Siem Reap

I'm off to the above as of 7am this morning. The timing is a little shitty because I need to be at the airport at 5am but who am I to complain when I don't make enough to even buy a full fare. I had to harp on Air Asia's zero airfare last year when I booked this trip. (It only cost me RM600+ including accommodation)

I read so much about Angkor Wat that we even have to sit through an examination paper on history when I was in high school. Thus, it's finally my dream come true to make my presence felt in the land of smiles and laughter and cheap beer!

The start of the new year for me is as gloomy as seeing these skeleton skulls. I certainly need a visit to Khmer Rouge to drown in sorrow and grief. I did notice that I was moody and stressful these days compared to a month ago. These days I just feel like spending more time typing on my keyboard and lying on my bed sulking. I'm as miserable as my miserable posts.

This holiday is timely.

Note: Wei Mei, please help me answer my calls and tell them I'm missing for a few days until my moods are healed.

My life with Pid

We were having such a good time. It was the first time I felt love. Pid was so charming, ever so gentle and he even offered me some of his food. Although there were so many of us around, I could feel that he was only interested in me. We gazed into each others' eyes and we knew we hit it off right away. However, our future is bleak. Living in this community is not an advantage to us because eventually we will have to die a tearful death.

Suddenly, there was a commotion. A burly man in blue stormed into our hiding and started making a big fuss. It was then his gaze caught onto mine. I knew my time was up. He was holding a thick iron rod to what looked like a long rifle. I was scared and crying and my legs went numb. There's no way I can run. Pid was all the time at the back of me. Pid assured me that there was nothing to be afraid of and it would be painless or rather fast.

The burly man, in a swift action, held up his rifle, pulled the trigger and BANG I heard. The next thing I knew, Pid fell to the ground. I stood by him and later to find a sharp pain through my chest. I was shot too. I fell to the ground and couldn't move. Then, I could feel us being dragged down the hill. The bleeding didn't stop and I was feeling weaker and weaker. We were both brought into a hut. I could smell the rotting flesh and blood but I told myself to be brave.

The next minute I knew, someone with knee-length boots walked in with what looked like a big and sharp butcher's knife. I shut my eyes and prayed. It ended there. The knife went through Pid's throat and then mine. Our torso were then separated from our heads.

Before I loose all senses, I remembered what my mom used to tell me - that we are a special delicacy to the human beings. They love us with curries or sometimes roasted. Now I finally get to know that Pid and my body is sold for money and it will be served on tables of restaurants in town. But what happened to our heads?

The last thing I knew, our heads were found with some notes strewn over us. And in limelight too! We didn't know what we did to deserve this but what we knew was the humans that threw us here were inhumane. We were born to be savoured and devoured - not being insulted and thrown into some prohibited compound!

For the story after our heads were detached, read here and here.


One thing I knew, I would never waste a wild boar like this! It's too wasteful. (while Haiti is facing starvation, we simply throw food around and then have the police to clean it up!)

DON'T WASTE A GOOD WILD BOAR!


(Note: This is completely a narration. Pid & me is just a fictional character and has no resemblance what so ever from the boars found in the state)

Pinchos @ Changkat Bukit Bintang KL

Pinchos Tapas Bar

Sometimes I’m so sick of eating Chinese and Japanese, I occasionally crave for Spanish. Spanish for me is in the form of tapas and paella and then all gulped down with the help of a cold refreshing sangria.

It’s not easy to find good and traditional Spanish tapas here in KL but it’s not difficult to find bad ones either. Most of the time, the tapas served here is just not the tapas that you would expect it to be. If you haven’t been to Spain, then you wouldn’t have complained. But I can rest assure you that Pinchos serves arguably the best in town (so far). This quaint spot with a laidback ambience is situated just next to La Bouchon and across from Ciccio.

