Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle 胜记香菇肉脞面 (Serangoon Garden Market & Food Centre)

 Fish Maw Noodles (Soup) $10, Minced Meat Noodles (Dry) $4.50

Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle 胜记香菇肉脞面 is a popular minced meat noodles stall. Its unique selling point is and most popular dish is in fact another dish; Fish Maw (鱼鳔) Noodles. It is indeed surprisingly that a hawker stall would sell fish maw as it is considered a luxury item that is more commonly sold at a restaurant. This stall has been so successful in this dish that most people who patronise the stall would not hesitate to order this dish. 

The stall has been in operation for more than 30 years. It used to be located at Eunos before moving to Changi Road and eventually to its current location at Serangoon Garden Market & Food Centre. When we visited this stall on a weekday afternoon at lunch time there was a queue of 8 persons. The queue was slow moving as each dish was cooked individually. This was also one of the few stalls where there was a perpetual queue. 

We ordered the Fish Maw Noodles (Soup) $10 and Minced Meat Noodles (Dry) $4.50. 

 Fish Maw Noodles (Soup) $10

If you are visiting Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle, you have to order their signature Fish Maw Noodles (Soup) $10 since this is a dish that is not available at other hawker centres.

 Fish Maw Noodles (Soup) $10

The Fish Maw Noodles (Soup) $10 was filled with lots of ingredients. There were lean meat, minced meat, pork liver, braised mushrooms, egg, beansprouts and 3 slices of fish maw! They were so generous with the fish maw and braised mushrooms. If you have cooked and ate fish maw at home, you would know that choosing and buying one of good quality is hard and costly. Cooking it is another art of its own. If you buy one of lousy quality you risk making the whole dish fishy. This stall executed the fish maw extremely well. The fish maw was not fishy and did not make the soup tasted fishy! *Claps*  

The soup was robust and tasty with a natural sweetness. Moreover, it had a unique smokey fragrance in it and the bites of dried fish sole enhanced the taste of the soup. No wonder most of their customers ordered the soup based version.

 Minced Meat Noodles (Dry) $4.50

The Minced Meat Noodles (Dry) $4 (also known as Bak Chor Mee) was quite unique as the sauce used was a concoction of dark soya sauce (instead of vinegar), mushroom sauce with chilli. The serving of ingredients was also very generous. There were many slices of lean meat, pork liver and minced meat. There were also lots of beansprouts at the bottom along with fried pork lard and  dried sole fish. What I liked most was the amount of braised mushroom given. Most minced meat noodles stall no longer cook and provide this, even if they do, they would just provide 3 slices. 

If you are at Serangoon Garden Market & Food Centre, do give their Fish Maw Soup Noodles dish a try. Its real good! 

Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle 胜记香菇肉脞面 (Serangoon Garden Market & Food Centre)

49A Serangoon Garden Way

#01-36 Serangoon Garden Market & Food Centre

Singapore 555945

Tel: +65 8439 0434

Opening Hours: Tue to Sat 7.30am - 1.30pm

                         Closed on Sundays and Mondays

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Teck Sing Restaurant 德星茶餐室 (Malaysia, Johor Bahru) 2nd post

Curry Prawn in Indonesia Style 印尼虾 RM 30

Teck Sing Restaurant 德星茶餐室 is a well known Chinese restaurant offering delicious food at affordable prices. It has several signature dishes, it's most famous signature dish is the Teck Sing Paper Wrapped Chicken.

Teck Sing competitor is just next door (at the left of the restaurant) called Bamboo Restaurant which also specialises in serving paper wrapped chicken. Years ago, Bamboo Restaurant's version was more popular. However over the years, the standard has dropped. Currently, Teck Sing's paper wrapped chicken is more popular among the locals and Singaporeans. 

