Halal Food Journeys (4): Melbourne, Australia

Last week, I went to Melbourne, Australia and honestly, I was really worried about this trip cus it was my first time going to a Western country and I don't know what to expect. However, after this trip, it became one of my most favourite places to travel. There are so many things I want to share about this trip but firstly, I will just start on food first. 

In Melbourne, there are quite a number of halal food places and its really not that difficult to find one. There are several Malaysian-based food outlets such as Old Town White Coffee, Papparich and Nooodles (Airport T2) which have halal accreditation. You can also find Nandos which is almost everywhere in Melbourne. According to their website, all their restaurants serve halal chickens but only some outlets may sell wine or bacon. So, do check their website to see which has halal accreditation.

For me, there is actually nothing unique about the food in Melbourne. Its almost exactly similar to the food you can find in Singapore. Also, its crazy expensive! A plate of food can cost you about $8 to $12 on average. Compared to Singapore, where you can easily find food for less than $5.

1.

Little Ipoh
360 La Trobe St.
littleipohrestaurant.com.au

Nasi Kerabu $10

Nasi Goreng Kampung $11.90

Char Kway Teow $11.50

The first place we head to was Little Ipoh. It mainly serves authentic Malaysian food and a few Western food as well. It is nearby the intersection between Queen Street and La Trobe Street and is located at the 2nd floor of a shophouse. This is one of my favourite places to eat and I've been here twice during my trip. The dish I would recommend is their Nasi Goreng Kampung!

2.

Iluka Restaurant
65-71 Great Ocean Rd, Apollo Bay

If you're travelling along the Great Ocean Road, you might come across this place at Apollo Bay. We went to this restaurant as part of our Great Ocean Road tour with Melbourne Australia Tours. At the entrance of the restaurant, there is a halal cert. which show that their poultry are from halal suppliers. 

Since we were part of the tour, we only get to choose 2 items at the counter that they were serving and not from their menu. I decided to go for fish and salad as I was curious how Australian 'fish n chips' is like. Honestly, its not that tasty at all as compared to how you would find at Fish N Co or Manhatten Fish Market. I guess you could say its more healthier since you can actually taste more of the fish than the seasoning or the flour. 

3.

Bali Bagus
85 Franklin St.

Bakso Special $8.80

Ayam Penyet $9

Ikan Goreng Bumbu Bali $13

Now, back to Melbourne CBD is another place called Bali Bagus. Well, theres nothing much to say about this place except that its just your typical Indonesian restaurant. Food wise is okay~

4.

Mama Wong's Kitchen
2/76 Flinders St
www.mamawongs.com.au

Hokkien Mee $11

After taking a half day tour, the bus alighted us at Federation Square and so we decided to check out Mama Wong's which is only about a 5 minutes walk away from there. 

This place serves mainly Chinese style cuisines. I was clueless at first what I should get until, I saw someone having Hokkien Mee and it looks so delicious! So, I decided to get one for myself too. I'm not sure whether it was because I was really hungry or that it was really delicious but I absolutely love it. The thing that I really like the most is that they put a lot of things in the dish or rencah (not sure what the english translation of rencah is) and were really generous with their portion. Theres lots of prawns, chicken,  all kinds of vegetables and I'm not sure what else there is. Of course, they do sell other items but I was too full to try. I've seen alot of people tried their fried rice so, it should be good too. However, don't expect great service cus they can get especially busy during lunch hours.

5.

Lord of the Fries
www.lordofthefries.com.au

Lord of the Fries is probably the only place where you can get halal fast food. There have quite a number of outlets around Melbourne. The one I went to was at Flinders Station. Its actually a booth so you have to take away and find somewhere else to eat. However, since I did not eat the burgers straight away, it became cold and not nice at all. I believe that it would have tasted great so I strongly recommend you to consume it immediately. It can be pretty pricey though. One burger is about $5-$6 without any meal whatsoever. However, I do think Lord of the Fries is definitely worth trying at least once. Oh, and do remember to bring lots of those little packet sauces cus if you want to have chilli or tomato sauce on your fries, they will charge you $1. Otherwise, they are just gonna add extra salt.