Iberian Black Pig (Jamon Iberico) ham Vs White Pig ham (Jamon Serrano)

We had the black pig & white pig ham tapas which was generous slices of ham laced on top of toasted crispy thin baguette. The black pig still stands out in terms of taste and texture. If you don't want the bread, you can always order just the slices from the genuine leg of Jamon Iberico perched on the bar counter, carefully sliced by Robert himself.

Robert slicing the Iberico Jamon.

It’s super duperlicious tapas menu will hold you tightly to your seat despite the alluring loud blasting music from next door. Here, you can engage in a night-long conversation while indulging in these light tapas. Hence, it’s a good place for a date!

This outlet is frequented by an expat community to locals (like us) whom have a penchant for Spanish cuisine.

I would highly recommend the Jamon Iberico slices, Chorizo Con Setas (Spanish stew with Chorizo sausages, mushroom and potatoes), the prawns with olives and the Paella Mixta which carries a very rich and robust flavours of meat and seafood with a aroma of saffron. It might be a little oily, but I would not complain about the generous amounts of seafood and meat and this paella is certainly of the bests I've tried in town.

Dinners like this is not complete without wines or other things booze. Their signature is the Sangria which was nice, fruity and not too frugal with the alcohol (wine). Below are the wines that we had. The french are all from private bring-our-own and the two (Pinta & San Roman) from Toro Spain can be bought from Pinchos.

Ahh... the pleasures in life.. Dominique Portet Sparkling Brut Rose & Vegas Robaina Robusto.

Cheers!

Updated Post HERE

Pinchos

18 Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang.

Tel: 2145-8482

pinchostapas@gmail.com

(closed on Mondays)

website

Work Vocab

These are some of the working vocab you might find useful in your everyday work. Some of you might witness these everyday...

For those who don't, I really do envy you!


BLAMESTORMING
Sitting around in a group, discussing why deadline was missed or why project has failed and who is responsible.

ASSMOSSIS
The process by which some people seemed to have success and promotion by kissing up the boss's ass.

SEAGULL MANAGER
A manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, shits on everyone and then leaves.

SALMON EMPLOYEE
A worker spending an entire day swimming upstream only to get screwed and die in the end.

OHNOSECOND
That minuscule fraction of time in which someone realises that he has just made a BIG mistake.

Are you any one of them? So how many of these have you witnessed? Well, I would say I have seen most of them and they never ceased to amaze me everytime!

Have a good day being a Salmon employee!

Fisherman's Wharf @ Taman Desa

After the forum on "Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia" (SABM), my friends took me to this Fisherman's Wharf in Taman Desa for dinner. I have not been to this place but have heard quite a lot about this small and humble pub/restaurant that serves very good food such as the much recommended "sang har mee" and the ginger chicken.

One of my friends brought along this bottle of hanky panky Hankey Bannister 12 year-old Scotch Whisky. I think calling it Hanky Panky would be easier than its original name. This is a brand of Scotch Whisky first manufactured in London in year 1757 which was named after Mr. Hankey and Mr. Bannister.

I must say that for a bottle of 12 yo blended whisky which the brand name sounds something like hanky panky, it's actually very drinkable! It has hints of vanilla and oak and medium-bodied. For scotch whisky that's below RM100/bottle and it tastes good, I'm amazed! Of course one could not compare this to a single malt but if you compare it to the Chivas 12yo & Johnny Walker lower range labels, I prefer Hankey!

It is also reported to be Winston Churchill's favourite drink!

The yummylicious ginger chicken....

If you know me well, you'll know that I absolutely hate ginger. But then, it didn't stop me from snacking on this plate of fried ginger chicken. The ginger is fried to crispy slices and it did not at all overwhelmed the taste of the fried chicken. This is a very good complementary dish to all the beer and whisky!

Nescafe Tarik SATU!

Mr.Augustine, the owner of this place has a very capable staff whom my friends called "ibu" whom makes very good nescafe tarik. It was such a delightful drink after a full meal and some booze. As you can see, the nescafe is pulled to a nice froth and it's not too sweet as well because we all requested for a less-sweet-nescafe.

