What makes us proud...

I've been reading quite a number of posts about our Independence Day on 31st and I can't help but to be sarcastic about it. To me, Merdeka is just another Public Holiday (I nearly wrote pubic) and I'm not trying to be rude. After we have gained independence, what have we achieved today? Look at the government - what a mess! How about the people, the citizens, whose ancestors have worked so hard to achieve independence? We are moving backwards, poverty still looming and standards of living have not really improved. No wonder Singapore had to fight for their independence from us!

But you know, I do have some proud phrases to praise our country.

1. There's still places with FREE parking!
2. You get discounts for paying/not paying summons!
3. The government taxes you for owning credit cards!

See, we are indeed an unique country! Oh well, I'm not all that mean either. Actually on the eve of Merdeka, I was at a friend's house for a countdown party where we pop champagnes, drink wine and grilled some Kobe beef while waiting for the clock to strike midnight. When the time comes, we did a remake of Tunku Abdul Rahman shouting the word "Merdeka" with on high spirits (pun intended).

Everyone went home sober and safe.
*the Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial that I brought along was a big letdown :(*

Chenang Boat Quay @ Langkawi

There are actually many nice undiscovered places in Langkawi if you don't really know this island well enough. I thought coming to Langkawi was just to enjoy the beaches, buy tax free chocolates, liquor and tobacco but there were quite some nice places to hang out.

This place is a little secluded and it's probably out of the way of the normal tourist route but I tell you, the view here is just different.

It doesn't look very promising from the outside but once you stepped into the premise, it brings you to a total new atmosphere and view! When I walked in, I was surprised how a simple looking place like this can be such a darling!

I like the white-washed pillars and unobstructed view.

See how the colours are put into use? This is looking good!

I could have a mojito here and enjoy the sunset...

This place actually serves tapas. There are also other dishes like pizzas and pastas available. At 7pm, they also demonstrates how they make the buffalo mozarella. I've yet to try the food here but I told the boss, Alex, that I would return during my next trip to Langkawi!

Dining and Bar

They do have another tapas outlet at Telaga Harbour Park at Pantai Kok.


Chenang Boat Quay
Jetty Pelancongan Chenang
Tel: +6012-3294094
email: alexsigi@yahoo.com
(close to Bon Ton & next to Pelangi)
12 noon to 12 midnight (closed on Tuesdays)

Châteauneuf-du-Pape

This post is going to be on wines and ratings. I've actually learnt something while drinking! The Rhône valley vineyards lie almost due south of Burgundy. It's divided neatly into north/south regions at the town of Valence. Rhone valley wines are different from the Bordeaux and Burgundy due to the blend of the 2 to 13 different grape varietals.

There are two great grapes of the Northern Rhône:

Syrah - the noble red wine grape (often called Shiraz outside France)
Viognier- for white wines
Interestingly, a small proportion of some reds Marsanne and Roussanne are also grown for white wines.

In the Southern Rhône a large variety of grapes is permitted.

Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsaut for reds
Grenache Blanc, Picpoul, Roussanne and Marsanne for whites.

This time, I want to talk about the great wines of Southern Rhône which is mostly known for its red wines which includes the famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Châteauneuf-du-Pape means "The Pope's new castle" and, indeed the history of this appellation is firmly entwined with papal history. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is traditionally cited as allowing 13 grape varieties, but the 2009 version of the AOC rules in fact list 18 varieties, since blanc (white), rose (pink) and noir (black) versions of some grapes are now explicitly listed as separate varieties. In theory this means the wine-maker has various options at his or her disposal each vintage depending on how individual grape varieties have performed. In practice, most Châteauneuf-du-Pape is made up of the 3 highest quality grapes: Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah.

The wines are normally packaged in distinctive, heavy and dark bottles and embossed with papal regalia and insignia (official items of attire and decoration proper to the Pope).




I got very excited when it comes to trying new wines. The last time I had a CdP and I really love it was at Oenotheque in Singapore and this time, we had 5 bottles lined up for tasting. My friend wanted to see what ratings I (EL) would give to the wines as compared to RP (Robert Parker), ST (Stephen Tanzer) and WS (Wine Spectator).

Plateau de La Crau is by far Chateauneuf-du-Pape's most famous lieu-dit (named vineyard). The vineyard is owned primarily by Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, one of the most classic Chateauneuf's, but also producer Henri Bonneau maintains a firm position there. And it was a pleasure that we start with a Blanc from this domaine.


Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe CdP Blanc 2008

As described by WS, this is a ripe, honeyed style with grilled hazelnut and heath notes up front, followed by bitter orange, nectarine and lemon zest. This has nice length and drive.

The colour is of pale gold and the bitter orange and zesty palate makes this a very nice and refreshing white as an aperitif.

EL: 90 RP: 91 ST: 90 WS: 92



Domaine La Roquete CdP 2007

As described by RP, this is the finest tradition cuvee yet made. It possesses a deep ruby/purple-tinged colour as well as a bouquet if blackcurrants, black cherries, garrigue, pepper, and lavender. It's full-bodied, ripe and exceptionally elegant, pure wine to drink now or cellar for 12-15 years.

I don't quite agree because I think this is probably too elegant that it lacks body or maybe I just prefer more robust wines.
EL: 89 RP: 93 ST: 91 WS: 92




Domaine Les Pallieres Gigondas Terrasses du Diable 2007

The sensational 2007 bottle reveals gloriously sweet black cherry and black raspberry fruit intermixed with notions of licorice, loamy soil and roasted herbs. With terrific fruit density, a full-bodied richness and striking elegance and precision, it should drink well for 15 or more years, as commented by RP.

I did taste the licorice and herbs for this wine and I must say that this is better than the previous one!

EL: 93 RP: 93 ST: 91 WS: 92




Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe CdP Rouge 2006

As described by WS, this is a very grippy style, with lots of sweet tapenade, tobacco, hot stone and braised chestnut notes weaving through a core of dark currant and fig fruit. There's a nice twinge of lavender on the structured finish.

I felt that the finish was long and good and definitely there were some hints of tobacco and chestnuts.
EL: 92 RP: 92+ ST: 92 WS: 93




Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe CdP Rouge 2007

As WS puts it - packed, in a brawny, muscular style atypical for this lush vintage, with a gravelly undertow to the currant paste, braised fig and dark licorice notes. Picks up even more steam on the finish, with grilled mesquite, mineral and garrigue notes and a long, hot stone-filled finish.

This wine was superb and I knew that the 2007 was supposed to be a great vintage.
EL: 95 RP: 95 ST: 93


According to RP, 2004 is a good year, 2005 an excellent one; 2006 is at least very good and as for the southern Rhones, 2007 is the greatest vintage in the last 30 years! These wines are meant to be drunk in their exuberant youthfulness.

It was quite a fun dinner where I had to rate the wines before the points given by the various wine connoiseurs were revealed to me. While I was on the spot with almost all the bottles, it was a miss with the Domaine La Roquete because I didn't really like it.

Fried Rice with wine anyone?

I was feeling a little bored one day and I was wondering what should I pair the wine with that I have in my fridge. There was still a quarter of a bottle of rhone wine which is indeed a very good bottle. I searched my fridge and there were bits of this and that and I decide to cook myself a plate of fried rice.

I had some long beans, 2 slices of bacon, some leftover white rice and a tomato. Actually I took some really nice photos with the Sony Alpha only to realise that there were no memory card inside! Bummer!

This wine from Rhone valley is one of the very good wines where the grapes (Syrah) are planted on the South-westerly orientated slopes at the furthest extremity of the Hermitage slopes.

Actually I've always wanted to try Wantan noodles with wine but I was lazy to drive out to find the noodles and so I have to settle with just the fried rice. It was indeed an interesting combination but I think it would be better if I had paired the rice with white wines instead.

A simple, expensive and out of the ordinary meal.

Makes me wanna drive and not be driven!

I've always have this penchant for beautiful cars. If I was super rich, I would have changed cars like how I change my clothes! Now if only I could... dream on...

I wished I was driving this beauty! Dammit!

It feels good to be chauffeur-driven once in a while especially I've always been the chauffeur and not otherwise. I'm so jealous that there are some girls out there whom always get to sit at the passenger side of the car. Missed the feeling when once I had a bf too and he was doing the driving most of the time. Was it the driver I missed or was it the feeling of being driven? Hmm....

Anyways, I wouldn't give up a good offer of being chauffeur-driven to take my flight. It was such a bargain that not only I get driven to the airport, I even get to experience the all new BMW F10 535i. I have such nice friends, don't you think?!! The last time I attended the F10 launch was in May at Ingress Auto and not long after that, a friend invited me to test drive the car which was a F10 523i.



