Good time and gossip @ Wondermilk, Damansara Uptown

Not a place for heavy meals, but great enough for catch up and giggling. The menu mostly are light stuffs, unless you're on a diet. The trademark and highlight of this place are the cupcakes.

Nasi Lemak @ Restoran Jayati Seksyen 17, Shah Alam

 Malaysians likes to eat. Malaysians likes nasi lemak. Can I safely say that nasi lemak is a form of 1Malaysia? Heck, there's even a 1Malaysia movie on nasi lemak ~ Ever heard of Nasi Lemak 2.0?

 

Medical updates @ Lexis Port Dickson water chalet, Negeri Sembilan

Some perks of my job include sponsored drug and medical updates seminar. Thanks to MSD @ Merck Sharp & Dohme, last month I got to go to Port Dickson for the weekend and a free accommodation to boot at Lexis Post Dickson resort ~ huge Cheshire cat grin ~

Another dinner @ Laman Grill; Steak & Bar-B-Que, Shah Alam

 

 To celebrate a friend who came back recently from Ireland, we decided to dine again at this al fresco steak place. After all, my last visit was quite pleasant here.

Enchante Mediterranean ~ Le Midi @ Bangsar

 

Sometimes you just have to go see it for yourself to see whether what people said are true. I have read quite a number of unpleasant reviews on Le Midi, but to balance it out there are also positive reviews.

The Tea Republic @ Bangsar Shopping Centre ~ my reading spot

Admit it, though you love everybody, sometimes you just wish for a quiet time alone with nobody. Me, that covers tucking in at a nice, cozy shop with great accompanying tit bits. Which brought me all the way to The Tea Republic @ 2nd floor in Bangsar Shopping Centre.

 And no, you don't necessarily need to talk all the time over tea. Sorry, I guess I went against the message above but anyway "ttr [the tea republic] is all about celebrating the citeazen within". Let's celebrate the tea - me ~ =D

Theobroma Chocolate Lounge @ The Curve, Damansara ~ something other than chocolate

 Looking for a quick lunch for a single person, spotted a non crowded place along The Street @ The Curve. Welcome to the Theobroma Chocolate Lounge, an Australian chocolate heaven for those who seeks it.

My Penang Solo Stumble ~ A satisfactory Ending

 It has been a pleasant solo trip so far, 3 days and 2 nights well spent (not to mention RM 900 ++). To recap, the Pearl of Orient is true to its name when it comes to historical glamour and food grandiour =D

And all the facts about how Penangites drive? Well, you get honked from all directions here that somehow you just have to honk back at all the pak cik makcik abang kakak adik datuk nenek 1Malaysia here, the roads are mostly a one - way single lane road, giving signal is 1 second short from turning to that direction, speed limit seems to be at 40 km / hr in some parts of the island and the list goes on.

 And when you think you are lost, a round - a - bout with some weird sculpture in the middle appears.

My Penang Solo Stumble 14 ~ English high tea @ Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Georgetown, Penang as the finishing touch

Fondly known as The E&O, the charming colonial hotel with its well - preserved elegance since 1885 greets its guess with its grand languorous setting of yesteryear.

My Penang Solo Stumble 13 ~ Heritage and Nostalgia

Driving or walking or taking a beca along the busy, congested one way roads of Penang, one would somehow noticed the well preserved old buildings of yesterdays intertwined among the emerging new ones. In between, if you open your eyes wide enough, you will understand what is it that makes Penang the Pearl of The Orient. And do take time to read this page here which will help provide you further understanding of the places in my post.

My Penang Solo Stumble 12 ~ Little India of Georgetown, Penang

 Heady with smell of incense and spices, Little India throbbed with popular Hindi songs blasting from every shop on the street. Located somewhere along Lebuh Cecil, Georgetown, Penang, Little India offers variety of exotic goods such as saree, spices, insence etc.

My Penang Solo Stumble 11 ~ Penang Botanical Garden

Another attraction in Penang that many would not miss would be the Botanical Garden which was found in 1884 by Charles Curtis from the Gardens and Forests Departments Straits Settlements. Reputed as the "green lungs" of Penang, the garden houses many local plants, shrubbery, herbs to name a few. It used to be popular for the cascading waterfall but after the building of the water reserve, the waterfall was closed down to the public (what a pity…).

