Food and More Food

it is a rare sight to find us wandering around Midvalley on a weekend because we don't usually like to go there - don't like the crowd and the parking!

but we HAD to go there for shopping last Sunday and were at pains to figure out where to have our meals!

i found ourselves in the secluded corner of Gardens after wandering around and contemplating what to eat ... and into Alexis we went.

my secondary choice of Caesar's salad @ RM18. not bad, i must admit. you can' never go wrong with caesar salad ... why i chose this was because i've been craving for salads @ DELIcious!

YB, being the adventurous one, and to my horror, chose the Nasi Istimewa @ RM25. i was surprised by his order. like, huh??

to his dismay, the rice was dry. ugh. i didn't like it. such a shame, really, because everything else was ok. but i don't really like eating fish with sambal piled on top of it!

then come dinner time. initially we wanted to go to Sushi Zanmai @ Gardens but the queue, as usual, was long. so we thought DELIcious would be the next option, but to my horror, service was ridiculously bad.

we stood inside, waiting to be seated. we stood there like idiots because no one bothered with us. no one wanted to make eye contact with us and no one wanted to bring us to a table. i didn't want to seat ourselves down because, what if i have to wait for the menu and what if they don't acknowledge our presence?

after 5 minutes of standing there like a fool, we left and headed to chilli's, only to find the queue pretty long!

with both of us feeling fed up already, we found ourselves in Oh Sushi - just to feed ourselves dinner before we head home.

some ramen with 3 chillis by the side (on the menu) to grade its spicyness. it was more on the salty side, *shudder* ... it was bad.

i chose the tempura bento and we enjoyed the garlicky fried rice the most. it made me want to have fried rice for dinner everyday, though that would mean having to cook it! =P

pictures from wayyyyy back:

braised chicken with rice in this shop which sells herbal tea, across from Uncle Lim's in Ikano Power Centre. i don't remember the name of the shop but you'll know it when you see it. we were attracted by the size of the chicken piece but it lacked taste. =(

dry chilli pan mee and traditional pan mee soup, together with fried sui kows. if you've heard of Face 2 Face, then you'll recognise the cutleries. =) if we're not eating nasi lemak in Village Park @ Damansara Utama / Uptown, Face 2 Face will be our next default makan place. a meal for the both of us cost sub RM20, fancy that!

there's a reasonably authentic japanese restaurant on the 3rd floor of Amcorp Mall. i can't remember the name! but anyway, once upon a time i picked YB up from work and we went for lunch. that was my sashimi set which was ... *thinks hard* ... not very pricey, definitely less than RM30? i enjoyed it!

YB's choice was value for money, a set inclusive of a bowl of udon and chicken katsu with rice that was about RM18 or RM20. good eh?

~

OFF ON A ROAD TRIP TOMORROW, WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ole Ole Bali

Mont Kiara Solaris can be rather daunting for some, and that includes me. the area is filled with various posh looking places to eat that you're never too sure which one will give you the best satisfaction.

To name a few: Bon-Ga, the Korean restaurant, Golden Triangle, Ole Ole Bali, Bavarian Bierhaus, Michelangelo.

Bon-Ga? wasn't our thing. after making a few attempts of trying out Korean food here and there, YB and i finally had to concede that Korean food (in KL, that is) ain't really our thing.

Bavarian Bierhaus has pretty good pork knuckles, BUT the dish does not come with sauerkraut and mash potatoes! (we went there last year, so i'm not really too sure whether they have changed the menu. but honestly, RM60+ for pork knuckle should surely come with its complimentaries?)

YB and i have finally declared Ole Ole Bali as our favourite reliable food place. we've been back to Ole Ole Bali for several times now and we keep ordering the same food!


my ultimate favourite is the Grilled Seafood Pasta. i love it to bits! the taste of slightly burnt squid, prawns and fish ... mmmm ... awesome!

