Bang!

Why do some people choose to shoot the messenger?
*sigh*
Mr Manager sez: "Respect mah authoratay, you little minion!"....
Now, I am waiting to see whether I get a warning letter for sending out meeting minutes.....
(Yes, that's right: meeting minutes... and this manager made a special phone call to scold me about it)
(I've been told that it was insubordination on my part)

It's a long story....
In fact: It's been a long day/ week/ month/ year so far.
I love my company so much but some days are just really tiring.
:(


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur,

Guilty By Association?

Malaysia Boleh!...... Go, Timmy!

Ok...
I've definately been a bit slow to sign up to Nuffnang...
As much as I wanted to support Mr Timothy Tiah (Malaysian enterpreneur and pirate wannabe extraodinaire), there was a side of me that kept screaming: "NO - don't you dare sign up! You have always said that you will never sell out and start putting ads on your blog!"...

Anyway, after much deliberation, I went over to the Nuffnang website and signed up in 4 easy steps.
:)

*ta-dah!*... C'est moi!
Unfortunately, I chose a bad time to sign up because out of the other 4 blogs highlighted on the list of latest bloggers to join are these 2:
1) Asian Beauty Girls
Description: This blog provided to show our asian beautiful girls. The girls selected by blog owner. For the girls, you are the most beautiful girl in asian country.

2) The S3x Parlor
Description: Prince-X Your Hot Blog! A must visit!

Oh man!
:(
Oh well, luckily the list refreshed itself fairly quickly (because there are so many people signing up now)...

Haha...
Anyway, there are better things to do than to worry about such things, right?


Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Nuffnang, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Pho Goodness

A nice place to have a big bowl of beefy pho goodness...

[ BEGIN EDIT ]
(June 2009)

Oops. Sorry! Forgot to update that Du Viet has moved locations to Damansara Uptown(It's been a while actually *blush*)...

Here are the details of the new outlet:
Du Viet (Damansara Uptown)
41A & 43A Uptown 37
Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7726 8101
(Upstairs, neat the 99 Speedmart/ the row with the HSBC Bank)

Also, you can check this link out for some more updated reviews.

Hugs,
J

[ END EDIT ]


The Lunch
One weekend afternoon, me and P felt like having a nice light lunch and he suggested going to Du Viet... This local restaurant chain has slowly expanded over the years from its original outlet in Damansara Jaya with 2 new outlets in Sunway Pyramid and Bangsar Village.

That afternoon, me and P went to the original outlet in DJ, which is located on the same row as Domino's Pizza in the old Atria shopping center area:
The exterior of Du Viet, Damansara Jaya....
Overall, the decorations at Du Viet are definately not lavish but it feels very down to earth and comfortable (.. a nice place for a casual meal):
The interior of Du Viet....
There seems to be a good variety of dishes on the menu, with many choices of starters, noodle and rice dishes. We chose to start our meal with the mixed rolls:
The Mixed Rolls....
There are basically 3 types of rolls in there: 2 "summer rolls" (one chicken and one beef) and 1 deep fried spring roll, served with a savoury peanut dip and a sweet/sour chili dip.

The rolls were a nice, simple way to start the meal.....
If I had to choose a favourite though it would definately be the Chicken Summer Roll - the "skin" of the roll was light and the chicken was well marinated, with a delicious lemongrass taste.
(All 3 rolls went very well with both the peanut and chili dip)

There are also some interesting drinks there. We tried the Minty Soda and the Fresh Lime Juice:
The Minty Soda and the Fresh Lime Juice....
Ok, so the Fresh Lime Juice really wasn't that special...
(In fact it was too sweet for my taste buds)
... but if you like the taste of fresh mint with a little fizz to it, the Minty Soda is absolutely delicious.

As for the mains, we tried the Vietnamese Pancake and the classic Vietnamese Beef Noodles:
The
Vietnamese Beef Noodles and the Vietnamese Pancake....
They were both yummy!
:)
The pancake was light and fluffy (although an eencey-weencey bit too oily) and went well with the tasty topping of minced chicken, prawns, egg and taugeh.
(There are also a variety of optional toppings like mint leaves and other vegetables on the side that you can add on if you like).

