Four-Faced Buddha of Erawan Shrine | Bangkok

Erawan Shrine, one of the most popular tourist attraction in Bangkok. Anytime throughout the day and night, the place is always crowded with locals and tourists. This is also the Shrine that I won't miss every time I touch down to the land of Bangkok. A lot of people believe that praying at the Shrine will bring them good luck, good fortune and good health. 

So, today I'm going to introduce you to the four-faced Buddha of Erawan Shrine that is located outside Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel. 

How to get there: You can take the BTS to Chit Lom Station and follow the sign " Erawan Bangkok" or "Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok" on the pedestrian bridge. If you are stay at Pratunam like me, I walked using the pedestrian bridge which took me around 30 mins, it depends on which part of Pratunam you stay at.

Erawan Shrine was built on 9th Nov 1956 by Erawan Hotel. It was said that Rear Admiral Luang Suwichanphaet, who specialized in astrology determined that the date which was chosen to lay the foundation stone was not auspicious. It must be corrected by building a shrine of Thao Maha Brahma and a spirit house around the hotel to eliminate all the bad luck. Therefore, the Shrine was built according to his advice and since then a worship ceremony is carried out on 9th Nov every year.

Top view of Erawan Shrine

I normally buy the flowers and joss sticks from inside the shrine. There is a counter at the right hand side at the end of the shrine. I find it to be cheaper than the stalls outside. There are a few packages offered so you can choose from 50 baht to 2000 baht. The person in charge of the counter can speak fluent Mandarin and some English. 

Simple flower and joystick set- 50 baht

You may also see a lot of elephants that were displayed at the side of Shrine. Those who can afford it will donate wooden or golden elephants statues to the Shrine based on their wishes. Other than elephants, you may also hire the dance troupe that is provided by the Shrine to offer to the Buddha.

Golden Elephant

 How to pray: Normally we pray clockwise starting from the front, which is the side that's facing to the entrance. Every face of the Buddha represents different elements like

Front view: Business and Wealth
Left hand side: Wisdom
Back view: Health
Right hand side: Relationship and interpersonal

There was once a Thai tour guide who told me that the best time to pray four faced Buddha is during evening around 6pm-7pm, that is the auspicious time that can lead to higher chances for wishes to be granted. I have not tried that before as I always visit the Shrine based on my available free time.

The opening time for the Shrine is from 6am to 11pm. You may visit anytime during the day or night, I find that it is less crowded during the night and it is more cooling compared to afternoon.

There are a row of stalls selling flowers, joss sticks, elephants statues and others on the street towards the Shrine. You may buy from these stalls before going into the Shrine.

Leave me comment or story  about Erawan Shrine that you would like to share. :)

All sushi at RM 2.50 and RM 3.50 @ Sushi Flash | SS2

Today, I am going to introduce you a place that I like to visit when I'm craving for cheap and good sushi. I came to know Sushi Flash when I visited the Subang outlet, however I found their second outlet in SS2 is far more better in terms of taste and quality. Sushi Flash is located in the same row as KFC in SS2, it is also behind the row of Sushi Mentai. I have reviewed on Sushi Mentai (another outlet that has a similar concept.), you may find my post here.

When you come to Sushi Flash, you need to follow like their tagline " Eat like a boss!". Why? 

Everything sold in Sushi Flash only come in 2 prices which are RM 2.50 and RM 3.50 based on the colour of the plates. Green tea is RM 2 per person. Cups can be found on the table and the green tea will be placed on the conveyor belt for easy reach.

There a menu on the sushi and a set menu.

Let see some of the sushi I have picked and ordered. Sushi is price based on their plate's colour. White and Green with price of RM 2.50 while Red and Green are price at RM 3.50. Prices are cheaper and very competitive to Sushi King.