The menu is quite extensive from western food like grill and steaks to oriental dishes like fried rice, noodles and side dishes like the ginger chicken. Prices range from RM10 - RM21.90. Very affordable indeed. Btw, it's a lso a pub where you can get your dosage of beers and liquor.

FISHERMAN"S WHARF
43-A, Faber Plaza, Jalan Bakti, Taman Desa,
Off Jalan Kelang Lama, 58100 KL.
Tel: 03-79829077

Taking sides?

It's ok to be single. *repeat* It's ok to be single. *repeat till jaw muscles cramp* I think it's perfectly fine to be single afterall. When one is single, one keeps looking out to get into a relationship. But when one is attached, then one wonders how to get out of the relationship. Isn't this grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side syndrome is just so terrible?

Nowadays, women are so empowered that they realised that their value needn’t be defined by marriage. And every women I know whom is above 30 and is still single are living a fine life. I don't see them worrying about marriage although they might below that very confident mask. The only thing which I think it's a pity is that we maybe successful in our careers and social life yet we can't find success in a relationship.

I do know why I got myself into singlehood. There's a point of time when I think to myself and asked myself whether I would love to do things I want to do or doing things that I feel the other partner would accept. In the end, I took the liberty to venture into the unknown. I believe getting attached is like an enemy to individuality. The day that one gets together is the day both of them need to learn to compromise and understand each other. It's not an easy process but it's definitely a long one!

And I wouldn't say being single is all fun. There are times when you feel so lonely and no one is worrying about you. You've suddenly lost your permanent partner for movies, a pair of ears for your rantings, a bag carrier for your shopping trips, a driver for your outings, a pair of strong arms for hugs and a pair of lovely lips to kiss. These are all the drawbacks.

But the ultimate SINGLE vs ATTACHED statement is this:

Single: No one to tell me that I do not "need" another pair of new stilettos.
Attached: I could use his credit card and pay for the stilettos I wanted!

Therefore, I think it's all about striking a balance in life. One can still be individualistic and yet love being in a relationship. Having it both ways just isn’t astrophysics but it needs the understanding of both parties. Just like you wouldn't like the other partner to dislike what you like, then don't dislike what she likes. I know as singles we can party all we want and do all we like but eventually there's more to life than all these. I don't think I will be adopting celibacy because I want to get married by the time I hit 30!

But at this moment, I just feel quite comfortable in having my own space, doing things at my own pace and still be able to put on a bright face!

Unfortunately, Valentine's Day is coming and knowing that you will be bumping into every cuddly sweet lovebirds from high school to those grey-haired couples celebrating their love for the umpteenth time is just so demotivating. But lucky, this year Valentine's Day happened to fall on the first day of Chinese New Year and so it's not that bad afterall. I'll drown in my efforts of collecting ang pows that I won't even notice the lovebirds beside me kissing and the blue box that she is receiving!

At least I still have Mr. Cold Lips to smooch...

Eric's Steamboat Restaurant @ Hartamas Shopping Centre

Private Rooms

I went to this outlet sometime back with some friends since they knew that I have not tried the steamboat there. Eric Tsang, the popular host of the infamous Hong Kong "Movie Buff Championship" has initially opened a Eric's Deli in Hartamas Shopping Center some years ago but it didn't do well and the restaurant eventually went through a change of hands. If I'm not wrong, he should no longer be a shareholder in this Eric's Steamboat Restaurant.

The restaurant has a general dining area and also 3 private rooms but with transparent glass panels and doors. They boost to serve the authentic Chong-Qing steamboat which consists of a special soup base and a hot & spicy one which originates from Sze Chuan. As we are all not a fan of the spicy soup, we went for the Herbal Chicken Soup Base. They have quite an interesting selection of soup base such as Fish Head soup, Double Platter soup, Preserved Egg soup, Seafood soup and Hong Kong Style Pork soup.