Paper Wrapped Chicken 德星药材纸包鸡  RM 26

Teck Sing's signature Paper Wrapped Chicken 德星药材纸包鸡 aka Yao Cai Ji now cost RM 26. It used to cost just RM18 four years ago! The eatery uses kampung chicken which is wrapped in  a few pieces of thick superior paper and baked for several hours with various Chinese herbs. The chicken was incredibly fresh, soft, tender and juicy. It was so fork tender; the flesh fell part from the bones easily. So delicious and delectable! One of the best Yao Cai Ji I have ever had. A must order!

Kang Kong with Sambal Chilli RM10

The Kang Kong with Sambal Chilli  RM10 was very well executed. It was well-cooked and the Kang Kong was still crunchy. The Kang Kong with Sambal Chilli strangely was more sweet than spicy with the fragrance of garlic and shrimp. Despite that, this dish was so savoury and delicious that we polish it off within minutes. This is a common dish that is available at most eateries and yet Teck Sing has proven that their cooking technique is still one of the best.

Curry Prawn in Indonesia Style 印尼虾 RM 30

Another dish that we tried was the Curry Prawn in Indonesia Style 印尼虾 RM 30. Cooked in a claypot, it arrived pipping hot with several huge prawns in curry broth! The prawns were fresh as they were easy to deshell. Moreover, the meat was firm, succulent and sweet. The curry broth was spicy, fragrant and milky. It is best accompanied with plain rice! 

Teck Sing Restaurant 德星茶餐室 (Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

1 Jalan Sutera Satu, Taman Sentosa

80150 Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Tel: 07 334 7025

Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm

Website

Location

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Hiap Joo Bakery and Biscuit Factory 协裕面包西果厂(Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

Banana Cake (big) RM9.80

Hiap Joo Bakery and Biscuit Factory 协裕面包西果厂 is a well-known traditional bakery shop located 15 minutes walk from the causeway. If you know where Hua Mui Coffee Shop is, it is just further down the coffee shop. The bakery sells only banana cakes and buns, and no longer sell biscuits. Their cakes and buns get sold out pretty fast after each baking session even if its a weekday. It is so popular because the cakes and buns are baked the traditional way where wood is used as fuel. It takes a lot of experience to control the heat using this method.

I visited the bakery on a weekday at 10.45 am and was surprised that there was no queue. The reason was because there was only a few boxes of banana cakes left. The buns were being baked and would be ready only at around 11.15 am. Hence, we bought a few boxes of banana cakes and went over to a nearby cafe. I came back at 11.20 am and there was a queue of about 10 persons. The turnover rate was fast and I managed to buy the Coconut Buns and Kaya Buns. I wanted to buy more, but did not as the buns could not be kept for long (as the buns were placed into plastic bag without being allowed to cool down, condensation had form). By this time, the banana cakes were sold out. The next batch would be ready at 12 noon.

Menu

The prices of the buns and cakes are pasted outside the shop. I hope I get to try the curry potato buns and otak-otak buns sometime soon! 

Banana Cake (big) RM9.80

The Banana Cake (big) which consist of 10 slices of cake cost RM9.80. Its appearance is ordinary just like any other cakes. Never judge a book by its cover. The cake was oh so moist, soft and light. In terms of taste it was fragrant and not overly sweet! 

Coconut Buns RM3.70

I have not so much about the bakery's buns but have not managed to try any till this occasion.

Coconut Buns RM3.70

The Coconut Buns RM3.70 tasted even better than the Banana Cake. The bun itself was light and ordinary. The bomb was the coconut shreds in the bun which were still so juicy. With each mouthful, the flavours of the coconut and juice in it explodes in the mouth. The taste of it was right smack out of this world! You got to try this yourself!

As for the Kaya Buns RM3.70, they pale in comparison. Just purchase the coconut buns and banana cake!