But honestly, after you've driven a BMW diesel car, it's really difficult to try to stay positive when driving a petrol fueled car. The dynamics is really different. I still remembered when I was driving that 520d here, the acceleration was a breeze and I did was just to tickle the throttle but with the 523i, I had to floor it to get the torque and speed. Actually I shouldn't compare a diesel car with a petrol one but I was really disappointed with the 523i which takes 8-9 seconds to accelerate from 0-100km/hr. Even its competitor, W212 Mercedes E250 CGI has 60 Nm more torque and does a sprint in 7.8 seconds and has a higher top speed as well. I don't know how the 535i fared, but it was certainly a very nice ride to the airport.

The new F10 is a either- you-like-it-or-hate-it-design. I kinda liked the new F10 because it's like going back to the classic days and it's quite a conservative one. However, the aerodynamics lines were beautiful.

Nice interior with expandable seats.

It comes with Brake Energy Regeneration (BER) and Electromechanical steering as part of BMW’s Efficient Dynamics efforts as seen in its diesel cars. There is also the Dynamic Driving Control which has four presets (comfort, normal, sport, sport +) which we experimented during the journey to the airport. I like the professional and multicolour Head-Up Display which I find it to be a very cool addition. The LCD for the iDrive was also one of the largest I've seen, making navigation so easy.



Now I know why parking big cars like these requires little effort because they all have this cool car sensors! This one has got the rear camera and it'll estimate the distance for you while you reverse! How easy...



The journey to the airport was so nice. The cabin was spacious and the driving was smooth. Thanks for the ride! Damn, I wished I can own this car and makes driving to work such a pleasure. But do you know hor, it's going to cost RM398,800 for 523i and RM598,800 for the 535i. *gulped*

By the way, I'm up north in Langkawi again for work. Looking forward to trying new food!

Lafite KL - New Chef, new menu...

Lafite at Shangri-La KL is no stranger to most of us as this is arguably one of the city's best fine-dining place which has been around for many years. Last week, a friend and I didn't know where to go for dinner and then he suggested Lafite and I said why not because apparently Chef Damon Campbell has left and there's a new German chef in town.

Just a little info on Chef Georg Schröppel, he is the Chef de Cuisine at the Ritz Carlton, Guangzhou, one of China’s most prestigious fine dining establishments where his culinary talent was recognised with the presentation of “Best Restaurant in Town Award” by Talk Magazine prior to moving to Lafite. In 2007, he earned the Chef’s Master Craftsmen’s degree in Rothenburg, Germany, prior to which he spent time polishing his fine dining cooking skills in two- and three-star Michelin establishments such as the Residenz Heinz Winkler, Restaurant Waldhotel Sonnora in Germany and the French Laundry in the United States.

Complimentary appetiser of curry meat ball which was pretty interesting!

The new chef has lots of fish dishes in the menu. I had a feeling he aces in the seafood department. There's 2 choices of steak - the Australian Wagyu and the Angus and I chose the latter. In my opinion, an Angus always tasted better than a Wagyu when it comes to steaks. I didn't ask but it seemed that there isn't a degustation menu like my previous visit and I certainly didn't spot anymore foie gras dishes in there.

The Angus beef steak done Medium and at RM150, I think this is worth the money paid. The steak was done beautifully and it was juicy and tender. No excessive chewing needed. I was very happy! The portion was not too big and I get to finish it without feeling stuffed.

I still had room for dessert! No prize for guessing what I ordered. It has to be the Valrhona Chocolate Soufle (RM30) and this is served with marinated pineapple and vanilla bean ice-cream. I had to see if this soufle is better than Max's and to my surprise, this is equally good! The ice cream compliments the chocolate really well. I'm glad I ordered this.

Complimentary Lafite Jigsaw chocolate

Sorry for the pictures as I only had my blackberry with me. It was really a good dinner and I felt so satisfied with the steak and dessert. Probably I'll return the next time to try the fish dishes. Compliments to the new Chef and the assistant!

I have Crocs!

It's not a big deal owning a pair of Crocs but this is really my first pair of Crocs and it's not one but two!!! Although Crocs was introduced to the Malaysian shores a couple of years ago, I did not really join the craze like everyone else who seemed to own at least a pair of Crocband (or Asadi and various imitations). I just don't understand why people would buy a shoe that looks an oversized-Ronald Mcdonald-shoes-with-holes?!! I wouldn't even thought of owning a pair even if you tell me it's Prada. Maybe you can put it this way, I will not spend so much on a pair of slippers and moreover it doesn't match my style.

