my first working trip to kota kinabalu

this is what sunday mornings look like up the skies

there's always a first to everything. this is my first working trip abroad (well, technically since it's over and beyond the seas anyway), and also my first trip to the east coast.

DAY 1

last weekend, i had my first taste of working + travelling. my colleague, jennifer and i together with our lady boss, her two teenage sons, girlfriend, and husband (aka my big boss) boarded the 9.30am flight to KK on what else but 'now everyone can fly' airasia.


airasia now everyone can fly

we reached the land below the wind (negeri dibawah bayu??) at about 12pm touching down at the KK LCCT (aka Terminal 2). comparing the KL LCCT with the KK LCCT, well i think the KK one looks a little bit worn out and messy, not that the KL one is any much better.


perfume shop at terminal 2

upon grabbing our luggages and arriving at the arrivals hall, i followed my fellow bosses to check out our perfume and emporium shops located near the entrance. this is my first time seeing for myself the shops that i have been raising purchase orders for the past 2 months. got to put faces behind the names of people that i have been conversing through phones as well.


radius international hotel room 507

we stayed at the radius international hotel which was located at 7th floor of warisan square. the rooms are pretty cozy but small, just what people on business trips need- a bed and a bathroom with heater.


from L-R: eiling, daphne, jennifer, lady boss, me

on the first day, we had our lunch and dinner at this seafood restaurant which is pretty well known among tourists for seafood but more well known among locals for the cut-throat prices. well, i aint paying, so i really don't care as long as there's good food! HAHA.

sorry no photos, too shy to take in front of bosses. for lunch, we had 2 servings of fresh water prawns, siput tarik (local escargots which goes really well with the mustard dipping), sabah paku pakis (my fav!), fu yong omelette and steamed fish. for dinner, we had the same paku pakis -belacan style, steamed red snapper, fried fish with spicy sauce, fried soft shell crabs (*drools), siput tarik again, fried rice, butter prawns (yumz) and clams. servings were large but the bill was even larger- about rm750 for that night!

nvm, boss pay.

DAY 2


the new Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA)

it was back to work on day 2. after a well-fed dinner, we were obliged to work hard the following day. don't think anyone of you would be interested to know what i did the whole day but it roughly includes being stuck in the store with 700 over cartons of chocolates around you (looks like a dream job for you, jen but no eating any!), having mcdonalds for lunch and dinner, cleaning the perfumes' wallbays and gondolas, receiving stocks and displaying them etc... all the way from morning till 4am the next morning! we had to rush for the opening dateline which Malaysian Airports Berhad (MAB) has set as the first inaugural flight for the new airport was at 6am that day!

to cut the long story short,

DAY 3


perfumes and cosmetics section @ Emporium Departure Level 3 KKIA


chocolates section @ Emporium Departure Level 3 KKIA



inside the emporium- yukiko jewelleries, timepieces, convenience, toys, luggage and fashion


going down to level 2, after the immigration is our 2nd shop right infront of gate A4/5

the shop opened on the same day, imagine the hectic to manage both shops! luckily i wasn't the outlet manager, else i would have fainted.




chocolate shop @ Level 2 Airside KKIA


convenience section @ Level 2 Airside KKIA

as you can see in the picture above, my sister (eiling) was with me on this trip as her company is our supplier for fidani chocolates. hence, it's only appropriate to show you guys the beautiful gondolas and tempting chocolates on sale in the shops.


FIDANI's finest chocolate creations


BERYL's fine chocolates


ferrero roche golden tower!


Hershey's say it with kisses

after a hard day + night's work, we chilled out at one of sutera habour's resorts- magellan sutera's lounge for a drink. we had the black opal cabernet merlot 2007 which was very smooth and easy to drink. the sutera habour is really beautiful and with the sea breeze blowing right to your face at night, sipping on redwine, good live music, good company... well it makes you ask, "why can't life be like this everyday?"


magellan sutera's lounge


cock and bull bistro @ kk waterfront

we had another bottle of black opal at cock and bull bistro after returning from magellan sutera. a bunch of alcoholics who just won't go to sleep without buzzing the alchohol-o-meter :-p


of cos must take pic with the FR tower before leaving! (with jennifer and the very awesome angie who was once a radio announcer!)