And the beef noodles - MMMMmmmmm.
Although it's stated that it comes with beef balls, beef slices and tripe - I opted not to have the tripe.
(I just don't like animal innards in general - they're too squiggly for me)

The beef soup was wholesome and savoury without being overpowering, and the kuey teow served with it had a nice smooth texture. There were also a generous serving of beef balls and beef slices with it...
(The only downside for me was that the beef slices were just a bit overcooked/ tough but this is still something I wouldn't mind ordering again)

Du Viet is also pretty authentic in the way that they serve the optional additions of taugeh, basil, mint and a slice of lemon on the side - you can add as much as you like of each to the beef noodles.

After all that, we were pretty full so we didn't try any of the desserts.
(Sorry....)

The friendly owner of the restaurant kindly informed us that they would be relocating from Damansara Jaya to Damansara Uptown in about 2 to 3 months time... but had no other confirmed details for now.
(I'll update when I find out more)

So, it's: Pretty good food for the price, good variety, friendly service and down to earth dining ambience BUT hmmm, not many downsides except that sometimes it can be hard to find parking (all 3 outlets).

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

Du Viet Cafe and Restaurant @ SS22, Damansara Jaya, PJ

Taste: 7
Ambience : 7
Service : 7
Price** : RM35++ per person
Parking: OK

** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks

Damansara Jaya outlet
Telephone No.: 03-7728 9262
Opening Hours: 11.30am to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Bangsar Village outlet
Telephone No.: 03-2283 5794
Opening Hours: 11.30am till late

Sunway Pyramid outlet
Telephone No.: 03-7492 0018
Opening Hours: 11.30am till late

NO PORK SERVED

OTHER REVIEWS:
- After Giovanni
- Precopis Pea
- Pillow Talk with Bangsar-bAbE


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Du Viet, Vietnamese, Beef Pho, Damansara Jaya, SS 22, DJ, Petaling Jaya

I Need A Break

If only I could go away right now and have a holiday (and time & budget were not constraints):
1) Exotic Beach Holiday in Mauritius
I am so pale from all the hours spent in the office.
(I'm usually in office just after the sun rises and I leave for home well after the sun sets so how not to be totally pallid?)
:(
I miss having a nice healthy tan - and what better way to get one then by (putting on a little sunscreen) and lying on a towel on top of a beautiful white sandy beach, surrounded by clear blue waters (and a margarita in hand).

2) Holiday of Gluttony in Hong Kong:
Yummy yummy dim sum.
Delicious rice and noodle dishes.
Mmmmmm.... *drool*
I had a lot of fun eating (and shopping) the last time I went to HK and I'd really like to go back again some time soon. It's an unfortunate side effect that I gained about 5 pounds the last time I was there, but it was worth it!

3) Cultural Extravaganza in France:
I have been to Paris once before when I much younger.... but it was with my parents in a typical tour group sort of experience so I didn't get to really see very much at all.
Anyway, I've promised myself that before I die, I've got to see with my own eyes what's so great about the Mona Lisa and all those other things at the Louvre.


If all else fails, a day of slothful relaxation in my own comfy bed will do.
:)

Anyway, sorry for lack of updates on restaurants and food.... I've been super busy at work.

Till then.......


Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

It's All About Balance

HOORAY..!:
1) It's Wednesday!
2) I had an important presentation at work today and I didn't mess up!
(Ok - except for one tiny typo)

BOO....!:
1) P suddenly cancelled dinner date.
2) I am so broke after impact of Mother's birthday (Nov), Christmas (Dec), Father's birthday (Jan), Italy holiday & Valentine's Day (Feb), Mother's Day & P's birthday (May).
(And Father's Day is coming up soon!)

Well, one has to cherish the small joys in life and just try to look at everything in a positive manner, right?
Like for example:
1) Since P cancelled dinner then I have more time to rest tonight.
2) Since I am so broke:
a) I have to cut down on expenses like food so I will lose weight.
b) I cannot afford to buy a house this year and rent it out as extra income/investment like I planned to, so no extra taxes for me this year.