Crocs at Subang Parade

But my perception towards a quality pair of slippers changed tremendously after my trip to Australia last year. I had to walk a lot in Sydney and there was this time which I couldn't go on anymore with the shoe I was wearing and conveniently enough, there was this Gisele Bundchen Ipanema slippers at the store and I decided to get one. I've never thought I would spend AUD$30 on a pair of slippers! But to my surprise, it was just so comfortable and it's different from the RM10 slippers. From that moment, I realised that the price correlates to the quality!

After that, I was more willing to discover other "expensive" slippers such as Havaianas and also Crocs. The reason why I didn't own any pair of Crocs until recently is that I do not realise that they have other range of more "fashion trendy & acceptable" designs to me rather than its signature Crocband shoes.



I tried a number of pairs and designs. I particularly like their wedges range and at least it doesn't look very "Crocs". There was this pair of Hanalei (Blue and Beige sandal) that I wanted but they do not have my size *disappointed* and so I settled for a black pair which I could wear it for work. Then, I fell in love with the Havana in white too and decided to grab it as well.

My first two pairs of Crocs!

There are still a number of others that is very nice and comfy such as Melbourne and Lydia which I think I'll get it the next time as the finances is not looking very healthy.

Hanalei (RM229) and Havana (RM209)

My cousins are all Crocs users and now finally I got converted. What I liked about these shoes is that no one could tell that these are Crocs because it doesn't look that "rubbery or plasticky". I'll be putting the shoes to a test and see if they are more comfortable than my other more expensive branded wedges and to see if anyone realise that these are from Crocs! There will be lots of walking in Langkawi next week and I'll see if they can stand up to the test! hehe....

What's that smell?

It's been quite a long time since I last wrote a Ponder Wonder post for Friday. Actually I might have ran out of topics to write about because I was very reserved about some of the relationship issues that I face. The fact that I know some of the people who knows me might be reading this makes it really difficult to write what my heart feels.

But anyways, let's not wonder into the affairs of my heart but there's something that lit my light bulb for a ponder wonder post. During my two previous jobs, I've to climb up stairs and since it's only a two-storey building, there are no lifts of course. With the new job, my office is located on the 13th floor, yeah the lucky 13th - hehe. And you know how it goes every morning, you wait to get into a lift, during lunch, you try to squeeze your way into one and when as you were inside packed like a can of sardines, and if you're not very tall, you might smell something unpleasant.

It can be as easy as body odour or just simply bad breath. Have you ever thought how it feels like to be that person with body odour or bad breath? I wonder does this people realise it themselves? From what I know, most of them don't. I don't think one can smell him or herself unless being told that he or she smells, right? Working with a previous company that has a fragrances and cosmetics arm, I'm quite obsessed and conscious about smelling good. And now with my sister marketing perfumes, we've got the whole house stuffed with bottles and bottles of them. The obsession was to smell good at all times!

And being a snob, I choose how I want to smell. I love perfumes because it's one of the greatest invention for everyone. You can now choose what you want to smell like! You can be musky, fruity or even flowery with the right fragrance. Although our body has a natural odour, I cannot deny that sometimes we need some smelling agent to help us combat some of the unwanted odour like sweat and especially you have to attend some functions after work and you can't have a shower.

I think it'll be something that I cannot live without or won't go out without a spray or two. The fastest and easiest way to smell fresh and good is of course the perfume! That is why I have one in my drawer at work, one small vial in my handbag and one cheap one for the car. It might sound a lot of work and hassle but it saves many noses!

That is why I couldn't understand that why those people with bad body odour wouldn't do anything to soften the impact of their killing odour? For guys, I'm sure they can have a deodorant in a car or in their drawer which they can use throughout the day. For bad breath, there's always Listerine and Chewing Gum right. Lucky we have no such bad breath cases in the office because we have free supplies of Wrigleys!

Nice picture huh?

I think the question is, are you aware of how you smell? Would you even tell a friend if he or she happens to smell bad? Would you love someone with a bad body odour?

Sang Thai Seafood Restaurant @ Langkawi

I can't believe that even in a small island like Langkawi, there's actually a nice place to have Thai food. As I was told, there were quite a number of Thai people in Langkawi. Although this place is predominantly Malay but there's an influx of Thai people due to the proximity of the island to the Thai border. Many of the Thai women were married to the locals and therefore don't be surprised that they are able to speak Thai, Hokkien, Mandarin and also Malay!

