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New site Alt Scene Asia

September 7, 2012 by

Hellooo lovelies! I know I’ve been off in the ethernet once again….but I have been making way for a new website that will better integrate some of my interests, provide a better service and be more informative, leaving this one for my personal blogging. I’ve had so many people ask me, “where’s good to go for alternative music & culture in Japan/Singapore/Malaysia/India/Cambodia?”etc and usually I cobble together a facebook reply with lists, and point them towards my blog and certain tags.

I had a lightbulb moment a few weeks ago (drinking beer and watching something like Nat Geo or or TLC on foxtel), that there ought to be a website that alternative type people can check out, to look up where’s cool to go in each city. Now, there certainly exist numerous websites that cover their own city or country and in great depth, along with other sites that do all of Asia but with only glancing references to the alternative scenes there (like Lonely Planet or certain parts of CNN).

There are also those wesbites dedicated to their music style, such as Punk or Dark Alternative, and they cover off artists, gigs and scenes all over the world – but only in their genre. But how to bring these into the one place? While necessarily sacrificing the detail and depth of a genre-specific website, I believe there is value in putting together on one site, posts that link people to the sorts of places they’d like to visit when travelling in Asia, of course providing links to those more detailed sites for those who want to read more.

Anyway, that’s the vision, and that’s where Alt Scene Asia comes in. I’d like to cover alternative music scenes such as punk, post-punk, goth, deathrock, rockabilly, psychobilly, maybe industrial and just weird shit, as well as fashion, food, art & culture. In some places, just finding a place that plays *rock* is a battle, where everywhere you go you hear mainstream pop, R&B, urban, and artists like Rihanna blaring at you from every shop or bar. I do not want to cover off that stuff, or mainstream asian genres like K-pop and J-pop. There are enough sites serving them already 😉

So, AltSceneAsia. I’m gathering together a team from various cities and countries to write, because local knowledge is key, and also hoping to have a lot of guest writers. So if you know about a certain city, or know people who do, please drop me a line.

So that’s the place where I’ll do more informational posts, not that there won’t still be some here, but this blog will more be my personal experiences while travelling (as it always has been), alternative events etc here in Sydney, and my fashion and style inspirations.

In other exciting news, I’m off to Japan again! I haven’t been there since last November, and really need an update to stay current. Plus, I just can’t wait to go back 😉 It also looks like I’ll have a quick mini-vacay to Myanmar with hubby the month after…so will hopefully get some local knowledge of the punk scene there, as well as just holidaying.

And now back to the website, to get it passable before promoting it. I’m no code monkey, and the tweaking is taking aaaaages!

Filed Under: Asia, Blog entry, Music, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

ION Orchard, Food Opera, Padang Padang

August 23, 2012 by

On earlier visits to Singapore I had breezed through ION Orchard as part of the Orchard Road experience. But something was missing. I was yet to experience the wonder that is Food Opera, the very upmarket hawker-style food court in the ION Orchard basement. Time to rectify that.

For those who haven’t been to Singapore, Orchard Road is THE premier district for shopping malls; mainly upmarket but with some budget-friendly, old school surprises lurking amongst the almost spage-age architectural statements.

ION Orchard is arguably the best of the best.  66,000 square metres in size, with 4 levels above ground and 4 levels below, ION offers over 300 retail, food & beverage and entertainment options.

The luxury brands are all there: Louis Vuitton, Dior, Prada, Miu Miu etc, as well as mid-range favourites like Topshop, Zara and Uniqlo. (Yes, I confess, i *may* have made some purchases here).

ION offers fine dining as well as food chain outlets, delis and confectioners, cafes and bars, mostly on the basement floors but also on the floors above.

It is the ION food hall on Basement level 4 that I gravitate towards, and the outlets here are outstanding. Old Chang Kee, Punggol Nasi Padang and the Wang San Yang Tea Pavilion nestle alongside Ginza Bairin and 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken!

Food Opera is the primary one, offering 22 stalls and 4 mini-restaurants in the hawker style. Aesthetically there is an immediately appealing sense of history and homeliness, as well as luxury and whimsy. Modern design trends, such as animal heads on the walls and large sculptures are everywhere, including animal sculptures such as deer, pigs, giraffe and even golden dragonflies and insects. Uber-glamorous chandeliers illuminate the space, throwing the beautiful gilt ceiling mouldings into sharp relief. Yep, you sure feel like you’re somewhere swanky!

But enough of me telling you about it; take a look for yourself:

Food Opera in ION Orchard Singapore

Peacocks and stag/deer heads look down on Hainan Chicken Rice & BBQ Seafood outlets

  

A large golden dragonfly looks down from the Draft Beer stall; an ornate ceiling at Ah Wok restaurant makes looking up worthwhile

  Ah Wok in Food Opera

I tell you, I walked around for AAAGES trying to decide what to eat. As I am very fond of the flavours of Malay, Indonesian and Peranakan cuisine, it is no wonder that I finally decided upon Padang Padang for my lunchtime repast.

Padang Padang (so good they named it twice!)

