Four Seasons Restaurant London

Before I went to London, I had heard that London is famous for roast ducks.  Four Seasons Restaurant, a Chinese restaurant located at Bayswater, London, is one of the most famous for its roast ducks.

First thing first, this Four Seasons is not THAT Four Seasons chain of luxury hotels.  It is an ordinary-looking Chinese restaurant, with a Chinese name of Wenxing 文兴酒家.  When I first saw the Four Seasons name, I thought it would be very expensive, but luckily it is not the case at all.

If you take the tube in London, get off at Bayswater metro station.  Once you come out of the station, you will be on Queensway.  Turn left and walk along Queensway for about 50 meters, you will see the restaurant.

Four Seasons Restaurant at Bayswater, London

We arrived there early, at around 5.30-6.00pm.  The place was already buzzing with business.  The patrons are varied.  Chinese British, Chinese-speaking Chinese, Chinese from South East Asia, and some Caucasians.  Quite a mixed crowd.

Fat Fat Roast Duck

We ordered their famous roast duck.  When it came, it was a bit unexpected.  When we talk about roast duck, we will think of Beijing Roast Duck, with that signature crispy skin.  The roast duck here is very different.  The skin is not crispy, and the meat is not dry.  Instead, it is immersed in a special herbal sauce which gives it additional fragrance, and the skin and meat juicy.  Unlike Beijing Duck, which you mostly only consume the skin, you can eat both the skin and the meat for London Roast Duck.

The duck they use is a local breed.  As England's weather can be quite harsh and cold, the ducks tend to accumulate a thick layer of fat, as a storage of energy as well as a layer of protection from the cold weather.

My friend picked up a piece of duck meat with chopsticks, and you could see that fat trembling. Wow... you can imagine when you put that piece of duck meat in your mouth...Good heavens!  It melt in your mouth, the fragrance lingering around.  This is THE BEST roast duck that I have ever had. Ok, it is not very healthy, with so much fat, but I must give the thumbs up to the master who produced such a nice dish.

Give it a try when you are in London next time!

Penang New Lane Hawker Center

Penang, Malaysia, is said to be a food paradise, especially for its hawker food.  New Lane Hawker Center, is ranked as one of the must-visit places in a Penang itinerary.

New Lane Hawker Center is just a short walk from Komtar, the tallest building in Penang.  Walk along Jalan Macalister, then soon you will be there.  You can't miss it, the huge mural on the wall of 118 Hotel is menacingly prominent.  Just take note, New Lane is its English name, while its Malay name is Jalan Baru.  Jalan means road, street, while Baru means new, that's why in English it is called New Lane. The road signs in Penang are all in Malay, because we are in Malaysia!

For first time visitors, it is a bit daunting to figure out how things work.  Basically you will see lots of chairs and tables.  They all belong to the drinks stall.  You can sit anywhere, just order a drink, then you get the 'right' to a table.  After that, you just go around to order your food from the street hawkers.  Some will deliver the food to you, some are just self-served.  

My first option was Chee Cheong Fun.  Haha...my Cantonese nature at work again.  I just can't resist Chee Cheong Fun.

Chee Cheong Fun, RM4.50

The Chee Cheong Fun is hand-made, unlike most in Singapore, which are factory mass manufactured.  The layers are thinner, the size is smaller, but the fragrance of the rice that it is made from is stronger.  Unique in Penang Chee Cheong Fun is their sauce.  Do you see that black sauce?  It is seafood sauce, made from some prawn paste.  As such, it has a bit of fishy smell, very much an acquired taste.  Using seafood sauce with Chee Cheong Fun is unique to Penang.

Char Koay Teow Stall

One of Penang's famous dishes is Char Koay Teow.  It is the Hokkien version of Cantonese Hor Fun (河粉).  If you have not tried any Char Koay Teow in Penang, you can't be considered to have been to Penang.  I chose to order from this uncle's stall.  There was a long queue there.  Locals and tourists alike were queuing up for his Koay Teow.

Satay Stall

The wait was long, about 20 minutes, and the queue was just next to a satay stall, with all that smoke and fire from the satay stall, man....

While waiting, I observed how the uncle cooks the Koay Teow.  He will pour plenty of oil into the wok, heat it up, then put in some prawns.  Once the prawns are done, scoop them up and put them aside.  Next, bean sprouts, koay teow, egg and others.  What surprised me most was he pour in 3 spoonful of soy sauce!  I was like: My God, it is gonna be super salty!  Anyway, this stall's popularity comes from the fact that the uncle fries his koay teow using charcoal fire, not your usual gas.

Char Koay Teow, RM5.00

Some food blogs recommends porridge from this place, but I didn't get the chance to try it.  While there, I also saw many locals order roasts, chicken wings, etc.  They looked good too, maybe next time I can give it a try.

New Lane is a hawker center to its truest form.  There is no roof to shelter the hawkers and patrons alike from sun or rain.  The food stalls are literally on the road side.  When you walk around, don't be surprised cars, motorbikes pass by frequently.  Don't forget it is a functional motorway.  Hot exhaust from the vehicles, hot air from the hot weather, and the smoke from the satay stall, and charcoal fire, wow, it was quite an experience.