Sahaja and Sawah Villa Retreat & Spa @ Bali and Beers!

Bali was my next destination just after 2 days I came back from Langkawi. For the past 1 month, it had been really a hectic travelling schedule from Belgium to Singapore, then home and a day trip to Malacca followed by 4 days in Langkawi. Bali was an impromptu trip for my sisters and mom because my sister has 2 weeks of "holiday" before her new job commences and she decided to be generous and paid for our accommodation.  

But of course a last minute air ticket is not cheap. Air Asia gives a better flight schedule and we each paid RM1000 for the air ticket to Bali which normally could have been much less if we book it earlier. It was mom's first trip by Air Asia and she hates it already. I guess at her age, Air Asia is not a friendly airline for her. I missed their Pak Nasser Nasi Lemak onboard (not that it tastes very good but it's always the dish I will order for my flights on Air Asia) and I counted that they gave me 7 miserable peanuts on my rice dish. If you order it onboard, it's going to cost you RM15... gone are the days when it costs RM10.

Anyways, it's just a 3-hour-flight and I don't have much complaint. Yiling booked us a Villa at Sahaja and Sawah located in the Tabanan area for 5 days 4 nights. She managed to get the villa at a good deal through Groupon and we thought it was a good idea to give it a try. But what we didn't know is that the journey from the airport to the villa took us 2 and a half hours and with the addition of poorly maintained roads towards the villa at the paddy field area, we were bumping on the car seats for half an hour. I really hope that their government would do something about those roads.

After such a bumpy ride, we were relieved that we finally arrived at Sahaja and Sawah which is a boutique retreat that offers a beautiful view of the Tabanan paddy fields. There's an air of tranquillity at the retreat and it's no surprise that this area is used as a shooting location for "Eat, Pray, Love".

The consolation to such a long and bumpy journey would be their helpful and smiling staff. They were very nice in introducing the place and also helping us with our bags and luggages. We were given the end Villa and there are only 4 units of the Indah Villa with 2 bedrooms. It has a very nice view of the paddy fields and a faraway beach (which is not for suitable for swimming). All the Villas are decorated in Balinese style furnitures and lots of wood and timber are used to give it a "resort" ambiance.

Our Villa comes with a private pool (with a 1.5m depth), 2 double bedrooms, 2 open air showers with bathtubs, a kitchen and living area. The refrigerator, gas stove, cookery and cutleries are provided so that you can also cook your own meal at the villa. Most of the days we eat out (or you can also dine at their restaurant) and there were two nights where we stayed in for dinner. Their in-room menu is also commendable and there is free wifi in the villa and also at the lobby.

The Sunset View

Breakfast is provided every morning and there are a few items to choose from. My favourite is their Mie Goreng which tasted like Indomie Goreng and for a few days, I prefer their eggs, bacon and toasts menu. You can also have a glass of fruit juice, tea or coffee to go with the breakfast. The breakfast is carried into our villa by the staff every morning after we have placed an order the night before or the morning itself.

I prefer swimming with my sisters in the morning and afternoon because it can be quite chilly in this area. I found that this place is less warm and sunny compared to the Ubud and Kuta areas. Ziling enjoys sun-tanning while I enjoy swimming a few laps at the private pool.

This is definitely a nice All-Ladies-Holiday including my mom. The Lim sisters and Mommy had fun and lots of shopping. We went out on 2 days by using the transport from the hotel. It costs IDR$800,000 for a 8-hour day out and the hotel driver will take us to anywhere we like. The driver has been really nice and he even helped us to bargain at the markets and he also volunteered to carry our shopping bags. This is really a hotel with great service and staff.

I don't mind to come back again provided that something is done about the bad road conditions. This is a nice retreat away from the tourist areas in Bali and if you like tranquillity and unparalleled views of greenery, this is the place for you. If you like going out and roam around the island, then this is not recommended because going to Ubud takes almost 1 and a half hour too. 

Banjar Kelecung Kaja, 

Desa Tegal Mengkeb  Kecamatan Selemadeg Timur, 

Tabanan, Bali 82164, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 8747489

Website

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When I came back from Bali, I immediately asked my friends to come out for a beer. I have not seen them for a few months as I was in Belgium spending time with my partner and I missed hanging out with them. One couple recently got engaged and planning to get married next year and I wanted to take this night out to congratulate them too. There's always a reason to indulge in a pint!

