Veoveoana Sika Deer Park of Tsou Veoveoana Cultural and Creative Park in Taiwan

The bowing deer of Nara in Japan is a huge attraction but I understand you can experience the same thing in Taiwan, at the Veoveoana Sika Deer Park of Tsou Veoveoana Cultural and Creative Park! 

With an assigned park guide, we were given information that this particular plant that bears leaves well liked by the deer in the sanctuary. There was an impulsion to pluck some leaves for the deer experience later but we were assured we would be given some later on.

Stepping into the building connected to the deer park. 

It's also a souvenir shop but we were not given sufficient time to check out the items since there was a cultural performance we were scheduled for later in the same attraction.

Each of us was given a box of leaves; this differs from the situation in Nara where visitors would have to purchase crackers to fill the over 1,000 free roaming deer.

Rules and regulations, in Chinese. In essence, no horsing around, don't use too much force while patting the deer, don't feed the deer food that wasn't from the park, don't hit the butt (apparently that's the signal to shit) etc. 

Area beyond the gates didn't appear big and definitely not on the scale as Nara park. According to our tour guide, there were a total of 27 deer. Again, incomparable to the 1,000 over deer at Nara.

Some information; the area used to have a lot of wild deer but due to overhunting, they went extinct around 1894 and what we see now were imported to help to revive the species in the area. 

Scary thing is that the deer were conditioned to humans stepping past the gate as it infers food! Some will come rushing towards you and that can be quite scary, especially for young kids.

Known as Sika Deer, this adorable species is considered as a medium sized deer, and weighed from 70 to 100 kilograms. Its coat changes with seasons and has white spots that were more pronounced during summer. I presume the coat thickens to conserve energy and prevent heat loss as the weather cools. 

 A cute and shy fawn!

Strategy to feeding them the leaves; hold them high above their head and see them bow before you give to them. In the short time I was there, I didn't see them jumping up to snatch the leaves.

Dad appeared to enjoy the interaction!

Video for your viewing pleasure.

Once we were done with the leaves, the deer will just leave us alone although they would still mill around, with the hopes we are able to make more leaves appear in our pockets! p.s. just in case you are wondering, the area doesn't smell of poop. 

Another star for the deer park. 

Minced Garlic; click here for more info! 

=====

Address

車埕51號, Fanlu Township, 

Chiayi County, 602037, Taiwan,  

Map of Deer Park.

As above.

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers

Old Airport Road Fried Hokkien Mee @ Old Airport Road Hawker Centre [Singapore] #oldairportroadhawkercentre

In case you haven't heard, Old Airport Road Hawker Centre would be closed for renovation from 01 June 2024 for four long months! That sparked an immediate craving for food like chicken chop, char kway teow, hokkien mee, cheng tng etc!

   

Unfortunately, two of the stalls were closed and I couldn't help noticing that quite a lot of customers were waiting for their orders in front of this boringly named Old Airport Road Fried Hokkien Mee. It shall be you then!

With just hokkien mee on their menu and options for S$5 or S$8, I ordered a small and received a queue number that was kept, safely, in a ziplock. This is the time when I realized how much I missed the food pager system. 

What cheered me most was the huge container of deep fried pork lards. As expected, I requested for more and was ecstatic when the young lady boss gave me two generous spoonfuls. 

At S$5, I would say the portion was way bigger than I expected and judging from how wet the noodles were; I honestly can't wait to slurp them up! p.s. this wetness was in stark contrast to the dry hokkien mee from Nam Sing. 

The thing about pork greaves is that there's always a risk they might not turn out well and personally, I dislike them if they are not crispy. Strangely, these were delicious even though they had gone a bit soft. 

Slurping in the noodles, which were more bee hoon than yellow noodles! And boy were they swimming in a grave so chockablock full of seafoodness! It's rare to find me quietly enjoying my food as I was simply savoring each and every bite! 

Don't discount the red, hot chilli which was sour and spicy; resulting in beads of sweat rolling down my face! Aside from fresh prawns, you can also find strips of pork belly, mock abalone and squid. So luxurious! 

It's been a while since I last had such an amazing plate of hokkien mee, and this counted as as one of my favorite at the moment. I am seriously hoping the stall would be back after the 4-month renovation! Maybe I should just pop by to eat again before the hawker centre closes in June. 

=====

Address

51 Old Airport Rd, #01-99,

Old Airport Road Food Centre, 

Singapore 390051

Map

As above. 