Tuna Sushi- RM 2.50

Salmon Nigiri-RM 3.50

Aburi Salmon Mentaiko Nigiri- RM 3.50

Salmon Sushi-RM 3.50

Unagi- RM 3.50

Unagi is no where to be seen in the menu, however they will serve on the conveyor belt sometimes. It really depends on your luck, sometimes we managed to get two plate, sometimes none. The portion of Unagi served on the sushi is quite big pieces, really worth the value.

Aburi Salmon Syio Nigiri- RM 3.50

Salmon Sashimi- RM 3.50

Three thin pieces of salmon sashimi, you get what you pay for. I think Sushi Mentai's sashimi is better than here although the price is a bit higher but the sashimi is thicker and fleshy.

Golden Egg- RM 3.50

I love golden egg but so far I've only seen Sushi King and Sushi Flash sell this. I recommend you to order with the waiter instead of getting from the conveyor belt because they will serve you the freshly fried ones from the kitchen.

Other than their sushi, the best part is their fried items. The skill and batter used are far more better than a lot of Japanese restaurant in town. Normally when I visit Sushi Flash, I will order most of the fried items from the menu which made the waiter to be quite familiar with us (I guess I am one the few customers who are crazy about that). More importantly, you need to special order from the waiter as they will serve you freshly hot ones from their kitchen and it is more crunchy and juicy!

Fried Salmon- RM 3.50

Fried Salmon Skin -RM 3.50

Deep Fried Shisamo-RM 3.50

Soft Shell Crab Hand Roll-RM 3.50

Another item that I highly recommend is their soft shell crab hand roll. When it come to hand roll, a lot people will tend to avoid as most of the restaurant will stuff in a lot of rice and very little main ingredient to cut their cost. But I can tell you that Sushi Flash did the opposite way where big chunk of soft shell crab was main stuffing inside with lots of cucumber and a small portion of rice which make the whole handroll crunchy and you just can't have enough of it!

Chawanmushi-RM 3.50

This is the least favourite from their menu, I guess they can do better in terms of their portion and presentation.

Overall, I still prefer Sushi Flash compare to Sushi Mentai and Sushi King. Overall price is cheaper and the quality in terms of the taste and freshness are more consistent. Although Sushi Mentai's sushi prices are slightly lower than Sushi Flash, but their sushi variety is limited and other items are similar priced with Sushi King or other Japanese restaurants which can sum up to be quite expensive too.

Sushi Flash

64, Jalan SS 2/67, SS 2, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Business Hour: 11.30am- 10.30p,m

Tel. No: 03-7865 0605

Website: http://sushiflash.com.my/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SushiFlash

Beam Speciality Bean and Roastery | Bandar Sri Damansara

This is a place that I visited quite often recently. It is also the place that I picked up my lessons on hand brewed coffee, I will review on the coffee making classes on my next post. The location of Beam is quite unique, it is located in an industrial area at Bandar Sri Damansara. If you are not a coffee lover but is looking for a place to chill out with your friends, here is a cozy place for tea time as well.

The interior uses concrete and brick as the finishing with wooden tables and chairs. All tables and chairs are custom made by their own, it is unique compared to most of the cafes around PJ areas.

The design and decoration are created on their own which I find it  to be quite impressive. The services by the staffs are friendly and well trained, when they communicate with customers they make us feel really comfortable even if  its your first time there. They just don't hesitate to explain everything to you about their coffee and food.

The coffee beans gallery is the place where they keep all the different types of green beans(non-roasted beans).

Getting some light snacks for tea break. No worries, Beam has everything from the usual Malaysian Kuih-Muih to Western confectionery delights.

Menu

Iced Kopi O- RM 7.50

Karipap- RM 2.60

You can enjoy tea time in a Malaysian way by getting yourself a cup of Iced Kopi O and Karipap. The Kopi O reminds me of my grandma who used to make Kopi O with the old filters that look like stockings, but the taste was much more richer than Beam.

Banana Cake- RM  3.90

Or you can also enjoy tea time in a "angmo" way with a slice of banana cake and a cup of hand brewed coffee. I personally quite like their banana cake, rich in banana flavour with slices of banana seen on top of the cake, it is quite moist too. The above coffee is brewed by me while attending the class.

Iced Lemon Plum- RM 6

If you are not into coffee, here is a beverage that you should try it out. This is one of their signature drinks other than coffee. You will love it once you try!

When Tea Meets Coffee- RM 8.90

What a special name for this dessert! It is a green tea sponge cake with cappuccino as the sauce. I personally love this dessert, the green tea sponge cake smells really good, tastes perfect with a dip of the cappuccino sauce.

Pulut Tekan -RM 2.20

This is selling like hot cakes in their shop, specially homemade by them. This is what we called Kaya Kuih in Penang, although it taste quite similar to Penang's kaya kuih but it is still lacking in terms of the fragrant and softness of the pulut.

Mushroom Vege Panini- RM 16

One of their house speciality- Panini, it comes in 5 different types of Panini and I chose the Mushroom Vege which is perfect for Vegetarian. The Mushroom Vege Panini comes with fresh white button mushrooms and yellow capsicum with salad as side. The crunchy Panini with juicy mushroom inside leaves you with an unforgettable experience and wanting more.

A closer look on the Panini

Beam's main focus is on their coffee, therefore their choices of food is limited. I did ask whether they will expand their menu in food, they would like to maintain as it is now for the moment to ensure the quality is sustained. If you happen to pass by Kepong area or if you're looking for a nice cup of coffee, here is where you should drop by or hang out.

BEAM

25, Jalan SD5/3B, Bandar Sri Damansara,

52200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-6261 8255

Business Hour: (Close on Tues) 

Mon-Thurs 11:00 am - 8:00 pm, 

Fri 11:00 am - 10:30 pm

Sat - Sun 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

https://www.facebook.com/beamspecialty

Ban Khun Mae Authentic Thai Cuisine | Siam Square Soi 8

Ban Khun Mae have been in Thai restaurant business for over a decade now and they are also one of the famous Thai restaurant that visited by many locals and tourists. Ban Khun Mae is located at Siam Square, opposite to the famous Som Tam Nua Restaurant. I actually planned two options for dinner that night, either to visit Som Tam Nua or Ban Khun Mae which depends on the crowd. I'm not a patient person who can queue and wait for food (it is also depends on the mood), so I give ourself two options for dinner depends on the crowd. At first we planned to visit Som Tam Nua since we missed out in the last trip but the crowd are still queueing even though it is near to 9pm. It is crazy! So instead of waiting (since we are damn hungry too), we went to Ban Khun Mae, still need to wait for 15 mins but I think shorter waiting time than Som Tam Nua.

You can check out some of their menu here.

Coconut and Thai Iced Tea (Can't remember the price)

Coconut water needed for a hot day in Bangkok. Just remember any beverages serve in Bangkok is always sweeter than Malaysia. So, if you can't take too much sugar, either ask them to reduce the sugar level or order a cup plain water or coconut.

Shrimp Spring Roll- 150 baht

We ordered this crunchy and delicious shrimp spring roll as starter. The method they used to fried the spring roll is really good, it is not oily at all. Great for those who hates oily food.  

Steamed Snapper with Lime- 280 Baht

The chilli lime sauce is quite mild, we both personally love intense flavour especially comes to Thai Steamed Fish. For those who like mild flavour, this is really a recommended dish. The price is quite reasonable too, hardly can find in famous restaurants with that kind of price.

Sautéed Chicken with Chilli and Basil- 120 baht

I always like to order this dish when I visit Thai restaurant. The way they cook the chicken and basil bring a special flavour into the dish. However I think this dish is lacking in basil fragrant, overall taste like normal stir fried chicken dices. 

Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables- 90 baht

Last but not least, a plate of mixed vegetables to add some greens into our meal. Like the Chinese always said "wok hei" is important to determine how good the dish will be. I would said only 60% of "wok hei" is presented in this dish. Overall still taste not bad.

