Opus Bistro @ Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar

I'm not a huge fan of birthday parties or celebrations, as I prefer to spend quality time with my loved ones. Which is why WL & I went for dinner at Opus Bistro, tucked away at Jalan Bangkung, one of Bangsar's neighbourhood to celebrate my belated birthday.

We arrived early & the restaurant was still empty. We quickly ordered an appetizer, mains & a dessert before other customers started pouring in. Our appetizer, Classic Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken was served minutes later. We dug in with our forks & took the first bite, but was slightly disappointed that the dressing was not enough & the chicken rather dry. It surely wasn't a good start.

My birthday @ Palsaik Korean BBQ, Solaris Mont Kiara

It was my birthday & I got to be a queen for a day. Sort of. I wanted to spice things up a little bit & had expressed my wish to have Korean BBQ on my birthday. Not wanting to disappoint, WL did some research & booked a place at Palsaik Korean BBQ, Solaris Mont Kiara. In recent years, Korean restaurants have proliferated in this area that used to be mainly populated by Japanese expats due to influx of Korean expats living in nearby residences.

WL took did ordering & as usual, he ordered a big feast. It was a recommended BBQ set which comes in 8 different types of seasoning for the pork belly. The variety of pork belly seasoning was an eye-opener & no lack of interesting palate. It consist of ginseng, wine, pine leaves, garlic, herb, curry, miso paste & hot.

And it comes with abundance of veggies & a big pot of seafood broth.

The proper way to indulge in each type of pork belly seasoning is to have the waiter to cook one flavour first, removed from the grill pan, then only follow by the next flavour. Otherwise, you will not be able to distinguish each type from the rest.

To be honest, my tongue was not able to tell the difference by the 3rd meat. Unless I cleared my palate with tea & drank a bowlful of soup each round, the result still remained the same. It was kind of a bummer because the whole idea of this meal was to really savour each flavour & have it registered in my brain. Nevertheless, I was able to identify a favourite out of 8 types & that's garlic for me. Still an interesting concept & I wouldn't mind going back in a bigger group of friends for the fun factor.

A little pricey but come on, just look at the portion. You get loads of meat & seafood, and these food doesn't come cheap nowadays. I'd have to forewarn - it's not the typical Korean BBQ restaurant whereby there's a suction on the ceiling that sucks all the heat & odour. Palsaik doesn't have that & the restaurant felt warm & icky, kind of like in a sauna if you ask me. Be sure to not shower before going there or else your body & clothing will smell of BBQ. Rating 4 out of 5.

Address:

J-01-09, SohoKL

Solaris Mont Kiara

No. 2, Jalan Solaris

50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Contact:

03-6211 0383

Opening Hours:

Mondays to Sundays 11:30am - 11:30pm

WL's Birthday @ Cava, Jalan Bangkung

For WL's birthday this year, I decided to spice things up a little bit by trying out a different delicacy instead of the usual Italian dinner. It was Spanish food for dinner. And we picked Cava located at Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar to celebrate WL's birthday.

As soon as we arrived, we quickly placed our orders before more customers were seen walking into the restaurant. To get the dinner started, the waiter served 2 slices of baquette slathered with crab bits & mayonnaise. It was so appetizing that it made me hungrier for the rest of the dishes.

WL couldn't miss the chance to order beer as a celebratory drink & called for Konig Ludwig Weissbier. Although I ain't really a beer drinker, I took a swig of the beer. Very smooth & with a hint of fruity flavour.

We oredered 2 tapas - sauteed mushroom in olive oil with roasted walnut & marinated pork meat balls. The sauteed mushroom was cooked soft with olive oil & a dash of chilli flakes while the roasted walnut was fragrant & added some crunch, giving a balanced texture & mouthfeel.

The marinated pork was on a sweeter tone, using tomato paste as a base. Whilst it wasn't WL's favourite, I found it rather unique with a combination of sweet & salty taste. At least, the dish didn't taste too predictable, which I found fascinating.

One is not considered having tasted true Spanish food if one didn't include paella in the order. We wanted to make sure we'll be savouring the best, hence we laid eyes on the chef's recommended squid ink paella with shrimp & garlic cream sauce. Indeed the dish didn't disappoint. Add a dollop of cream & every bite became more flavourful than ever. The portion may look small but you'll be surprised that we couldn't finish it.

Overall, it was an enjoyable treat worthy of a thumbs up. Price averages around RM20+ & above which is slightly expensive. But a once-in-a-blue-moon indulgence doesn't really burn a hole in your pocket, does it? A rating of 4 out of 5, without doubt.

Address:

71, Jalan Bangkung

Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar

59100 Kuala Lumpur

Contact:

03-2093 6637

Opening Hours:

Mondays to Saturdays

Lunch 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Dinner 6:00pm - 12:00am

Sundays 6:00pm - 12:00am

Turning 28

Ten years ago, I was just another school leaver, full of youth & vigour, all prepared to enter the next phase of my life - college life. Fast forward to this year, I turned 28 today. Wow. Time flies & I didn't even realised it. In those days, I used to yearn for a birthday blast celebrated among my closest buddies. As time goes by, I didn't expect those happening parties anymore. In fact, I'd prefer to keep my birthday low key & only shared with my loved one. WL religiously celebrated with me for the past 5 years. And I'd have to thank him for that because this year is no different than before.

I opted to have a simple dinner after work since we already went for a short trip last week. We headed to Suki-Ya at Paradigm Mall to try out a Japanese style steamboat.

It's not any different from a typical Chinese style steamboat we're all accustomed to. There are a choice of 4 broths - shabu shabu, sukiyaki, miso & kimuchi. We chose shabu shabu & miso as our soup bases. The rest of the ingredients are served buffet style ranging from vegetables to seafood. WL said the buffet offering was different from the last time he visited. Perhaps the restaurant changes the buffet spread on an occasional basis. Meat for dipping comes in 3 variety - beef, chicken & lamb.

The Japanese are passionate about how to enjoy sukiyaki that they even have table sheets to educate the customers. The step-by-step guide are clearly illustrated with diagrams for easy understanding & I found the tips pretty useful tips on how to ensure the meat is well done without overcooking it. Interestingly, the eating guide can be found on Suki-Ya's website.

Overall, the dinner was a nice change from the usual steamboat I had in Sunway Mentari or Klang. Suki-Ya seems to offer a healthier option maybe because the broth is less oily & fatty. It's a little pricey but I supposed it wouldn't hurt indulging once in a blue moon especially for special occasion. XD

And because today is my birthday, I couldn't hold back the urge to splurge a little bit than usual to pamper myself. I bought 2 CDs at an insanely cheap price (RM9.90 per piece), mascara & a liquid eyeliner from Sephora.

I even got a little birthday surprise from Sephora! I wouldn't have stumble upon the birthday gift redemption email if I didn't have to check for my card number. I must thank myself for being forgetful sometimes. =P

Until now, I still find it hard to believe that I'm already in my late 20s. There's so much more that I want to do, yet so little time. Well, the only advice I can give to myself is to stay focus & make the most out of everything I have now. After all, I'll be pursuing a course soon & in the midst of preparing for my new path. I'm looking forward to it... =)

Address:

Suki-Ya Paradigm Mall

Lot UG-13, Upper Ground Floor

No.1, Jalan SS7/26A, Kelana Jaya

47301 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Contact:

03-7887 3042

I haz turn 26

I just turned 26 yesterday. WL took me out for dinner as a simple celebration because we were equally occupied with work & my birthday happened to fall on a Monday. At the start of day, WL surprised me with his cheeky but sweet gesture - a bouquet of roses sent to my office. =)

Finally, we were heading to Ben's Publika after several rounds of missed chances to dine at the restaurant.

The restaurant bears a resemblance of Bistro42 at Bangsar Village II with its signature dark painted walls & fancy yellow chairs; only difference is the rustic wooden table used in Ben's. The menu is slightly different from The Big Group's other restaurants in order to portray its own unique image & identity.

WL got a little a greedy & ordered two bowls of soup - Roasted Tomato Soup & Chunky Mushroom Soup. The latter tasted a little bland but still tolerable.

Then, each of us ordered Traditional Fish & Chips & Char-grilled Chicken Breast as our main course.

Erm...the Char-grilled Chicken Breast does a look a little wrong. -.-"

WL & I both agreed that the main course tasted pretty good. Since it was a mini celebration, WL was generous (imho, greedy) enough to order another dish for our indulgence. An Aglio Olio Spaghettini.

We were disappointed with the pasta because it was bland & lacked the oomph due to absence of chilli powder. Even after adding a generous amount of chilli powder, it still failed to bring out the aroma. WIP's aglio olio is still my all-time favourite.

The bill turned out to be a little pricey (in WL's opinion) & not worth the next visit. I beg to differ - the overall dining experience was quite fun due to the atmosphere but the food wasn't as good as I've expected. I didn't have any cake for my birthday but it didn't matter. I have him to celebrate with me is all that matters... =) Thanks babe!