RM168++ for 4 people

We ordered a set for 4 people which costs around RM160. It's not cheap! There were an array of fishballs, meatballs, shrimp balls, dumplings, chicken, beef slices, fish, prawns, beancurd skin and vegetables. The noodles and eggs are all included too. I must say that for the price we pay for, the portion is really not enough for 3 hungry people. I would think the prices are a lil too steep. Maybe it's because of the herbal soup?

I like the shrimp and cuttle fish balls. They are not the machine made types but rather made with fresh ingredients where one can physically taste and bite into the chunks of shrimps made into those balls. It's RM1.50 each on the ala carte menu.

The sauces did not impress either although they claimed to have 10 different sauces in the menu. There's a small sauce counter where it's self-service and the soy sauce is very diluted too.

Salmon slices for appetizer is inclusive but doesn't look the grade.

After having the steamboat, we haven't even filled our stomachs to the brim and so we thought maybe we could try some other dishes. And so we ordered an omelette, a sweet & sour pork and then a fried ginger frog legs dish.

The dishes are all very commendable. The sweet and sour pork was done nicely with the perfect texture of crispiness and sauce compliments the pork too. I also like the fried frog legs as it's a very suitable dish to go with drinks. This place also serve Dim Sum for lunch. But this place is really quite a pricey affair.

Since the paper table mats are all printed with Eric's picture, I thought it would be a good idea to unleash my creativity.....

ta daa.... so nice hor?

Eric Deli Paradise
Lot G11B-G15, Ground Floor, Hartamas Shopping Centre
60 Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 6201 1154

The Old & Rare 30yo Highland Park

It was such a dreadful evening of late meetings, traffic jams and heavy rain. Therefore, to release some stress, one has the company of food and drinks. For me, I had some "water of life" coupled with good food at Gu Yue Tien with my friends and sisters.

The Scottish Gaelic calls it "uisge beatha", meaning "Water of Life", phonetically became "usky" and then "whisky" in English. The calling was superb as we all were lucky to be able to have a sip (actually gulps) of this wonderful amber nectar which we called Scotch whisky today.

What a RARE opportunity to taste this!

Our dear friend was so kind to open one of his 3 bottles of allocation of this wonderful Douglas Laing Old & Rare highland Park 1978 30 year old whisky. There are only 302 of this bottle worldwide and our wine merchant friend managed to secure 12 bottles!

This is the bottle No.6!

This is a 30 year old single malt whisky, in single cask and bottled in natural cask strength. In layman terms, a 30 yo whisky is a whisky that is matured for 30 years in a cask before bottling. In this case, a single cask means that the cask is only used once and then it will not be recycled anymore and since it's in its natural cask strength, nothing is added into the whisky. Thus, this whisky has a pure & natural taste of the cask that it has matured in.

On the nose, there were very strong tangerine notes, some spices and tobacco. The palate itself consists of some spicy smoke, chocolate and fruits. This is a whisky with such a long and lingering finish. Two ice cubes made the whole drinking experience even much better!

When compared to other 30 yo whiskies, the colour might not be as rich or dark but the palate certainly did not fail. As there are only 302 bottles worldwide, one might not even be able to find it on the shelves. It's valued at around RM1500 here.

We had some simple dishes at Gu Yue Tien to go with the wonderful amber nectar.

Pig Stomach & Intestine Soup

Hot and Peppery. Very tasty indeed. Except for the parsley...

Beef, Steamed chicken, Loh mee & Kailan.
The Loh mee is done very nicely and with a dash of vinegar, the taste is complete!

Ziling didn't like whisky so she had the Hennessy XO.
She's the cocktail drinker and we called her no taste.

Failed Dessert.

Creative use of preserved "Jambu Air" paired with ice-cream but this is an epic failure at GYT.

The taste doesn't jive and it's bitter. Not recommended at all times.

Overall, the dining experience is always good at GYT despite the failed dessert. The wonderful company & drinks never failed to live up any evening of ours. Thanks to my friend calling my sisters and I for dinner as it has been quite sometime that 3 of us actually sat down together for a proper dinner. If we don't read each other's blogs, we won't know what's going on! Lol...