DAY 4


i love this pic of the sun rays and the clouds

byebye and hello peninsular! will be back to KK again soon for another shop opening.

italian dining @ chiaroscuro tratorria pizzeria

chiaroscuro tratorria pizzeria

one fine evening, i was watching tv and conveniently took one of mom's food magazines (flavours - the good taste, good living magazine) to browse. approaching the final page was a review on chiaroscuro, complete with a picture of a platter of parma ham! the first time i had it was at bermuda & onion and i was completely swept off my feet over this! i knew this is the place we should go to for a celebration of together-ness.


interior & deco

'chiaroscuro' in itallian is an art term used to refer to a technique of using light and shade in pictorial works of art. the interior and deco well reflects the name, playing around with grey cement walls, neutral wood shades and white linen table cloths- a luxury these days. the restaurant is spacious and lengthy with an end dedicated to a open kitchen concept where diners can have a peep at what goes on in the kitchen while making his/her way to the washroom. there is also a woodfire oven, another bonus point for an itallian pizzeria.


homemade ham with pistachios and black pepper (we think?)


3 types of toasted bread and sun dried tomato paste

as with many and most itallian joints, bread and dippings before the arrivals of mains are complimentary on the house. the homemade ham was complimentary as well. the ham has a very strong hint of pepper (as you can see by the little black dots on it), couldn't really taste the nut but it gives a crunchy nutty feeling as you chew it in your mouth. the bread and dipping was awesome nonetheless, we absolutely love the crispy toasted bread!


this is how the ham is sliced

the menu is very classic itallian, some dishes with names you can hardly pronounce but mostly you can understand given the little fine descriptions of each dish. following the recommendations of the food magazine, we ordered the parma ham with melon and house-baked seafood spaghetti.


parma ham with melon- rm32


a bursting flavour of sweet and salty in your mouth!

the sight of thinly sliced parma ham still fascinates me and will not keep me from drooling even as i am now looking at the picture. calvin prefers the ham on its own (he doesn't like the combination of savoury and fruits) with a very very small piece of melon. for me, i like the sweetness of the melon to balance the saltiness of the ham. whichever ratio of melon : parma ham is up to you and your tastebuds.


this baked dough has a big black zit!

can you guess what's inside...


ready for the surprise?

.
..
...
....
.....
......
.......
......
.....
....
...
..
.


house baked seafood spaghetti (rm56 for two)
a big bowl of hidden treasures from the sea!


scallops, prawns, squids, mussels, clams with spaghetti

we were both anticipating this dish when it came as it was done in a very fancy and mysterious way- claypot covered with bread dough and baked. when the waiter revealed what's inside, you could see both our faces lighted up with grins and smiles. calvin loves pasta and i knew we must try this out and it surely did not disappoint. the kitchen was very generous with the servings of seafood and noodles. the pasta was bursting with seafood flavours which it had managed to absorb while being baked and to add the cherry on top was the baked dough which you can just pinch off and dip with the gravy.

prices are reasonable and i quote from flavours mag, "You have no reason to bitch about the bill."

chiaroscuro is definitely a winner at quality and creativity.

the night ended with a toast for us being 16 months together. cheers!


chiaroscuro tratorria pizzeria
ground floor, 38 bidara apartments,
30, jalan bedara, 50200 kuala lumpur.
tel: 03-21448006
business hours: lunch, mondays to fridays (noon to 3pm)
dinner, mondays to saturdays (6.30pm to midnight)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

Familiar Faces Nyonya Food and Noodle House

Since Yiling is all busy working past midnight at her company's latest duty free outlet in the newly renovated Kota Kinabalu International Airport, I shall help her update her blog.

I know how Yiling loves her "paku pakis" so much, so I decided to bring her to a Nyonya restaurant located near my house in Sri Petaling because I know they serve "Paku Pakis". I was first introduced to "Paku Pakis" at the My Elephant Thai restaurant @ Seksyen 17, PJ by Yiling and I absolutely like it but not love it like Yiling :-p.