Hiap Joo Bakery and Biscuit Factory 协裕面包西果厂(Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

13, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee

80000 Johor Bahru

Johor, Malaysia
Tel: 60 7 223 1703

Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 7.30 am - 5.30pm

                           Closed on Sun

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Blanco Court Food Centre(3rd Storey) Kway Chap 多丽哥粿汁 (Old Airport Road Food Centre)

Blanco Court Food Centre(3rd Storey) Kway Chap 多丽哥粿汁 located at Old Airport Road Food Centre is a well-known Kway Chap stall. There is always a queue at this stall.

I visited at around 230 pm on a weekday and yet there was a queue of around 8 persons.

This is the menu.

The kway was surprisingly decent and hits all the right notes in terms of taste and texture. The kway (flat and broad rice sheet) was soft and smooth.

I requested for braised lean meat, pig intestine (small and big) and eggs. I dare say that this is one of the best kway chap stalls I have had! There was no unpleasant smell in the braised pig intestine (big and small) which were washed clean. Also, I like how they gave the part where the lean meat comes with soft bones as this part is normally more tender. Furthermore, the braised sauce (dark sauce) was tasty and not salty. 

Blanco Court Food Centre(3rd Storey) Kway Chap 多丽哥粿汁 (Old Airport Road Food Centre)

#01-35 Old Airport Road Food Centre 

Blk 51 Old Airport Road 

Singapore 390051

Opening Hours: Wed to Sun 11.30 am - 3.30pm

                          Closed: Mondays & Tuesdays

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Kok Sen Restaurant 国成餐室 (Keong Saik Road)

Big Prawn Bee Hoon Soup

Kok Sen Restaurant 国成餐室 is a popular cantonese zi char eatery located at Keong Saik Road. It is around 10 minutes walk away from Outram MRT station. Despite not being air-conditioned, the eatery is nearly always full during lunch and dinner time. Over the years, the eatery has garnered quite a following and is known as one of the best cantonese eatery in Singapore.

Big Prawn Bee Hoon Soup

The Big Prawn Bee Hoon Soup is one of their signature dish. It consists of thick bee hoon, kai lan and large prawns in soup, topped with fried onions (shallots). The large and meaty prawns were sliced in half making it easy to extract the meat. The soup broth was just so robust and tasty! It was red, slightly spicy and full of shrimp flavour. It was so tasty that we drank nearly all the soup! Overall, this dish was delicious! A must try! No wonder one can spot this dish on early every table at the eatery.

Big Prawn Hor Fun

The next signature dish which can also be spotted on nearly every table is the Big Prawn Hor Fun. The dish consists of flat rice vermicelli noodles, kai-lan and large prawns. Similarly, the large prawns were sliced in half. The vermicelli noodles was very well fried with a smokey fragrance and wok hei. The sauce was just out of the world. A bowl of plain rice accompanied with the sauce would suffice! This is a must try too!

Prawn Paste Chicken

The Prawn Paste Chicken is another signature dish at Kok Sen. Interestingly, unlike most places where the prawn paste chicken consist of chicken wings, at Kok Sen, other chicken parts were used. The chef controlled the heat well as the chicken was not greasy. While the flavour of the prawn was evident, it thought that as a whole it was on the salty end. 

This is my second time back at Kok Sen Restaurant. Their signature Big Prawn Bee Hoon Soup and  Big Prawn Hor Fun are fantastic! These two dishes are a must try. But do note that you may expect long waiting times at times and not-so-fantastic service. But the food would make up for it. 

Kok Sen Restaurant 国成餐室 (Outram)

30-32 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089137

Tel: +65 6223 2005

Opening Hours: 12pm to 2.30pm; 5pm to 11.30pm

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Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow 源记炒粿条 (Ghim Moh Food Centre) 2nd post

Fried Kway Teow $4

Good news! The popular Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow 源记炒粿条 is back! It located at newly renovated Ghim Moh Food Centre.

This stall continues to be one of the most popular stall in the hawker centre. It has the longest queue and I queue nearly an hour during lunch time on Friday. The owner has been frying Kway Teow for 46 years! 