My other post on Gu Yue Tien here.

From caning to writing?

You must be kidding me. Apparently not.

The Star yesterday was featuring the news that Kartika goes from rotan to writing now. On July 20, last year, the court ordered her to be caned six times and fined RM5,000 after she was caught drinking at a hotel in Cherating on July 11, 2008. But the sentence wasn't carried out yet. Instead, she was just fined.

What was even surprising was that she was even offered a 14-day Umrah package (pilgrimage to Mecca) by a tour agency... and now she decides to repent and perform the pilgrimage to have a peace of mind. I'm sure the tour agency got lots of publicity and the returns is definitely worth more than the cost of the trip. And at the same time, she would be writing on her trials and tribulations of the whole case.

Now she has gone from being an offender to an author! How amazing! I actually did ponder about the standards of our Syariah Court. Does anyone gets off so easily from punishment once the news attain international media attention? Was it practicing a double-standard system where they are afraid to punish people with strong influences in the public/society? Was the postponement of punishment is to try saving some asses?

I am not saying that Kartika should be punished but what I'm trying to convey is that if they want to carry out the punishment, they have to be fair about it! I'm sure there were many whom were not supposed to drink are all drinking in public and this includes high profile people where their pictures have been taken and circulated in the internet and why they could get away easily?

Well, and there must be an opportunist that encourages her to write to take advantage of the whole situation while she's still in the limelight. Not sure whether the book would hit off well, but I'm kind of curious too in what goes into the book.

Sorry for the heavy post on Monday. It's still blue nonetheless.

Joey Yap's Succeeding in Turbulent Times 2010

I don't look like someone who knows her metaphysics right? Yeah I really don't know much except having a basic understanding on how the whole thing works. Besides that, I do have a mom whom is our family feng shui master cum fortune teller! I tell you, she's really good at it. She can walk up to you and say "Eiling ah, this year you better not talk so much at work cos people will back stab you". Something to that extent la that she can interpret from my bazi according to the yearly chart.

Today, I went to Joey Yap's annual talk about Feng Shui & Astrology 2010. The luck for this year seems to be better than last year. And the eastern countries would do better than US. So if you expect the US currency to go up by leaps and bounds, don't put too high hopes.

Look how full it is. Maybe about 3000pax?

I'll just give a summary of the important points of the talk for 2010 which begins on the 4th February 2010.

To receive good wealth, usually the chinese will do something like "inviting the God of Prosperity" on Chinese New Year. This can be done on 14th February itself by activating the South East (3) and for "God of Happiness" it's North West (3) at different times such as

11.00pm (13th Feb) - 1.00am (14th Feb)
3.00am - 5.00am
5.00am - 7.00am

which the best being at 3.00am - 5.00am.


Good Dates to Activate the Certain Areas:

1. These are the dates to activate the Wealth Star (money luck and investment).

25/01/10 - 3.00pm to 4.59pm (Activate SW1 or SW2 of the house) except for Snake
This SW is a dangerous sector to activate. If done wrongly, you could face extreme poverty but if done right, you will experience the most powerful wealth star.

Activate SW1 if you do not have a goat or ox in your bazi chart. If you have any of them, activate SW2 instead. This is not advisable for those who are new with this or is unsure of the measurement of the sectors in the house because you could face extreme calamity if done wrongly. It has to be done before 4th of Feb 2010.

26/03/10 - 5.00am to 6.59am (Activate NW and E of the house) except for Snake

9/06/10 - 7.00pm to 8.59pm (Activate NW/E or SE of the house) except for Monkey


2. These are the dates to activate the Nobility Star (helpful people).

4/04/10 - 7.00pm to 8.59pm (Activate E2 or NW1 of the house)
The bigger or massive the movement of the furnitures/renovations to this sector, the better the outcome will be.