This restaurant is located at Sri Petaling's most famous food street, Jalan Radin Anum 1. Ho Ho steamboat is also located around the corner along this street.

So for our first visit here, we ordered the following...


"Lo Hon Kor" @ RM2 per cup to quench our thirsts.
Had a couple pieces of dried longan, strong "Lo Hon Kor" taste and not too sweet.


Nyonya Style fried Paku Pakis @ RM10 - The reason why we're here!

Yiling says there is a good hint of coconut in this dish. She gave this dish a thumbs up and comparable to My Elephant's version. I think this one's better! The sambal belacan sauce for the vege is very nice and goes really well with rice. I could just eat this dish and rice alone!


Fried Chicken Chop in Mango Sauce @ RM12
Nothing spectacular... Mango was a little too dry and not sour. But tastes good nonetheless.




Thai Style House Tofu @ RM10

This dish is worth praising because the crust is very unique, it's like the chinese dim sum "wu kok"/yam pastry. The batter must have been a secret blend cause you don't always see such crust. The tofu is actually a mix of fish paste and tofu like many other restaurant's "house specialty tofu". But this has a stronger fish paste texture than tofu texture. We both enjoyed this dish.



Overall we had a good first time experience at this restaurant. I am sure we will visit this place again some time in the future.

Btw, steamed rice was free flow... :-)

Another entry, brought to you by calvin.g Hope all you Yiling fans wont mind! Cheers!



Familiar Faces Nyonya Food and Noodle House
Nyonya Food & Noodle House
Jln Radin Anum 1, Bandar Baru Sri Petaling

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

what will you do on a sunday morning?

grimace and mcdonalds fries- amateur photography by me

i will be away for 4 days to KK for work. was feeling very excited about it but after a few phone calls which involves people scolding me for not telling them this and that (would like to think it's hardly my fault as 'saya yang menurut perintah' coupled with stocks missing/incomplete, misinformations etc) i am now dreading it...

all i wanna do on a sunday morning is to sleep and laze and spend the day cuddling in the arms of a loved one. le sigh.

bye.

cheap delicious treats at ikea cafe

swedish beef meatballs (10 pieces)- rm12.90

sometimes you don't need a reason to go to ikea. that pretty much explains why the place is PACKED with people on weekends! well like most of these 'people', we were there on the weekend with a mission- to get calvin's mom a birthday gift... but we ended up leaving ikea empty handed but a stomach-full of swedish goodies.

calvin had 'cravings' for ikea meatballs and meatballs it was for him. call me a jakun but while i was waiting for him to come back with the food, the previous table had left behind plates with traces of brown sauce which first thing that came into my mind was "peanut butter!"

later, when calvin pushed the food trolley to me only did i realize it was the meatball sauce. but it sure did look like peanut butter! the meatballs were yummy nonetheless and having fries dipped with the brown sauce completed the meal.


chicken with swedish lemon sauce-rm9.99

i opted for the chicken with swedish lemon sauce (sorry all names are my own, i can't fully recall the actual names). at less than rm10, it was good stuff! the chicken has a slightly roasted skin which i love! the meat was very tender and easy to chew. paired up with the lemon sauce (with herbs, which i am thinking maybe rosemary?/chives?/mixed herbs?) was excellent. the accompanying whole potatos and carrots are very generous and gives a healthy balance to the meal.


salmon with mustard- rm10.99

we both have a penchant for all things salmon- cooked, raw, smoked, sushi, sashimi etc. at just one cent less of rm11, there was a very generous 2 slice of raw salmon drizzled lightly with some oil (i think), a slice of lemon to add flavour and tinge to our favourite golden catch, a small cup of mustard and some raw greens. well... it was litterally heaven in our mouths. the salmon was fresh and soft, melting at the moment it was put to your tongue. i'm not a fan of mustard but i find the pairing perfectly compatible!


chicken wings (2 pcs)- rm3 or so

having read about ikea's menu offering chicken wings, i gave calvin specific instructions when he asked what i wanted, "CHICKEN. WINGS." being a darling as he has always been, it was one instruction that he couldn't refuse... and so he came back with 2 pcs of chicken wings! calvin commented that the wings taste very chinese'y/malay'ish rather than western-style wings, but whatever it is, it was le YUM.

i definitely licked my fingers clean ;-)

we then proceeded to the exit cafe (where they sell hotdogs, ice creams, currypuffs and other swedish biscuits and frozen food) in search and hope of getting frozen meatballs (the thought of heating meatballs up for lunch at the office excites me!) but we were told that they stopped selling them. what a pity, that just gives us more reasons to be back to ikea.

if you're looking for a good day out window shopping with a good meal without having to burn a hole in the pocket, ikea is the place to be.


ikea malaysia
no. 2, jalan pju 7/2,
mutiara damansara,
47800 petaling jaya.

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

PISANG is here to save the day...!!

extracted from the star

while malaysian citizens are crying loud over the hike in fuel prices, food, transportation, our circus-like political scene, murderers getting scot-free, haze, the weather, the roads, interest rate, cows, pigs, rats, dogs, cats... etc our noble and charitable friends from PISANG (OMG what a name!) is raising funds to save mathematical genius- Sufiah Yusof.

"the fund, launched four months ago, has yet to meet its target..."
haiyoh means people also thinking wtf is with this fund and dunwan contribute loh.

"not enough money for flight tickets, let alone other expenses..."
hah! raise enough money so that you and your noble PISANG members can get a free ride home?

"Sufiah's treatment to counselling and treatment had opened an opportunity to guide her to the right path of life..."
hah? our teenage girls at home you don't counsel? pegi counsel orang lain dekat negara lain pulak!

... and the best bit?

BANANA = PISANG
oh, now i know where they derived the name from.......

happy 08-08-08 and wonderful happy weekend peeps!

shun japanese restaurant

don't shun this japanese restaurant! (pun intended)


the yakitori house and sushi counter


with signs in japanese, you know they have a lot japanese customers!

the restaurant is not that spacious but they do have a upstairs, so i think it can house quite a number of customers at one go. i read that it can be pretty packed during dinner, so remember to place a booking in advance and be there early! the furnishings are nice and japanese oriented, with lacquered bamboos as partitions and typical japanese bowls and plates etc. like all other japanese places, they greet you with a *LOUD* welcome in japanese of course!


chicken teppanyaki set- rm24


do you see it sizzling on the hot plate!

calvin had a more common japanese fare that night, which was the chicken teppanyaki set. it comes with a chawanmushi, salada, stir fried vege, miso soup, pickles, rice and fruits. the teppanyaki was rather different from the usual ones as this came with a garlicky sauce and sizzling hot! it was yummy :)

Calvin's take: Felt like eating teppanyaki so I ordered this dish. Though it's sauce is unique, i still prefer the simple butteryaki sauce which is a combinition of butter and Japanese soy sauce. Nothing to complain about this meal.


wagyu beef set- rm40


very tender, melts in your mouth

like the chicken teppanyaki, the wagyu beef set also comes with the sides. i've read about the wagyu beef set and how it is such a steal at rm40! the wagyu didn't look like a piece of beef to me and certainly didn't taste like one as well after putting it into my mouth. it was literally heaven/paradise in my mouth! the beef was so tender and true to what everyone says, "melts in your mouth".

it was so goooood that i was silently hoping there was a bottomless refill for it. but wagyu expensive la, so dont have :(

Calvin's take: The wagyu beef was extremely tender... It's nothing like any of the beef that I've ever tasted in my life. It's very smooth and it has a buttery taste but it's not too strong. The sauce just compliments the whole experience with the wagyu beef. A must try! (Gosh... I feel like eating some now!!! The pictures are making me drool! Aaarghh...)


comes with a garlicky gravy/sauce

'wagyu', "also known as kobe beef or Mishima beef, the meat from wagyu cattle is known worldwide for its marbling characteristics, increased eating quality through a naturally enhanced flavor, tenderness and juiciness, and thus a high market value."

another *star* was the chawanmushi. so smooth and soft that it has gained "the best chawanmushi" that i've ever eaten.

i didn't really enjoy the stir fried vege though. shameful to say, i pretty much prefer the normal ones at teppanyaki joints.


shun japanese restaurant
4a, jalan ss12/1b,
subang jaya.
tel: 03-56379186
(opposite sjmc and sheraton subang, same row as windmill restaurant/domino's)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

madam kwan's @ mid valley

putting a face behind the famous madam kwan's name- image shamelessly stolen from masak-masak

ok, blogging from work now.

calvin & i went to mid valley a couple of weeks back to catch redcliff, which in my opinion is teh awesome for a mandarin speaking, chinese directed, chinese cast, history inspired war setting movie! though, shameful to say i fell asleep in certain parts due to being too tired! and the best part is, there's a part 2 to this movie as i suppose you can't tell a story so well known and so lengthy and so much history involved in just 2 hours.

but i digressed.

we had dinner at madam kwan's as calvin was craving for assam laksa!


nasi lemak bojari- rm20.50

i had nasi bojari which comes with a colourful serving of rice, beef rendang, assam prawns, a big piece of freshly fried chicken and some greens. the assam prawn was tastefully done as the prawns were fresh. i like the beef rendang as it was not in chunks but flossed tenderly (rather spicy though). the *star* of the dish though is the chicken! it was fresh, came piping hot and tender!


assam laksa- rm12.30

in my opinion, it taste rather ok, but i shall not further elaborate considering after calvin had this, he had a terrible stomachache!


banana fritters with ice cream- rm10.20

you can see that by the time we've finished our mains, we were already pretty stuffed! the dessert was good stuff as the banana fritters are not those you find at roadside stalls, it comes in a whole banana rather than halves, drizzled with honey syrup and serve alongside vanilla ice cream.

service was pretty good and its packed during meal hours!


madam kwan's
f-052, first floor,
mid valley megamall.
tel: 03-2297 2297
(right beside piccolo mondo & toys'r'us)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

the famous kin kin pan mee

kin kin chilli pan mee- best in kl, pj and some says the whole malaysia!

well ok, i know this particular pan mee is reviewed, raved and loved by many. but it is no doubt the bestest pan mee i have had in my entire (to be precise, 20 years 8 months) life! do you know what is the hardest part of this food blogging thing???


must have ingredients- fried to crisp anchovies and minced meat topped with silky smooth white poached egg

to drool over the food you ate a month ago just by looking at the pictures again! and the difficulties to describe how each strand of noodles, every spoonful of the wondrous poached egg, the kickass chilli (also what makes the famous kin kin- famous as it is) taste.



bursting with flavors and textures- spicy, hot, wet, asskickin' good!


*star* element- what makes kin kin chilli pan mee famous

Calvin's advice: Don't take too much of their signature dry chili even though you can stand it! Seriously... I am not joking. I can take spicy and I mean it, I was seriously enjoying the chilli pan mee meal but the after experience of too much of Kin Kin's dry chilli is not so pleasant! (In the toilet~it burns baby!)


a bowl of spinach soup to wash it all down...

one bowl will not be enough to satisfy. go on, order your 2nd, 3rd bowl because it's truly worth the extra kg. at rm4.60 per bowl, it is not cheap but certainly worth to satisfy that chilli pan mee craving and curiousity.

now if only kin kin is next to my office, i will religiously eat this everyday.

*p/s: my reliable sources informed me that there's a noodle shop which serves chilli pan mee in ss15, subang. i shall pay it a visit one day and see if it passes my chilli-pan-mee-o-meter!



restoran kin kin
40, ground floor,
jalan dewan sultan sulaiman 1,
off jalan tunku abdul rahman,
chow kit, kl.

business hours:
weekdays: 7.30am-9.00pm
weekends: 7.30am-4.30pm
*close on last sunday of every month

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]