So, it's all good then.
:)
Haha...


Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Weekend Recap

Good morning!
:)
I had a very gluttonous weekend, with the usual Saturday night dinner (we went to Alexis this week) and a special once a year pig out session on Sunday to celebrate Mother's Day.

This year, my mum wanted to go for Japanese buffet so we chose to go to Kampachi at the Equitorial Hotel, KL. Overall, I didn't really enjoy myself too much.... Don't get me wrong - the food was pretty good for a buffet (both variety and taste-wise) but it was a total warzone!

There were HORDES of people.
And not just normal people, but hordes of typical thick skinned kiasu Chinese ah bengs and ah lians who had no qualms in emptying out the entire content of the buffet tray onto their plates.
(Some of those stacks were amazing! Totally gravity defying!)

The ones who weren't as skillful in stacking even had the audacity to fill up their plates, hand it to their equally thick skinned family member/ friend who happened to be passing by and help themselves to more food.

*sigh*
Oh well....
At least my mum enjoyed herself.
(We made sure she didn't have to go out to battle for food - me, P and my dad went to get the food and served her the whole time there)
She also really liked the present I gave her...
(Unfortunately it cost about 1/5 of my monthly wages but hey, it's worth it for my mummy dearest.... )
:)

BTW, here's a useful tip when dining at Alexis Ampang: Never arrive late for dinner.
Why?
Well, they have a few very strict rules:
1) Only people who are going to have dinner can book tables.
2) They will release your table if you don't come within 15 minutes of your booking
3) Any members of your table who arrive at 9.01 pm onwards will be charged RM25 cover charge, even if they only came there to eat and have no interest whatsoever in watching the live band/ international singer that starts at 10.30pm.

So, there - keep all that in mind if you don't want to end up paying cover charge just to eat dinner at Alexis.

I think that's all for now...

Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

To The Max!

One of the latest additions to gastronomic landscape of the Tengkat Tong Shin area....

Hmmmm,.... I seem to be going to the Tengkat Tong Shin/ Bukit Ceylon area quite a lot for dinner these days - I hope that you all are not bored already!
:)

This time, we tried out a fairly new restaurant which has opened up (somewhere opposite Frangipani) called Max! Kitchen and Wine....

The Dinner

This fusion restaurant is split into 2 levels in a cosy shophouse in the main Tengkat Tong Shin area:
Restaurant interior....
I liked the simple and modern finishings there...
Although the restaurant area is actually pretty small inside, they have taken care not to have the tables too close to each other so it doesn't feel cramped at all.
(There are also a few tables outside for open air dining)

Maybe I'm easily amused but I liked the small touches there like the unusual plates that they used. Sneexe liked them very much too - here she is showing her plate off:

So cute....! :)
The menu at Max! is actually fairly limited but everything sounds really delicious. After some deliberation, we chose the Mushroom Salad and the Seared Tuna to start off our dinner:
The Seared Tuna and the Mushroom Salad....
I liked the Salad as the Mushrooms were nice: they were lightly grilled and bursting with flavour - paired well with the fresh greens and simple dressing.
(P complained that it's not really worth the price - approx. 20 bucks - but hey, Porcini mushrooms are expensive lah)

The Seared Tuna was also nice: The thick tuna slices were very fresh and had been seared ever so lightly - leaving it tender and juicy and was served with a nice sauce which had a sour tang to it.
(I usually hate the taste and texture of raw fish/ sashimi but somehow this was ok)

As for the mains, we tried the Braised Wagyu Beef, the Cod with Orange Sauce and the Lamb Cutlets:

Clockwise from top: The Lamb, the Fish and the Beef....
Overall, all the mains were nice.
(The prices are not cheap but the serving sizes are ok)

The Cod was interesting - the creamy sauce had a hint of orange flavour that went well with the succulent fish.