I chose 42 East at Taman Tun because it's less crowdy and they are my friends' favourite football viewing place. But the best part is that they serve Kilkenny draught at a good price from 11am to 10pm at only RM55 for 3 pints! The service was very good and they allowed us to "park" our drinks too. I think that night, we easily drank 20 pints of Kilkenny.

Of course we have to have some "beer food"!!! The BBQ ribs is quite good which comes with a choice of sauces. I like the crispy bacon and the chicken wings. These are definitely good complimentary dishes to the ale. Just look at the perfectly poured Kilkenny with bacon strips... makes me want to have one too now as I was writing about this beer party with my friends.

All my Kilkenny Beer Kakis...

I miss working with them and some of them has left my previous workplace but we continue to meet up even when we are not working under the same roof. It's the camaraderie that keeps the group together. It's funny how a bunch of co-workers can turn out to be great friends instead of us killing each other in the process of climbing that corporate ladder. And for this very reason, we cheers to that!

Appreciation in a sip...

It's funny to know what goes on in a consumer's mind. Working before as a marketeer and also in sales has allowed me to understand a little better the importance of the value of a brand. Branding has always been a topic that I would love to study and what makes it fun is to learn about brands that has existed for centuries and yet can be so successful today. I have to admit that I am one of those who are loyal to brands I believe in. Check my wardrobe and 90% of them are from Zara. If I want to buy a pair of shoes, the first shop I visited would be Aldo.

It's probably the same when it comes to drinking and eating. I have a certain favourite drink or a favourite restaurant. Although it looks like I am popping champagnes and wines all the time, in fact I am beginning to explore the world of beers. Beers are generally low in alcohol percentage (but some could easily go up to 10%), served cold and it makes a refreshing drink in summer or warm weather like what we have here. There is just thousands of variety of beer out there and I don't think one would ever get bored of trying.

 The pic of me when I first started drinking Kilkenny 2 years ago.

When it comes to ale, Kilkenny would always be on my mind because I enjoy its full-bodied, distinctive taste that with a nitrogenated creaminess and surge. It's an appreciation in a sip. A drink is not just a drink. It means more to me because I take my alcohol seriously and I need to know what I am consuming and thus I did a little research on Kilkenny.

Kilkenny originated from a city called Kilkenny in Ireland. Did you know that Kilkenny is even older than some countries with a history dating back to the 14th century? It was originally brewed by the St Francis Abbey monks in the 14th century and it was only during the reign of Henry VIII that forces the Abbey to close. Then in the 1705, the Smithwick family discovered the wonderful brew and started to commercially produce Kilkenny which is known as "The Cream of Irish Beers".

 

You can find all the information and fun facts you'll need to know from their Kilkenny Facebook page here. The page has really interesting posts of Kilkenny for every occasion and sometimes there are jokes that we never heard of from this part of the world.

With 300 years of brewing legacy, it's no surprise that Kilkenny comes to mind when someone mentions the word " Irish ale". What sets Kilkenny apart is that it is nitrogenated whereas most brews are carbonated. It's difficult to miss a Kilkenny due to its distinctive red hue and a velvety smooth, creamy head. These features are due to it being brewed with a 100% Irish malt which is mildly baked in the brewing process.

 

A sexy date?

One sip of Kilkenny, a premium Irish ale, with three centuries of brewing perfection is all it takes for the discerning few to appreciate the finer things in life. That's the value of a brand that endures the test of time. Drinking ale is more than just quenching the thirst for some. It's an appreciation in a sip. 

  

The tutorial will guide you through the pouring. There are two steps and the perfect pour, first you pour 2/3 of the glass full, then let the ale sit until the foam goes down. The difficult part is the remaining of the pint and it is a short pour where you have to make sure the ale doesn't overflow.

I recently found out that Kilkenny Malaysia has a very fun Facebook page and you can learn about the Irish culture, cuisine and also the pubs and drinks. I learnt how the ale is made and I also enjoyed the jokes about the Irish that they posted on the Facebook. So check it out and you'll be surprised by what you can learn here.

