Happy 52nd Independence Day!

Selamat Hari Merdeka to all Malaysians out there!

Even how unhappy I am with the current political scene in the country, I'll keep my mouth shut just for today! (in respect of our country's memories of independence)

Restaurant 88 @ Sunway Mas

Today feels like a Saturday to me as Monday (tomorrow) is a public holiday as we are celebrating Malaysia's 52nd Independence Day! I woke up at 12noon today after a late night of drinking with friends. Having woke up late, I only had a dim sum lunch at Oriental Pavilion Jaya 33 at 2 pm (thus skipped breakfast) invited by Y.

Y was so nice that he chauffeured me around today in his super beautilicious Ferrari 360 Spider. I always wanted to know how it feels to ride in a fast car like a Ferrari and today my dream came true. It was indeed a powerful car with loud engine roars and the speed control of the car was excellent. However, it's not for the weak-hearted.

The Convertible 360 Spider in yellow.

The hood is opened to let the engine cool.

One annoying fact about driving such a sports car is that the bumps on the road is a bummer. It takes forever to try to get over the bumps! And we even whizzed past a traffic police... exciting! After that, he dropped me at KY's house because my car was parked at Jaya 33 and I have asked KY and Horng for a dinner date. We went to Restaurant 88 at Sunway Mas Commercial Centre, which is in Aman Suria for dinner since both KY and Horng have not been there before.

Kerol came to join us. With Horng.

The two gluttons. KY & me...

We had 5 dishes which we asked them not to serve us too big the portion since they were only 4 of us. The dishes were served quite quickly, although not as fast as Paris as commented by Horng. Because according to him, the record time for Paris was 2 mins after order taken.

Steamed (Hong jo) Fish

Salted Egg Fried Squid

Guinness Stout Fried Pork Ribs

Special 88 beancurd with minced pork

Belacan Asparagus

The dishes were all tasty especially the salted egg fried squids and lucky they were not in very big portions. Sorry for the not-so-clear-pictures as they were taken with the Blackberry 8900 Curve. With 5 dishes, 4 glasses of leong cha and a 100 plus, the bill came up to RM70++. I think it's quite a good value "tai chow" outlet. One reminder though, you have to come before 7pm or it will be crowded and full after 7pm.

Restaurant 88 (Corner Shop)
Jalan PJU1/3 C
Petaling Jaya

Getting Married

It's not me. And the diamond ring in the picture - I wished it's mine! So, I was reading a post from Zewt's blog about "Saying No to a Rock" and it intrigues me to wonder about the issue of being proposed, accepting the ring and then regretting.

I wonder how many girls out there would actually decline a marriage proposal coupled with a big rock. Not that a proposal can't do without diamonds but a marriage proposal without a diamond seemed so incomplete according to the social standards set by us, women! The very reason why diamond sells so well and so expensive is because of the demand! If every couple whom is getting married needs at least one rock, imagine the amount of rocks needed for every couple in the entire world! Don't forget that some even own more than 2 rocks at least!

And so, the question is, will you say no to a marriage proposal if the guy is not right or the timing is not right but you are presented with a diamond the size you cannot resist? Many would have fell into temptations either with the rock or the idea of getting married. Sometimes we get too carried away especially at the proposal and if the age is also a concern. For example, the probability of a lady saying yes at 30's is higher than one whom is in the 20's. Well, it's a very subjective matter and one is motivated to say yes from many different factors.

For me, I don't think I will say yes if a) It's not the right man & b) It's not the right timing. But, I will say "yes" to the not-so-right-man when he does the proposal in public. I will do it to save his face but then I will have to break his heart later on and tell him the truth. Sometimes the truth can be ugly but I believe it's better to let him know now then prolong his sufferings. A man has gotta take it like a man.

I will never accept a marriage proposal for the sake of the rock eventhough it's big enough for me to reject my sanity because in the end, it's the man you're living with for the rest of your life and not the rock. So isn't that a big sacrifice to pay for a piece of useless (but expensive) rock on your finger?!! That's not happiness.

Sometimes I do give a lot of thought about the future. And it includes marriage of course! Who wouldn't want to settle down and have a family, but the question is - with who? What makes a man the right man to be married to? Should love conquers all or should we be sensible? Would I be able to make a right judgement about the man and to balance the pros and cons in marrying this particular man? Arrgh... that's a lot to think about and that's why at this moment, I just enjoy whatever I have and tell myself I'll worry about it in 3 more years to come!