5/07/10 - 5.00pm to 6.59pm (Activate E & NW3 of the house) except for Dogs

20/05/10 - 3.00pm to 4.59pm (Activate E2 of the house)
Activate this place if only you have problems that need to be resolved or you need a breakthrough in life when you find that the things you do are going nowhere.

3. To activate Peach Blossom (relationship luck)

20/04/10 - 3.00pm to 4.59pm (to activate N of the house) except Horse
If you want an intense (very physical I mean) relationship, then activate N2. The activation of this sector at this date & time facilitates marriage and to start a new relationship. So, use this wisely and don't be greedy!


Very Important Guidelines in Activating the sectors

To activate the sector, all you need to do is to move the furnitures, hang & unhang paintings or even redecorate the area. You can also sleep at this sector for instance. For those experts, you can use water to activate the area. When using the water feature, the best is to have the water (that is deep, wide, exposed & still) outside the house.

The exception for the animal signs that I highlighted in red is referred to the animal signs found in your bazi chart whether it's at hour, day, month or year pillar. You can print your bazi chart here. If you happen to have any of these animal signs in your bazi chart, I'm sorry you will not be able to activate these areas on the dates given. Solution - pay Joey Yap to tell you.

In general, these areas/sectors can be activated at any time but the effect will not be as good as if you activate them on these dates and times give.

The Compass

To get a better understanding of the sectors e.g SE1, NW2.... you can use the picture above as a reference. All you need to do is to take a compass and stand right in the middle of the house and superimpose the chart above on the house floor plan and then you will be able to identify the sectors correctly. Accuracy is very important to ensure the results of the activations.

NW3 is good for wealth. This indicates wealth luck and future income.

E is the best direction for 2010. This is for better power & authority.

W is nobility star (helpful people). This is for good reputation & recognition.

NE & SW are the most negative sectors, don't ever ever touch or activate that area. The Grand Duke is at NE and if you happen to have your back facing NE, it's ok. Do not activate at all means - no water feature, moving objects, or renovations.

That's the summary for the talk which I think would be quite helpful to everyone for this year! And the whole talk was pretty interesting because he speaks good English and occasionally throwing in some chinese proverbs. Besides that, he likes to make wicked jokes on your neighbours and mother-in-laws!!! Haha... Oh, and I managed to bump into Horny & Fireangel too.

Sad & Broken

I'm sad and heart-broken. Since 2 days ago. I never thought this would happen and I wouldn't have thought the price to pay was this much. It has always been my loved possession and now I know that loosing something you love could be so devastating.

As I walked to the shop, my heart felt like a ride on a roller coaster. What if they couldn't fix it? Then I would have to part with it. Oh, no.... that would be the worst scenario I'll be facing.

Smiling faces greeted me as I approached the glass counter. I knew they were waiting to prowl on me like a pack of hungry wolves not eaten for a day. Sorry that I have to disappoint but I'm here to get my broken Tiffany & Co earrings fixed and I would be ass-happy if you guys tell me that it can be done.

My broken heart....

Of course it can be fixed! But at a price. It was a bloody RM180 to fix the broken needle thin rod at the back of the heart which I accidentally broke it. That's how much you pay for carelessness. A new pair costs me RM375 and I told them that perhaps I should get another pair and then I would have 1 extra as a spare for future mishaps.

That's how sad and how broke I am now.... Didn't know that mending a broken heart can be so expensive.

But nothing feels better than a complete heart.

Hee Loi Ton Restaurant @ Pudu KL

After countless times of eating at Imbi Palace or any other "palaces restaurant", we decided to try having dinner at other chinese restaurants. Hee Loi Ton was chosen for Monday night since I personally have not been to this restaurant despite hearing about it for quite sometime. This is the Pudu branch which is located on 3rd floor of Shaw Parade. You won't miss the mall since it has a gigantic-hard-to-ignore Eu Yan Sang signage.

Perfect combi of whisky, cigar and chocolate...

