Xiao Bar Wang, 1 Utama | Quartet, TTDI

It was public holiday today, a perfect day for WL & I to shop for Christmas presents in conjunction with our upcoming gifts exchange party with our ex-colleagues. 1 Utama was packed with mostly window shoppers, a typical crowd during a public off-day. Moreover, it was the peak of the school holiday season as even exam candidates were done with their papers.

Xiao Bar Wang, 1 Utama

Literally all the restaurants were crowded & we had no idea on what to have for lunch. And so we settled for something really simple - Xiao Bar Wang which serves self-claimed authentic Taiwanese street snacks. Self-claimed? Yes, you read it right. Most of the time, I never believed in the word "authentic" when the restaurant is operated by foreign labour. Also, how often does franchise in Malaysia remain consistent in their food quality after 6 months?

Anyways, the price ain't too steep, averaging about RM15 if you order the set which includes a complimentary drink. I ordered the standard braised pork rice because it's the staple Taiwanese dish & shouldn't go wrong.

It tasted okay & normal - not particularly tasty but not inedible either. Good enough to satisfy meagre eater like me. However, the amount of rice stuffed into the cardboard tray is too much that it was difficult to scoop out without littering the table with bits of minced pork. But then again, this is a Taiwanese street snack restaurant. I shouldn't be complaining.

WL's order came in a nicely compartmentalized tray ala bento style. It's pork chop rice set, his favourite. Or should I say, any pork chop is his favourite.

WL obviously enjoyed his lunch set judging by the clean, empty tray left. Well, for me, I left a small portion of the rice because I was quite stuffed & I didn't want to consume too much carbs. I've been gaining weight lately due to daily carb diet & the lack of exercise for 1 year. In summary, the food is edible if you want a quick bite & too lazy to think about your meal. Otherwise, there are better choice elsewhere. Rating: 3 out of 5

Address:

Lot LG 118, 1 Utama Shopping Centre

1, Lebuh Bandar Utama

Bandar Utama

47800 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Contact:

03-7722 2950

Opening Hours:

Monday to Sunday 10:00am - 10:00pm

Quartet, TTDI

After shopping, WL had a date with his ex-college buddies for a drink. By stroke of coincidence, we ended up at Quartet, TTDI because the other cafe we planned to go was closed. I opted for my usual hot mocha & stayed away from desserts or pastry as I could feel the lunch in my gut.

Mocha was okay but on a slightly sweet tone. In fact, my tongue tasted more of the cocoa powder instead of the coffee which I found common in most of the cafes I have visited so far. The cocoa powder was bittersweet, not the bitter type I normally use in baking.

WL picked a slice of cake from the display chiller to try. I couldn't recall which cake it was but upon the first bite, the sweetness enveloped my mouth followed by a hint of the weirdest taste I was simply clueless about its ingredient. Not too good, in my opinion.

The interior is a cosy one with rustic, earthy hues as the main theme. However, coffee & cake wasn't my cup of tea (pun intended). Perhaps the brunch & salad are better. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Address:

No. 21, Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7

Taman Tun Dr Ismail

60000 Kuala Lumpur

Contact:

03-2857 6041

Opening Hours:

Monday to Sunday 8:00am - 12:00am

Nyonya Kitchen, Klang

WL had a sudden craving for nyonya food last night & decided to take me to one restaurant he discovered recently, not too far from his crib. Namely Nyonya Kitchen, the restaurant showcases a humble interior which resembles more of a clean, modern mamak store.

We ordered the usual nyonya staples - kapitan chicken, egg omelette, kangkung belacan & a bowl of salted vegetable soup.

This version of the egg omelette surprisingly did not have cincaluk, which is a standard condiment in a typical nyonya dish. It tasted alright but just lacked the authentic taste that I was expecting. The chicken, kangkung & soup were not too bad either. In fact, almost anything tastes good when you're hungry.

My only reservation is that the food had more Malay touch than its intended nyonya style. I craved for authenticity but this restaurant didn't exactly hit the jackpot. Nevertheless, it was a hearty meal & probably a good place for a nyonya fix if you're residing in Klang. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Address:

220 - 222, Jalan Batu Unjur 7

Taman Bayu Perdana

41200 Klang

Selangor.