This Sang Thai Seafood Restaurant that my distributor took me to is just beside the Wonderland Seafood Restaurant whom many would be familiar with. There are not many places to eat in Langkawi but they certainly didn't disappoint either.

This place is not air-conditioned and it's beside a river

I think I find it rather amusing that in a duty free island like this, the first drink I ordered was a coconut and not a beer! The coconut, at RM4.50 each could actually get me a bottle of Hoegaarden here, can you jolly believe it?

Prawns sashimi (RM16/200g)

One of the dishes to try here is the prawns served sashimi style. The raw prawns are peeled and laid on a bed of shredded cabbage and garlic. One is supposed to dip the raw prawns into the bowl of sauce consisting of sesame seeds, chilli, garlic, soya sauce and vinegar which is an alternative to wasabi. I find this very nice and I thought I would get a stomach upset eating this but I didn't!

Steamed fish Thai Style (RM22.50/450g)

The steamed fish was very good too. They also provide an extra bowl of sauce for you to refill when the sauce dries up in the pot because the charcoal keeps the sauce boiling at all times. I liked how they serve the fish and this way, the dish would not get cold easily. The sauce is sweet and sour which whets the appetite for more white rice!

Kerabu (RM12)

The Kerabu consisting of fresh squids, prawns, sea weeds, tomatoes, onions and sweet & sour with spicy sauce makes a very nice appetiser as well. You can actually taste that the ingredients are very fresh because the prawns and squids are succulent.

Stir-fry vegetables with Salted Fish (RM8)

This is a very common dish in Thai cuisine. Usually the ones I get in KL are the ones that you hardly can taste the salted fish but this one is just perfect. You can actually see and taste the salted fish bits. Absolutely delicious.

A dinner for two costs us RM68.50 which I think wasn't too expensive considering we had 3 plates of dishes with fresh seafood. If you ask me, I would definitely come back but it'll be for dinner because the place is quite warm.

Sang Thai Seafood Restaurant
No.204 & 205, Pusat Dagangan Kelana Mas,
Jalan Persiaran Mutiara,
07000 Kuah, Langkawi, Kedah.
Tel: +6012-4762329

Time Out KL Food Awards 2010

The Time Out KL (TOKL) Food Awards 2010 is here again! This is a 100% food award to restaurants nominated and voted by you people. Yes, this is a democratic food award where there's no hanky-panky involved.

Last week, we were invited to the launch of this award at Il Lido, the new Italian dining + Lounge bar in town. Even Lyla, Sales & Marketing Manager of the outlet was there to greet us besides the staff of Mongoose (Thanks to Nazeen for the invites) & TOKL. I saw a few familiar faces - and many more whom I don't really know. Gosh, I feel so left out at these bloggers events as I really do seldom join them.




Anyways, back to the TOKL Food Awards 2010, it's time to fill in the nominations for the 15 categories (am sure you'll find some restaurants to nominate) and you can even leave it blank if you can't think of any until 16th of September 2010. Come back on October 1st to check out the shortlisted restaurants or chefs and then cast your votes!

And the winners would be announced in December. Do send in your nominations and votes as I hate to see a "skewed" result like last year. Therefore, let as many people know as possible so that restaurants that deserved winning would be on the list!

Nominate here NOW!!

Why men shouldn't write advice columns...

As I was having a steamboat dinner with Yiling and Calvin just a while ago, she showed me this from her phone and I was laughing my heart out! Men o men...

I think John wasn't reading this properly. She said "I am a wreck" and not "my car's a wreck"! It was so funny that John can look at her problem at a different light and for any sane woman mortals, we would have understood that the problem was with her husband cheating!



I think men generally aren't good listeners either. Agree?

Uncivilised drivers

One of my other pet peeves beside this is seeing these drivers using the opposite lane illegally just so that they can beat the car queue in a traffic jam. I get very angry when I see these drivers, partly due to them cutting queue dangerously and a possibility of endangering other drivers too if an accident is to happen. This is a usual morning sight for me in front of the Taylors School of Hospitality right beside the Motorola bridge.

I wouldn't say I'm an angel behind the wheels but at least if you have to cut or beat queues, don't do it this way! Do you bloody know that the other lane is for the opposite traffic? What happened if a car takes a fast turn into that lane and had a head on with you? Honestly, I don't think it's even worth doing this just to save that 10-15mins.