YB never fails to order his Avocado Shake, which, i have to admit, is also very good. refreshing and ... i always steal a slurp or three!

honestly, i can't remember what this is called, but i think it's ok. i shall have to try something else the next time i'm there! (their portions for the combo can be quite huge, though.)

i've also tried it's Soto Ayam at RM14 for a small bowl. if you're on a diet, you can always order that. =D

Meng Kee Char Siew

last thursday, a group of 4 girls and 1 guy ventured all the way to Glenmarie, Shah Alam for some porky goodies.

when we arrived at 1230pm, the place was already packed. customers were standing around, waiting for tables.

the char siew stall.
the chicken stall, serving steamed white chicken or roasted chicken. we opted for the roast chicken for 5.


the plate of yau mak we ordered.

and the plate of char siew for 5. is that a lot or too little? now this was the first plate we ordered, which was quite fatty indeed.

but the sweet crispy skin was superb, and it sticks to your teeth!

afraid that we hadn't had enough, the guy ordered another plate of char siew and roast chicken of 2 portions each. walau!

noticed i didn't even bother taking picture of the chicken? hehe.

but this time round, the char siew was MUCH BETTER than the first serving. cos it was still hot, and less fatty. *drools* lurvely~

a close up of a piece of char siew for you to study. =D

even the older folks enjoy them porky goodies!

the side entrance which leads to a parking area.

the bill came to about RM70, which isn't that cheap after all. surely you can have better char siew at a more reasonable price?

before i forget, do tread carefully in the restaurant as the floor is rather sticky. you don't want to trip and fall into someone's plate of char siew!

New York New York

once upon a time, way back in January 2010, YB and i decided to look for this place which served triple cheese something-something in 1Utama's new wing. it was recommended by my now dive instructor.

but we couldn't find the place! nope, didn't have a clue where and which restaurant he was referring to so we settled for New York, New York Deli.

i'm sure we were pretty ravenous from a run that morning, or we wouldn't have 'indulged'. hehe.

YB ordered the Big Breakfast set, priced at around RM20? i can't remember. there were 2 lovely pancakes to go with the stuff, although that piece of beef bacon looked awfully fake.

YB was rather disappointed with his meal. he said it wasn't worth the price he was gonna pay for!

but i loved the pancakes.


i was rather pleased with my smoked salmon sandwich. it looked great, for the price i was paying for, but i honestly can't remember now. RM16?

if you've eaten with me since the dawn of time (well, since my exposure to KL food), you'd know that i would choose anything with smoked salmon for my sandwich, salad or pasta. =)
YB's cappucino. it looked appealing.
but expresso wise, not so!

overall, YB was really bummed out with his meal satisfaction that he wanted to send in an official complaint!

but it hasn't happened.
cos we're just procrastinators.

and this post proves it. hehe.

Reese's Peanut Butter Snowman

once upon a time, jo bought me some goodies from her trip to Shanghai wayyyyy back last year. this snowman goodie was for christmas!

and to think it took me a while before i opened it up for my secret noms session (behind YB's back).
the whole thing was filled with peanut butter! *heart*

but after a while, it becomes too sweet to handle. it's definitely for sharing!
but it's ok, i can handle it.

it took me a few more days to finish it up! (no, not a few days in a row, mind you, but a span of a few days la.)

woohoo!

(that's for want of a better title!)

watched How To Train Your Dragon last night and like everyone who recommended it, it was entertaining enough to keep you in your seat. =) the dragon, however, reminded me of Stitch in Lilo 'n' Stitch.

i noticed a family of four seated on my right, 1 boy and 1 girl. both probably around 4-6 years of age, and each with their on packet of crisps! but they were quiet during the movie, so at least they were well-behaved. although i wonder what are the odds of feeding your kids snacks for a midnight show. oh well ...

~
i'm absolutely knackered from the dive lesson this afternoon! what does 2.5 hours do to you is just amazing: hungry and tired. i napped while YB prepared dinner. i couldn't open my eyes just yet, when my alarm rang ... *groan* ... i guess i will be more exhausted tomorrow as i will run in the morning, and dive lesson in the afternoon ... goodness.

my buddy reminds me of how i was when i first did the OW course in KK, terrified. his eyes shifted around nervously, he hesitated when he was asked to repeat after the instructor. he was clearly unused to breathing through the mouth and regulator ... doing things with his right hand when he is left-handed, etc. =) ... with a patient instructor (yay! again, i am relieved), he is lucky to be given the time to practice and get it right.

the instructor says i am kicking wrong. *narrow eyes* i do try, ffs, honest! but he says i keep kicking with my knees when i should be using my THIGHS. fek, my thighs do feel tired now, ok!

~
k, i'm still tired.

The Pressroom at BSC.

last thursday, my team was invited to have lunch at The Pressroom, courtesy of one of our business partners.

the inside.
it was pretty deserted when we arrived at noon. but the place soon filled up by 1pm.

each person was given three menus. 3. the small one listed its available beverages and dessert was listed at the right bottom corner. the medium sized one, in my opinion, provided you with the list of food at a reasonable price. the large one basically consisted of all its choice of food and dessert.

i was rather annoyed with the menus. and i managed to get some parts of it wet as it would hit my glass of cold water. (yeah, i'm seriously a klutz!)

everyone ordered their main course.

Double Lamb Chop with 'Bubble & Squeak' (RM45.00) and my colleague thought it wasn't filling enough!

steak? not too sure! but it looks pretty lonely on its own. =)

the ONLY pasta they had on the menu! but my friend insisted on tomato based sauce instead of its carbonara.

Grilled Seabass with Ratatouille (Rm35.00).

my Crispy Salmon thingy i think. that kept me quite full for the entire day! the only thing crispy was the end bit where flesh was thinner. not too bad.

not too sure what salad this is, but it was DRY.

then come dessert. everyone choose their own and i didn't know what to choose. its ice-cream selection was priced at RM12 for 2 flavours? there was almond, pistachio and hazelnut. my colleague was utterly gutted when she couldn't taste the butterscotch sauce that supposedly accompanied the ice-cream!

savoury desserts are usually priced at RM16.

and i choose the Apple Strudel with Vanilla Ice-cream, thinking it would be something like apple pie and ice-cream.

i was wrong.
i was so disappointed with it, i wanted to cry!
but no, i finished it, just to be good.
even though i honestly, didn't enjoy it.

if you google, i'm sure you will find better reviews for this place, so don't take my word for it.

i am craving for ...

chocolate cookies? hmm, mebbe.

chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice-cream? not really.

nasi lemak with ayam goreng, preferably the one at Village Park, Damansara Utama? ooohhh ... ooohhh ...

did i tell you that i was there for lunch yesterday and it took 150% of my will power NOT to order the nasi lemak but instead, opted for the soto ayam meehoon. and i left half of the meehoon, because i wanted to eat less carbs. (yeah, the perpetual dieting begins ... again! lol)

fried chicken. hmmm.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

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

at least you now know that i don't always crave for choccies!

where do weekends go?

yesterday, YB's dad asked us what were our usual weekend plans. YB and i looked at each other blankly, and thought hard about our usual weekend routines. we fumbled with our answers, and couldn't really decide.

"uhmm ... walking around shopping malls?" he suggested.
"laze around at home?" said i.
"grocery shopping!" i remarked.

"yeah, grocery shopping," YB agreed.

o.O
gawd, has our couple life become so mundane that we don't know how our weekends just go by?

~
gone are our hiking trips up Bukit Tabur and other places. why? to conserve our knees. our parents have always been concerned with our hiking trips that they would advise us to slow down and Take Care Of Your Knees.

the last trip up Bukit Tabur did indeed wear my knees out a bit, and i have told YB that i do not want to go hiking 2 weeks before a marathon/run or my knees cannot even bear our training routine.

uh-huh. i is old.

but when we mention our running, our parents will again tell us not to run so much and the Take Care Of Your Knees lecture will resume again. ugh. we can never win. ;)

~
last weekend was filled with: one lunch with wc & nur on saturday, and the rest was spent with YB's parents who were here to visit YB's new pad for the first time. YB's mum cooked loads and i regret to say that we probably ate too much! but woooh, we've got leftovers for dinner tonight!

oh, and finally, my mahjong set from shanghai was christened but to the dismay of everyone, the set was incomplete! or should i say, china probably has a different set, not like the ones malaysians are used to.

first, some 2 sets of flowers were missing, and so were the 4 'fei's or jokers as you may know it. but nevertheless, we continued to play and did what we could with it, although it is difficult to gain high scores without the missing pieces. what a bummer! =\

i shall have to purchase a new set which may cost more than RM200, since i want a good quality one.

