Panda Panda: Deptford Banh Mi

Have I mentioned Vietnamese has infiltrated Deptford? This little outlet has been around for a while but having this good a Banh Mi close to work is well worth the plug.

Two noodles I could eat all the time: Mee Pok & Chilly Pan Mee

Malaysian food-sickness. No, I mean Malaysian food-homesickness. Homesick for Malaysian food. Oh darnnit, I just want these two types of noodles!

Malaysian Munching: Village Park for THAT Nasi Lemak

Remember when Madam Kwan's first arrived on the scene in KL? And how Nasi Bojari was the dish to have? Mainly because of that gorgeous chicken leg accompanied by the tasty mixed rice, sambal and acar combo. Come to think of it was a sorta version of Nasi Lemak. Well that heyday is well and truly over but have no fear because if there was ever a reinvention of the chicken leg, then Village Park in Damansara Uptown has done a Madonna.

Malaysian Midnight Eating: Restoran Damansara Hokkien Mee

I interrupt my Beijing broadcast to bask in the glory of finding black gold in nearby Damansara Uptown. Old to the other residents but new to me, and a find is still a find!

A Jujube a Day

I first called these small fruits "funny little Chinese apples" because that's exactly what they look like. Sweet, crunchy and available from street-side fruit trucks in Beijing these are jujubes or zao. I see carefree grannies dip into plastic bags filled with these green and brown skinned fruits, spitting out the stone oh-so elegantly into their palms whilst mid-gossip.

Rediscovering Penang Part 2: Ten Thousand Buddhas, Lots of Chinese Cookies and One Killer Assam Laksa

When visiting Georgetown in Penang, a must-do is going up Penang Hill on the furnicular railway. You'll see the city in all its glory (provided it's not a misty day like when we went) connected to the mainland by that famous bridge, currently the fourth longest in South East Asia. If titles are what one is after, Penang sweeps the floor clean with the Kek Lok Si Temple - the largest Buddhist temple in the region.

If you take the route that the guidebooks advise (Bus 204 from Komtar Bus Station to Air Itam, for the Kek Lok Si and Penang Hill), you cannot miss the gargantuan Kuan Yin statue that dominates the skyline over Air Itam town. And that is just a prelude to the thousands of celestial beings and Buddhas all over this place of worship.

Discovering Kolo Mee in Kuching - Part 1

Over the weekend I visited Kuching which was my first time in East Malaysia. Why had I waited so long to discover its wonderful culture and natural landscapes? And one of its foremost contributions to the mighty Malaysian food fabric: kolo mee.

Segambut: Where the streets have no name

Any resident or visitor to KL will know this isn't the best signposted city. Many locals navigate solely by landmark and not by street name, which is just as well given that sometimes there just isn't one.

For a little Selangor girl like me, Segambut is one of those suburbs that seem awfully far away. It's not really, Malaysians often have a false sense of distance because the city isn't well mapped out as mentioned above. Call me snooty but it's not somewhere one would visit out of no reason, I would need a really good one. And on this occasion I would say I was given four.

Luang Prabang Part 3: It was more like "Alley" Food

We hung around until dark, still on the main stretch of Sisavangvong (not out of boredom, this one road town was genuinely fascinating and charming), and this time went down another narrow alley. This one was to the left of the Ancient Luang Prabang Hotel, where a large table of various cakes and pastries were sold throughout the day. We skipped the cakes, and ventured down this path full of buzz, colours, more inelegant sweatiness, and a whole lotta good grub.

Vendors lay out trays and trays of food, like a massive street party buffet. More fly swatting with plastic bags, above dishes that look suspect, side by side with those that look irresistible. Most which are saucy are served with rice, and we observed punters carrying off mounds of vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, salads, to sit nearby on low benches. In this regard, this type of food was more Thai with zesty, sweet and sour trademarks.

What I revelled in were the barbequed meats.

I ogled piles and rows of bamboo skewers as my tummy growled for everything in sight. When it comes to meat on open flaming heat, I'm adamant that the best is chicken (and lamb, but not in Laos). I threw a quail in there for good measure.

Chicken here is very much like our Malaysian ayam kampung or literally translated, village chicken. That's free-range to you Sainsbury's or Cole's shoppers. I tore off the lean meat with my teeth, in primitive, cave woman fashion to enjoy the charred goodness. Each satisfactory bite was punctuated with a little dip into tangy chilli and fish sauce. Eating off a banana leaf made it more fragrant.

Very much like the Vietnamese Summer Rolls, these lot have a filling that's a fine mince, packed with herbs. We bagged a selection of meat and vegetable ones, fried and fresh, and washed it all down with an icy cold Beerlao, Laos' premiere national lager. Perfecto.