I am very evil one. I do hope one day, these drivers do get caught by the police or rather get into a minor accident that their cars were dented and needed a repair! Make it a big repair together with the tow truck bill!

So, to that driver in the orange Proton & black Honda City, you sucked!

Duck stories and more @ Imbi Palace KL

The evening started with a glass of Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve. It has been quite sometime since we last had a bubbly for dinner. This dinner was timely because it's been 6 days I last had pork too! Difficult to find porcine delights in Langkawi and over the weekend, we had some Indonesian food.

Oh, I was dying to tell you about this wonderful non-vintage French champagne. The tiny bubbles and mousse tells a lot about the quality of this fizz. It's pale gold, pear and nectarine nose is really pleasing. The palate was crisp, clean and tangy which is so refreshing. I think it's perfect for a sunny afternoon drink. Just arrived into the country and distributed by Asia Euro, this bottle here is better than any of the non-vintage-expensive-labeled-champagnes that you can get for a lesser price!

That night, we had a bottle of white, which coincidentally happened to be my favourite lot of all - 2008 Villa Maria Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Sauvignon Blanc. Single Vineyard wines are 'terroir' wines, reflecting the unique vineyard sites or exclusive parcels of lands from which they come and therefore they are in very limited quantities. This NZ wine has a really beautiful aroma of ripe gooseberries, citrus and passionfruit. The palate is layered and gently structured. If you do ever come across this bottle, give it a try.

The other wonderful wines we had that night was French wines coming from the left and right bank of the Bordeaux region. On the right bank, we had two wines from Pomerol (Petrus is made here too!) which are Chateau Le Bon Pasteur 2003 and La Gravette Certan 2007 (the 2nd wine of Chateau Certan). And on the left bank, we had the Chateau La Dominique 2005 from St Emilion and also the Chateau Lascombes from Margaux.


The food journey that follows is indeed an abundance. The first appetiser that we had was the Fried toufu (beancurd) cubes with diced meat and eggplants. It was absolutely addictive because the toufu is smooth and soft in the inside and crispy on the outside. Paired with the minced meat abd eggplant, it's a match-made in heaven! Then we had a takeaway order of Fish head curry from the opposite restaurant and served before our eyes in a claypot. The fish was fresh and the curry was just bowl-licking good. But I didn't asked for the name of the shop, sorry. Fried octopus tentacles was also on our table. Sorry Paul, we had to eat your cousin.

We had very interesting friends joining us that night. They were actually the owners behind the successful London Four Seasons Duck and now after their outlet at O Gourmet in BSC, they are opening one more in Jaya Grocer at Jaya33! I must ask for my VIP card cos I loved the Four seasons duck in London! The lady has been our usual dinner companions but the other 2 guys, very young, are the people behind the successful duck. So just as we were talking about ducks, the 8 treasures duck appeared!

From my last visit to the Palace group of restaurants (including Grand Palace in Pavilion), they now seemed to be serving multiple styles of stuffed birds like 8 Treasures Duck, Stuffed duck and also 8 treasures chicken. This stuffed duck is ala braised style with lots of "goodies" packed inside. The sauce was very good to go with rice!

The other dishes we had that night were the Cold Flower Crabs, Braised Oxtail in claypot, Roast chicken, 2 types of green vege which is the spinach and a type of chinese cabbage. The oxtail wasn't impressive but the cold crabs were very good as well as the roast chicken.

I thought the food is going to end but they seemed to keep coming. According to Mr. L, he's got a reputation to keep, which is to "over-order" every time we have dinner!

The soupy dishes we had that night was the pig cartilage soup with corn (which was really creamy and full of flavour) and also the pork noodle with vermicelli and pig intestines! Ooh la la... I remember the first time I had this was here and after that, I was craving for it every other time.

For dessert, we had a choice of Herbal Jelly (Guilin Gao), Mango Pudding, Durian pudding and also the Double-boiled "suit kap" (frog jelly) with Hasma. Wah, I was really stuffed and full to the brim.

And then, we decided to try the Glenmorangie Sherry Wood Finish single malt whisky that I bought in Langkawi as the finale of the dinner. This is a very nice whisky with orange peel, butterscotch, a little smoky and well-rounded on the palate. Priced at RM150 in Langkawi, it's really cheap loh!

Glenmorangie and a MonteCristo

Thanks for a great dinner & company but it's a bummer that the next day I had to wake up at 7am to go to work!