In the land of Beers

Belgium is after all the land of beers. I've never been a beer person and 2 months ago when I stepped into Belgium to spend time with my partner, I've been converted. Maybe not totally converted because I still like my wines, champagnes and whisky. I'm just adding another drink to my list.

I was in Brussels a few days ago and I've never felt more relaxed in exploring a place like this in a long time. Everytime I go on a trip, I was always in a rush to visit as many places as possible. This time, we are just wandering around and looking for a nice place for beers and food. Belgium might be the land of chocolates because there is a chocolate shop almost every 100m you walk in Brussels but it's also a land of beers. The variety of beer that they have is uncountable.

Following a recommendation from the net, the Delirium Cafe which is just a short walk from the historical square is a beer cave with 2004 variety of beer from all over the world but mainly from Belgium.

There are 2 floors to the beer bar. the ground floor serves a variety of beers from the draught and the floor below serves the largest variety of bottle beers. Just looking through the beer menu takes me 10 minutes and deciding which bottle to order takes another few minutes. The menu is thicker than the average magazine with description of the beer and price.

Finally Luc decides to try a bottle of the Liefmans Goudenband and I wanted a Struise Mikkeller but they were sold out. However the beer specialist suggested that I take Elliot Brew which tasted like the one I wanted initially and it's also brewed by the Struise Brouwers. Both the beers tasted really good and the Elliot Brew is a crafted beer that was rated 99 points by Ratebeer.

Address: Impasse de la Fidélité 4, 1000 Brussels

Phone:+32 0)2 514 44 34

Hours:

Saturday hours 10:00 am–4:00 am

I think I am really going to miss Belgium. Not only I will miss my partner but also the good beers at such affordable prices. You have no idea how I wished that we can enjoy the same beers at the same prices in Malaysia. It's such a shame that we, consumers have to bear such high prices due to alcohol import duties.

The variety of beers I've tried during my 2 months stay.

Beers and Geuze that I've tried and like.

The trappist beers that I've tried. Of course not all trappist beers are good. Some are extremely sought after like the Westvleteren (i've written here) and some are just not to my taste (Benno from Austria).

This is one of the Geuze tasting that we had at home with some friends over BBQ and it was fun. We tasted the beer like we would with whisky and this is the best way to find out our favourite geuze.

As I am going to leave to Paris for my flight to Singapore in a few hours, this post is dedicated to all the yummy Belgian beers I've tried. I will never look at beer the same way again. As of now, I am starting to help my partner to collect more beers for cellaring. Cheers!

Grand Cafe de Rooden Hoed & Laurent Perrier Champagne Bar @ Antwerp

We were walking around Antwerp and wondering what we should eat for lunch. Then we came across this restaurant which seemed to be quite popular as many people were sitting at the terrace due to sunny weather. The Grand Cafe de Rooden Hoed can be translated to Red Hat Cafe in English. Located on Oude Koornmarkt, this street is filled with cafe and restaurants.

On such a sunny day, a cooling Duvel Tripel Hop is nice!

Kokkels

I was surprised when I saw these being served as complimentary appetiser. It looks like the "Balitong" that we have in Malaysia. The needles are used to poke the flesh out from the shell. And these are quite addictive because I walloped almost 3 quarter of the it.

Kaaskroketten €12.50

Luc had cheese croquettes served with north sea shrimps and garden cress. The croquettes are piping hot but they are delicious!

Escargots  €14.00

I had the escargots that are baked in herb butter. The funny thing was, I couldn't get one of the flesh out from the shell and I thought I should just tell the waiter about it. He collected my plate and a few seconds later, he came out with one of the escargots and the flesh is half taken out. It was nice for them to do that for me or else I will loose a yummy escargot.

Paling in 't groen  €24.50

Luc ordered an eel dish which is cooked in the "grandmother's" way. It comes with a herb sauce, parsley and potatoes. I liked how the potatoes looked so smooth and nicely peeled. It's not really my dish as I don't fancy eels.

Waterzooi €16.50

I didn't know what to order as the whole menu is in Dutch and they do not have an English menu at the moment. Luc recommended that I should give this dish a try as it is a typical Belgian dish where the meat of guinea fowl is cooked in a poultry broth with fine vegetables and castle potatoes. It's really good and the broth is milky and flavourful.

It was really a nice lunch as we enjoyed the good weather and also the sight of horses with the carriages passing by. These are some of the tourist attraction that you can find in Antwerp. The restaurant is nice with good service but I think the price is rather expensive. This is expected as it is located on a busy tourist street.

Grand Café De Rooden Hoed

Oude Koornmarkt 25

2000 Antwerpen

Tel: +32 (0)3 2890909

website

After lunch, we walked around and eventually ended at Stadsfeestzaal which used to be a ballroom built in the year 1908 and Luc told me that he remembered dancing here when he's young. It was almost completely destroyed in a fire but was renovated in 2004-2007. This is located on a main street called Meir where it's a shopping street.

A must visit at Stadsfeestzaal is the Laurent-Perrier Champagnebar. It's not an ordinary champagne bar because this bar is shaped like a champagne glass and the structure of this bar is amazing. 

At the bar, you'll be sitting 7.5m above ground and it overlooks the whole ballroom. We ordered a champagne each. I had a Rose (€15) and Luc had a Brut Millesime 2002 (€14) which is served with 2 pieces of cookies.

You would think sitting at the top is scary and unstable but it seems to be ok and you can take the opportunity to admire the structure and interior of this building.

A Trip to Westvleteren & In De Verde @ Sint Sixtusabdij

This emblem puts a smile on my face. I knew that I have arrived at the world famous location where you can enjoy a glass of the world's best beer (as rated by Ratebeer). And the only bar where you can enjoy countless amount of Westvleteren beer legally is here at In De Verde because apparently if you managed to secure 2 cases of Westvleteren beer and you resell it, it's considered illegal.

We were surprised that a place like In De Vrede located some 150km away from where we came from is full of people. This place is located at the country side, a place full of farms, horses, cows and donkeys. Roads here are mostly single lane and you'll be lucky if you don't bump into any tractors coming your way. This is also the place where even the Belgians themselves don't understand each other because of the Dutch slang they used. But of course for me, I couldn't tell the difference.

From Left: Westvleteren 12 (10.8%), Westvleteren Blonde (5.8%) & Westvleteren 8 (8%)

The reason why these beers are so highly sought for is due to numerous factors. Firstly the name "Trappist Beer" can only be used if the beer is brewed by Trappist monks in their monastery. There are 6 Trappist Beers from Belgium and these are Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle and Westvleteren. And among these beers could be bought from supermarkets or drink shops except Westvleteren where you can only call their reservation centre on a certain day (usually Tues & Wed from 9am to 12.15noon) and then drive to Sixtusabdij to collect on the following week according to the collection time agreed.

Sounds easy? It's definitely NOT! The monastery only releases a limited number of cases of Westvleteren beers and sometimes it could be the 8, 12 or blonde according to the schedule given on their website. The first time we called, we were lucky to be able to get through and reserve 2 cases (limited to 2 cases per car). You have to give the car registration number to them and to use the same car for collection. The same telephone number used to call and the same car number used to collect the beers cannot call or buy for the next 60days. And we had to drive 300km in total just for these beers!!! Now that's how precious a Westvleteren beer is!!!

This is the abbey and at the side of this building, there is a place for the cars to pick up the beers which has been reserved the week before. They also have a new building in progress where the bottling facility will be located.

The place where the beers are collected. Cars were queuing up to collect and then to make payment. There are some cars coming all the way from Holland and Sweden too. Look at the crates of Westvleteren 8!! I want all of them....

While Luc went to collect the beer, Thomas and me were sitting in the cafe in front of a little shop where they sell Westvleteren glasses, beers, pate and cheeses. According to the staff, there will be some Westvleteren 12 available in half and hour and we were determined to get some. So we waited, and waited and finally after an hour, we saw a pallet of beers in the shop and we rushed to the scene and soon a long queue started to build up (at these moment, I felt "kiasuism" is needed). We were lucky to be the first few and every person is only allowed to buy 6 bottles (EUR20).

Besides drinking Westvleteren beers, one could also have a snack or a meal here at In De Vrede. I ordered a Croque Monsieur "in de Vrede" with ham, cheese and tomatoes (EUR4.80) while Luc had a Boterham met abdijpate (EUR4.50). They are so delicious and especially the pate!! The price is very cheap and the pate is just heavenly.

This is where you can really enjoy countless of Westvleteren beers (prices range from EUR3.70-4.90) even if you don't get to reserve any through the telephone. However, I would really think twice about driving 150km all the way to this place for a beer and to return home empty handed. My favourite is still the Westvleteren 12 as it is fruity and fresh (due to fresh brew dates) and it doesn't feel like a heavy beer at all even at 10.8% alcohol. This beer can be aged well and to some, it's even better after 10-20 years of cellaring. This is indeed the HOLY GRAIL of beers!

And just 5-10 mins drive from Sixtusabdij is the St Bernadius Watou Brewery which makes absolutely stunning beers as well. There's an interesting story between the Westveleteren and St Bernadius and if you're interested, you can check out this site. One can go on a brewery tour at St Bernadius but a pre-booking has to be made and more details here. We didn't leave the brewery empty handed because we bought a few more of their special edition magnum bottles and then some paraphernalia. It was indeed a  fun-filled beer day!

In De Vrede

Donkerstraat 13

8640 Westvleteren

Tel: +32 (0) 570400377

website

The Hill @ Bukit Damansara

Other posts can wait but I can't let this one get away. This is the begining of a bad experience at The Hill. If you have the patience to go through some of the reviews and comments, you can see that there has been lots of complaints about this place. Well, being a curious person, I decided to pay The Hill a visit, at least once.

I made a reservation for 8 people that night knowing that this place would be crowded. We got a table near the bar counter where the kitchen is also situated and you can smell the food from where we sat and I don't really like it. They have 3 menus - Drinks, Cocktails and Food. The Food menu was kind of limited and it's filled 3-4 pages of Japanese cuisine such as sashimi, sushi and some bento sets.



For starters, we ordered a Portobello Mushroom (RM15) which is grilled together with some bacon bits and topped with Mozarella cheese. It's very nice but the mushrooms are really small. I prefer my Portobello mushroom to be in wholes rather than halves.



Then, we had a Green Monster burger (RM28) which has a lamb patty, Chicken Fingers (RM12) that comes with a Honey Mustard sauce for dipping, Soft Shell Crab Salad (RM18), Fettucine Funghi (RM32) with Chicken and Mushrooms, Fried Salted Egg Calamari (RM14) and the Vongole (RM25). I think the Fettucine Funghi was done quite well as you can taste the creaminess of the sauce and the grilled chicken flavours. The rest of the food is quite commendable except for the Soft shell crab salad which I didn't like the dressing.



According to the menu, their best seller is the Watermelon Slush (RM40) which has a concoction of Vodka, Midori, Lychee Liquer and Watermelon. It was stated that 10,000 watermelons were sold so far. Well, I wasn't sure for the record but my friends who ordered it said that it sucks. It was too bitter and they enjoyed eating the watermelon than drinking it. I say, RM40 can buy you many watermelons!

Happy Hour is until 8pm. What kind of happy hour is this? The offer is to Buy 1 pint of beer and get 1/2 pint free for certain beers. I managed to order 1 pint in a nick of time, 1 minute to 8pm. Pheww.... Liquour is very expensive here with Hoegaarden and Stella Artois going for RM32/pint. 1 Carlsberg bucket of 5 beers is at RM83.

The worst thing is that the service sucks here. Most of the workers are foreigners and they sometimes can't understand what you want. For example, I asked them for plates and cutlery and they send 1 plate less and when I want them to change my plates, they left the new plates on our table and don't bother collecting the used ones. We had to bring our beers to the bar counter to get them to open for us instead of them coming to out table. They are not competent and not alert at all. Sigh... and the bosses were not interested in providing the best service to the customers. We saw them wandering around but provide no help at all to the workers. How sad...



In the end, it's the company of good friends saved the day. I would never come back again. This is not only a watering hole but a lousy drinking joint. I won't pay RM1150 for a bottle of NV Krug! I only laughed at those who did, if there's any!

The Hill
(a few doors away from Jarod & Rawlins)

23, Lorong Dungun
Damansara Heights
Kuala Lumpur 50490
Tel: +6016 229-1505

Ziling is Quarter of a Century Old

I still remembered when I passed that mark - the number that indicates that I've lived past a quarter of a century. And yesterday was my sister's turn. She's finally OFFICIALLY 25 and still miserable and single! Miserable because she still have to slave at work past 9pm daily and single because no other man can handle her. If you know her, you'll understand. Lol...

