Manhattan Fish Market

Nope, i did not go to Manhattan nor any fish market there...

Manhattan Fish Market is just another food outlet aka restaurant that specializes in fish & chips, and grilled seafoods!

this place in mid-valley mall has been operating since a decade ago, and i used to patronized here whenever they hav special promotions...

They recently have refurbished the place and the entire interior has be brightened up with a new look...i prefer this bright facade than the previous dark/dimly lit interior 

 and as usual i ordered my fav Dory Fish n' Chip which comes with mushroom cream soup and a fizzy drink...which i guess is a mixture of isotonic drink & mango juice

Bon Appetit!

Tribhuvan International Airport

Unlike Hazrat Shahjalal Airport (in Dhaka, Bangladesh), this airport is yet-to-be upgraded despite being high-traffic. Well, i m not posting any facts related to this airport (which u can easily googled that!) but instead writing some of my personal views and observation, both factual & sentimental.

Tribhuvan airport it is a one-storey brick building which from my personal view, looks more like a horse barn than airport (u judge it urself...what i mean is exteriorly...due to it's bricks, no offence!)

the interior somehow reminds me of an old bus station (in the mid 80's) with shops selling junks and snacks...which normally seen in bus stations...not much of souvenir shops in sight, mainly b'coz the travellers are mostly their locals Nepali travelling out of the country for work.

the airport might be small to accomodate the huge number of traveller, hence most of the family/friends will bid their farewell outside of the building as they are not allowed into the compound. It's sort of an 'emotional-kinda-scene' seeing the sad faces of old parents/kids/wife bidding goodbye to their son/father/husband right outside of the airport entrance, and they are somehow not allowed into the building even if the weather is terrible...Such emotional scene is so common (at this airport) and i felt sympathy to them as these people might not be able to see their son/father/husband for some years before they return from working abroad. Some might not be able to return at all (mishap in workplace or cheated by agent, u wouldn't know!)...it seems like the fella is going to a faraway land, gambling his life and might never return...

luckily it isn't in my case...travelling on flights doesn't seems to be a big thing that my whole family has to present in the airport to send me off....i guess this is a very 'old-fashion kinda practice' when nowadays u gotta connect/contact ur loved ones via online media, anytime, anywhere. Flying out of the country is so norm that my parents didn't bother much about that...as most of the time i will be back in within 3-4 days.

and if u notice carefully, some youngster (especially the first timer travelling abroad for work) will be blessed...

and a yellow scarf will be hung around their neck...

while some will touch the plane staircase while chanting religious prayer before boarding the plane...

perhaps the 4.5 hour journey is somewhat very far from their homeland!



Nepali Chulo Restaurant, Kathmandu - Part 2

For the past 2 months I was too busy with assignments & have been delaying some post related to the trip.

Anyway, continuing from my previous post on Nepali Chulo restaurant, this time i shall display more pics of its surrounding and ambience...rather than elaborate on the culture shows and foods.

as introduced earlier, this place is totally 'mystic' and full of arts!

u'll also get to see some religious items hung on the wall or placed at the side walk

such as this buddha wall-picture

and some carvings

in which it blended well with the scenery portrait

u'll also get to see some ancient items such as below...dun ask me what are they, but i guess it could be a chandelier and a safety box (?!?)

some nature decoration are also in sight...such as mini pond with fountain

i sensed some similarity of the architectures with those i've seen in Bhutan...very mch close to it

there are just lots of strange & devilish-looking mask hung around the place

the walkway to the centre court

ancient stuffs placed at one corner for display

and the entrance with buddha figure 'guarding' the place

all in all, apart from being a restaurant, this place is indeed a 'Gallery'!