The Lamb Cutlets were tender and tasty - lamb lovers should definately not miss out on trying this! P (who's a lamb addict) really liked this dish and I could only manage to coerce him to let me have 2 bites.
:(

As for the dish I had - the Wagyu beef - it was good but not great.
I think I was expecting too much because all this time I have heard stories on how Wagyu is the most (expensive and) tender beef in the world - so tender that it will just melt in your mouth. Still, it was pretty tender (although it did not "melt in my mouth") and I wouldn't mind ordering it again if I have RM60++ to spare.

We were there to celebrate Al's birthday that night so I didn't try any of the desserts.
(Sorry - had to leave some room in my tummy for the birthday cake)
:)

So, it's: Tasty food, good serving size for the price, attentive and friendly waiters, cosy dining area BUT small selection of food and wine.

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

Max! Kitchen and Wines @ Tengkat Tong Shin, KL

Taste: 7
Ambience : 7
Service : 7
Price** : RM70++ per person
Parking: Difficult

** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks
Telephone No.: 03-2141 8115
Opening Hours: Mondays to Fridays: 11am to 3pm, 6pm till late, Sat to Sun: 6pm till late

NO PORK SERVED

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Max!, Italian, Bukit Ceylon, Tengkat Tong Shin, Max! Kitchens and Wines

Mini Food Update

I accidentally discovered a good deal at the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur....
(It's such a nice surprise when your bill comes back with a discount that you didn't know about at first)

Anyway:
As a pre-renovation special, Villa Danieli is offering a 30% discount off food and drinks when you use your Citibank Visa card!
(Only until the end of May 2007)

So, now you can go and try out the yummy Italian food there for a cheaper price!
:)
*yay*

Ok.
I need to do work now.
(And btw, I am not receiving any payment for posting this up - I just thought it's a pretty good discount... unless you have the Starwood Hotels membership card, that is - you can get up to 50% discount with that so it's even better)

Note: Villa seems to be very popular nowadays so please make a booking or risk disappointment when you try to just walk in and get a table.


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Will The Real Mothers' Day Please Stand Up

Pening lah!
So many sources with differing information:

My company newsletter tells me that Mother's Day in Malaysia is on the 19th of May...

However, this website says that it's on the 13th of May instead....

... and lastly, this website begs to differ, stating that it is on the 10th of May....

So when is it really?
*confused*


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

I'm Shrinking

It's weird.
After I last updated my blog, all the fonts on the main page and side bar have shrunk (except the latest post).
:(

Just can't figure it out...
I've tried adjusting the font size in the Template function but no matter what I do, the fonts on the latest post are a bit bigger than the rest.
*sigh*

Does anyone have any clue what's gone wrong?

Anyway, the 2 days of public holiday (Labour Day and Wesak Day) just flew by.
I actually didn't do too much though, but it was very relaxing to sleep in a little more than usual and just hang out with P.
:)

I do hope that the rest of you had a good break too.


Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Nero Vivo

A little Italian place in the Bukit Ceylon area...

The Dinner
This little Italian restaurant is tucked away in a cosy one storey bungalow just before the main Tengkat Tong Shin area (next to another restaurant called Bijan):
Restaurant exterior....
That night, we dined in the open air area:
The open air dining area....
The open air area is nice and airy, with a simple but sophisticated ambience.
I prefer this greatly to the indoor dining which is very well decorated but has horrible acoustics - there are so many hard surfaces around that it becomes very noisy with everyone's voices trapped inside the room.

Looking at the menu, I thought the starters were pretty pricey at first (they're all around 30 bucks) but the serving sizes are pretty big so I don't think anyone will feel cheated (although they are not cheap):
The Vitello Tonnato and the Salmon Carpaccio....
That night, we had the Vitello tonnato (RM28++) and the Salmon carpaccio (RM28++).

The Vitello tonnato was pretty rich - thinly sliced veal in a creamy tuna sauce with capers. I know it sounds like a weird combination but it actually tasted pretty good, although it was just a tad too salty for my taste.

