Good Food and Views are Worth the Journey
It's always a treat to eat at Hong Kong's Lung King Heen restaurant, one of the finest cantonese restaurants probably anywhere in the world. Although I've had plenty of equally satisfying cantonese meals elsewhere, especially for cheaper if you factor in the premium Michelin 3-star pricing at Lung King Heen, I don't think any of the others equal in terms of how elegant the cooking actually is. Much of this is reflected in the sauces which just seem very fine at Lung King Heen.
The...
They may not be real ginger bread houses, but Shirakawa-go's unique farm houses make the village look like a Christmas log cake came to life. Nestled in Japan's Hida Mountains ("northern alps"), this mountain village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of these historic farmhouses. Because of its location, this is a great place to visit in the winter if you're seeking snow.
Indeed the day I visited just after Christmas 2014, it probably only stopped snowing for just 15 minutes....
Decades on, the best char siu is still found in Soo Kee, a simple local restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. Located further down Jalan Ampang just before turning off to Ukay Heights, Restaurant Yuen Soo Kee is a family owned operation where patrons mainly come for the barbecue pork (chinese style or "char siu"). This is Malaysian style char siu which is nicely caramelised and fattier than Hong Kong style char siu. Besides the char siu, the tofu, fried spring roll, steamed fish among other dishes are...