A Romantic Day in Paris

The last trip to Paris has been a really romantic journey. From arrival to departure, Luc really made me feel like a princess. I arrived on Air France to CDG at 6am and had to wait for my luggages for 40minutes (even with SkyPriority) and that is the longest wait I ever had for a holiday trip. That is one part of traveling that I dislike. As I walked out of the arrival hall, there was already a guy waiting for me with my name and he carried my luggage, and then drove me to the hotel in a nice Mercedes. I was relieved that I don't need to queue for a taxi after a long flight! It was really thoughtful of Luc to arrange that.

We stayed at Hotel Du Louvre which is just next to the Louvre because I told him that I would like to visit it. It was a small, nostalgic but cosy hotel with windows that opened to the streets. That morning I arrived, he arranged for a typical Parisien breakfast to be served in the room. The croissants were really crispy and delicious. And in the evening, after we returned from dinner, a surprise awaits me in the room. There were rose petals on the floor and also on the bed, forming a nice heart shape. On the table, there was a bottle of chilled Krug champagne and it was all arranged by my sweetheart. He knows I like Krug and that was so lovely!

Since Luc knows Paris pretty well, he took me to some places that I had not been. First we wanted an afternoon drink and light food and he took me to Harry's New York Bar which is celebrating its hundredth year anniversary. I know that the name doesn't really ring a bell especially it's located in Paris but this bar is no ordinary bar. This place is filled with old and rare whisky goodies. It's also one of the favourite bar for the whisky boys. The selection that they have is amazing with Macallan dating back to the 50's. They do not serve food before 6pm and they also do not have a menu for the whisky. If you want to know what they have, you will just have to walk to the display cabinets and also the bar. Everything from the deco to the bartender is vintaged.... *smiles

In the evening, Luc made a reservation at Le Baudelaire at Le Burgundy Hotel at Rue Duphot which is just 10 minutes walk from the hotel where we are staying. The restaurant serves a gastronomic cuisine with Parisian influences and it received its one Michelin Star since its opening. We took the Tasting Menu which costs € 210 comes with wine pairing and I must say that the wines are pretty good and I am very satisfied with the wines they served. 

The 1st course of Joel's summer vegetable salad with celery salt, aigo boulido and young salad leaves was well executed and I like the creativity of the chef in the ingredients used as well as the food presentation. He plays with a lot of different salt and soury flavours which unfortunately does not make a tick in my palate. I always like more natural tasting food that uses less salt and that night, I found some of the dishes like the turbot and wagyu beef were a little too salty and some too sour. His style is indeed for the adventurous. But I'm glad the amuse bouche, starters and wines were really good.

When in Paris, do what the Parisiens do. I had to shop. Not to satisfy my shopping cravings but more because I really need to buy some autumn/winter clothing. The weather has not been very kind and it does not help when I arrive there with a suitcase full of summer clothes. We went shopping at Galeries Lafayatte and I came out with a nice fashionable black Moncler jacket and an electric blue Karen Millen coat. Then I wanted to stop by Longchamp and we bought a foldable travel bag which is in their new collection and it came in really handy during our trip to Marbella.

 A customary visit to the Louvre.

People say if you really want to visit the whole Louvre, it will take at least a week!

It was indeed my best trip in Paris. Despite our leisure schedule, we also managed to meet some of Luc's friends and seriously, a few days in Paris seemed too short and we didn't even went on a cruise trip on the Seine river. Well, Paris would still be there and we have already planned to return in Dec!

Johor Premium Outlets

The Johor Premium Outlets (JPO) which was opened last year has received quite an amount of attention. I didn't have the opportunity to head south until recently when I needed to drive to Johor Bahru to attend my cousin's wedding dinner. And since it's on the way, I decide to go and have a look together with mom and sis.

I think one of the problems that I encountered was the lacked of road signs that direct me to this place. I made a wrong exit and thus I had to make a big turn to get to the correct one. The directions provided on their website didn't help much either. You know how girls are really bad with directions?!!

But this website gives a better direction. I've copied the direction to take if you're coming from KL. If you want other directions, you can click on that website.