Alright, that concludes my HFJ in Melbourne! Theres actually alot more halal places than what I've listed here but these are just a few that I managed to go to. On a side note, tomorrow is the start of fasting month!! I'm glad I managed to finish off this post before fasting month starts, otherwise I would be salivating throughout. Happy Ramadhan to all my fellow muslim friends!

Hotel Hopping: Taiwan 2015

One of the things that I always look forward to the most while travelling, is the lodging. Staying in a good lodging is so important to me, I mean after a tiring day travelling, you would want to be greeted with a clean, comfortable and welcoming place to rest for the many nights throughout your trip. 

During my 1-week Taiwan trip back in May this year, I checked-in to a total of 4 hotels at 4 different locations which I think is pretty insane. But, I wouldn't know when I might have another chance to come back to Taiwan again so I might as well try to explore as many parts of it as I can. 

1.

Energy Home Vacation Village

No. 9-1-1, Rongguang Lane, 546 Renai, Taiwan

The first place we checked in was Energy Home Vacation Village which is located at Cingjing. Our stay there was filled with relentless rains which was such a pity, as we were missing out on the luscious green scenery that Cingjing is known for having. Lucky we were only there for 1 night, otherwise I wouldn't know how to cope with the depressing rain. It cost us about S$180 for a family room including breakfast which isn't that bad as their rooms were huge with two-storeys which felt more like a home rather than a hotel room.

Location wise, its pretty accessible to nearby convenience stores and eateries which is about 5 minutes walk away. But with the rain, it felt like 10 minutes as there is no shelters whatsoever. Even walking to our rooms from the reception area was quite a drag. Lets just say it isn't a shelter-friendly place.

The pathway from the main road to our lodging

An outside look 

The view (which was absolutely nothing but haze)

Upstairs balcony (never got the chance to chill outside due to the rain)

2.

Harbor Resort Hotel

No. 11, Mingsheng Street, 555 Yuchi, Taiwan

Next, we headed to Sun Moon Lake. Unfortunately, we brought the rain with us but it wasn't as bad as Cingjing as there were at least some moments where the rain had stopped. It was a huge change compared to our previous lodging as we now had to sleep in a more smaller space. It is also much cheaper and cost about S$140 including breakfast per night. What I like about this place is that the ferry is just located directly outside of our hotel which was really convenient. One of the main reasons we wanted to book this hotel was to catch a glimpse of the sunrise from our hotel rooms, but apparently due to the rain, it was just to cloudy. 

If I had to criticise something, it would have to be the toilet. Well, its not that there is a problem inside the toilet but more about the outside. Although the toilet door and window is made with fogged glass, it still does not provide enough privacy. If you happen to be totally naked in the toilet, people can actually see your naked silhouette from outside the toilet. The only way is to avoid it is to stand as far away from the toilet door and window as possible but its so difficult especially if you want to use the sink cus its just beside the window. To end off, if you are finding a place to share a hotel room with some friends of the opposite gender, then this place may not be for you guys.

3.

53 Hotel

No.27, Zhongshan Rd, Central District, Taichung, Taiwan

Next, we went to Taichung which is like our stopover place for a night before we head to Taiwan and checked in at 53 Hotel. Out of all the hotels, this has got to be the best one yet and what's even better is that it is the cheapest! It's about S$110 per night however, it does not include breakfast. But fret not, there is loads of convenience stores and bakeries nearby to fill your tummy. 

Another great thing about this place is that it provides free washer and dryer service. As it was raining like crazy the past few days, we never actually got the chance to dry out our clothes properly. It does not occur to me that I will be using the hotel facilities during my stay cus usually I don't think it is important. But, it has become something that was extremely helpful and made our stay there really comfortable. 

The room was spacious and clean. Service was great and the staff there were all smiles. The hotel felt like a smaller version of a 4-star modern hotel. I have absolutely no complains with my stay there and would totally recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a place to stay at Taichung. If I could, I wish I had stayed there much longer.

Oh and did I mention, you can also use their gym for free too!

4.

Ulysses Hotel

No.28, Huayin St., Taipei Main Station, Taipei, Taiwan 104

Finally, our last destination, Taipei! We stayed at Ulysses Hotel for the remaining 4 days of our trip and damn, its hard re-adjusting after our awesome stay at 53 Hotel. Our first impression of this hotel is that it is ridiculously pinkish red, and just from the colour you may have an idea of what kind of hotel it is. 

(There is even condoms provided in our hotel room....Ehem.. love hotel?) 

Apart from that, the hotel rooms weren't that bad and meets most of our needs and expectations. It was quite cramped for 4 people but their toilet is really spacious which is probably a little unnecessary. It is also slightly expensive as compared to 53 Hotel, which cost us about S$140 per night. However, being located just beside Taipei Main Bus Station and major shopping malls like Qsquare, it has made our stay there really convenient and not boring.  If you want to take the subway, it is only about a 10 minutes walk away from Taipei Main Station via their underground mall that has tons of shops to mingle and check out.

Halal Food Journeys (3): Taichung, Taiwan

If you have missed out on the previous HFJ in Taipei, click here

Apart from being in Taipei, I also went to Taichung to stay there for a night. I was really glad that there are quite a few halal restaurants there and from what I know so far, there are 3 of them. I only managed to went to 2 due to time constraints so here there are......

1.
Dumpling Restaurant *Halal*
No. 200, Section 1, Wenxin Rd, Nantun District

Majiang Noodles NT$60 (~S$2.50)

Spring Onion with Beef (Small) NT$150 (~$6.50)

Beef Dumplings 20pcs NT$120 (~$5.00)

Finally, a place that serves authentic Chinese cuisine. Their specialty is the dumplings and probably, the hot pot since every table has one. However, I did not try the hot pot as I wanted just a simple lunch and the price was wow. Their dumplings are all handmade. Once you enter the shop, you will be greeted with a person folding up dumplings at the entrance. I have to say their dumplings are seriously the best. Once you take a bite, it is just irresistible and highly addictive.

The rest of the dishes were also good. Another favourite of mine is the Majiang Noodles. It tasted like noodles mixed with rojak sauce which I absolutely love.

The service at this restaurant is highly commendable as well and the staff there were really friendly. Although they were very busy, they were still willing to take the time and help explain the dishes to us and respond to our every requests. Two thumbs up for this place! Totally highly recommended!

2.
Si Shih Lai Hand-Pulled Noodles 喜士來手工拉麵 *Halal*

No. 128, Wuyi St, Taichung City

台中市五義街128號

(04) 2206-9486

If you love noodles, this place is perfect! But, this is no ordinary noodle place as all their noodles are hand-pulled. They even have tons of different flavours with a choice of either thick or thin noodles to go with it. 

If I remember correctly, they may not have an English menu so it is highly recommended to bring along a friend who can read and speak Mandarin or you may have to decipher the characters yourself. We decided to take away the noodles and ate at the hotel. 

We order some spicy beef noodle and the other was seafood noodle. It comes with soup but I think it is meant to dip it in with the noodles or you can drink it on its own. I love the spicy beef noodles alot but it is too spicy for me. After a few mouthfuls, I simply cannot take it which is a shame cus I really like how tasty it was (should have ordered the one without spicy). The seafood noodles was ok but maybe a little bland. 

3.

Islamic Yellow Beef Dumplings Restaurant 清真館黃牛肉餃子館 *Halal*

台中市忠孝路165巷12號
No. 12, Lane 165, Jhongsiao Rd., Taichung City
TEL：（04）2285-6389

When I came here, it already was closed. Not particularly sure about the opening hours of this place or if it has closed down. Anyways this is just another place that serves halal food. You could give this place a try if you happen to visit them when its open.

That wraps up my HFJ in Taiwan. Personally, I prefer the food in Taichung rather than in Taipei. Hopefully, it has been helpful to some of you who are planning to have a trip to Taiwan soon and have an idea of how halal food is like there. Thanks for reading!

P.S Extra Tip:

 At some parts of Taiwan such as Sun Moon Lake, there is really no halal food choices. When faced with such situations, you can try eating at Mos Burger and have their seafood burgers if you are comfortable. The reason for Mos Burger is because they are located almost everywhere in Taiwan and most importantly, they do not sell any pork. This could be an alternative for you if halal food is not accessible and you are totally unprepared.