Pricing

Hokkien Mee - S$5.00

Minced Garlic - Name of the Domesticated Wild Boar that Charmed Us @ Sika Deer Park of Tsou Veoveoana Cultural and Creative Park in Taiwan

Our objective was to check out deer at a conservation park of a cultural park in Taiwan but from another gated section; a lone, black figure caught our attention. A wild boar! 

It's not any wild boar; for one, it's comfortable with humans and has already made friends with all 27 deer in the park! At only one year of age, it has a most cute name! 蒜泥, which means minced garlic, and ironically, an essential ingredient for a popular pork dish.

Strutting confidently amidst camera / handphone toting humans, she had an elegant gait that drew more attention than the deer! Many people were just screaming "so cute"! 

My selfie with 蒜泥 before she took off! 

Damn, I was well fed in Taiwan. 

Given her popularity, I think she would have a long life in the deer park. Do say hi to her the next time if you happen to be at Tsou Veoveoana Cultural and Creative Park. p.s. I think she will grow bigger. 

=====

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers

HONBO Burger Restaurant @ CHIJMES in Singapore

It's no secret I love a good burger and when I heard that HONBO, a burger chain that hailed from Hong Kong, was opening in Singapore; I was tempted but decided to wait for the expected long queue to die down! 

Located at CHIJMES, which wasn't known for wallet friendly dining establishments, it's not that hard to find the eatery. Just look out for the HONBO's pot bellied mascot with sausage-sized lips. 

Interior was very American diner concept and came equipped with a jukebox! Honestly, the seating could have been more comfortable, especially for those without a meaty backside. p.s. it's not free seating; do wait for the service staff to assign you! 

For a Singaporean, what I can't accept was the lack of chilli sauce! There were mustard, ketchup, and Tabasco; latter of which was pepper sauce and not chilli! How am I supposed to enjoy my food without chilli?! Well, if the burger was really good, I can actually do without the chilli.

Freedom Lager (Draft) - how to resist a draft beer when I am with my drinking buddy, Shawn?! This was hoppy alright and at a promotional rate of S$10; I am not complaining. 

Tater Tots - while they were served crisp and hot from the frying oil, I faced two problems here; they were quite bland tasting and I didn't have any chilli sauce to enhance the eating experience! I miss the truffle tater tots from Urban Hideout! 

Popcorn Chicken - again fresh from the boiling hot oil, these nuggets of chicken were peppery good and went well with the honey mustard sauce. p.s. some of them appeared to be more batter than meat though.

Teriyaki Chicken Burger - I was wondering how this would score against the one from MOS Burger! One thing for sure though, I caught whiffs of its smoky aroma even before I took a bite! And it was pretty good with a generous serving of grilled chicken; you would love this if you feel that the one from MOS Burger had too sweet a marinade. 

HONBO - the basic burger with two crispy beef, cheese, pickles, onions and house sauce. On second thought, I should have just gone with the Gold Standard although it cost S$10 more! 

Well, I don't find the beef patties crispy although still one of the more satisfying ones around that was sinful tasting, with traces of beef fats yet not overly oily. Loving the onions that should honestly be added to any burger as an essential ingredient! No complaint about the potato bun but I am a sucker for traditional, sesame-seeds-topped burger buns.

======

Before and after; should I just return for The Gold Standard, which featured two thick patties? I guess I might since I suddenly remember I owe a friend a treat to HONBO! Excuse it sure was; but why not?!

Address

30 Victoria St, #01-09,

CHIJMES, Singapore 187996

Map

As above. 

Menu

As above. Turned out they had a garlic chilli dip that cost S$2.00. I am so going to bring my own sachets of chilli sauce the next time I visit. 

Pricing

Freedom Larger (Draft) - S$10.00

Tater Tots - S$4.90

Popcorn Chicken - S$12.90

Oyster Shooters - S$12.90 (3 glasses)

Cheeseburger (Lettuce) - S$18.00

Teriyaki Chicken Burger - S$18.00

HONBO - S$18.00

(Subject to Service Charge and GST)

Additional Information

Your meal came with a wet tissue, in addition to serviettes.

Come on a weekday for lunch and you would get a free drink! Trust me, it's worth it as our dear Alex's diet coke cost a bloody high S$5.00! 

Felt that burgers were bad for your diet? Consider changing to a "lettuce bun for a gluten free burger"! I actually do that for MOS Burger, where my fav was the Natsumi Teriyaki Chicken. However, if I am going to indulge on my rare cheat days, give me gluten please!