^{The faces were re-rendered in ChatGPT for the sake of privacy requested by those in the picture}

New Year Reunion!

Yes, it hasn't been an easy 2025 for many of us, but since we have finally crossed over to 2026 safely, it is time for a celebration!

And what better to celebrate it with family?

I haven't seen my relatives for a good part of 6 month due to so much things happened, partly also because they were stuck overseas for a short while and were finally home, away from the Winter chill, and basking in hot sunny tropical country in South East Asia again!

^{Aunt's favourite squid condiment vermicelli noodle}

If it wasn't for them, I'd probably wouldn't even thought of searching through Michelin short-listed restaurants! To be honest I tried one of those Michelin stared restaurants / Trip-Advisor awarded joints before (some time back) and it was quite a flop due to reduced quality of food stressed by the overwhelming patrons.

However, since my relatives suggested the place, here we went ahead and give it a try since my dad has been dreaming about fish-head noodles for a long time.

^{You can literally see how soon the 2 seniors dug in the moment the noodles arrived! haha}

^{Fish fillet with broad vermicelli noodles}

Good thing that other than the noodle difference, the ingredients were the same as mine and I was able to take a picture and show you what they were digging in. The fish fillet were very fresh, and I am not sure how they did it, there isn't much "fishy smell of the sea" and that truly enhanced the enjoyment for those who are a bit sensitive to seafood aroma.

^{Deep friend shrimp dumpling}

The entrée is very good too, fresh and not very oily; however it has to pair with its sour finely ground chili paste (with calamansi lime) that would get the stomach's engine going, ready for the mains (noodles)

^{Squid jelly salad with peanut sauce}

This was another highly recommended side dish in the menu and we decided to curiously try it out. My cousin used to be a bit sensitive with sesame seed, but thank God she's healed throughout the years otherwise it would have been a bummer for her.

The peanut sauce is very similar to the Malaysian meat-skewer (Satay) sauce, but a lot sweeter, less spicy and with sesame seed oil. Refreshing even as a "desert".

Wait, are all these Michelin short-listed?

Nope

Because the clear broth of the noodles above actually have rice wine incorporated, therefore not everyone likes its taste.

^{Michelin finalist fish-head noodle with cream soup}

The short-listed dish is this one. The portion was so huge we had to share it among a few of us. This milk-based broth was the star of the show. The original fish-head / fillet is deep fried, but we changed it to fish-balls; yet it doesn't differs the taste at all.

Salty with a tad of sweetness, creamy and a tiny bit peppery. Packed with green herbs and fried shallots. Tenderizing fish balls, and it was only close to $5 USD. A very well affordable treat!

Overall, everyone was satisfied!

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However! There is a catch!

I have realised that peak-hour is definitely not a good time to go. No doubt the restaurant could take on the pressure and deliver the great food, but the traffic of getting a parking place and queuing for the food can be a nightmare! 😅

Therefore, either go off-peak, or take a Grab / Uber there would be best!

How about you?

Would you prefer a creamy milky broth, or a clear broth infused with fragrant rice-wine?

Until Then

Stay healthy, stay curious and learn new things, and stay happy!

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