The Salmon carpaccio on the other hand was light, tangy and refreshing. It comes in a chive vinaigrette with capers, olive, cherry tomato and zucchini. There's a really generous amount of salmon slices but Pat and P both agreed that although it's very fresh, it was probably farm salmon because it didn't taste as flavorful as wild salmon.

For the mains, we tried the Penne carbonara (RM28++), Roast lamb shank (RM44++) and the Pizza Capricciosa (RM24++):

Clockwise from top: The Penne, the Pizza and the Lamb Shank....
The Penne was ok - served with creamy and fragrant carbonara sauce and a few bits of beef bacon and mushrooms.
(Soo Jin complained that it wasn't a big enough serving but then again, he's a big guy)

The Pizza was nice - I liked the crispy thin crust and tart artichoke slices.
(Hmmmm,... the garnishings - mushrooms, beef bacon and artichokes - were not as generous as I would have liked though)

The Lamb Shank on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment.
It was pretty tasty but definately not tender enough - specifically, it tasted like meat that was taken out of the freezer, not thawed out quite enough and thrown into the oven to cook.
(Oh, and I just couldn't figure out what sort of vegetables were served with it - it was nice but tasted like Chinese preserved vegetables)

They have many other interesting looking dishes on the menu like the Stewed Rabbit which I hope to try the next time I go there.

As for dessert, we had the Homemade Gelati (RM7++/ RM12++), Chocolate Flan (RM18++) and Creme Brulee (RM14++):

Clockwise from top: The Chocolate Flan, Creme Brulee and Gelati....
The Creme Brulee was nice. There was nothing wrong about it particularly - a crisp thin layer of caremelized sugar with tasty and smooth creme underneath - but it just wasn't earth-shatteringly great.

Also, after tasting the real deal in Italy, gelati in Malaysia just doesn't taste nice in comparison.... It's just never creamy or flavourful enough somehow. Still, the one at NeroVivo is not bad. There are about 6 or 7 flavours you can choose from.
(The one I tried was the Bacio aka Hazelnut flavour)

My favourite of the 3 is definately the Chocolate Flan.
*drool*
Served hot, it's spongey but moist with a mouthwatering chocolate sauce in the middle.
(Bliss!)
(Do share though - it is too sinful and heavy to eat alone, I think)

So, it's: Ok food for the price, wide range of food and wine and nice open air dining area (outside) BUT noisy dining area (inside) and service drops drastically during peak hours (eg. getting a water refill became harder and harder as the night advanced).

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

Nero Vivo @ Bukit Ceylon, KL
(Near the main Tengkat Tong Shin area)

Taste: 6.5
Ambience : 7
Service : 6
Price** : RM70++ per person
Parking: Painful (unless you jockey or park in the neighbouring parking lot)

** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks
Telephone No.: 03-2070 3120
Opening Hours: 12noon - late

NO PORK SERVED

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, KL, Kuala Lumpur, NeroVivo, Italian, Bukit Ceylon, Tengkat Tong Shin, Jalan Ceylon

Killing Time

Lalalala....

Just fresh from the weekend and less than 24 hours more till the public holiday.
And I totally don't feel like working today!
(Isn't that terrible?)

I am such a naughty minion.
Muahaha.
:)

Anyway, the weekend was good:
- I went to the gym,
(Yay for me!) (Only once though - Boo....)
- Had a nice dinner at NeroVivo on Saturday night with P and some friends,
(Will post up review as soon as I can)
- Went to view a condo on Sunday,
(*sigh* Had my hopes pretty high but the place was in pretty bad shape)
- Lazed around and watched DVDs on Sunday
(Miss Potter rocks! If you like whimsical love stories with very good acting, that is)

Hope you all had a great weekend too.
(I'm sure many of you are on leave today anyway)
:)


Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Beautiful Like The Moon

F**k you!
... and YOU and YOU.
*growl*

Yes.
This chocoholic is having a bad day.
... so much so that she's resorting to some very unladylike language.