As the stall names suggests, only Fried Kway Teow is available. Depending on the portion you want, it is available at $3, $4, $5. Most people order more than 1 plate / packet since they had queued so long.

Fried Kway Teow $4

I orderd the $4 Fried Kway Teow. It was delicious!! 

The Fried Kway Teow had a semi-wet consistency and each piece of kway teow was well coated with savoury sauce. There were several pieces of cockles added when the dish was nearly ready. The beansprouts provided a crunchy texture in between each mouthful. Chinese sausage (lap Cheong) were added too, it would have been great if more pieces were given. There were several pieces pork lard added in it and it was da bomb! The burst of flavour and fragrance from pork lard made this so addictive!! A must try! 

Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow 源记炒粿条 (Ghim Moh Food Centre)

#01-19 Ghim Moh Road Market and Food Centre

Blk 20 Ghim Moh Road 

Singapore 270020

Opening Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 930am to 230pm 

                         Closed on Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Public Holidays

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River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles 河南肉骨大虾面 (Macpherson)

Abalone Clams & Big Prawn Noodles $5.50

I have heard about River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles 河南肉骨大虾面 for sometime but have not tried it as I seldom pass by this area of Singapore.

River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles as its name suggest specialises in prawn noodles. It is so popular and famous that it owns the entire coffeeshop and in fact is the only stall in that coffeeshop (other than the drink stall). This reminds me of the famous Bak Chor Mee (minced meat noodles); Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle which also owns the entire coffeeshop. 

They offer a wide range of prawn noodles (normal prawns or big prawns) with the option to add abalone clams, intestines, pig tails or baby abalone.

Abalone Clams & Big Prawn Noodles $5.50

I visited on a weekday at around 2.30 pm. I wanted to order their Intestines & Big Prawn Noodles but it was sold out. Hence, I ordered the Abalone Clams & Big Prawn Noodles $5.50 instead.

I ordered the dry version which was served with a bowl of soup. The chilli sauce was decent. What stood out was the freshness of the prawns. Although there were not very big, the prawns were extremely fresh and sweet in taste. Also, the prawns were deshelled, except for the head and tail.

The bowl of soup also stood out. It was yummlicious! In terms of appearance, it was slightly cloudy and light brown in colour. Taste wise, it was robust and tasty; full of umami flavour. It is one of the best prawn soup I have had. Unfortunately, there is a charge of $1 for refill of soup. Else, I would probably have refilled the soup several times. 

Now I understand why the prawn noodles at River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles has been so highly raved about! 

River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles 河南肉骨大虾面 (Macpherson)

31 Thai Thong Crescent 

Singapore 347859

Tell: +65 62819293

Opening Hours: Tue to Sun 6.30am - 4.30pm

                          Closed on Mon

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Zhen Zhen Porridge 真真粥品 (Maxwell Food Centre)

Century Egg and Shredded Chicken Porridge with Egg 皮蛋鸡肉粥加蛋 $3.30

You may have heard of this well known porridge stall at Maxwell Food Centre (hawker centre) called Zhen Zhen Porridge 真真粥品. Although there are several stalls in the food centre selling porridge, this is the most popular stall with long queues during peak hours.

Zhen Zhen Porridge serves Cantonese style porridge where the rice grain is cooked till it is of a semi-solid consistency.

Menu

They are also famed for their fresh raw fish (Song-fish) salad. But they have temporarily stopped selling this after the National Environment Agency (NEA) asked more than 70 raw fish porridge stalls to temporarily stop selling raw fish dishes made from Song fish, also known as Asian Bighead Carp, and Toman fish, also known as Snakehead. This arose because of the link between the consumption of raw fish and Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection.