I personally think that Ban Khun Mae's food quite suitable for tourists who are not comfortable to heavy flavour. Their food is quite mild in taste, suitable to those who can't take spicy food as well. The ambience of the place is cosy and nice for a family gathering, price is quite reasonable too.  

Ban Khun Mae Authentic Thai Cuisine 
458/6-9 Siam Square Soi 8, Rama 1 Road,
Patumwan District, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Phone:+66 2 250 1953
Business Hours:11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Email: contact@bankhunmae.com
http://www.bankhunmae.com/

If you have visited the place before, comment below and share your experience with me. I love to hear from you.

Sushi Mentai RM1.80 and RM 2.80 Sushi | SS2

It was crowded on the Friday night when we arrived at one of the new outlet of Sushi Mentai in SS2, opened around May this year. What is so special about this restaurant? The price of the sushi that was the talk of the town recently in Facebook. Only RM 1.80 and RM 2.80 for each plate of Sushi on the conveyor belt. Sounds real good deal to all especially after GST, everything seem to increase price.

Although the price sounds really attractive, but what about the quality of ingredients they served on their sushi? Today, I'm going to review on their food whether it is worth a try or otherwise.

There is 25 type of sushi listed for the price of RM 1.80. The majority of the ingredients used are similar with different dressing.

There is also 25 type of sushi listed for the price of RM 2.80. 

You can check out their full menu here.

Sushi on conveyor belt

Green Tea (Refillable)

Inari Mentai- RM 1.80

I quite like this beancurd sushi with baked mayonnaise on top.

Unagi Sushi- RM 2.80

The quality and taste are similar to Sushi King, with that price Sushi Mentai did attracts people to pay a visit.

Salmon Sushi RM 2.80

Again comparing to Sushi King, I think no one can resist not to dine here with same quality of sushi and cheaper in price.

 Now, I'm going to review on the items from the menu. Let's see how good does it taste!

Unagi Temaki -RM 5.30

Unagi Temaki taste normal, nothing special. I still prefer the temaki in Sushi Flash which is located at the back of Sushi Mentai. It is another Sushi outlet that served all sushi nothing above RM 3.50. I will share the review soon.

Shiro Maguro (3pcs)- RM 5.80, Salmon(3 pcs)-RM 5.80

It is hard to find fresh sashimi in this kind of price. If you are a person who don't fussy about premium quality sashimi, I guess this will be the heaven for you on sashimi. Eat all you can sashimi at reasonable cheap price!

Chawan Mushi-RM 3.80

A nice bowl of chawanmushi that I must order when having Japanese meal. Nice!

Soft Shelf Crab- RM 15.80

The most disappointed dish we ever ordered. We are expecting soft shelf crab to be at least the size of a man's palm. It appear to be smaller than my palm. I wouldn't mind if it is good, but this is ridiculously the worst soft shelf crab I ever had. The batter that they used is so hard, no crunchiness on the soft shelf crab, making overall dry and hard. I quite pity the soft shelf crab, for not making it into a nice dish after killing it.   

Shisamo RM 4.80

Shisamo is cooked using the Shioyaki (salt-grilled) method which taste quite nice. Crunchy and juicy.

Tempura Moriawase- RM 15.80

I guess ordering their deep-fried items are the worst nightmare I ever had in a Japanese restaurant. The batter that they used for tempura is similar to the Soft Shelf Crab above. I think you could imagine how it taste like now, I don't have to elaborate more. 

Overall, I think it is better just to stick on the sushi serve on the conveyor belt, the quality and taste wise are quite similar to Sushi King and you get to save half of the price compare when you dine in Sushi King. In term of the deep fried items, I felt Sushi Flash managed really well even with cheaper price too! I will review on Sushi Flash real soon to have the comparison.

Sushi Mentai

No 15, Jalan SS2/75,

47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Business Hour: 12pm-10pm

No reservations can be made from this restaurant. All seats are on first come first serve basis.

http://sushi-mentai.com/