I was hoping that it would be a nice relaxing day (relatively) so that I can catch up on the things I've been meaning to do instead of just following up on the endless barrage of "urgent" emails that keep flowing in on a day by day basis.... Unfortunately, today is actually worse than others because there is a larger barrage of "urgent" and even some "super urgent" requests due to people trying to rush things out before they go on leave next week.
*sigh*
That, and my company's IT people seem to be getting on my nerves even more than usual.

The worst thing is: all the stress seems to have banded together and recreated itself as a stress pimple growing on my cheek.
*sniffle*
:(

Stressed Out + Pimply = Very Bad Combination, don't you think?


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Fatty

It's scary.
I was going through an old photo album over the weekend.... just flipping through and thinking back fondly on times that have passed when it suddenly dawned on me:
OH MY GOD.
I USED TO BE SO SKINNY!
:(

My self image has always been a bit skewed I suppose, thanks in no small amount to:
1) a bunch of high school friends who called me "fatty" for fun even though I was thin, and
2) my father who also called me "fatty" since I was young to motivate me to keep thin (I know he means well but I really question how healthy that approach is).

Now, years later and roughly 15 pounds heavier, I have gone right past the "slightly overweight" category, reached the "plump" category and am slowly inching (ha ha - how punny) towards the "fat" category.

Strangely, I am pretty comfortable in my own skin now - I really don't care so much that I am not longer that skinny.... but I suppose it would be healthier for me to put a little bit more effort into losing some weight.
(I've more or less fallen off my "go to the gym" resolution for 2007)

So, see you at the gym!
(I'll be the one who almost faints after 15 minutes on the treadmill)
:)


Cheers,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

The Tale Of The Strange Links...

Haven't done this for a while but what the heck:
Was going through my Statcounter visitor links (Yeah... I like to keep an eye on how ppl end up visiting my blog once in a while) and came across a few weird word hits:

1) The Damn Pub Lamb Shank
Erm, ok.... I'm no. 15.
(Ok lah - it's sorta food related so it's not SUCH a shocker)

2) kluang hotel address pr0stitute girls
Shit.
Now, I'm no. 6!
o_O

3) making love to indian aunties
Wah.
I'm no. 57.
There's someone out there with VERY specific preferences....

4) wifes toyboy
Ai yai yai....
WTF?
I'm no. 13??.

Man.
I suppose it's not such a HUGE surprise considering how you can find pretty much everything on the Internet nowadays.... Besides, after reading about sexy table top dancers in a Malaysian hawker centre, I really believe that anything's possible.
(Malaysia Boleh, btw... *lol*)


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Mediterraneo Cafe

A lovely cafe in the Tauranga area on the East Coast of the New Zealand North Island....

I was sorting through my computer and I came across these photos from my New Zealand holiday many moons ago. It's little late but well, better late than never, right? Anyway, this is a nice restaurant (albeit a little expensive due to the NZD to MYR exchange rate) so it's worth checking out if you are in the area.

Mediterraneo Cafe is a simple and cosy little cafe, located in the main Tauranga area, just a few doors away from the Hotel on Devonport:
The restaurant....
Open from about 7am to 4pm, there is a wide array of tantalising food (quiches, pies, crepes, cakes, etc) displayed in the glass case near the main counter:
Plenty to choose from....
After much deliberation, me and P settled on the simple but delicious mushroom, cheese and ham crepe. The friendly waitress then grilled it and served it to us quickly (Well, it was more or less ready made already so the preparation time is cut short):
Voila! The crepe we chose....
YUM!
It was light and cheesy and tasty, with generous amounts of ham and mushroom inside.
(Mmmm, I wish I could eat it again...)
(Ooh, btw, I highly doubt that this place is Halal)

To accompany our lovely breakfast, we had a couple of freshly made coffees:
Our coffees....
The cappucinno and cafe latte that we had were both lovely - smooth and fragrant.
(I thought that the little chocolate piece they served on the side was pretty crap though - to my dismay, I found out that it was actually Made In Malaysia chocolate!)