Century Egg and Shredded Chicken Porridge with Egg 皮蛋鸡肉粥加蛋 $3.30

Century Egg and Shredded Chicken Porridge with Egg 皮蛋鸡肉粥加蛋 $3.30

This is the Century Egg and Shredded Chicken Porridge with Egg 皮蛋鸡肉粥加蛋 $3.30. All the rice grains were cooked till they were all dissolved. The porridge was thick and silky. The porridge was delicious and tasty. For $3.30, this is so value for money they were so generous with the ingredients.

ps: the pictures does not do the porridge any justice as it tasted way better than it looks. 

Zhen Zhen Porridge 真真粥品 (Maxwell Food Centre)

#01-54 Maxwell Food Centre

1 Kadayanallur Street  

Singapore 069184

Opening Hours: Wed to Mon 5.30am - 2.30pm

                          Closed on Tue

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Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麵 (Taiwan, Taipei)

Braised Beef with Noodle in Spicy Broth 红烧牛肉麺

Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麵 opened since 1963 is known to be one of the best beef noodles restaurant in Tapei especially for their Spicy Broth 红烧 variety. Yong Kang Beef Noodles is located at Yong Kang Street 永康牛, a dining destination in Taipei with restaurants, cafes  and carts selling all types of food that cater to all budgets. This is also the place where the original Din Tai Feng restaurant is located at.

We arrived at the restaurant for lunch at around 2 pm as we got lost along the way. Despite the late timing, there was still a queue in front of the stall.

Menu

 This is the menu for tourist with translation of the dishes in different languages.

Wanton with Hot Chilli Sauce 红烧抄手

When we saw that they had the Wanton with Hot Chilli Sauce 红烧抄手, we knew that we just had to order it. As you can see from the photo, the wantons are placed on top of the chilli oil and pepper. It is extremely spicy and addictive! Not for the faint hearted.

Braised Beef with Noodle in Spicy Broth 红烧牛肉麺

This is the signature Braised Beef with Noodle in Spicy Broth 红烧牛肉麺 which is raved to be one of the best. The Australian beef servings are generous and so tender with a melt-in-the-mouth sensation. As for the noodles, they were decent, smooth and chewy. The spicy broth was a winner. It was spicy but so flavourful. No doubt one of the best beef noodles we ate in Taiwan!

Braised Beef with Noodle in Clear Broth 清燉牛肉麺

As for the Braised Beef with Noodle in Clear Broth 清燉牛肉麺, the only difference was that the broth was not spicy. It was still flavourful nevertheless. I prefer the one with spicy broth, this version would be good for those who cannot take spicy food.

This name card shows the location and address of the restaurant. The beef noodles definitely made this trip worthwhile. A must try!

Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麵 (Taiwan, Taipei)

台北市金山南路二段31巷17號 

No. 17, Street 31, Jinshan South Road Section 2, Taipei

Tel: 02 2351 1051 

Opening Hours: Daily: 11am to 9.30 pm
Directions: From Dongmen MRT 東門 (Tamsui-Xinyi Line - Red), Exit 4, walk straight and turn right immediately into the small road. Walk straight till you see Jinhua Primary School. Take a right turn and you will see the restaurant a few units away.  
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Inako Scenic View Cafe Restaurant 清境伊拿谷景觀咖啡餐廳 (Taiwan, Nantou Country)

Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞 560 TWD (S$24.50)

Inako Scenic View Cafe Restaurant is an alfresco dining restaurant perched over a mountainous deep valley in Cingjing. 

This restaurant is well-known among Taiwanese for its food and scenery. It has been featured by their local magazines and visited by Taiwanese celebrities.  

This is the magnificent view from the dining area. It is beautiful and the air is so fresh. Coupled with the cooling weather, it is a perfect place to enjoy our food during the afternoon.

Set Menu

We ordered the Set Menu for 5 persons at 1200 TWD (S$52.40). It consisted of Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚, Stirred Fried Mountain Vegetables with Mountain Pork Meat 山菜炒山豬肉, Crystal Shrimp 碧湖水晶蝦, Stirred Fried Chicken Soup Bamboo Shoot 雞湯滷桂竹筍, Highland Cabbage 高山高麗菜, Live Trout Head and Tail Soup 活鱒魚頭尾湯 and Steamed Rice.