That night, Big E brought along her prized possession of a bottle of Port Ellen 24yo Islay Malt whisky (RM826/bottle). It was a prized possession because Port Ellen has already ceased production of its fine islay malt whisky. Port Ellen has been closed for 24 years so bottlings of this rare and Iconic Islay malt are becoming very short in supply. The nose is full of peat (typical of an islay malt), and initially sweet on the palate. I got devirginised for single malt whisky with Port Ellen 2 years ago and ever since then, I have a liking for single malts. This is from the last year that Port Ellen was ever produced.

Also, Mr. L brought along a bar of Valrhona Tainori that he bought at ION Orchard in Singapore. Valrhona is also one of my favourite connoisseur chocolate bars apart from Amedei. Valrhona from France and Amedei from Italy. These 70g-100g bars will set you back from RM40-RM50 a bar!!!

Born from very old plantations in Dominican Republic.

I'm surprised the pure chocolate bar has long lingering fruity notes. It's amazing how cocoa beans of different plantations has different tasting notes just like wine and whisky. It's really a delectable treat at the begining of our dinner. Goes very well with the Cohiba Maduro 5 and the whisky.

Hee Loi Ton makes a few good dishes that I'm going to highlight here. Their pricing is nonetheless slightly cheaper than the posh restaurants like Imbi Palace & Imperial Palace group of restaurants. Ambience is of course cannot be compared to those restaurants because this is really a typical traditional chinese restaurant.

Char Siew (Honey Glazed Pork)

With the right amount of sweetness and not too fat.

Fried Pork Belly marinated with prawn paste

Unique and very good texture indeed!

Steamed Bamboo Fish (Soon Hock)

Steamed to perfection. This is very important because the fish is f*cking expensive.

Fried Yam basket with paprika chicken

Chicken Rice Pot

Unlike most rice dishes at the end of every dinner, this pot of chicken rice is very good. The rice is fragrant and the chicken slices are tender. A must order dish! Even I was full to the brim, I had to have a bowl. Hehe...

Avocado Dessert
Very creative but I find the fresh cream inside too overwhelming.

Definitely worth a try but make sure you leave before 10pm because all the entrances to the mall seemed to be shut when we left the restaurant. We walked around and couldn't find the exit and thus have to exit from the car park floor and walk down the spiral ramp. The mall is very quiet and thus it is not advisable to go alone.

Hee Loi Ton Restaurant (PUDU)
3rd Floor, Shaw Parade, Jln Changkat Thambi Dollah,
Off Jalan Pudu, 55100 KL.
Tel: +603-21488666

Haikara Style Cafe & Bakery @ Subang Jaya

A hidden Japanese gem....

This humble cafe is actually quite hidden from the main road. It's actually one block of apartment away from Carrefour Subang Jaya in SS16. One day, my friend brought me there and I instantly fell in love with this humble eatery. It's small and cosy, which gives me the feeling of eating in one of those small restaurants while I was in Australia. Oh, and the owner is very pretty too! *wink*

Sweet Desserts
Charcoal Strawberry Cake Roll & Maccha Cake Roll (RM6.20). Banana Cake Roll (RM5.00)

The reason why I highlighted the desserts first is because I have my dessert before my mains everytime I'm there. I love the Charcoal Strawberry Cake Roll a lot! It has a very nice texture besides the wonderful colours. This is truly recommended. Afterall, Haikara makes very good bread too! Their bread are made using the best ingredients without any preservatives and additives. Check out their website and you'll get the whole story.

Haikara Steak Set (RM27)
Comes with bread, soup and coffee.

Seafood Aglio Olio Pasta Set (RM25)
Comes with Bread, Soup & Coffee

Clockwise from Top Left:

Paprika Tomato Rice (RM18), MisoKatsu Plate which is deep fried chicken katsu with miso sauce (RM20), Chicken Tar Tar Rice (RM20.00) and Spaghetti with Beef Stew Set (RM27.00)

The dishes were commendable as they are very simple and tasty. However, I find the steak a lil tough so I don't really recommend that. There's nothing pretentious in this restaurant. So, don't expect to see any Japanese dishes that you used to eat at conventional Japanese restaurants that serve sashimi and sushi. Even the soup here tastes different. I quite like the minimalist concept as the prices are quite reasonable and people can afford to come here more often.

