bed.

no cupboard. just a rod with hangers
free mineral water (daily)
free instant coffee and tea
mini refrigerator, safe box, TV, hair dryer, kettle, mini size hair & body shampoo.
towels
Wifi

Don’t worry about the glass window of the bathroom. You can use the blind to have some privacy. hehe…

Daily buffet breakfast till 10am. The buffet spread was quite limited. But if you are not fussy, it is enough to fill your stomach too. Buffet breakfast is also payable on the post. If I was not mistaken it was RM15 per person.

Distance to Jonker Walk is around 1km. However Hotel Arissa do provide shuttle to and fro Jonker Street. Above was the time schedule.

Are you a fan of Melaka’s famous satay celup? The popular Ban Lee Siang Satay Celup is just a walking distance from the hotel. I would advise you to go as early as you can. (before 6pm). It will be quite crowded on weekends.

(Operation Hours: 4pm – 12am)

Other than Satay Celup, what food can we can within this hotel? There’s this nice cendol and Nyonya Assam Pedas Fish available at Living Water Kopitiam. It it located at a row of shop just next to the hotel.

Besides that, there is a convenient store attached to the hotel. But in case you needed drinks or snacks when the store is closed, there’s a vending machine in front of the convenient store.

A simple hotel suitable for short stay. All in all the hotel is not bad. But it will be much better if the room is slightly bigger.

Hotel Arissa

No.2 Jalan Pelanduk Putih
75300 Melaka

Tel: + 606 288 0303
Fax: + 606 288 0305

Website: http://www.hotelarissa.com.my

This is Me; Melissa's Blog

Category Archives: Family

Highlight of my Short Gateway to Melaka 2022

1. Stay at Estadia Hotel Melaka

2. McQuek’s Satay Celup

3. Jonker Walk

4) Sebungkus Melaka

5) BESS Kopitiam

6) Klebang Original Coconut Shake

~That’s the end of our short trip to Melaka…See you soon…~

A Trip to Sky Ladder Pineapple Farm, Lukut

Tea Break @Midorie x The Owls Cafe, MyTOWN Shopping Centre KL

3D2N Staycation @Hilton Garden Inn Puchong

Noodle Doodle @Mamee Jonker House, Melaka

8 Hours Tour in Penang with KLOOK

3D2N @Maritime Suite Penang and Food Nearby

9 Awesome Food To Try At Cecil Street Market

TeddyVille Museum @Penang

Sky Deck @ Hatten City, Melaka

He’ Feng Chinese Cuisine at Level 43 (fine selection of a la carte Cantonese cuisine)

Aromas Coffee Club at Level 43 (a place for coffee fix)

Gales at Level 44 (a semi-fine dining Western fusion feast)

The Drift at Level 44 (an all-day free and easy bar)

**Good News for those born in Melaka!!
In conjunction to “Declaration of Melaka as a Historical City” on 15th April 2019,
you are entitled for Free Entrance on 14 & 15 April 2019 (10am to 10pm).

Hotel Review : Hotel Arissa Melaka

to live to love to learn

1. Stay at Estadia Hotel Melaka

2. McQuek’s Satay Celup

3. Jonker Walk

4) Sebungkus Melaka

5) BESS Kopitiam

6) Klebang Original Coconut Shake

~That’s the end of our short trip to Melaka…See you soon…~

He’ Feng Chinese Cuisine at Level 43 (fine selection of a la carte Cantonese cuisine)

Aromas Coffee Club at Level 43 (a place for coffee fix)

Gales at Level 44 (a semi-fine dining Western fusion feast)

The Drift at Level 44 (an all-day free and easy bar)

**Good News for those born in Melaka!! In conjunction to “Declaration of Melaka as a Historical City” on 15th April 2019, you are entitled for Free Entrance on 14 & 15 April 2019 (10am to 10pm).

to live to love to learn

**Good News for those born in Melaka!!
In conjunction to “Declaration of Melaka as a Historical City” on 15th April 2019,
you are entitled for Free Entrance on 14 & 15 April 2019 (10am to 10pm).