So, it's a date for celebration on Tuesday night! It was very kind of my friends to throw her a birthday dinner, laden with good food, sufficient alcohol to keep all of us happy and high and a backpack full of pressies.



Yes, as you can see that we were having dinner in a big private room that sits 14 comfortably and this is held at Imbi Palace. While waiting for the others to arrive, we started the night with some "champagne of all beers" called "Estrella Damm Inedit". And do you know why this is the king of all beers?

It was created by Spanish Damm brewmasters, heirs to a century-old tradition, and developers of highly appreciated beers, and by Ferran Adrià, Juli Soler and El Bulli’s sommeliers’ team to accompany the festival of flavours of its modern cuisine at El Bulli. It is born from the conviction that a beer that could be paired with the utmost respect to the best cuisine was necessary.

Inedit is a unique coupage of barley malt and wheat, flavored with coriander, orange peel and liquorice. The appearance of the beer is slightly cloudy, like one of those Belgian beers. There's a very fruity and floral aroma with a yeasty sensation and sweet spices reminiscences. On the palate, it's creamy, fresh, soft and delicate carbonated. Long aftertaste and pleasant.

With its delicate, sophisticated bubbles this beer can take acidic, sweet and sour flavours by the hand. The aim is to unify all of them, and for continuity so that one need not have to switch drinks. This beer has a rich and highly adaptable bouquet. In other words, Inedit is different, special and unique.


When everyone has arrived, the starters were served. Of course my favourites are included no less. Of all starters, I really love the century eggs that Imbi Palace serves. The egg centre/yolk remains runny and it's not easy to get the ones with the yellow centres. These eggs are imported from Hong Kong and only the best are served!


The other dishes includes the pork ribs ABC soup with chunky potatoes and 2 different style chicken (roasted and steamed) as well as a half-roasted duck. At this moment, I thought to myself, wow, we had a pretty number of starters already and I wonder what's the main course?!!

And then that moment, a guy walked in with a large chopping board and a knife. Then someone asked if we are going to eat roast pork (siew yoke)? Lol and behold....

Two guys came in carrying the whole roast suckling pig!

Wow... this is really celebrating a birthday in style! In the olden days, the birthday boy/girl gets a drumstick for their birthday and this sister of mine got 1 whole roast suckling pig! Of course everyone was delighted with the porcine delights that was cut right in front of our eyes and served to us on the spot.

It's definitely an awesome plate of siew yoke!

After so much of food, I needed a break. We were having a couple bottles of my favourite white too. It's none other than the Villa Maria Taylor's Pass Sauvignon Blanc from NZ and then moving on to the Bad Boy 2008 from Bordeaux by Jean luc Thunevin which I've wrote about here. With a rating of 91 points by Wine Spectator, this vins de pays turns out to be better than most of the red wines with reputable labels.

The lucky birthday girl!

Besides the beers, the whites, the reds, we also have 2 bottles of champagnes to end the night. The first bottle being a 1996 Dom Perignon bought by one of the friends for my sister as her birthday pressie which she opened and shared with everyone and the other bottle is from the host - the brother of my sister's favourite Cristal. Haha... but the Louis Roederer Brut Premier is really too much to handle after so much alcohol!

If that is not INDULGENCE, then this is definitely one! This Ramon Allones is one of the oldest brand of Cuban cigars dating back to 150 years ago. Although this brand is not as well known as the rest of the Cuban cigars, it's still very popular among the connoisseurs who prefers a rich, full-bodied cigar that is consistent and medium-priced. The RA Specially Selected has been aged in my friend's humidor and is smoking very well. It's a medium to full body cigar with spicy and cocoa notes. Truly satisfying.

This is truly an enjoyable dinner as there were some new friends joining the dinner as well and the best was during the pressies giving time. I think Ziling had fun receiving all the premiums and free gifts from drug companies and also the wonderful miniature Mini Cooper from KFC?!! But of course it includes a prized bottle of a 25-year-old whisky!

The 11 of us drank 13 bottles.
Did we get our maths wrong?