Maccha Ole (RM8)
A must-try green tea with milk! I thought it would be "eeeww" but it was "wow!"

Wei Mei being careful not to waste even a drop!

They have 3 variety of coffee. The Charcoal Roast (full body with smoky taste) at RM7/cup and the next cup at RM3/cup which is a good deal. Another coffee for organic consumers is the Organic blend coffee (light roasted organic Colombian beans) at RM8/cup and lastly the Blue Mountain Coffee (produced from a famous estate in Jamaica, it is recognized as one of the Best Coffee in the world!) at RM17/cup. I have yet to try the "Best Coffee in the World" since I am no coffee connoisseur.

The secret actually lies in the milk they use. Unlike other places that offers creamers or fresh milk, this place gives you a tiny pot of concentrated creamy milk (as shown in pic above) which is enough to flavour the whole cup of coffee! I absolutely love the milk.

Haikara Style Cafe & Bakery
E-Tiara GF SS16/1
03-5630 0743
www.haikara-style.info

Tuesday-Thursday: 11:00am - 11:00pm
(10:30pm Last order)

Friday and Saturday: 10:00am - 11:00pm
(10:30pm Last order)

Sunday: 10:00am - 6:30pm
(6:00pm Last order)

Gu Yue Tien @ Chulan Square KL

The Menu that resembles the olden days chinese book.

This is my second post on Gu Yue Tien. It's still one of my favourite chinese restaurants in town! Frankie certainly know how to woo his customers back to this humble restaurant at Chulan Square (right opposite Pavilion on Jalan Raja Chulan) over and over again.

A friend came down from Singapore and we decided to have dinner there that night. He says that Gu Yue Tien is his favourite chinese restaurant in the world! It's indeed true that Gu Yue Tien differs from other chinese restaurants due to the style of cooking and its creative dishes. It's chinese food with a twist but the fundamentals of chinese cooking is maintained.

Dom Perignon Vintage 1999

A new year celebration will not be complete without some bubblies. He was so kind to have brought a bottle of DP along during this trip. It's the first sip of alcohol since new year for both of us. What a perfect way to start the ball rolling!

Gu Yue Tien has a special degustation menu at RM99++ featuring 6 of it's signature dishes and 1 dessert. It has a combination of cold dish, soup and main dishes which is quite a good deal I must say.

Cold Dish

Ibericos Ham Rolled with Rock Melon topped with Avruga Caviar

Hot Combination

My Favourite - Soft boiled egg with Foie Gras.
Ala carte at RM8/egg.

Sharks Fin Soup

Double boiled pig stomach soup with Golden Coin shark's fin.
It was the best sharks fin soup combination I ever had!

Fish/Prawn/Crab Dishes

Wok Fried Pineapple Prawn Cake with Bacon!

Pork/Beef/Lamb Dishes

Wok Seared Sliced Sirloin with marinated with oriental spice

Rice/Noodles

I had the Hainan Noodles which has an interesting sourish taste and my friend has the Braised Abalone with rice and meat.

Dessert

Chilled Mango Pudding with "liang fen" (gress jelly)

Overall, I think this is a pretty good deal. Although the dishes looked small but it's very filling! I like the presentation of the food and the interesting combination of french influences in the chinese cuisine. It certainly isn't your typical chinese food restaurant. Definitely worth a visit again soon.

With the DP, he also brought along....

The delightful Trinidad Robusto Extra.
My favourite but I didn't indulge in one that night. However, I still have 3 sitting right at home! Hehe...


My previous post here and other post here.


Gu Yue Tien Chinese Cuisine
Chulan Square (just opposite Pavilion)
Jalan Raja Chulan
For reservations, please call: 03-2148 0808

Lunch: 11:30am - 2:30pm (daily)
Dinner: 6:30pm - 10:30pm (daily)