From Kuala Lumpur via Plus North-South Highway:
Exit the interchange to Nusajaya/Pontian/Tanjung Pelepas/Tuas (Exit253) in the direction to Singapore 2nd link.
Take the next exit to Senai Airport/Ulu Tiram (Route E 304). Please be careful not to take the Tanjung Pelepas/Tuas direction. In case you do, then proceed until you reach the Lima Kedai Toll. Do not enter the toll but instead make a U-turn to your right and go until you see the Senai Airport exit. Proceed from there and you will see the Johor Premium Outlets after 600 meters.
Alternatively, you can exit 252 Kulaijaya/Kota Tinggi (this exit comes before the exit 253 described before). Proceed to Kulaijaya from there, and go until you see the IOI Mall/Indahpura interchange. Proceed to Indahpura Jaya on your right and then go straight until you meet the second roundabout. Take the 9 O'clock turn and proceed straight until you see the Johor Premium Outlet. However, this route into Kulaijaya town is often congested and you are advised to take Exit 253 (as described before), which is faster and without traffic congestion.


There wasn't much food choices available. However, there's a food court if you want affordable food because the rest are pretty much expensive. There's a Coffee Bean, Absolute Thai, Taang Shifu, George & Dragon and Kampachi.



As for store listings, you can check out the whole list here. There are a few brands that has all the crowds such as Coach, Burberry and Padini Outlet Store. I've visited the Coach boutique and the discounts are up to 30% of the normal retail price but most of the designs are of the past season and those on the 50% discount racks are bags that I won't buy due to the funky designs. Salvatore Ferragamo didn't give a good discount and so does the other big brands.

The Zegna and Armani outlets do sell some haut couture dresses and also very nice jackets but the price tags are heart-stopping at RM10k and above. Even if they offer a 50% to 70% discount, the clothes are still at a four figure price tag. Those prices are definitely beyond my means.



There are some interesting brands that we don't see often like the Oroton and also Michael Kors. I also visited the Samsonite and Tumi outlets. They do have some really good bargain luggages but I felt that the bags on offer are too few in designs and sometimes you get a better price at the outlets downtown. My sis bought a bag from Pedro at normal price due to new arrival stocks and I checked the price of the same bag at the outlet in 1Utama and to my surprise, even the outlet downtown gives a 15% discount for the same item.

If you're looking for Ralph Lauren Polo T-Shirts, they are priced at RM230-300+ which I think it's not a good deal. I can easily get that at lower prices elsewhere when I travel.

However, if you like good bargains, the Padini Outlet Stores do have very good discounts on clothes, shoes and accessories as well as Cotton On which is located on the 1st floor. I found some good bargains on clothes at Guess too. I was disappointed with Shanghai Tang as their outlet was so small and the offerings were even smaller. It took me 5 minutes to browse through everything in the shop!

I think the most you'll spend about 2-3 hours here including a meal. It didn't give me a full shopping experience as I felt that somehow, something is lacking. There isn't enough shops and the bargains weren't that attractive too. I might have to think twice coming back here again unless they have expanded with more labels and varieties.

Johor Premium Outlets
Jalan Premium Outlets
Indahpura 81000 Kulaijaya, Johor Darul Takzim
Malaysia

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L.Table @ 1 Utama Shopping Centre

Every week, I've been going out for shopping with mom. Two weeks ago, we happened to be in 1Utama to check out the furnitures at British India and after much shopping, our stomachs are growling and it's time to eat.

It's good to see 1Utama has been revamped where the old wing has been renovated and more new shops are emerging. The old wing now should be called the NEW wing! Haha.. now I'm confused. Anyways, I was here at Lavender bakery a month ago and was tempted with their beautiful display of bread and cakes. I bought a few to try and managed to spot the restaurant inside the bakery and I vow to return.



L.Table is the food & beverage section of Lavender where the name simply means "Lavender Table" and not meant to be pronounced in French. What I liked about this place is that the deco is very chic, modern and spacious. It spots an open kitchen where you can see the chefs at work and its menu is western/continental with a few dishes on the local delights.



While waiting for my food to be served, I asked the staff if I got get some bread from the bakery section and then have it at the table and they allowed it. It's nice of them to allow us to do so. I wanted to try the charcoal doughnut which I shared it with mom. It's something special because we don't get to eat "black" breads that often! haha...

The wine bucket attached to the table is really nifty.

Feeling generous, I ordered a whole bottle of Prosecco for both of us instead of just a glass. One glass is at RM25 but the whole bottle is just RM125. Of course I could finish a bottle! I think the waiter was quite shocked when I told him I want to get the whole bottle. He asked "What's the occasion?" I said, "shopping is an ocassion!"