Contact:

03-3324 1151 / 1190

Opening Hours:

Monday to Sunday 11:00am - 10:00pm

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

I wasn't particularly ecstatic about The Hunger Games last instalment to be split into 2 parts. I personally think it's merely a marketing gimmick by the movie studios to generate more cash from fans. Not to mention the plot is forcefully stretched thinly, leaving many plot gaps to fill in. This is exactly the case for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.

This 3rd sequel continues after Quarter Quell Games was abruptly ended when Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) shot an electrocuted arrow into the sky, hence destroying the arena dome. Katniss was rescued together with other victors Beetee & Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin), then taken to District 13. Unfortunately, Peeta Mellark & Johanna Mason failed to escape & were captured by the Capitol.

The intial scenes of Katniss' emotional turmoil was heartrending & played very well by Lawrence. However, the magic sizzled off too quickly because for the most part, the film mainly focused on Katniss' close-up shots sulking & hating the world. Capitol's psychological warfare tactic of using Peeta to destroy Katniss deep inside is a brilliant idea. But we don't need to be reminded how incredibly heartbroken & confused Katniss is for almost the entire movie.

Action scenes were so limited that it took effort for me to stay awake. As dark as the film is trying to portray itself, I'd must say the film turned disappointingly dull. Mockingjay Part 1 gave a vibe that the filmmakers didn't seem to know which direction to lead this film to. I reckon there isn't enough source material to fall back & utilise it in filling the gaps in between the already thin plot.

I'm glad that I held back from reading the book. Else, I could've exited the cinema hall feeling like a deflated balloon. Why, oh why is the finale split into 2 parts?? The story is building up so strong since Catching Fire.

Pic courtesy of MoviePosterDB.com

Fuwa Fuwa Bakery Cafe, The School Jaya One

It was raining heavily, as I left the office to head off for a lunch appointment with an insurance agent recommended by my friend. We agreed to meet up at Fuwa Fuwa Bakery Cafe for a quick bite because my lunch hour was rather short because it took me a while to actually get a parking space.

I ordered hot mocha as I needed something hot & caffeine to give me a boost. Coffee was so-so & lacked the aroma. The taste profile mostly consist of sweetness from the cocoa powder & milk. In fact, it was too sweet & almost drowning the coffee flavour. And, the cuppa didn't come cheap at RM11+.

Albeit the less than satisfactory brew, the coffee art is still commendable. At least the motif is lasting & didn't melt away as I took each sip.

I didn't bother to snap a photo of my aglio olio because it looked & tasted awful. It was soaked with olive oil as if it didn't cost a thing. How can you put such badly made pasta into your mouth? Anyways, I reckon their baked products would have fared better than their mains & drinks. To be fair, I'm giving a rating of 3.8 just so I can give them another chance by trying out the bakery section.

Address:

100-1.37 & 100-1.41

Block J, The School Jaya One

72A, Jalan Universiti

Seksyen 13

46200 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Contact:

03-7491 4866

Opening Hours:

Monday to Saturday 10:00am - 7:00pm

Jarrod & Rawlins, Jalan Bangkung

The first time I ate at Jarrod & Rawlins was on Valentine's Day at the Plaza Damansara branch. The choice of dish we picked was part of the Valentine's Day menu but too bad it didn't tickle our fancy, hence I didn't bother to blog about it. Moreover, I was busy for the past few months & had very little time for blogging.

Anyways, I had the opportunity to visit the Jalan Bangkung outlet with my family recently & couldn't wait to share my fair opinion about the food since it wasn't based on a special occasion menu.

First on the review list is the pork lasagna. Loved how the cheese oozes out from the lasagna. And oh so delish. Whatever reason it may be, pork always tastes superb.

I know how much I could ingest so I didn't want to push my luck & order a heavy dish. So, I opted for eggs benedict with hash brown. Don't be fooled by the relatively small portion but boy, I was stuffed by the time I ate my last bite. And it tasted awesome! Although I would've preferred the hollandaise sauce to be less salty.

Cousin bro had a rather big appetite that day & ordered for a big breakfast platter with toasted bread. I dared not try because I felt full after looking at his dish. Nevertheless, I love the food spread - so sumptious & wholesome...

Grandma being grandma, she is less adventurous when it comes to food. We ordered fried fish & mashed potatoes for her, the closest alternative available in the menu since there is no grilled fish. Sure bet she enjoyed her lunch very much. I mean, who could've resist such temptation?