Like I said before, it's not cheap (the food ranges from NZD$7 to NZD$20) but it tastes great!
:)
Besides, enjoying the local food is part of the whole holiday experience, right?
(Hope you enjoyed that very quick food post)

So, it's: Simple and cosy cafe which has a variety of great light breakfast and lunch food on the main street in Tauranga BUT NZD to RM forex hurts soooo bad! *ouch*

Summary Information:
Mediterraneo Cafe @ Tauranga

Opening Hours: 7am till 4pm.
Phone: +64 7 577 0487
Address: 62 Devonport Road, Tauranga, Bay Of Plenty (A few doors down from the Hotel on Devonport)

NOT HALAL

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, Tauranga, Bay Of Plenty, Mediterrane, Cafe, New Zealand

Bloody Flu

Can't bweathe.
*sniffle-snort*

It seems that there is a minor epidemic in my office.
*sigh*
2 of my colleagues feel sick very suddenly yesterday and this morning, I woke up with a really heavy head and just couldn't stop sneezing.

Being the trooper that I am, I decided that I just cannot miss out on the meetings I set for the morning/ other urgent work so I forced myself out of bed and trudged to my office.
(I figured, with all my in-depth medical knowledge, that it was probably just a really bad case of the morning sniffles)

A little later, I was feeling a tad feverish and my nose alternated between being totally blocked and leaking in a very embarassing manner....
(Shy lerr...... It's really not very attractive to walk around all bleary eyed and red nosed with a damp tissue in hand)
:(

Anyway, after:
1) half a day in the office snorting and sneezing,
2) my very nice manager saying "Go see the doctor and then go HOME - if not you will INFECT us all.. You already work very hard everyday so go rest today lah, ok?"
(Which I appreciate greatly as opposed to the "What? Sick again?" line and glare that I've gotten from managers of years gone by)
3) a trip to a doctor
4) a quick drive home, and
5) a good dose of hibernation,
.... I feel a lot better.
:)

Great!
Just in time to go back to the office tomorrow and catch up on an extra half a day's work!
YAaaay.....
*half hearted cheer*

Hmmm, I do hope that I haven't infected anyone else in the few hours I was at work though - everyone's so busy that falling sick is something no one has time for (including me, actually *sigh*)...

Well, if I have inadvertedly infected anyone, I suppose I'll find out tomorrow when a bleary eyed, snotty person attempts to strangle me in the office....


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Voices In My Head

My darling bf thinks my taste in songs is pretty questionable....
Too "drama" and eclectic, apparently...
*sigh*

Oh well.
I do seem to like a strange array of songs and always seem to go through the same cycle of getting addicted to a song and listening to it over and over again....

The latest ones on the list are:
1) Not Ready To Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks
I've never been one for country/ western type music but this song by the Dixie Chicks is melodic and powerful...

2) Grace Kelly by Mika
Mika is SO campy!
:)
... but there's something just so cutely 80's and addictively joyous about this song.


On another note, I am having a pretty bad bout of Tuesday blues.
The bloody weekend is just so far away....
*pout*
... and there is a growing number of people being added to my List of People I Would Have Eliminated If I Could Get Away With It.
*growl*

I don't think that I am a particularly impatient and unforgiving person but some people just seem to get on my nerves like a cheese grater.
Anyway, I do hope that I won't resort to homicide anytime this week.
:)

Hope you all have a great week ahead too.


Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Holy Cow

A new restaurant in the Kelana Jaya area opened by Donald Trump's ex-chef...

Here's the story:
Gary May, Celestial Steakhouse International’s owner and master chef, was Donald Trump’s personal chef from 1984 to 1986....
Although starting off his life with 3 years in prison under his belt when he was young, he turned his life around and became a successful chef in America. Eventually, he married a Malaysian woman, moved to KL and opened a restaurant in Kelana Jaya. Interestingly, the restaurant apparently hires ex-criminals and drug addicts to give them a second chance in life.