My Penang Solo Stumble 10 ~ Along the Esplanade of Padang Kota Lama, Georgetown

The Esplanade during the day would be crowded with families and elderly who came here fro a breath of sea air at the nearby park. On festival days which are abundant here in Malaysia (we seems to think of one new celebration after another each year) the Esplanade would burst with vibrant colours (and litters later) and happy crowd and music and what not. Nights would be filled with hungry locals and tourists looking for famous Penang tasty bites.

Two magnificent buildings stood proud in all their glory on the ground of Esplanade.

 

My Penang Solo Stumble 09 ~ Fort Cornwallis, Georgetown

On my last day in Penang, I finally hit the street real hard to look for all the monumental and heritage sites. I mean, what else in Penang aside from food and beaches if you don’t see all the famous UNESCO – declared heritage? 

My Penang Solo Stumble 08 ~ 1926 Heritage Hotel Penang

Along the Burmah road of Georgetown, while getting lost on my day 2 in Penang did I find this charming heritage hotel. True to its name, 1926 Heritage Hotel was built in 1926, and once served as a home to the British colonial immigration officers and local administrators of Penang.

My Penang Solo Stumble 07 ~ English tea and a quiet moment at Suffolk House, Jalan Air Itam, Penang

I must admit, I really stumbled upon this place while getting myself lost around Penang island with a map in hand. I was like, whoa what is this, looks interesting… Let’s go!!

 And so I stumbled upon this charming place of 200 years history.

 Suffolk House, with its dreamy like setting from outside.

My Penang Solo Stumble 06 ~ The Snake Temple, Bayan Lepas, Penang

 I am not a big fan of snake but my guidebook say that a visit here is a must so here goes. With flip flops in my stomach, I drove down to Bayan Lepas at the southern part of Penang island. But actually I was also looking for the Penang Aquarium along the way. You can find all about the history of the snake temple  @ Temple of The Azure Cloud here, I wont elaborate too long. Suffice to say, this temple was reputed for the legend of why snakes gathered here in the first place and continued to stay.

My Penang Solo Stumble 05 ~ Tropical Spice Garden, Teluk Bahang, Penang

Tummy full with previous breakfast and my brunch, I ventured out into the garden. It was a pleasant walk for a self – guided tour that cost me RM 35. I was not in the mood for the full – guided tour (RM 45).

My Penang Solo Stumble 04 ~ Tree Monkey Restaurant @ Tropical Spice Garden, Teluk Bahang, Penang

One of my favourite picture spot during my visit was the Tropical Spice Garden, situated along Teluk Bahang after a seaside drive by Tg Bungah. Boasted to be an eco – friendly park, this park houses various herbal plants in lush tropical setting. Prior to entering, you’ll be spritzed with a citronella spray which acted as mosquito repellent. How is that for eco – friendly?

I started my visit with a food peek at Tree Monkey, an al fresco diner serving Northern Thai cuisine. The place has a serve – no – pork status since they serve alcohol, opens daily at 9 am – 12 am. Apparently they served vegetarian too.

 They were having mocktail promotion at sunset hours at that time so I had my lovely Sunset Paradise with some appetizers. The waiter was like, “It’s not sunset yet.”, and I was like “I don’t care”. LOL

My Penang Solo Stumble 03 ~ Bayview Hotel Revolving Restaurant, Georgetown, Penang

During my stay I decided to have dinner at my hotel since I was just too tired and the jam outside looked pretty bad from my room. So that was how I ended up at the restaurant. There were other option like the Wake Japanese restaurant and KopiTiam but the revolving restaurant was having this buffet promotion at RM 48 so I thought, why not? The one that I had was 6-Course Western Set Dinner (Tuesday - Thursday, 6.30pm - 10.30pm). The restaurant offer other promo items too at good price.

My Penang Solo Stumble 01 ~ The Road Across Perak

It was on one clear, blue sky day that made me restless and longed for adventure. The last time I took a trip to Penang was like years ago and suddenly I was itching to go there. Hence the journey began. This took place somewhere around Hari Raya where the roads going outside KL is smother than coming into KL.

 It was a very smooth journey under the clear blue sky with lots of nice music. I really stocked up on my favourite MP3 ^_^

My quick lunch @ Little Penang Cafe, The Curve

Alone and in a hurry, I managed to stop by Little Penang Cafe for clean hawker food that I'd so enjoyed during my visits to Penang.

 They all look pretty nice to me but I was extremely hungry to wait for the seafood char kuey teow which would take 15 - 20 min so picked something else.