For starters, there's a choice of soups and salads. I ordered their recommended seafood tomato soup with puff pastry (RM18). I love the puff pastry as it was very fluffy. The puff pastry absorbs the tomato soup well and both of these compliment each other. Though there's not much seafood in my soup, it's still acceptable to me. There's nothing extradionary about the taste of the soup but what I liked best is the pairing with the puff pastry.



We really wanted to try the Portobello Mushroom Burger but sadly it's not available that day. I was really disappointed. Mom had the Ham & Cheese Ciabatta (RM18) where it comes with some salad and a bowl of french fries. I felt that the fries were a little to thin. I would have been more satisfied if they used the thick cut fries rather than these McD-sized ones.



I have fond memories of the Lavender outlet in Johor Bahru which serves food when my aunt brought me there for the very first time donkey years ago. At that time, she strongly recommend me to try its chicken rice which was supposed to be one of the best around. This time, I came back and try the Hainanese Chicken Rice (RM18) again to see if it's any good.

To be honest, I was not disappointed. The rice was well cooked and fragrant. You could see the quality of rice here differs from the RM5 chicken rice out there. The chicken is also tender but it's not as good as the ones I had at Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice in Singapore or the ones at Chatterbox in Meritus Mandarin. The sauces is very important and they do serve a good chilli sauce with ginger and also the black soya sauce.



Overall, I'm quite satisfied and the price tag is quite reasonable for once-in-a-while chicken rice cravings. It went pretty well with glass of prosecco. Who would have guessed that prosecco could be paired with chicken rice? Hmm...

I think the prices here are pretty reasonable. They have some really interesting pasta dishes such as the Black truffle tagliatelle (RM35), Pappardelle with duck stroganoff (RM22) and also a Miso black cod (RM40++). They also serve Moet & Chandon if you want something more luxurious and also a few wine labels by glasses and bottles. Price starts from RM22 a glass. The set up is very spacious and you won't feel like you're eaves dropping on others' conversations. A pretty good place to hang out with reasonable prices.

After a hearty meal, it's time to go home.

Shoeville @ BSC KL

Where do you go when you want to look SHOEphisticated? SHOEVILLE of course! This is the new addition in Bangsar Shopping Complex. Yes, we need more shoe boutiques. Afterall, men have their watches, cars and women. So why not let the women indulge in shoes, bags and diamonds?

As you walked in, a big bowl of M&M's, lollipops and candies is ever ready to greet you. I told them that they did a good job in getting those M&M's!!! Pauline said it was meant for the kids while they wait for their mommy to try the shoes... hmmm... how thoughtful.

This shoe boutique is started by Pauline whom one day returned from London to find our market lacking in chick and high quality shoes. Together with her sister Celine (I love Celine bags!), they both decided to bring in multi-brand of Brazilian made shoes. The brands that Shoeville carries are Satryani, Via Uno, Raphaella Booz and Biondini. Satriyani and Biondini are handmade shoes while Via Uno and Raphaella Booz are more like the average everyday shoes.





According to them, these shoes are brought in limited quantities and that's what makes them special. The chances of you running into another person wearing the same pair would be unlikely!

Pauline & Celine, KY & his birthday rose, Me & Haze

They had a closed door event last week for the bloggers. We were introduced to the boutique and also the Brazilian shoe collection. After that, we were served some sweet wine and sandwiches from Subway. KY & Haze were the only ones I know apart from Nuffnangers like Jestina & Pinky.

One of the activities include picking up your favourite shoe and tell the crowd what you liked most about the shoes you've picked. I had no problem with that because I was eyeing this particular pair from the start!

The dual wear pair of heels caught my attention!

Isn't the heels pretty?

So my part of story was, I love this shoe for day and night. As I love my accessories to have a story to tell, I have to apply it to my shoes as well. It'll be a conversation piece. And the best thing is, I can now reduce 2 pairs of shoes from my car a.k.a shoe rack as this can be worn both ways!

And so, I was one of the 3 to walk away with a RM400 voucher. No prize for guessing which pair I bought with the voucher.

My currently most expensive shoe @ RM439

Some of their shoes are lust-worthy because the shoes are quite different from some of the shoe boutique catering for the masses. Why does a woman has to choose between shoes? Just go get all of them la!

Shoeville

Lot S105, 2nd Floor,
Bangsar Shopping Centre,
285 Jalan Maarof,
Bukit Bandar Raya,
59000 KL.
Tel: +603 2093 8003
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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....