Now, that could change if someone comes up to me and proposed with a AUDI TT car keys (car included), house grant and of course a pair of Manolo Blahniks! I will duly consider seriously.

Shelter

Gosh, it does feel good to be doing a part for charity. I'm not exactly a good volunteer for charity i.e. visiting the old folks home, cleaning up the beaches or saving the sharks fins whales but I can certainly do my part by parting with some of my money.

I have almost forgotten that I did donate to Shelter, a voluntary welfare organization for children and teenagers who have been abandoned, neglected, orphaned or abused until they sent me this wonderful letter days ago. Then I remembered that I have donated RM100 through Razim's KL Marathon Charity run. I can't run 42km either but I can certainly part with RM100.

This Shelter is so wonderful because not only they send me an official thank you letter, they also sent a handmade card! It's really very kind and thoughtful of them. The best of all - it's income tax relief too! So isn't it nice to donate money yet be appreciated and income tax deductible too?!! All in one!

In e-heaven.

Warning: Long post ahead.

After almost being missing in action for the whole weekend until Monday, I felt so refreshed and energized for the week ahead. The short break was so good, it's almost like spending a weekend in the skies. And yesterday's dinner calling from Mr.L was the seal of the greatest weekend of all times!

Expensive Heaven..

Mr.L lost a bet with me. The 1st negotiation was 20 bottles of Mouton. And since I did not state the vintage nor the classification of the wine, he took advantage of the situation and offered me the Mouton Cadet (a generic Bordeaux wine from Baron Phillipe de Rothschild) instead of the Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Gracefully, I accepted since I was trying to prove that I can drink cheap wines too! Thus the dinner calling was initially (or so I thought) a Mouton dinner.

Without any expectations, so I went. Was supposed to start off with a foot reflexology nearby Imbi Palace but can't make it on time as I was too tired and was resting at home. We started off with a fantastic yet exotic appetiser.

Beluga Caviar

The Beluga Caviar is the ultimate caviar in terms of price and taste. It is the roe of the Beluga Sturgeon Huso Huso which is currently considered to be endangered. It's the most expensive type of caviar, with present market prices ranging from $7,000 to $10,000 per 1 kg. Beluga is usually handled with a spoon made of mother of pearl, bone, or other non-metallic material, as metal utensils tend to impart an unwelcome metallic taste to the delicate and expensive roe. It should also be served in the container on a plate of ice to keep the caviar cool.

And the Beluga caviar is best paired with a Krug Champagne!

Krug served in a unique Champagne glass.

Perhaps the greatest name in the history of champagne that lives for many years in a bottle is none other than KRUG. And to drink a truly great king of champagnes, Big E brought some wonderful limited edition glasses that she has been keeping for god-knows-how-many-years! On the palate, it has a very creamy bouquet, fine bubblies, a little toasty and has a long and lingering crisp finish. The Krug Grande Cuvee is a real mosaic of flavours with a blend of 40 to 50 wines, 20 to 25 crus and 6 to 10 different years. It's easily above RM600 a bottle. The Dom Perignon pales in comparison.

Mouton Cadet 2004

Before we move on to more great food and even bigger wines, we had to have a taste of this Mouton Cadet, the very reason we are having this dinner. I actually enjoy the nose of this wine better than the palate itself. I find it very light-bodied and easy to drink. And because we are always spoilt on drinking fine wines, everyone dreaded drinking from this bottle. I ended up taking half the bottle home later. I think you can easily find this bottle at the supermarkets and it retails at under RM100.

The Food.

Oh, the food is a little different from what we have been having most of the time in Imbi Palace. This time, Mr.L decides to do without the sharksfin & abalone (due to obvious reasons) and we have a number of light dishes. We started off with some fresh oysters, a bowl of chicken and sharks bones soup which is so flavourful and satisfying. Then we have the boiled beef (chinese style as opposed to the ones I had at La Suisse), steamed fish and also the Kobe beef which is pan seared to medium rare. To finish things off, we all had a bowl of birds nest as dessert.

Mr.L being a man of his words did not give me my 20 bottles of Mouton but rather something even much better to make up that number. He offered us two bottles of the very sought after Burgundy which both of them is in my Wine Dream list and I'm so estatic that I can finally proclaim that I had drank it!

And yesterday night, we had 2 bottles of Burgundy by DRC. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, often abbreviated to DRC, is an estate in Burgundy, France. It is widely considered among the world's greatest wine producers, and DRC bottles are among the world's most expensive.

DRC - Grands Echezeaux 1995

This bottle of the Grands Echexeaux 1995 has a very nice deep red. Robert Parker gave this a 92 points. On the nose, it has a very nice aroma of redcurrants. This wine is very appealing with the plum, and chocolate notes. It's full-bodied, supple-textured and very refined tannins. Definitely at its drinking time now. A quick price check on this bottle indicates nothing less than RM3000. I will suggest that you decant this wine before drinking as it slowly opens up as you drink.

La Tache 2001

Robert Parker gave this a 90-93 points. As reviewed by The Wine Messenger in Issue 13, 2004 (96/100 points). It has strikingly extravagant nose of rose petals, oriental spices, pungent tea and leather notes plus ultra elegant pinot fruit. The powerful, chiseled, pure flavors are remarkably detailed, precise and fine with mind bending complexity yet for all the emotional drama of this wine, it remains understated and almost aloof at the moment. The finish is dense, structured and quite firm though there is nary a hard edge to be found and while this too cannot rival the other worldly 1999, 2001 will one day be thought of as a genuinely excellent vintage for La Tâche. The market price of a bottle of La Tache 2001 today will set you back at least RM10,000.

The expensiveness of food and drinks did not just stop there. The last ultimate digestive for everything good has to be Mr.L's private collection of this 1958 Glenfarclas single malt whisky!

Glenfarclas 1958

There is only 455 bottles around. It's my first time drinking such an old (51 yo) whisky. As you can see, the whisky has a very dark treacle colour. It has a wonderful nose, rich and appetising, malty and licorish. It's a strong whisky for its years, with smooth fresh fruity and floral tastes. Magnificent and the finish is long. I started drinking it neat before adding some ice. The price for this bottle is extravagant too at no less than RM3000.

While I was savouring all these delectable treats, I managed to catch a puff on a Vegas Robaina robusto. It felt like eighth heaven (another e) if there is one!

I don't know exactly how much dinner costs but one thing for sure - I cannot afford this! This is really better that what I've bargained for so thanks Mr.L for all of these! When can we start betting again?

Doesn't the "e" fits into this post very well? Eiling, expensive, and eighth heaven.

The art of smooching...

Arrgh... I've been sick for almost a week now and I'm glad I've fully recovered! The doctor did not suspect that I had the H1N1 Influenza A but I somehow rather felt that I had it. I've been having fever for a few days combined with sore throat, cough and then later a cold. I went to two doctors and both think that I'm down with the normal flu. I have been sleeping most of the time at home trying to take a good rest and my dad forced my sisters to sleep in another room to avoid catching the flu.

Finally, I'm fine... The temperature checks for these few days have been normal and my cold is gone. I've suffered for a week without dinners and alcohol but I was glad at the same time because I've lost some weight due to eating less!

So it's Friday again and I'm going to talk about sex kisses. I've gone for 1 week without kissing you know and it feels kinda terrible not being able to get close to anyone! So now I can empathise with those who are down with the flu and can't get any kisses or hugs from their love ones. Hmm.. how do I start with this kissing topic? This is strictly for ladies. If you're a guy and you're reading this, shame on you!

Ooh lala... that's a sexy sight.

Let's just start with, how do you kiss a guy for the very first time. I'm not talking about your first kiss but the first kiss to a new guy everytime(it can be your fourth or fifth). How do you create the right moment to kiss a guy? Well, you're damn bloody lucky if you have always been kissed first by the opposite sex. So if you always have been the receiver, have you ever wondered how the other partner initiated the kiss? This is kinda intriguing because I've always thought that it's better for a guy to initiate things and as girls, the weaker fairer sex, we should wait and see.

Well, I can tell you it's WRONG. We should not sit and wait but we should initiate the first move if we are interested. This is the 21st century my dear fellow girlfriends and to make things right, we will show the guys what we want and when we want it. We do not sit at home and wait for you to come and smooch us because if we like you, we'll walk straight to you and blow you away with a deep passionate kiss you'll never forget. Pheww....

So, how to create that moment? When do we know when to plant that kiss? Surely I wouldn't want to risk missing his face when I'm about to kiss him. That would sent me into the embarrassment hell. If you're going to buy a 60-page book telling you how and when to kiss, you might as well forgo the chances of kissing a guy first. The right moment to do exactly just that is when you're confident with yourself and that you think that's the right moment. Follow your heart and your instincts. Women always have a better sixth sense, don't we?

I've spent too much time waiting for a guy to come and swept me off my feet and so I thought, why don't I sweep the guy I like off his feet? It just happened that I'm lucky for every guy that I wanted to kiss, they will kiss me back. It'll be kinda embarrassing right if you kissed an unwilling guy huh? I can totally understand that. So to avoid embarrassment 101, I have devised a plan. Don't kiss the guy you like on a first date. Try out this simple step:

1. On the first date, shakes his hand when you meet him. If everything is good, and you feel attracted to him at the end of the date, give him a hug and a light peck on both cheeks and call it a night. This is called testing the waters.

2. If you called him for a second date and he agrees, give him the same peck when you meet him and when you leave. Nothing more than just a peck.

3. And so, if the third date materialized, you can find the right moment to plant your passionate kiss at the end of the date.

It might reduce the feeling of awkwardness and embarrassment if it does fail. For me, if he's the right target, I might even do it on the second date! I have no qualms walking up to a guy and plant kisses on his cheeks but if I were to do a passionate kiss, I better like that guy or no way I'm going to do it. That's call principles. Starting with a hug is always the easiest. Then with your hands, rub his back, move you head back and reach for his lips! There, and you're done! Easy right? So if he kisses back, congratulations and you may continue kissing.

So far, I've successfully pull it off and it works if you put a little effort in getting to know the other partner before you plan to blow him away (literally of course)! If your partner is a shy person, you might have to work harder. But seriously, it feels good when the person you kiss kisses you back. Like I said, it's good to try but don't misuse them. A kiss is not just a kiss.

Have a great weekend peeps. I'm going on a short trip where the 3S (Sea, Sun & Sex Surf) dominates this weekend.

Taking A Break

When I'm sick, I can't think. Thus, I'm taking a short break from posting until I'm in a better mood. Work has been hectic too with the sales conference coming up tomorrow and there I am feeling sick!

The Ming Room @ BSC

I have not been to the Ming Room Restaurant in Bangsar Shopping Complex even though that place has been there for quite sometime. Until recently, The Ming Room has reopened its doors after the renovation and my friends have invited me to dinner there.

The deco and ambience is nothing fancy. Simple and classy. We had some really unique dishes there which is a different experience altogether from my usual chinese food joints.

Clockwise from top left, we had the cheese-baked escargots stuffed in the coral, money bag which consists of fried pork and bun, smoked chicken, and lastly yun nam ham with spinach. All of these, I've never eaten escargots at a chinese restaurant!

Fish with beancurd skin and prawns with yam.


Fried Hokkien Mee

Actually there were a few more dishes that I didn't capture. Since they recommend their Hokkien Mee, we ordered a bowl to try. If I were to compare the Hokkien Mee served at air-conditioned restaurants like these, I would say that the best unrivalled Hokkien Mee is still at Reunion @ Bangsar Village.

Overall, taste wise is nothing spectacular but it still has its own unique dishes to stand above the rest.

The Ming Room
Bangsar Shopping Complex
T109 & 111A, 3rd Floor,
West Wing
Phone No: 03-7956 9288

Restoran Tuck Kee @ Ipoh

This outlet can be a dinner place and a supper place because it serves very good fried noodles. Anything you want be it Hokkien Mee, Lam Mee, Fried Mihun or even Cantonese Fried Noodles. There is also another shop with the name Sun Tuck Kee (which means "New "Tuck Kee) that is two doors away. That outlet also serves good noodles but probably a little too oily. Since I've always been frequenting this shop since young, I continue to do so now.

Since the place is not really big, you might have to come early for dinner or wait for a table. Well, if it's really a hassle to wait, you can always walk to the next door Sun Tuck Kee or Lou Wong Beansprout Chicken Hor Fun down the road.

My must order menu is this:

1. Braised Chicken Feet

I know I don't look like someone that licks and slurps on chicken feet (kai geok) but this has to be an exception here. Although this is no foie gras or some Kunomoto oysters, probably just some chicken running naked in the farm, it's equally good in a different way. The braised chicken feet is so soft and full of flavour. The sauce is so good that I tend to feed myself with a few spoonfuls of it.

2. Octopus

This is the octopus (bat jau yue) that is blanched and serve with oil, soya sauce and garlic. It's good when eaten warm because of the springy texture of the octopus. Must order, must order.

3. Cantonese Fried Hor Fun

In Ipoh, we called this the "Wa Tan Hor" which is eggy smooth rice noodles. You seldom get the good ones in KL simply because their Hor Fun is not as good as those in Ipoh and thus half the battle won. The noodles are fried seperately before adding in the eggy soup filled with lots of vege, prawns and meat. Sometimes this is better than some fake sharks fin soup with lots of starch served at wedding dinners. They should serve this instead! Yummy....

3. Fried Mihun

This is the fried mihun with prawns and meat. Very similar to what we called Singapore Fried mihun. But as you can see, the mihun here is not very dry and it the mihun is a lil thicker. Of course, the big prawns and meat with lots of pork lard is a must! Heheh...

And guess what?!! All of these dishes and two drinks for RM19 only! Am I dreaming or what?!! Someone please slap me. Now I know why I'm so broke in KL.

Jasmin & Me with my kai geok.

Anyways, let me introduce you to one of the prettiest Geoscientists around whom happens to be my dear friend Jasmin whom I've known her since primary school in MGS Ipoh. She's working with Petronas now at Tronoh and I'm glad we are able to meet up last weekend.

Btw, I'm not trying to pimp her as she is already attached to a handsome doctor! Huhuhu...

You can also check out Ipoh Mali Talak Sombong post on this one.

Restoran Tuck Kee
Jalan Yau Tet Shin (same row as Lou Wong Beansprouts Chicken)
30300 New Town, Ipoh.
GPS: 4.594416,101.083326

Finally...

Poor thing...

Finally my car is back after spending a week at the hospital car workshop. During my previous post I did mention that I had 3 choices of fixing the gearbox and finally I've decided to just let my mechanic do whatever he can in the cheapest way possible.

What he did was to replace the parts that are worn out and that too cost RM6900 when I received the bill last Saturday. But it feels good to be driving this baby again. You don't know what torture I went through driving the Waja for the last 1 - 2 weeks. It was the gigantic turning radius and inserting the parking ticket through the window that tortured me. I had to practically take out my seat belt everytime to do it.

My assistant too was laughing at me and she was amazed how I could park so easily with a big car like Ford but can't park the Waja properly. I also cannot explain this phenomenon.

The people at Ford has been most kind to give me a courtesy call especially the PR company and the GM of Aftersales whom offered their help when they know I had problems with the car. Probably I'll pop in one day to test drive the new Ford Escape.

Until then, I need to buy a lottery ticket to pay off the repairs but Mom and dad has been so nice to pay for it. But then again, any lucky numbers?!!

Tai Shu Geok @ Ipoh

Yes, I've been on an eating retreat to Ipoh last weekend starting my journey on a Friday and coming back on a Sunday. So many things to eat and so little time! Jasmin has been very kind to be my official chauffeur on Saturday and it's been months since I last met up with this good friend of mine.

Lunch on Saturday is definitely at Tai Shu Geok @ Pasir Pinji. Actually there are two of these places in Ipoh and to me, both are equally good. Because I have been frequenting this place since Primary school, I'm a bit biased. The other place at Jalan King has been blogged by Ipoh mali Talak Sombong.

This place used to be a shack under the big tree with falling leaves and thus the name "Tai Shu Geok". Now it has turned into a mini coffee shop with a few different food selection. But of course the only reason I'm there is for it's famous fried "liu" which is what they called "yong tau fu" in KL.

"Ma Tai Kang". A cooling water chestnut drink is a must.

"Jau fu pei". Followed by a selection of fried wonders.

These are the fish paste with beancurd skin fried to perfection.

And all these for only less than RM9! Can you believe this?!!

I almost forgot sometimes how cheap it could be eating good food in Ipoh. Although generally the prices have went up but it's still cheap considering the taste and the quality of the food. We had 14 pieces of "liu" and two bowls of noodles for RM9! In KL, I can only get 2 plates of wantan mee with 3 miserable wantons.

Glutton...

My best fried "liu" place in Ipoh.

Tai Shu Geok

1427 Jalan Prince

Kampung Pasir Pinji Baru, 31650 Ipoh, Perak
GPS: 4.57992,101.084955

The Green-Eyed Monster

Did you go green-eyed?

Jealousy aka Green-eyed monster lives in all of us. It's is something that we have to dealt with everyday especially if you're in a relationship. Seldom I find a couple whom is in a relationship has never felt jealous for one moment over something. It could be that hot receptionist or the colleague at his work place or it could be his ex-gf whom is calling him or it could even be a girl he checked out at a club.

Jealousy should not be confused with envy. While the latter can be a positive feeling, jealousy is actually destructive. It's a feeling of fear, insecurity and the anxiety over an anticipated loss of something. So, it could be that you're afraid of loosing your other half to someone else which the basis of the feeling is unfounded! But if you're envy, it's a different story. When you're envious over a person or a material possession, you might work towards the target and hope to be better but not when you're jealous.

Let's face it, jealousy destroys relationship because the very foundation of a relationship is trust. When you are jealous or imagining that your partner is seeing someone else, you felt that he/she has breached that trust and without getting an explanation from the "accused", you kept it to yourself and one day you erupted and you find that the relationship will never be the same again. Many people denied their jealousy by hoping that it will evaporate or disappear but you know it will not, unless you get your answer.

Therefore, it's very important to communicate. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. If you don't want your partner to be jealous, keep an open communication. Talk to your ex/colleague/whoever in front of he/she if it's not a top secret or a national security threat. I know some gfs or bfs actually do check on their partner's mobile or history calls and texts. It's a way of declaring that you are "innocent" when proven guilty or finding out before he/she decides to kiss and tell. But honestly to me, it's a bad idea.

First of all, his/her mobile is her private possession. To respect oneself is to respect the other person as well as their personal belongings. I don't scoop into anyone's mobile and I don't plan to do so unless I'm threatened (as in if I don't check, I'll die kinda feeling). But of course I wish that the day would not befall on me because I want the other person to respect my privacy as well. They say, a couple should not hide anything from each other. I say, it's bollocks. Whoever teach you that is definitely hiding a lot of things. Everyone is entitled to their own secrets and the chinese says "the less you know, the better it is".

And thus it's easy to control jealousy in a monogamy relationship than in a polyamory (which I have written earlier) relationship because too many parties are involved and no one wants to get hurt. If you can't handle jealousy well in a relationship with one person, don't even think of two or the results could be quite severe. Some severe cases might be loosing a prized-possession like your manhood and for ladies, maybe your face (physically).

My advice is, detect that green-eyed monster early whether be it yourself or your partner. You can't kill it or take away insecurities straight away like a panadol acti-fast but you can take proactive measures to control it. The key word - communication. Hope it helps if you happened to be living with one or you're one.

Two things I learnt

The dinner at The Ming Room @ BSC was letabund. We were having an endless conversation on the topic "sperms" from cod sperms (that we ate at the Jap restaurants) and to those of the homosapiens of the darker sex. And of course we wanted to bust some myths related to it. And so, one of my girl friends shared that...

Myth 1: If you take pineapples, your sperm will taste better.

So, can somebody test this out and tell me whether it's true or not? Or better still if you could also try using oranges or lemon. Would it have the same effect?

And the next thing we were talking about were the cigars. As in the real cigars that you could light with a lighter (just in case your mind goes wandering somewhere else).

Myth 2: The cigar tastes better after drinking Coca-cola.

All of us couldn't believe that statement. It's like over my dead body if you tell me to pair cigars with that toilet-washing-agent. But according to my friend, apparently the coke would numb the tastebuds and make the cigars taste better?!! Hmm... And we did order a Coke and try. I didn't have a cigar yesterday probably after perpotation, I didn't feel like having one. My friends say it does taste better after Coke.

Well, that's two interesting statements for you to try out and probably you can tell me of your findings...

Up, up and away.....

No it's not the new film from Pixar Animation Studios. It's my recent trip to Genting for a meeting with the Genting tenancy management. I went up there with my GM and also Interior Designer/contractor to present the drawings for the shop rennovation which would be taking place this month.

I realised it's been quite a number of years since I last went up to Genting in a cable car @ Genting Skyway. If I could still remember, the price of a ticket one way is RM5 and if you're a silver/gold Genting Worldcard member, it's free!

When I was there two weeks ago, the weather was kind. It was kinda foggy up the hill and it's really cooling, ok maybe cold. Going up in a cable car was a breeze. I think it's much better than driving up but then again, if you could only trust your little reliable car and own driving skills in getting yourself uphill safely, by all means drive!

The meeting was done in one to two hours. You'll see a new (famous) chocolate-themed shop at the T2 level of First World Plaza by end of August! And I must say that the drawing looked fantastic at least for now...

Me with my ID/contractor & GM at the back.

After that, we just end our trip up to Genting with a hearty lunch at "Good Friends". I've been to that restaurant for years since I'm in primary school if I could remember and that restaurant is still as good. They serve very good pumpkin tofu and pork tripe soup.

La Suisse @ Plaza Damansara

La Suisse is a little humble Swiss cuisine restaurant operated by a Chinese chef, Mike. He has worked as a chef in Switzerland for many years and have decided to start his own place here at Plaza Damansara, a little further down the road from CIMB. This place has been opened for many many years and it was my second visit to the humble outlet.

The Interior

There's nothing pretentious about this place as it has very minimal furnishing or deco. It's comfortable and cosy but nothing fancy schmancy about it. It might not be your venue for a romantic dinner for two but it's a good place for good food.

We started off with a White Burgundy from Joseph Drouhin Meursault 2006. The wines of Meursault are famous in the entire world that reveres their gilded color, the excessive flavoring of honey, butter of hazelnut and sometimes chamomile. This is my first time having a white burgundy and I do have to agree that it's good. The colour is in luminous gold, intense and it makes a great aperitif.

Raclette Cheese (RM21.50), Spaghetti with Beef Bacon, Beef Steak

Baked vegetables, Fried Mushrooms & Clams

The Raclette Cheese is a type of Swiss melted cheese served with boiled potatoes, onions and gherkins. I must admit that I'm a cheese lover and this dish was good. It was my first time tasting such melted cheese and it goes very well with the bread! The spaghetti was also very good because the beef bacon is crispy and flavourful. The steaks are of no exception as well. I heard he makes very good Angus beef steak.

The best dish of the night was this plate of boiled beef served with potatoes and carrots. It was boiled to perfection and every drop of the beef stock was all licked up. Many would have thought that boiled beef would be tasteless or bland but no, it was very flavorful and the beef is so tender. Not to mention it's very healthy to eat this you know?!! This is not on the menu and in fact many of the dishes we ate was not on the menu too. You need to let Mike know 2 days in advance if you want to eat this boiled beef.

Mike - the owner of La Suisse.

And every dinner had to end with desserts! We had his signature Crepe Cherries with Vanilla Ice cream. It was filled with generous amounts of cherries and cherries sauce. Very nice!

Of course we can't live on 1 bottle of wine a night. We also drank the Pierro Chardonnay 2003. This is from Margaret River and it's Australia's foremost region for Chardonnay. It has very light smoky aroma of grapefruits, melon and some hints of smooth silky vanilla.

For the reds, we had a bottle of Chateau Lascombes 2002 from Margaux and it has a very fruit-driven nose and has nice tannins. Then, we had the Le Bailly de Camensac 2005 from Haut-Medoc followed by Aromes de Pavie 2005 from Saint-Emillion.

Overall, we had an enjoyable night talking and laughing and drinking of course! Oh, did I forget to mention that Mike has a very beautiful daughter?!! *wink*

La Suisse Restaurant

Plaza Damansara
Damansara Heights

Kuala Lumpur
Tel No: 603 - 2094 6587

Stylish Pleasures

My friend sent me a mail to share the following event held by Artisan Cellars from Singapore:

Savour some of the most famous and luxurious wines from Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Mosel valley in KL this month. These wines have come from great tradition and evolved progressively through modern times to become living classics.

Illustrious names such as Giraud, Lafon, Bouzereau, Lynch, Bages, Leroy, Bachelet and Schaefer will bring an incomparable sparkle to the evening, blending artisanality and effortless luxury, and drunk the way it was destined to be: with inspiring cuisine.

The Menu

Date: 13th August 2009, 7pm

Venue: Lafite, Shangri-La Hotel KL

RSVP
Required by
Tel: +65 6838 0373, or email: events@artisan-cellars.com

Here comes the best part of course. After you have marveled at the dishes and wines selection and thinking that you wanted to pick up that phone and call, the price that you will have to pay for this dinner is jeng, jeng, jeng - RM888/pax. Good deal, no? I almost fainted just looking at the price. It's an auspicious number no doubt but I think I will do something else with that kinda money.