Padang Padang in Food Opera

Food Republic, which owns Food Opera, had this to say about Padang:

Padang cuisine is the traditional food of ‘Urang Minang’ (Minang people) who inhabit West Sumatera, Indonesia. The key to Padang cuisine’s rich flavour and mouth-watering aroma is the correct blend of spices. Padang Padang is owned by Mrs Wahyuningsilh and the recipes are inspired by her grandmother – a 3rd generation Peranakan in Indonesia. At Padang Padang, they are committed to using only natural ingredients and processing them traditionally to retain their original taste and health benefits.

Signature Dishes: Nasi Kuning Ayam Merah, Rendang Sapi (Beef Rendang), Ayam Goreng Bumbu (Padang Fried Chicken with Spices), Ikan Asam Pedras (Spicy & Sour Fish), Gado-Gado Padang (Padang Mixed Vegetables), Cabe Merah /Hijau Padang (Special Red/Green Padang Chilli)

Padang Padang was crowned one of the top 3 Hawker Kings at Food Republic.

Food Republic reviews some other Food Opera outlets Soup Guru, Ah Wok and Scott’s Beef Noodles here.

As for me, I ordered the Nasi Kuning with Ayam Merah, which is yellow rice with chicken in a red gravy largely comprised of tomato, turmeric, garlic, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, chilli and soy. YUMMERS!!

Ayam Merah & Nasi Kuning

The chicken was still still just a little crispy from having been fried first, and the sauce was extremely tasty without being burn-your-mouth-out hot. There was a beautiful balance of salty, sweet and chilli. I also could have chosen a multi-dish from their many meat and vegetable options (as you can see in the photo above). Next time I think I just might!

In need of some freshening up before I hit the street again, I encountered the splendour that is the ION Orchard ladies toilets! Honestly, how glamorous are these? And as I left the modern mall, I couldn’t help but laugh at these fantastic coloured sculptures of shoppers, seen at the front of ION Orchard:

 

So whether for the shopping or the food, ION Orchard is definitely worth perusing next time you’re in Singapore.

Have you already been? What are your fave shops or food outlets?

 Food Opera @ ION Orchard
#B4-03/04 Ion Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
Singapore 238801
Tel: +65 6509 9118

Operating Hours:
ION Orchard
10am to 10pm

Food Opera:
8am to 10pm Monday – Thursday
8am to 11pm Friday, Saturday, Eve of Public Holidays
10am to 10pm Sunday

Filed Under: Asia, Blog entry, Fashion, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Connecting with yourself through travel

July 30, 2012 by

Why do we travel?

I think it comes down to how it makes us feel. Travel yanks us out of our routines, which may be mind-numbing. While much of our life is lived in auto-pilot, changing our routine and actual place on the planet makes us more inclined to be self-reflective and aware of our emotions.

What joy there is in gazing on a perfect red flaming sunset, as the oozing ruby ball melts leisurely over azure waters. Or walking along a deserted beach as the sun shines down upon our bare skin. Or perhaps it’s the bracing feel of crisp, chilled air on our face as we look out on endless miles of snow. Perhaps it’s the pungent smell of an asian fishmarket that gets you going,  the cacophanous din of a Moroccan market, the adrenaline thrill of climbing a mountain or scoring a great bargain.

Whatever it is, there is something in these experiences that just makes us feel ALIVE. It connects ourselves with ourselves.

What is it about travel that makes YOU feel alive?

When I was on Tioman Island 10 days ago, I felt my heart swell when I looked upon the ocean as I walked down the coast road. I felt euphoric as I watched a spectacular sunset, whilst cradling my first beer of the night.  I almost swooned as the last rays of light subsided on the horizon, and hundreds of bats flew majestically across the sky. Truly, all of these experiences are etched in my memory.

Ahhh…. There will be more posts on Tioman Island coming up, as well as Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. But for now, Tioman holds the strongest sense memories of this holiday for me.

What are some of your fondest travel memories?

Filed Under: Blog entry, Travel Tagged With: , , , , ,

Singapore Shenanigans from April

July 18, 2012 by

Hai from Singapore! I noticed that I still hadn’t posted pics from my LAST Singapore visit, so now is an appropriate time 🙂

We stayed at Clarke Quay, at the lovely Swissotel Merchant Court which was just moments away from the water.

The hotel room itself was lovely and very bright, with a great view of the quay.

 

I loved the Kopitiam food court in the nearby mall,  Liang Court. We ate there 3 times in our short stay! Sometimes for brekkie/brunch, or as here, for a refreshing Ais Kachang. More on food here in a separate post.

 

For our evening meals, we couldn’t go past Jumbo Seafood. Both times we went to the one further away from the bridge, because the tables at the bridge establishment were already reserved til way late! We elected to have Pepper Crab instead of the usual Chili Crab, and it was delish (more on Jumbo later too, in a Singapore food post to come).