(i still have trouble counting the points when i play with YB's parents as they calculate per tile basis, whereas with my dad, we calculate according to your base?)

YB's mum is very hard to beat. she is ALWAYS darn lucky and ALWAYS wins!

~
we burned RM21 just like that on Friday. paid for 2 tickets for the 1105pm 'How To Train Your Dragon' but i was dozing off by 930pm, 10pm ... that YB insisted we don't go. hmmfh. it was his fault cos he wanted to watch it, while i was hesitant, afraid i would cough like mad in the cinema. hmmfh!

I Need Some Thinspiration

... but not that much.

some people, as they grow older, gain weight - metabolism has slowed down. these people were once so active during the school days and now they fight to keep their weight down, exercising and watching what they eat oh so carefully.
other people, have now lost their baby fat and are slender when they were once chubby tubby in school. they now have the confidence they once lacked.

yeah, once again i'm pondering on how to lose the kilos ... i'll prolly have to not eat and run daily?

March Miscellaneous

Snappies from my Open Water Course:

Day 1: in the classroom for theory lessons and video watching. i almost fell asleep. i am always sleepy!

Day 2: Pulau Sapi was our destination for the practical lessons. felt sad seeing my lonely tank and BCD when i sat on the boat while waiting for YB to complete the dives for the day. liked my pink mask!

Day 3: went snorkelling for the first time and enjoyed it. i even chuckled to myself when i was amused by the silly antics of the small fishes.

i will be back, Pulau Sapi, when i'm certified!!!

Mt Erskine, Penang

the view from my maternal grandpa's grave never fails to take my breath away. every morning, he has the lovely view of the coast of Penang ... and if you look carefully (not in this pic), you can spot the golden arches sign.

when i join my mum and her siblings for Ching Ming / Cheng Beng, i always make sure i bring a flask of hot milo for my grandpa. well, this year was the 2nd time i brought milo, anyway. and my aunts/uncles asked why milo, why not coffee? i hesitated right there, feeling sheepish. was i remembering it all wrong about my grandpa? was there something else (and so much more) that i didn't know about him? thank goodness my mum told them that my grandpa drank milo when he stayed with us.

i quietly apologised too my grandpa that i used 3-in-1 milo for him. hope it's not to sweet, i mumbled under my breath.

i felt so weird, trying to make conversation with him. apparently we're supposed to update him for the entire year we haven't visited. but i was honestly too self-conscious, with my relatives there. the only new thing he now knows is that my sister is now married. heh.

Fab Fri!

woohoo it's friday and for once, i'm just looking forward to the excitement for the coming weekend. *does a jig*

i think it also helps that work has been ok, not so bogged down, so yeah. that helps.

i just signed up for the NB Pacesetters 15k. *excited*

a colleague asked me to be a Pacesetter member, and YB said he's not interested. *stares at YB* so i'm contemplating whether i want to be one or not.

oh, and i'm attending my 1st diving lesson (confined dive) tomorrow bah. hence, the excitement. i'm going to have the instructor ALL TO MYSELF. HAH! what say you? i'm sure i'll be able to overcome my fear (and trauma?) soon and get certified.

i mean, i have been receiving a lot of encouragement from diver friends. i guess it helps that they didn't laugh at me for failing *sniff* but instead, told me to try again and i'll enjoy diving then?

so, YAY ME!

on crochet: ZOMG i really feel like a granny with arthritic hands. arggghhhh ... the pain in my joints are so annoying. it's due to gripping the cloth part mmkay. gahhh i should rub some ointment on them and see if they'll feel better. and zomg i never knew that one project could take up soooooo much time that i really doubt i'll finish up steph and joanne's surprise gifts in time. =(

bugger.

i can't believe it's april.
i shall publish my Wish List for my Birthday soon. *cackles*