 Initially I ordered the cold barley lime but the taste was not to my liking. The lime taste was not there so I chucked it for sirap bandung cincau, which was nicer and not too sweet.

 This is Acar Fish Set: fried fish in pickled vegetable sauce, lobak (chicken in tofu skin), ju hu char (turnip stir fried with shrimp and slices of squid), sambal belacan for umph, white rice. If you like your fish in sweet and sour sauce, this is for you. The ju hu char can be substituted for kerabu pucuk paku (a kind of fern salad)

 Dessert! Pulut hitam in santan. Found 2 longan. Lovely! Not too sweet, just nice and creamy.

The crowd was really huge and non stop. As you can see, it's a kedai kopi ambience. Everyone just slurp and burp here regardless tie or no tie. Though food is nowhere to compare to actual Penang food, it is still above par and acceptable, a bit pricey though.

Address: 6 Jalan PJU 7/3, G43 The Curve, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Petaling, Kuala Lumpur

Tel: (603)77280215

Opening Hours Daily:10a.m–10p.m

A Delicious Moment @ Delicious Cafe, One Utama Damansara

Breakfast time! ^_^  An excuse to drop by at Delicious again after some time.

 Corned Beef Hash with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & two Fried Eggs. Initially I thought it'll be served as egg dropped on top of a mushy beef hash, the yolk soaking in but this is OK. i just dipped my hash into the yolk instead. Very hearty. Bread a bit dry though.

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Baby Spinach & Oriental Dressing. Tangy oriental dressing, a hint of lime juice there. Colourful ^_^

Breakfast hour is from 8 to 12 am with a special breakfast menu and kids menu. Dessert and other mains available.

Lot G316, Ground Floor, One Utama Shopping Centre (New Wing)
1, Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama City Centre,
Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya.
T: 603 7724 1086  F: 603 7726 3441

B: MON-THU: 11.00am - 10.00pm, 
    FRI: 11.00am - 10.30pm
    SAT, SUN & PH: 10.00am - 10.30pm (Full Breakfast Menu Available till 12 noon)

Windmill Restaurant @ Shah Alam Mall - a trial of my hometown Western food diner

It was there for quite some time until for some reason I decided to drop by. I meant, few blogs offered a so - so opinions on this place, so of course I wont be jumping to go.

 But anyway I decided to drop by one day at the restaurant, at level 2 in Shah Alam Mall.

 My first thought was, why the tacky balloons and blue and pink cloth hanging up there?

Ok, a better view. Looks cozy enough.

 The Windmill.

I am expecting better than this. Can someone please learn to produce a signature in - house bread and butter please?

 Starters: shrimp cocktail salad and onion soup. I feel that they can do better with the shrimp cocktail salad by not using just plain old thousand island sauce. Onion soup was OK, but need to cut down the salt a tad.

Too buttery escargot, kinda overpowered the escargot taste a bit.

 Lobster baked with cheese. OK la. But what's with the frozen vege...

 Baked black cod.Typical Malaysia style of Western menu, french fries and coleslaw and salad.

But the pricing was quite OK, considering that it is not a fine dining place. A family restaurant, if I may. I still feel that it needs some polishing up especially on food presentation. A pity for the lobster.

By the way, what shall I classify this under?

Gino's Recipe @ Ara Damansara

At first glance, the place does not look impressive at all, in fact it looks more like those rundown near bankrupt kinda place. Sorry, no offense though.

I guess the inside kinda make up with it, blasting Italian songs to compliment the atmosphere.

Let’s start with entrée.

 I think we started good with garlic bread and bruschetta.

 I don’t mind it, the watery tomato – based seafood soup is OK for the garlic bread, just a bit sloppy in appearance. Not all seafood soup needs to be thick to be nice. The amount of clams, calamari rings, mussels and prawns are adequate enough for 2 people to share.

 Mussels baked with cheese – I’m on a strict diet but they look nice on the plate of salad.

 Main: baked salmon with capers.

 Main: I love my rack of lamb. The sauce is tangy, but the lamb a bit tough.

 Main: baked aubergine. Cheese and eggplant never taste better!

Classic; Thomas Kemper root beer.

But I’m not sure whether I should label this post as Italian or Mediterranean food as Gino seems to be covering both. By the way, I heard their aglio olio is pretty nice. Next time then =)

Amazingly, this place does not serve alcohol and non of the food is cooked with alcohol.


1-06G Blk1, Jalan PJU 1A/1, Ara Damansara
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia 47301
03-7842 6637