Authentic Nepali Cuisine @ Nepali Chulo

The first appetizer that came to our table was this dumpling called Momo (in Nepali)...and i was surprised to see a resemblance of somewhat chinese (cantonese) "wor tip". Indeed, this delicacy is so common back home.

btw, this Momo tasted similar to "wor tip"!

next is bean soup...this reminds me of lentil soup...the picture here doesn't look appetizing coz it was captured under flash light in dark surrounding.

various types of beans found in this soup...

we were served with goat's milk for drinks

not quite sure if it was goat's milk or something else..but the odour was too strong that i couldn't stand it. End up i did not take even a sip.

as for the main meal, the waiter will hand you an empty food tray and fill up the food onto your tray...
u gotta stop them if u hav enuff or does not wish to have that particular dish.
I had rice, wild boar meat, chicken, spinach...their menu was pretty standard as every dish is pre-cooked. Patrons can choose either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. That's it.

the food was so-so, nothing much to shout about, and the entertainment was okay.

Unless if you are an food adventura, this place is worth a try.

Bon Appetit!



Nepali Chulo Restaurant, Kathmandu - Part 1

On my final day in Nepal, i opted to have something local (Nepali cuisine) and perhaps enjoy the evening with some local cultural shows.

The hotel receptionist recommend us to this place...

me and my boss decided to drop by as this restaurant looks promising based on the description in the leaflet!

 after some 15 minutes walk (on the dark alleys with countless potholes) from the hotel, we finally reached a darkly surrounded building...it's a bungalow building with colonial architecture...but the interior was superb and full of culture & arts!

 the mystic ambience could be felt once u entered this dimly-lit restaurant.

Be mesmerized with the wall paintings and ornaments!

 and the table settings, plus the copper cups and plates.We chose the traditional dining, with lower tables and floor seatings.

 right in front of the dining place, there's a stage with performances

 a group of singers rendering some folks tunes (i guess!)...

be surprised to see lotsa patrons here from China...these youngsters might be here for some cultural/educational tour, how lucky!

The dance show began soon after we made ourselves comfortable - right on time!

the dances were either in couples or single lady performer clad in their traditional costumes...

despite not understanding a single word of what they sang, i enjoyed to the tune & amused by the dance movement.

The whole dining experience was an eye-opener...

Along the street in Lazimpat, Kathmandu

This porcelain teapot looks familiar...the color resemblance (turquoise & maroon) are seen at most souvenir shops across the hotel. It looks somewhat "ancient" & "exotic", and i wanna grab it back home!

  there are aplenty of souvenir shops right across the street, selling kashmir scarfs, clothing, carpet, prayer items, maps...this whole place is very commercialized and caters much to tourist.

 the locals wouldn't patronise this area

 mainly b'coz the goods can be found cheaper out of this place?

 i stroll around this area on one fine evening, the weather was nice, but not much people seen on the street.

been here for the second time...you'll learn most of the "arts & culture" in this narrow street!

Back to Radisson Hotel, Kathmandu - Part 3

The new wing of Radisson Hotel is a complete contrast to the ol' wing.

The interior of the old wing portrays more of a classic hotel, meanwhile the new wing are modern, vibrant kinda design...

instead of using real flowers...it  was replaced with gold and silver metallic bouquet!

which paired well with some ancient-like porcelain...

and some goddess statues

these statues are normally placed on prayer altar but they used it for decoration around the lobby...how creative!

perhaps it is also for sort of "protection" as it "guards" the entrance of the hotel!

the vibrant colours of the furniture and pillars in the waiting lobby...it reminds me of Four Point (of Sheraton) in Bangkok!

stricking orange, red and yellow is the theme!

and on the other side (a cafeteria), the color was toned down...but still "modern-looking"

meanwhile, the room ambience was different as nite reaches

with yellow dim lights, the interior of the room looks more classy...u just wish ur home has such nice & classy bedroom!

what more can u say? this is the washroom of a 5-star hotel room anyhow!

and my comfy bed (huge enuff to accomodate 3 person of my size!)...it has four sleeping pillows + 2 additional hugging pillows...

imagine lying urself on this bed lazily while hugging the pillows and watching movies on the 42" tv! the oni thing lacking is the popcorn! wuahahaha!

mirrors & glasses are 2 elements of modern interior...they are applied in this room as well...it has side mirrors next to the bed, apart from having the toilet cum washroom fully parted with see-thru glass wall.

u only wish ur bedroom is as nice as this!