After reading such an impressive story in the Star Newspaper, of course my expectations were extremely high when I visited the restaurant (that Nick had pointed out). Unfortunately, my experience that night did not match up to what I expected...
:(

The Dinner
The interior of the restaurant is very simple and no fuss... Wooden tables and chairs with plastic-y blue and white tablecloths:
Restaurant interior....
It's definately not a fine dining sort of setting but it's still reasonably comfortable.... although I swear that there must have been a few greedy mosquitoes in there having dinner with us.
(I noticed that I had 3 bites on my legs when I got home)

Anyway, we started off our dinner with the Stuffed Mushrooms:
The Stuffed Mushrooms....
It turned out to be a simple and nice appetizer - the fresh button mushrooms were succulent and the stuffing of crab meat and breadcumbs was fresh, with a nice sour taste to it.

There was a free serving of either the soup of the day or a small garden salad when you order a main meal there:
The soup and the salad....
The soup was ok I suppose - clear, not too oily and tasty.... but the salad was really nothing special.

That night, Nick also ordered the Mushroom Soup on the side:
The Mushroom Soup....
Overall, it was ok - creamy and tasty.
(Also nothing special though)

It was actually with the mains that we were totally disappointed. That night we tried the Lamb Shank, Lasagna and the Steak:

Clockwise from top: The Lamb Shank, Lasagna and Steak....
The Lasagna was the biggest disappointment.
It was described as an award winning recipe that is a hit with everyone who has ever eaten it.... but it turned out to be pretty tasteless, not very cheesy and just a tad starchy.

I don't have much to say about the steak actually....
It's not that anything was particularly wrong with it. In fact, it was pretty tender.... but overall, it just wasn't that great.
(I honestly can't imagine Donald Trump eating it)

The Lamb Shank was also a disappointment: dry, stringy and mostly tasteless (for about RM26++!). I had to douse it with Tabasco sauce to make it more enjoyable. The highlight of this meal was actually the deep fried potatoes that I chose to accompany the lamb.
(You can choose between a serving of mash potatoes, baked potatoes, wedges or these deep fried potato things for most of the mains)

Oh man!
They were so so good!!: crispy and fragrant, perfect in every way....
(Except that they probably contain a tonne of calories per serving)

I don't know if I was just expecting too much from Celestial.... but I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon....
(Sorry, Mr Gary "I Used To Cook For Donald Trump" May!)

So, it's: Simple ambience, wide range of food and drinks, attentive and friendly waiters BUT strangely, the food just isn't that great for a place supposedly run by Donald Trump's ex-chef.

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

Celestial Steakhouse International @ Kelana Jaya
(Near the old Giant in Kelana Jaya supermarket/ in the area behind the new Giant Hypermarket)

Taste: 4
Ambience : 5
Service : 7
Price** : RM40++ per person
Parking: OK

** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks
Telephone No.: 03-7880 6498
Opening Hours: 11am - late (Closed on Tuesdays)

NO PORK SERVED

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Celestial Steakhouse International, Steak, Dataran Glomac, Donald Trump, CSI, KJ, Kelana Jaya

Where's The Food? (Edited)

I need a break from life and work...
So many things on my personal "To Do" List (filling up and submitting my tax form would be one of them) that I'm just too bogged down to do....

My blog has also been very woefully ignored for the last week or so....
... and that situation doesn't look like it'll change for at least another week, due to work commitments.

I will of course try to update with some food related post/ restaurant review before then if possible but meanwhile, do feel free to pop over to Mei Yen's blog to enjoy her yummy food pics and give her a vote.
:)
She's been nominated for the Blogger's Choice 2007 Best Food Blog!
(Congrats, Mei Yen!)

[ BEGIN EDIT ]

Looks like Boo_licious of Masak-Masak has also been nominated for the same category in the Blogger's Choice Awards!
(Congrats, Boo!)
:)

I like both their food blogs very much and couldn't decide which one I like better so what did I do?
I voted for both of them!
(Because they're both great in their own way)

So, what should YOU do?: VOTE FOR BOTH OF THEM TOO!
(Not that I'm twisting your arm or anything like that - it's just a very strong suggestion)

[ END EDIT ]

Anyway, till the next update: ADIOS! (And have a good week...)


Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal