oh{FISH}iee: How to Take Instagram-worthy Food Shots and Win Food Vouchers worth up to RM700!

If you have been following me, you'd notice that I am an avid cafe hopper and shutter bug. I take pictures of almost every food I have, and the questions I often get from my followers are: "What camera are you using?".

To be honest, you don't need a powerful camera for an Instagram-worthy shot. Of many food photography tips that you may search online, I personally find that there are a couple of noteworthy tips that I am happy to share with you guys here!

So I was at Alamanda Shopping Centre with my family the other day, and they wanted to visit The Chicken Rice Shop after our first try on this Hainanese-Malaysian cuisine many years ago.

Can't believe that The Chicken Rice Shop has changed so much! It is no longer just a classic chicken rice shop, but it has gone beyond that. On the menu, we see an array of local favourites such as Hainanese Curry Chicken, Famous Stuffed Fish Ball Soup, Penang Rojak etc on top of the signature chicken dishes.

Crispy Roast Quarter Chicken

The tender and juicy signature roast chicken is best served with fluffy chicken flavoured rice.

Photography Tips #1:

Try various angles - Practise with different angles (low angle / eye level) because you'll never know what you snap until you see it through your gadget, not your naked eyes.

For example, for food shots at eye level, it usually brings a better focus on the main subject, giving a very natural and immersive feel. Try close-ups like the picture below and get creative with focus depth (i.e. with blurring effect of the background that even most smartphones can do now).

Hainanese Curry Chicken

The creamy and thick curry chicken exudes rich yet not overwhelmingly spicy flavours that we enjoy.

Tofu with Oyster Sauce

Photography Tips #2:

Be smart with colors - If your food is dull colorwise, adding pops of colors into your pictures can make a huge difference, for instance using table ware, decor, etc. Look at the 'little chicken' rattan basket, how cute it is!

Spicy Savoury Ladies' Fingers

Watch out for the fiery kick of sambal belacan down the throat!

If your dish is already bright and eye-catching like the spicy okra dish, then keep the surrounding minimal and strategically place the dish as a pop of colour to create a main focus.

Kerabu Mango

Photography Tips #3:

Lights, lights, lights - Good lighting can be tricky for indoor dining. So, always look for the source of light and place the light behind your dish to create drama and texture.

Basically, this sums up our dining experience at The Chicken Rice Shop, sampling the TCRS "Family Delight" Set for 4 @ RM79.70 per set that consists of:

❤ Nyonya Pai Tee (large)

❤ Gado-gado / Kerabu Mango

❤ Quarter Chicken (Steamed / Roast / Soy Sauce)

❤ Prime Honey BBQ Chicken / Nyonya Assam Fish / Hainanese Curry Chicken

❤ Tofu with Oyster Sauce

❤ Ipon Bean Sprouts (large) or Spicy Savoury Ladies' Fingers (large)

❤ Sai To Fish Ball

❤ 4 bowls of Chicken Rice

❤ Soup of the Day

❤ 12oz Soft Drinks (4 cups)

Did I forget to mention that you can eat and snap your way to FREE FOOD in Alamanda Shopping Centre? If you are one of the shutterbugs who love sharing your interest in food on social media, here’s something for you.

Alamanda Shopping Centre, Putrajaya is having the “Eat N Snap Contest 2019”, where you just need to dine in any of the participating outlets, upload your food photo, tag and hashtag Alamanda Shopping Centre.

Eat N Snap Contest 2019

Duration: 15 March 2019 – 31 March 2019

Participating Outlets:

1. Sepiring

2. NY Steak Shack

3. The Chicken Rice Shop

4. Nando’s

5. Kenny Roger’s Roasters

6. Manhattan Fish Market

7. Big Apple Donuts & Coffee

8. Dunkin Donuts

9. Rotiboy

10. Baskin Robbins

11. Famous Amos

12. Secret Recipe

13. Sushi King

14. Tealive

15. Auntie Anne’s

16. Black Canyon

17. Johnny’s Steamboat

18. Boost Juice

19. Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart

20. Mahnaz Food

21. Seoul Garden
22. Starbucks

How to Join:

Step 1: Snap a picture with the tent cards dining at any of the participating restaurants.

Step 2: Follow and like Alamanda Shopping Centre on Facebook or Instagram.

Step 3: Upload picture on Facebook or Instagram, hashtag #AlamandaShoppingCentre #EatNSnap2019 and #[restaurant name] and tag @Alamandashoppingcentre in your caption or picture.

Step 4: Wait for winner announcement on 8 April 2019. Winners will be chosen based on creativity and quality of pictures.

Prizes:

3 Most Creative Winners: RM700 worth of vouchers from Sepiring, The Chicken Rice Shop and Nando's.

30 Creative Winners: RM50 voucher from Kenny Roger’s Roaster.

If you are up for some homey Hainanese flavours, do hop over to The Chicken Rice Shop and try the value-for-money set meals. I find it great to have several main dishes and sides for sharing, while each of us gets a satisfying bowl of aromatic chicken rice and soup to pair with the dishes.