Address:

Lot 37A & 37B, Level G2
Publika, Solaris Dutamas

Jalan Dutamas 1

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Contact:

03-6205 2768

Opening Hours:

Sundays to Thursdays, 11:00am - 11:00pm

Fridays to Saturdays & Eve of Public Holidays, 11:00am - 12:00am

WL turns 28!

This year, I celebrate WL's birthday in a slightly different manner. Instead of going out for a fancy dinner at a lavish restaurant, I ended up cooking pasta for him. And prepared a surprise - which ended up not being a surprise eventually - a cake for my dearly beloved. =)

We added a little twist to the pasta dish by using pork to mix with the bolognese sauce. It's little pity that WL couldn't consume beef & since chicken in pasta sauce doesn't taste as good, we used pork for its natural fats & savoury taste. We garnished the pasta with some egg & fried a few slices of luncheon meat for variety.

Our dessert for the day was the cake, of course. This cake differs from the usual ones we purchase from bakery or cake stores. It's homemade & consists of thousands of thin layers. That's right, it's none other than mille crepe! For a start, I ordered a vanilla flavoured to try in case the other flavours aren't too convincing. The multiple crepe layers are fused together with fresh light cream & vanilla custard whereas the top layer is glazed with caramel for a smoky sugary flavour. To save cost, we collected the box at one of the pick-up points at PJ.

Once opened, the sweet aroma filled the air & there lying in the box a freshly baked vanilla mille crepe made to order for WL. However, I was quite disappointed to see a poor presentation of the cake not cuz the cake was messily done. It was the birthday greetings which looked like ugly scribblings done by an amateur using cream.

One note of advice: the cake has to be chilled at all times!! Or else the cream in between the layers will melt & the cake will end up looking like ugly goo. WL seems very please with the token I gave him =)

Upon taking a bite, the crepe & cream melts together in your mouth like butter - so soft & light. What a heavenly taste! The cake keeps you wanting more with every bite. But it does fill up your stomach pretty quickly so I bet that you can only manage at most 2-3 small slices at most. I took the first slice which is slightly bigger than medium & I got stuffed easily. By the 2nd slice, I didn't feel like eating cuz my stomach insides started to swell up; signalling to stop eating.

It was a simple, private celebration between us. WL was all smiles & I'm truly glad that he had fun. Happy Birthday sweetheart! Hope you like my arrangement on this special day of yours~ =)

I have turned 24

My birthday was celebrated in a simple but in a slightly bigger scale this year with my colleagues. The main reason was to utilise the prize money that our department had won from the CNY Inter-department Competition. Since there are two March babies in the dept (which includes me), all of us have decided to make good use of the funds available. Our neighbour dept is also celebrating one of our colleagues birthday; which is why our party turned out to be not triple but a quadruple celebration.

We headed to Shogun, a newly opened outlet at Sunway Pyramid to start our feast. The variety is fairly wide ranging from Japanese to Chinese fusion dishes although the it is marketed as a Japanese buffet restaurant. The food was okay but don't expect anything better. Ice creams are of non-Haagen Daz origins unlike the ones served in Tenji, mind you. Since there wasn't any cake for the birthday babies, each of us are being served mini sliced cakes decorated with fruits & desserts taken from the buffet tables.

Ain't it fun to celebrate with someone who shares the same date of birth as you? Seen here is my ex colleague who is older but born on the same day.

Of course, celebrating my big day with WL was always memorable. It was only a simple dinner at Riblee's but it was definitely an enjoyable night. Like they all said, it doesn't matter where you are celebrating - as long as you're spending time with the person that you loved the most will more than make up for the less favourable environment. No doubt the good food & ambience will add more flavour to a special occasion.

The humble entrance to Riblee's.

The food we ordered that night tasted pretty interesting although the pasta wasn't up to my expectations. Good food, nevertheless. Yum! =)

Wild mushroom soup & crisp roast pork salad for starters.

Our double main course - smoked ham quesadillas & Riblees classic carbonara

I'd have to say that the quesadillas was amazingly good with the thin, crispy crust...the juicy ham & sauce mixed with the scrumptious onions. Omg, so heavenly~ I'm craving for it while I'm blogging this =P. However, the carbonara had too much sauce which tasted overly creamy to begin with. It felt a little bit challenging to have the mouthful passing through the throat. The carbonara could've been slightly drier instead of soaking wet with too much cream & cheese. There you have it, a little short story about the day I turned 24. Despite not receiving any gifts, I supposed having a good meal is hell one of an easy-to-satisfy gift. Really hoping to visit Riblee's again for those yummy quesadillas. XD

For the love of pasta & all that Italian

Most of the celebrations this year were not pre-planned as I have hoped for due to many reasons. First, it was due to my grandpa's current condition. Secondly, the celebrations clash with one another. Hence, I had weigh the opportunity cost & reluctantly postpone one. After all, family matters prevail.