 

After a short rest and freshen up, we glanced out the hotel window to see a load of people gathered on the bridge, seemingly drinking and chatting en masse. But wasn’t this squeaky clean and orderly Singapore? Do they allow drinking on the streets? In Sydney there’s an open container law which prohibits you from public drinking except in designated areas (like, in pubs or right next to them).   Dom popped out to investigate. And our eyes did not deceive us!

I scurried to get ready, then we raced out to mingle with the locals. We hadn’t arranged to meet anyone, though we’d met a few goths back in 2010 when we went to Heart of Darkness. Spotting a few black-clad suspects, we decided to loiter nearby, while beginning to enjoy our cold Tiger beers purchased from the nearby convenience store.

 

Erm yes, blurry – but then, that’s how we felt after a few beers! Before long we got chatting to the people next to us…and behold, they were goths and punks! One lovely girl called Prethi leaned over to say how nice my hair was, and that was it. Soon after I discovered that the Indian guy with the death hawk (see pic above) was none other than Philip Von Grave, who had been a facebook friend since we met back in 2010! Small world! (And poor memory).

Basically, we got to meet all their friends (a couple of whom I’d met at HOD before), and one of them got out his laptop to play some alternative tunes: Rancid, Clash, Bauhaus, the Cure etc. And we all got drunk and silly together and talked about gigs and albums we liked until the wee hours. I tell you, it really made the night for us!

 

On our second day, with cranky brainboxes we dragged ourselves back to Kopitiam for morning nosh and I had a delightful dish of silken rice noodle wrapped around small tasty prawns, before being smothered in a soya sauce. YUM! OK, so I also had some dim sum sides, while dom had some wontons with noodles:

 

After brunch, Dom went to Chinatown, while I headed to Geylang (see my Geylang/Joo Chiat post here). We reconvened for a meal @Central, before hightailing it to the Marina Bay Sands. OK, so we got off at the wrong stop and had to get back on the metro, meaning that by the time we got to the top, the sunset was all but over. It took a long time to walk through the complex, find the lift, wait to board the lift, disembark, join the queue, find a spot to take photos… Despite the rush I couldn’t help but marvel at the architecture once again, both inside the complex and outside at the city views.

 

The view, once we made it to the top, was stunning:

 

However, the delay meant we were late heading out to the Singapore Night Zoo, and eventually we had to admit defeat on that score. Not to worry though, let’s just head to Jumbo Seafood again!

I’ll soon be posting some of my CURRENT Singapore and Malaysian shenanigans…more soon!

Filed Under: Asia, Blog entry, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Returning to Penang

November 17, 2010 by

It’s weird going back to a place you’ve been previously. There’s the thrill as you remember how good last time was, combined with some nervousness that it won’t be as good this time round. Add to that, I was travelling with hubby Dom this time, and it was with some trepidation that I introduced him to my beloved Penang.

I needn’t have worried.

Penang – home of arguably the best food in Malaysia, historic shophouses and grand colonial mansions, with harbour views (if you have the right hotel) and 24 hour service be it street food, convenience stores or curry houses – what’s not to like?

After a long day’s travel from Kapilai, including a few hours stopover and walkabout in Kota Kinabalu, we were both ravenous by the time we hit Penang. Dumping our bags in the hotel, we hurried to the Red Garden, an open-air hawker centre nearby. You may remember my post on Luscious Laksa in Penang from last year, where I talked about the various foods there – if you haven’t, check it out!

I had the Assam Laksa that is (as I mentioned in last years Penang post), not based on a coconut broth as normal laksa is, but a sweet/sour combo of pineapple juice, tamarind and more. We shared a plate of assorted satay sticks with peanut sauce, and Dom had frogs legs in garlic. I found the laksa fishier tasting than last year’s ones, and not quite as delicious as I remembered – but the satay and frogs legs were YUM!

As you can see, they were washed down with a cold Tiger beer or three, and after a good meal and refreshing bevvie, it was time to hit the sack. And what a sack! This time we stayed at the Cititel on Jalan Penang, and it is very modern and stylish, with fab views over the harbour.

What we were looking forward to the next morning was having a roti canai and teh tarik at the Malay/Indian place just a few doors up, the Restoran Jaya. I mentioned this in last years post, the badly punned “Currying Favour in Georgetown“.

Oh, the roti was so flaky and beautiful, with a lovely tasty curry, and Dom’s lamb-filled roti was delicious too. Um, we drank our teh tariks before I thought to get a pic – but you know what a cuppa tea looks like. Dom loved the place as much as me, and we returned the next morning as well. I can highly recommend this place for all sorts of food – and it’s open 24 jam! That means 24 hours in Malay – and it means you can get a feed any time, day or night. Gotta love Malaysia! I didn’t get the street address, but it’s on Jalan Penang, right opposite Kafe 78.

A little lie down was in order after our hearty brekkie, as we had a big day ahead of us, fitting in seeing the sites of old Penang, as well as eating some great Curry Mee and Char Kway Teow (yes, at the angry aunty’s famous CKT place).  But that can wait for another post – all this food writing is making me hungry!!

Have you been to Penang? What are your fave food places – especially for breakfast and roti canai?

Filed Under: Blog entry, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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