We also ordered their signature Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞560 TWD (S$24.50). This is dish and the Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚 are their signature dishes \.

Do note that, I have literally translated the Chinese characters to English Language. Hence, the dishes may sound weird in English Language.

The signature Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞 is a very famous dish here and this is a must try at the restaurant. The chickens are marinated and then cooked in huge earthen jar placed outside the restaurant. The chickens are hooked up-right and cooked (roasted).  The essence and fats from the chicken is then collected at the bottom. Each earthen jar can cook four chickens at any point in time. Every now and then, a staff will take out each chicken from the jar and spray them with a layer of oil before putting back to roast, resulting in the crisp skin and tender meat.  

Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞 560 TWD (S$24.50)

The signature Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞 560 TWD (S$24.50) was served with dipping sauce (i.e. chilli and salt) and interesting a pair of cotton knitted work gloves and plastic gloves! Just like what you see in the above photo.

The chicken was so tender that it was easily torn into smaller pieces by hand. Hence, gloves were provided. The chicken skin was crispy and there were no fats in between as the fats had all been roasted. The interior meat was juicy and tender, not dry at all. Taste wise, it was just nice and there was no need for me to use the dipping sauce. A must try! 

Highland Cabbage 高山高麗菜

These cabbage from the Highland Cabbage 高山高麗菜 dish were grown and harvested from the mountains. Although it was well cooked and the cabbage was sweet and crunchy, it was just an ordinary dish. 

Stirred Fried Chicken Soup Bamboo Shoot  雞湯滷桂竹筍

The Stirred Fried Chicken Soup Bamboo Shoot 雞湯滷桂竹筍 is another must try.This dish was well executed. They were so fresh and crunchy with a sweet taste. Not hard at all and taste so different from the ones you eat or can buy in Singapore. 

Crystal Shrimp 碧湖水晶蝦

The Crystal Shrimp 碧湖水晶蝦 was a very addictive dish. The shrimps were deep fried with their shells still intact and were lightly seasoned with pepper, salt and chilli. They were so well deep fried that the shells were so crisp and crunchy which the interior meat was soft and sweet. Perfect with plain rice (white steamed rice).

Stirred Fried Mountain Vegetables with Mountain Pork Meat 山菜炒山豬肉

The vegetables and pig used in this dish (i.e. Stirred Fried Mountain Vegetables with Mountain Pork Meat 山菜炒山豬肉) were grown from the mountains. They were very generous with the pork meat.

Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚

This is another signature dish - Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚. The trout fish was taken freshly from the fish tank. Its head and tail were removed leaving just the body. The fish was then cooked with shredded ginger, chili and garlic mixed with little soy sauce till it was 50% cooked. It would then be served to customers.  The staff would then advise the customers to wait 10 minutes as the fish would continue cooking. By then the fish would be perfectly cooked. 

Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚

The trout fish had a lot of bones in it. Even for someone like me who is used to eating fish, I was extremely careful when eating this dish. I did not find this fantastic. 

Live Trout Head and Tail Soup 活鱒魚頭尾湯

As for the head and tail of the trout fish, they were not wasted. They were used to cook the Live Trout Head and Tail Soup 活鱒魚頭尾湯 together with ingredients such as mushroom and carrot.

Live Trout Head and Tail Soup 活鱒魚頭尾湯

The soup was lightly flavoured.

高山鱒魚

Look at the number of Trout Fish in the fish tank. Interestingly, they were all perceptually swimming in a particular direction. 

Inako Scenic View Cafe Restaurant 清境伊拿谷景觀咖啡餐廳(Taiwan, Nantou Country)

546南投縣仁愛鄉大同村仁和路信義巷36之1附1號

No. 25-1, Rénhé Rd, Renai Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 546

Tel: 049 280 3710

Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 9pm

Website

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