Despite all the commotion that is still happening, I still managed to spend some quality time with WL. And to celebrate his long gone birthday & our belated Valentine's Day for the 2nd time. It was less than 2 weeks before CNY & poor WL still couldn't find a new shirt. With shopping in mind, we went to Sunway Pyramid in hope to scout for one that suited him. In the end, we settled for a simple, light-hearted meal at a Italian restaurant with a Japanese twist. It is Pasta de Gohan we're talking about. =)

While waiting for our main course, we digged into our appetisers. XD WL was so engrossed with his cream mushroom soup & commented several times about how delicious it was! I was literally mad over the mashed potato salad. Absolutely yummy~ Mmmm...

My order for the day was Chicken katsu tamato-ji.

Me indulging in spaghetti with wafu sauce.

When it comes to Italian food, we were never bored laying our eyes on those lovely pastas prepared in the restaurant. As if dining in a Japanese-Italian restaurant ain't enough, we decided to celebrate our belated Valentine's Day at more authentic Italian restaurant - Italiannies at 1U.

This outlet will always remain the closest to our hearts because it was this friendly dinner that led to our union. Many things followed after that night & until now, we couldn't be more glad than having that delicious meal together.

Our selection this time was parmesian crusted fish & smoked salmon pizza. The fish was deep fried in bread crumbs with with some salad leaves & melted parmesan cheese on top the boneless meat. Whereas the pizza was made of thin, crispy crust topped with onions, melted cheese & slices of smoked salmon.

What's surprising is that I have turned into quite a salmon lover despite not eating it each time my family ordered salmon dishes. I guess when a certain food is not to your liking will eventually be one of your favourites if at least once in your life you've tasted the best dish ever served. And I've discovered that smoked salmon is actually cooked salmon! Little did I know that I'm THAT ignorant~ =P

Me & WL never failed to dig our hands into when it comes to Italian food. If not, we wouldn't have attempted cooking our very own pasta. After all, it's just our way to display our passion for each other...as well as Italian delights.

♪ Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me ♪ *sings*

I just turned 22. I'm so old -_-". Only 2 days ago I told myself that I'm still 21 years old. See how one day can change your age...*sighs*

Anyways, my dear 'lil sis bought me a birthday cake & had a mini party together with my cousin bro. Gosh~ I can't remember the last time I blew a candle of a cake. If only you could see how thrilled I was when I was told about it after dinner. So called adult, eh? XD

The cake looks good & tastes pretty good too. For a RM20+ cake, I didn't expect much. I guess it's the thought that counts eh?

Of course, the cake has to have a birthday girl too!

Geez, I looked like a sloppy aunt in rags -_-". Anyways, few of my buddies gave pressies~ Whee! Thank you guys for all the gifts. I really appreciate it. I think pressies are not important. As long as you guys remember my bday. Perhaps this would be the last time I celebrate with y'all as we won't be seeing each other so often next year. Omg, I'm making this so mushy. Oh well, as long as we still keep in touch then it would still be as fun right? XD

This year is definitely one of the best birthday in my life *grins*. I have friends giving me presents which are practical & useful; Dad buying a brand new toy for me just in time for my bday XD. The toy is not just a toy, okay...it's for convenience & to assist my work in uni. I treated it as a bday pressie. That's why I didn't having a big bday event since it's so expensive. Anyways, here are the piccies of all my gifts. I love you, guys!! *muaks*

My early birthday present from Enya!

Assorted birthday cakes~ Cuz my teammates couldn't decide what I like

A cute bottle from Jen! XD She thought I seriously need a new one...(honestly, I do XD. but I failed in getting one -_-)

Kit Ming gave me this puzzle to satisfy my daily obsession XD It's a pity the pic wasn't Dong Bang's best shot T.T

*hugs Wira* Thanks for this wonderful CD. It DOES come in handy...

Last but not least...

The most expensive gift~My dream laptop...*grins*

I'm so happy...
今私がもっと幸せでしょう!

-------------------------------------------

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! YES, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY~ I'M A BIG, BIG GIRL NOW XD

Tsk, tsk...I'm like a grown up woman stuck in a teenager's body -_-"

Anyways, more updates on bday celebration later. Tata! ^^