The search for Chicken Rice @ Ion Orchard

The search for good Chicken Rice in Singapore has always been an ongoing process for me every time I went down south. This time, I was in the island with Wei Mei where both of us booked an air ticket on Jetstar right after we got our confirmation that our last day with Fidani was on 29th of June. So, 30th was the perfect day for shopping in Singapore in conjunction with its Great Singapore Sales!

Since we were trying to maximise the hours that we had, we stopped by at Food Opera for lunch when we were shopping in Ion Orchard. It's located at Basement 4 where it's under the same management as Food Republic. This place here offers 22 stalls and 4 mini restaurants with tasteful interior design and captivating art pieces. It's a feast for the eyes!

Chicken Rice @ SGD$5.00

There's only a few hawker dishes I would eat in Singapore which makes my meal choices easier and Chicken Rice is definitely one of them! So, no prize for guessing what I ordered in Food Opera. I gotta at least try their chicken rice once right?

I felt that for SGD$5, the portion is a tad too small and there's hardly more than 6pcs of chicken and it's actually a very small portion. The chicken no doubt is smooth, but not as smooth as the one I had at Tian Tian Chicken Rice in Maxwell Foodcourt. I think I will use Tian Tian as the benchmark and see if there's any other chicken rice better than that. I think in any stall in Singapore you go to, you'll get 3 types of sauces - chilli, ginger and thick black soya sauce. The rice also not as fragrant as the one in Chatterbox in Mandarin Orchard. All in all, this is not impressive.

However, chicken rice in Singapore is so commercialised that you can't really find bad chicken rice. I mean, what are the chances?

I'm having Chicken Rice while Wei Mei is having her expensive Roti Canai!

Right after our lunch, we waste no time and continue our shopping expedition. Next up was Muji where you can get a lot of nifty stuffs that you probably do not need but you thought that you do. Well, I didn't spend much over there because the things I wanted to buy are just simply too bulky to bring home.

Wei Mei likes this escalator that spans over 3 floors in height.

Parading in front of LV and we didn't go in!

It's a very enjoyable trip! We shopped like crazy but not to the highest level yet as the next round, we should shop all the way until the shop closes!

Shopping in Singapore

Boy, a retail therapy can be so tiring and my neck and shoulders hurt so bad after a day of carrying bags and bags of shopping. I think I need a massage badly!

It was very fun shopping with Wei Mei in Singapore. I thought I was the shopping queen but it looks like she's far more a Rebecca Bloomwood than me! We took a flight at 8.45am on Jetstar and reached Singapore Changi at 10am. Johnny came to pick us up at the airport and check us into our hotel before dropping us at Suntec City where his office is located.

From there, we were supposed to walk to Esplanade station to take the MRT to Orchard Road for shopping. But do you know that with just a distance similar to walking from Midvalley to The Gardens, we had both our hands full of bags and it takes us 2 hours to walk that distance?!! Haha... that's how bad it is.

I bought 4 pairs of Charles & Keith shoes for less than SGD$130

8 tops and 1 toga dress

The SGD$59 necklace from Mango

Cute earrings from NEU LOOK at SGD$14

Multi-use necklace at SGD$20

I had fun satisfying my craving for shopping and moreover Wei Mei is such a good shopper friend to have because she buys double of what I bought! And if you asked her if that top or shoe is nice, she'll tell you to buy everything. Hmmm...

Let me show you my 7 pairs of shoes...

The only NEW arrival pair without discount


SGD$30

SGD$30

SGD20+

SGD$5


SGD$5


SGD$10

We went there with only a bag each and see how many bags we came back with?!! Even that, this picture if after I have taken out all the individual shopping backs and put them all into 1 big bag! Total damage = SGD$500

I had so much fun shopping in Singapore with Wei Mei. And it's a pity that we have resigned and can't be working together. But we could still shop together as we both enjoy retail therapy as much as we enjoyed chocolates.

Before she left, I folded her a very cute Bearzil from the Celcom Berigamy website here. It was in conjunction of World Cup and I thought it would look very nice on her table beside the many soft toy bears she had. Lucky I didn't place any bets on the previous Japan Vs Uruguay and Spain Vs Portugal match or else I'll loose some of my shopping money. Am now looking forward to watch Argentina Vs Germany! It's gonna be a big match!

So cute hor?!!