No doubt Jarrod & Rawlins doesn't come cheap, but I would come here anytime whenever I feel like treating myself something really good after working so hard at work. It's the kind of place where you just chill out & order anything that tickles your fancy, then eat your heart out like there's no tomorrow.

Address:

No. 63, Jalan Bangkung

Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Contact:

03-2095 1608

Tornado strikes Kedah

On Thursday morning while I was buttering up my bread to be packed for breakfast at work, I flipped The Star around to take a glance at the front page. I was startled by the photo of a mini tornado twisting rapidly, somewhat consuming everything in its path.

This weather disaster had happened right at my very home country, Malaysia. Yes, you read it right. Never in a gazillion years I would've expected a tornado to attack my homeland. The image above was taken by a villager in Alor Setar, Kedah. This is the 4th incident reported since 14 October this year.

It felt strange looking at the photo because I was drawn to the beauty & grace of how this tornado bent at an angle & spun at high velocity. Yet, it is disturbing to know the harm it could have caused to the community there. Thankfully, no one was injured in the process but some unlucky homes were badly damaged.

I hope it won't happen again because we are not even prepared for this kind of natural disaster. Apart from the annual eastern coast monsoon period, Malaysia is fairly safe from other weather disaster threats. What has the world become? The weather at my beloved homeland seems to be experiencing an erratic change. *sighs*

Click here to read the news article featured in The Star.

Image credits to The Star.

Cafe-hopping Day

It was an interesting day yesterday as I embarked on a cafe-hopping trip around some of the hippest cafes around KL. This was how my day began - me being inadvertently dragged up from bed early morning to head off to Flip Flop's warehouse sale at TTDI. We didn't find anything which interest us & so our cafe-hopping adventure began next.

Pickle & Fig

Since we were already at TTDI, I insisted to pay a visit to Pickle & Fig for breakfast. The decor looks a little bare, probably not the best interior I've seen so far. Nevertheless, it seems to have a steady, incoming crowd - the working class yuppies who are driving the trend of hanging out at fancy cafes for a cuppa & breakfast which they're too lazy to prepare at home.

I ordered my usual coffee fix - cafe mocha. The barista was rather creative, presenting an elephant coffee art instead of the usual leaf pattern. Coffee tasted alright, not exactly the caffeine kick that I expected but the cocoa powder came out pretty strong. The coffee art is solid though & does not wear off easily.

And then our breakie sets came. WL called for the set with scrambled eggs, sauteed mushrooms, chicken bacon, salad & sliced bread. Mine was served with poached eggs in a glass, sliced bread, leafy salad, grated cheese, turkey slices & salmon.

The breakie looked appetising but the taste is average. Maybe because my salmon wasn't exactly the freshest & the poached eggs was too liquid. WL didn't like the taste of the chicken bacon either. I'd give a 3 out of 5 in terms of taste for Pickle & Fig.

Address:

26, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 2

Taman Tun Dr Ismail

60000 Kuala Lumpur

Contact:

03-2858 9960

Opening Hours:

Monday to Thursday 9:00am - 11:00pm

Friday & Saturday 9:00am - 12:00am

Sunday 9:00am - 11:00pm

Monkey Garage

Our next stop is Monkey Garage as recommended by WL's friend. It's easy to miss this cafe because it sits between Regal Valet & Toyota showroom in Bangsar. The interior screams all things car related. The owner is probably a car aficionado, otherwise the cafe wouldn't be strategically hidden next to a car styling company with patrons driving European luxury cars.

I forgot to take snap photos as I was too busy chatting away with WL & his friend. Our stomachs were still stuffed with the earlier breakie, so we called for something light to nibble. A slice of classic quiche lorraine or they preferred to call it more layman - ham & mushroom quiche.

It was yummy! If only I wasn't full, I could've easily finished up the entire slice & probably called for another. WL's latte was a little diluted & too creamy for my liking. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that we weren't hungry because some of the dishes were unavailable after Halloween the night before. In terms of taste rating, it'll be a 4 out of 5 for the awesome quiche. I know I'm a little bias but first impression does help.

Address:

Lot 61, Jalan Maarof

Bangsar

59000 Kuala Lumpur

Contact:

012-2320239

Opening Hours:

Monday to Sunday 11:30am - 3:00am

Acme South

As if hanging out at the 2nd location wasn't enough, WL's friend suggested that we head off to Bangsar Village. He had a sudden craving for dessert & was eager to introduce it to us. The location is none other than Acme South, a Texan BBQ & Southern kitchen inspired restaurant. WL's friend ordered the signature dessert - brownie served on a hot pan with a scoop of ice cream topping.

I may not be a huge fan of brownie & ice cream but...this dessert is AWESOME! I'm enthralled by the hot-cold sensation as soon as the warm brownie & frozen ice cream enters my mouth. A little sweet on the palate but each spoonful is addictive. The portion is huge for one person; you may not dinner if you gobble up this dessert. We had to share the brownie between the 3 of us. It's indeed a pricey dessert at almost RM20, but heck it. Sharing it makes all the more affordable. Thumbs up! I score this 4 out of 5. Bonus point for this restaurant because a cute waiter serves as an eye candy. :P

Address:

Lot 1, Jalan Telawi 1

Bangsar Baru

59100 Kuala Lumpur

Contact:

03-2283 6288

Opening Hours:

Monday to Thursday 10:00am - 12:00am

Friday & Saturday 10:00am - 1:00am

Sunday 10:00am - 12:00am

The Bee, Jaya One

WL & I rarely do Monday date nights but we were suddenly up for a dinner date. He came to pick me up after work & both of us had no clue about where & what to eat #firstworldproblems. Rain started pouring not long after we left so I suggested to head off to Jaya One for shelter.

We wandered around with stomachs groaning, searching aimlessly for a suitable restaurant while shying away from those which gave us past bad experience. When we passed by The Bee, we were attracted by the B for B promo specially for Mondays. The promo can be a choice of beer-for-beer / burger-for-beer / burger-for-burger combination. Without doubt, we settled for burger-for-burger option as we were starving.

Our pick for the night is The Bee Burger & Mexican Chilli Burger. WL didn't gave me enough time to snap some photos because his hands were all over the burger, ready to stuff it into his mouth. So I held back my hunger just for a few seconds & photographed my the glorious burger.

The Bee Burger is their signature burger dish which consist of cheddar cheese, gherkins & turkey bacon atop a mouth-watering house-made beef patty held by brioche bun.

Served in a platter of french fries & dipping sauce plus my choice of a cup of hot mocha makes a wholesome meal. Although the hot mocha is not the best, one of our burgers is free! What's not to love?

It's not my usual habit to order a beef burger because my weird stomach occasionally can't handle the heat of red meat. Nevertheless, I can't help but gush over the scrumptious brioche bun. Yeah, I know I get overly excited over French breads. Anyway, I always knew The Bee serves great food ever since I dined at the Publika branch. I'd must say the Jaya One branch is on par too. It's a cool hangout place despite the small area with limited seats. Price averages around RM20+ for main course.

Address:

F-85.G.1 (K-2A-G)

Palm Square, Jaya One

72A, Jalan Universiti

46200 Petaling Jaya

Selangor.

Contact:

03-7960 2160

Opening Hours:

Monday to Thursday 9:00am - 11:00pm

Friday 9:00am - 11:30pm

Saturday 10:00am - 11:30pm

Sunday 10:00am - 9:30pm

Budget 2015: Lego-fied

For the first time in years that I actually paid attention to the budget announcement. In this case, I was referring to Budget 2015. Well, erm...not really. Frankly speaking, I didn't bother to know the details details because the perks announced each year never really benefited the middle-income citizens like me.

It's because this year, The Star took the initiative to be creative by presenting the budget details in the simplest manner possible. And there you have it - a Lego-fied Budget 2015! It's so darn adorable & eye-catchy that it's impossible to ignore.

I reckon the idea of publishing the budget spread with minifigures, buildings & vehicles built from Lego bricks culminated from the growing popularity of Lego brand in Malaysia ever since the opening of Legoland.

It was a fantastic idea however, I wasn't particularly ecstatic about the details. The general public is still largely ignorant & lack knowledge of GST & its implementation. There are so much uncertainty looming within the market especially in the industry I worked in that many corporations are adopting a wait & see approach.

Housing policies still fail to address the problems of sky-high house prices that middle-income earners are increasingly unable to afford one. I happened to be one of them & even if pooling with WL is possible, the location is probably less than ideal.

The only perks I see light is increased budget allocation for small & medium enterprises especially for professional women. Indeed beneficial for my future plan to start up a business & quit my future-less job. I have been harbouring that thought for months. All I need is courage to take the leap of faith.

So fellow readers, what are your thoughts on Budget 2015?

In order to view the larger version, click here.

Image credits to The Star.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

No, no, not another Hollywood movie on childhood cartoons by Michael Bay! I just couldn't bear damaging my eye balls watching another one of my childhood cartoons being ruined to bits by the glitter of Tinseltown. But oh well... =(

Let me tell you what's so wrong about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. How can the turtles have a nose bridge?? Of course they have nostrils, but a nose?! WHA?!

As much as I agree CGI nowadays have improved tremendously & capable of creating literally anything, in this case the creators made the turtles looked rather creepy. Since they got the characters' fine little detail all wrong, how would one still survive through the movie? Well, the plot is at its simplest. A no-brainer entertainment piece that doesn't require much thinking. It's easy to digest for a moviegoer looking for an occasional movie escapade. I wasn't easily impressed but there wasn't any other movie watch so...*feeling meh*

At least they didn't make Megan Fox look like a bimbo incapable of doing nothing but scream for help. I never doubted her acting skills, it's just unfortunate the scripts that she received was never fantastic to begin with. Nonetheless, she's easily forgiven all thanks to her pretty face & that's doing her good.

I was hoping this film would just end here for good. Seems like a sequel is on the pipeline & scheduled for release in summer 2016. Omg, not another one...*rolls eyes*

Pic credits to MoviePosterDB.com & The Cairns Post

Lost

Right after I came home from my baking assessment, I stumbled across 2 little kittens sitting back to back in the garden. They looked lost & afraid - one of them has orange & white coat while the other has greyish stripes all over its body. I walked over to them, being careful to not scare them away. The orange one was mewing at me, or so I thought.

I got a bored trying to "communicate" with them & walked back to my house; surprisingly the little felines trotted along, trailing behind me. I thought they looked so adorable & wanted to play with them after putting down my stuff. The kittens crawled underneath my car instead of following me back to my door. I panicked, fearing the car may run over them if someone decides to reverse the car.

I was trying to coax them out of their hiding place but to no avail. Thankfully, the mother cat came looking for her little kittens. It was a quite a sight to behold, as I watched her gripped one of the kittens head with her mouth & carried the offspring towards the gate. It's amazing how the strong grip does not leave any wound to the kitten.

The other kitten was being difficult, refusing to leave its hiding place. Finally, the mother cat returned for its baby by entering through the back drain. Upon hearing our voices, the mother cat were very cautious about calling its baby & instead hid behind the bushes. When the grey kitten appeared slowly, the mother quickly led her kitten to the gate & out of sight.

Sometimes, the most mundane things in life can be so interesting than you'd expect. It's a normal reaction of the mother cat to be protective of its young ones but for some reason, seeing it with my eyes brings a whole new experience of life in its simplest form.

Guardians of The Galaxy

Based on my shallow knowledge of the comic universe, Guardians of The Galaxy was a lesser known comic among Marvel's more popular creation such as X-Men, The Avengers, Spiderman etc. I was skeptical about the movie & reluctant to part ways with my cash for a pair of movie tickets. Upon hearing rave reviews, WL & I took the plunge & joined in the crowd.

We were pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the movie. It was pure entertainment from start to end with no signs of dullness. Although the characters were not easily recognised, it didn't take long for me to warm up to the characters. The slapstick humour coupled with action packed sequence makes up the joy ride of these band of misfits.

You must be thinking hard who these misfits are & I'd agree, it can be quite baffling not knowing some info bits about the characters. Below is a quick guide to satisfy your curiosity (taken mostly from Wikipedia).

Peter Quill aka Starlord (Chris Pratt)

A half-human, half-alien leader of the Guardians who were abducted from Earth as a child & raised by a group of alien thieves & smugglers known as Ravagers.

Gamora (Zoe Saldana)

An alien orphan who was adopted & trained by Thanos to be his personal assassin. Joined the Guardians out of coincidence & is seeking redemption for past crimes.

Drax The Destroyer (Dave Bautista)

A warrior seeking vengeance against Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace) for killing his family.

Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper)

A genetically engineered raccoon who became a bounty hunter & mercenary, an expert in weapons & battle tactics.

Groot (voice & performance capture by Vin Diesel)

A tree-like humanoid who is Rocket's sidekick. Has the ability to grow in size.

See what I mean by a band of misfits. You'd never imagine them gang up & save the world galaxy from the baddies. And what's really refreshing is the awesome tunes from the 60s & 70s played throughout the film. Apparently, the movie soundtrack topped the Billboard charts, an amazing feat for all the songs which never really made it to the charts during their heydays. The power of media & pop culture (in this case, comic related films which Marvel Studios has been cashing in recent years) can certainly bring something/someone out of obscurity.

It's not a movie without loopholes but it's barely noticeable. For the most part, you'll come out the cinema smiling corner to corner for the randomness & hilarity. By the way, Chris Pratt has given me renewed hopes that even a rather obese man like him can turn around to become an overnight star with hot bod. Now's that inspiring for my darling, WL.

Pic courtesy of MoviePosterDB.com

The Expendables 3

"Another sequel?!" I shuddered & said to myself when I saw The Expendables 3 trailer. Looks like the Hollywood trend of releasing sequels or franchises will be here to stay for at least the next 5 years. Who wouldn't when it brings in quick bucks real fast? In a modern day where young audiences go for CGI movies or easy-to-digest films, scripts which require some intellectual interpretation are probably getting lesser in demand.

Anyways, this instalment features Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas & Harrison Ford joining the team to battle against another former Expendable member played by Mel Gibson aka Stonebanks. Stonebanks' weaponry was far more advanced which led to Caesar (Terry Crews) being severely injured, thus forcing the team to retreat from further damage. Feeling remorse, Barney (Sylvester Stallone) disbands the team so that the remaining members are not killed in his mission & decided to recruit new, younger members to pursue Stonebanks.

The state-of-the-art technology adopted by the new members breathes new life to Barney's conventional method of hard core fighting. Unfortunately, the new recruits were captured & Barney was left to try rescue them. This movie is trying hard to prove that nothing beats old school method of fist & kicks when it comes to defeating the baddie. In a nutshell, the old team joined forces with Barney again to save the new recruits while exchanging endless gunfires with Stonebanks' comrades.

The Expendables 3 is no doubt the weaker of the 3 instalments mainly due to the lack of humour & change in focus on the younger cast. The intention to introduce fresh ideas to the movie perhaps failed because not many could relate them to the more iconic action stars of yesteryears. After all, I couldn't have agree more that most audiences are there to watch the old stars. Also, the movie is a serious action movie wannabe when the plot is not rock solid & lacks intelligent dialogues.

While I'm typing this, I heard that the 4th sequel is in the making. Why am I not surprised? Will I go watch the upcoming film in the theatres? Perhaps I should think twice. Even if I'm going to watch, it must be my love for WL to keep him company & support his "interest".

Pic courtesy of MoviePosterDB.com.

Mr & Ms Cafe, Oasis Ara Damansara

I woke up early this morning & was dragged along to Machines' warehouse sale at Citta Mall. Basically, I was doing my duty to accompany WL while he scavenged through the crowd for 3rd party made casings for his iPads & iPhone. I exited the shop lot with empty hands while WL brought out a bagful of casings paid at incredibly cheap price.

Our next destination is brunch at Mr & Ms Cafe at Oasis Ara Damansara. It was raining that morning & patrons were already filling up the dining area to get cozy & warm up from the cold outside. We were lucky enough to get parking & a table at the inner part of the cafe. The interior is pretty rustic yet inviting. Below are just a few images of how the premise looks like (taken from in DESIGN).

The staffs were generally friendly & the service is okay even though they may look a little too young & inexperienced. Most of them gave the impression of a recently graduated high schooler, but I reckon they're probably in college.

I shall review the dish I ordered since I didn't manage to snap the photos of dishes that WL's family ordered. My eggs benedict arrived about 10 mins later after my order was taken. Priced at RM14.90, the portion is decent.

The taste is okay though not the best I've tasted. Upon cutting the fork through the poached eggs, they were slightly overcooked as the yolks were not runny as expected. Slight fail. What a pity! WL's sis-in-law ordered spicy baked eggs with sausages for us dig in. That one didn't fare too well because it tasted like an Indian dish.

I think I should give them another chance by visiting them another day. Just so they can produce a better poached egg. After all, the price is affordable for an occasional diner.

Interior cafe pics credit to in DESIGN

Address:

B-G-3A, Block B, Oasis Square

Jalan PJU 1A/7A, Ara Damansara

47301 Petaling Jaya

Selangor.

Contact:

03-7859 6665

Opening Hours:

Tuesday to Friday 10:00am - 6:00pm

Saturday & Sunday 9:00am - 5:00pm

My journey with Roaccutane

I finally mustered up the courage to reveal a secret I've been keeping for the past 6 months. I kept everyone in the dark because I was too embarrassed & couldn't confront my situation. Now that things have improved & the bad memories left behind, I wish to share the experience I had after enduring the difficult times.

Most of you probably didn't know that I was diagnosed with mildly severe acne condition since last year. I didn't understand my problem, so why would you? It all began as small papules around my forehead not too long after Grandpa left us. Three months later, my condition worsen with papules multiplying into rashes as I struggled to cope with the loss & mounting stress in the workplace. I took an easy way out by using topical creams ie Oxy to reduce the swelling. It worked miraculously & almost all the pimples disappeared. The only problem the cream couldn't solve was my unusually oily skin.

Unfortunately, my condition took a turn for the worst because the rashes relapsed. The papules turned into pustules. It was very unsightly & started hating myself for being so ugly. It was then that I decided to quit my job & took two months off. Thankfully the pimples subsided but somehow the slight rash didn't fully disappear. When I started my new job in February, the pimple rash became more noticeable & my forehead was particularly greasy albeit being in the air-cond room for most of the time.

At that moment, I made up my mind to seek help from a dermatologist recommended through a friend. The doctor put on a one-month Acure prescription after confirming that I was indeed suffering from acne vulgaris. Acure is the generic drug name for Roaccutane. The drug didn't come cheap - RM200 with 30 capsules per box.

I googled more info about Roaccutane & digested as much as possible the risks & side effects that could affect me. I diligently popped a pill every day based on doctor's instruction, determined to clear off the acne as soon as possible.

1 week later

It was amazing & frightening at the same time to see the effect of Roaccutane after barely a week. All of a sudden, postules proliferated & I noticed blackheads were more visible than ever before. The good news was the excess sebum on my forehead had reduced tremendously. However, my lips were showing cracked lines, drier than I expected.

One month later

My forehead had worsen so terribly horrible that I couldn't bring myself to to look at the mirror every day. The pain was unbearable because the postules had transformed into nodules & cysts. It felt like the nodules & cysts were about to erupt anytime soon. I felt incredibly dry, inside out & was religiously applying lip balm every hour to sooth my severely cracked lips. Thankfully, it didn't bleed. Initially, I refused to photograph my progress because I was too embarrassed. But I had to document each stage to ensure there is progress.

Three months later

I almost gave up Roaccutane because it seemed to be aggravating my problem instead of curing it. I'm glad I didn't & results were generally positive. Surprisingly in just 4 months, my acne dried up almost instantly with my forehead demonstrating signs of recovery. What's left is the dark spots & minor scarrings, remnants of a previous cystic acne spot. I chose to believe that the remnants will vanish in no time if I take good care of my forehead.

I'd like to announce the good news that my condition had improved so well that I was off the drug for a while. It took 4 months for my acne to be fully extracted & cleared from my pores. Roaccutane is indeed an effective medicine to treat acne, even the severe ones. It's not a hormone pill; it contains an active ingredient called isotretinoin which is known as a retinoid. No idea what retinoid is? It's a chemical compound related to vitamin A. Roaccutane works by suppressing the activity of sebaceous glands in the skin - in other words reducing the amount of sebum produced in the glands.

To those who are contemplating about taking Roaccutane as prescribed their doctors, I assure you that the drug is generally safe when precautionary measures are taken. The drug is known to cause harm to the baby in pregnant women & may cause miscarriages. Refrain from using this drug & consult your doctor if you plan to conceive. Just make sure to use contraception if you're sexually active.

Treating acne is a lengthy process & requires patience. Each individual reacts differently to Roaccutane - some may show immediate results of recovery while others may go through a series of worsen condition before it heals. In my case, I was one of the latter & it was indeed a test of patience & self-esteem. When I was in the brink of giving up, I reminded myself that I had spent too much on medicines that giving up makes me sound like a child. I presevered & here I am...back to my original self. A happier me.

