Nicholas Ng | Author | Writer

Macalister Mansion

5th December 2015Nicholas Ng

As you take a drive down Macalister Road in Georgetown, Penang, you will come across a picturesque and stately home in white. At first sight, this manor comes across as a beautiful colonial home that could easily be mistaken for a heritage museum. However, upon a second sight you will realise that you have just peered at Macalister Mansion, a restored boutique hotel with some of the best fine dining you will find in Malaysia, the perfect amalgamation of history and modernity.
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The Fine Dining by Victoria Station

30th November 2015Nicholas Ng

Victoria Station Exterior - Victoria Station - Food For Thought

Victoria Station has long established itself as a household name as one of the longest serving when it comes to steak houses in Kuala Lumpur, but unbeknownst to many, they established a sister restaurant, one that serves fine dining French cuisine which seeks to bring Paris to your doorsteps. This establishment is simply known as The Fine Dining. Continue reading →

Tamarind Hill

9th November 2015Nicholas Ng

As you take a walk up the layered concrete steps laden with bamboo guiding your path and Chinese lanterns over your head, you are overwhelmed with a sense of serenity. You walk continuously towards the top reaching the entrance whilst being greeted with wooden awnings and a pond. This is Tamarind Hill, one of the most exquisite Thai and Burmese cuisine restaurants you will find in Kuala Lumpur. Continue reading →

Lai Ching Yuen 荔晶园

26th October 2015Nicholas Ng

Private Room - Lai Ching Yuen - Food For Thought

Found within the winding walkways of the Grand Millennium Hotel sits Lai Ching Yuen (荔晶园), a Cantonese-style Chinese restaurant, famous for its dim sum fare. This little gem offers some of the best dim sum you will find in town, and being in the heart of Kuala Lumpur with the plethora of Chinese restaurants round the corner, this is no simple task. As all traditional dim sum aficionados know, the only way to test the skill of a dim sum chef is to taste one of their basics, their har gow, (蝦餃, prawn dumplings), and siu mai (燒賣, pork dumplings). Continue reading →

Can We Take A Vacation From Our Morality?

19th October 2015Nicholas Ng

Our bearing on morality has been instilled in us ever since we were children, and due to our upbringing and nurturing, we are told we should behave in a certain way. In fact, we do behave in a certain way because it’s deemed proper, however, personal morality varies from person to person, some stricter than others. If you want to believe you are a good person, you only have yourself to prove to, no one else. Continue reading →

Travel Guide: Air Travel Etiquette

16th October 2015Nicholas Ng

It’s not the destination but the journey. This is what we are told most when it comes to travelling. When we travel we meet people from different cultures and ways of life. This is why, we must keep to something that we all know, that we should always be polite when travelling. No man is an island, and if you want to have a good time, make sure to keep these points handy. Continue reading →

Integrity: Keeping To Your Word

2nd October 2015Nicholas Ng

Food For Thought - Integrity - Dictionary

We live in a world where people make or break their words easily. It is still debated whether it is in our nature, as natural born liars, an evolutionary trait, or that it is our nurture, that our upbringing and surrounding has caused. Either way, I think that it is importance for people to have integrity, to keep to their word. Without integrity you would never be able to lead a good life, and fear the risk of others not holding onto their integrity in return. Continue reading →

Kebaya Dining Room by Seven Terraces

30th September 2015Nicholas Ng

7 Terraces Entrance - Kebaya House - Food For Thought

While strolling down Stewart Lane, you come across the façade of the beautifully restored Anglo-Chinese Seven Terrace boutique hotel, located in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site. The dining area houses the Kebaya Dining Room, serving some of the best Indochinese and Peranakan fare you can find in Penang, from classics like the wing bean kerabu to the fusion joo hoo char roll, offering an experience which will leave you wanting more. Continue reading →

The Sacrifices You Make For The Ones You Love

28th September 2015Nicholas Ng

Our idea of love has been greatly marred by what society tells us what it should be. That we have to get married, have two and a half kids, a house in the suburbs with white picket fences and all. But love is so much more. Love requires the one thing that most people find hard to understand or willing to give up, that love requires sacrifice. Love is not just about being together; it’s about the sacrifices we make to be with the ones we love. Continue reading →

Eric Heijkoop of Macalister Mansion

23rd September 2015Nicholas Ng

Eric Heijkoop - Tatler - Food For Thought

From traditional French to Asian flavours, the term Modern Global Cuisine is lost to many without knowing the variation of this cooking style. With a wealth of knowledge from working in various parts of the world, Eric Heijkoop, Executive Chef at Macalister Mansion sure knows his way around the heat of the kitchen. We get to know a little bit more about the Dutch-born, Spain-raised, and French-trained chef who is creating new and exciting things on the wonderful island of Penang. Continue reading →