Flight MH17

As the saying goes, lightning never strikes the same place twice. At least, this belief should very well apply to air crash disaster in a single airline company. Unfortunately, this is not true for MAS. News surfaced on Friday midnight (GMT+8) that flight MH17 enroute to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a surface-to-air missile & crashed at Donetsk region of Eastern Ukraine.

The minute I received news of the crash, I rushed to the living room & switched on to CNN for the latest updates. I watched with disbelief at the stark reality flashing before my eyes. It was past bedtime but I couldn't bring myself to sleep & ended up glued to the TV until 1am. If it's really true that the plane was shot by pro-Russian separatise, I'm utterly disgusted by their inhumane acts.

Let's hope that the bodies of victims can be recovered soon & returned back to the respective families. Meanwhile, I'm hoping that the black box will be found as soon as possible so that investigative teams can begin finding the cause of the incident. Although highly unlikely the perpetrators will be caught soon, I'm praying hard that the relevant parties will arrest them & bring them to justice. It's so unfair that innocent lives were killed as a result of geopolitical tension between Ukraine & Russia. RIP MH17. #RememberingMH17

Transformers: Age of Extinction

I'd like to believe that the latest Transformers instalment was a blast. Or so I thought. The movie trailer is obviously a successful gimmick to deceive the audience into believing that the movie might be the best Transformer movie ever. I have been deceived... =(

I was made to believe that signing up different casts such as Hollywood A-lister Mark Wahlberg will bring a breath of fresh air to the already stale storyline of the Transformers franchise, no thanks to Michael Bay. If only the whole franchise was a little more loyal to the original Transformers animation but I can only dream on for now.

Age of Extinction was approx 2 hours 45 mins long. And you wonder what in the world a simple robot movie would take up such long running time. Well, Michael Bay decided to inject some emotions to the movie this time by dialing up on the father-daughter relationship. As if that is not enough, the plot was filled with awfully written lines & typical Bay-plosions to remind you in the face it is after all a Michael Bay film & it won't go wrong with box office performance.

On 2nd thoughts, the whole film idea probably wasn't entirely Bay's fault. If you'd care enough to watch it in the cinema, you can't help but notice many unnecessary scenes were forcefully included just to promote "certain" countries. Ain't it obvious the funding probably came from Chinese investors who without doubt insist the content to reflect everything Chinese? Why am I being so critical about this? Well, I have worked long enough in Cina-man companies to be smart enough to notice that the investors are a typical kind - greedy. I reckon the production team behind Transformers have no choice but to oblige to the absurd request or risk funds being pulled off from such big budget production.

Even then, the efforts from the team wasn't enough to keep the investors happy. I heard that a lawsuit was filed against the production team for not complying to the agreement. Apparently, some of the scenes featuring iconic locations supposedly in the film was edited out in the final cut. I'm deeply appalled by how degraded Hollywood movie has become. Moreover, this unfortunate incident happened to our all-time favourite childhood series. Maybe I shouldn't take the movie too seriously, should I? Honestly, it was a waste of my money & precious 2 hours.

Pic courtesy of MoviePosterDB.com

KyoChon, 1 Utama

I was bugging WL to try out KyoChon when I heard news that the 1st outlet opened at 1 Utama. He finally gave in & allowed me to drag him to the restaurant for dinner. KyoChon was established in 1991 in Korea & has since expanded to over 1,000 chains in Korea. They even have branched out to USA, China, Thailand & Indonesia. Their menu comprises a variety of chicken dishes ranging from fried or grilled chicken to salads & soups.

The brand restaurant is endorsed by Korean heartthrob, Lee Minho so it's no surprise to see his face plastered all over the premise. It's typical in Korea but not so in Malaysia. Which is why I found it rather uneasy having his face staring at me from every corner of the restaurant. Does the food live up to all that hype generated by Minho? Read on below.

We ordered Sal Sal Strips small size which comes in 5pcs of boneless chicken breast strips coated in special rice batter. Our pairing sauce of choice is jambalaya. Price is RM10.90.

Aiks,  it looks small right? Fret not, it is unique & delicious. It's a pity the portion is so small. Wait until you see the next dish. For a start, I didn't want to be greedy & order a dinner set for myself because the thought of 10pcs seems like a daunting task. Hence, I gave WL the privilege to call for a set while I opted to share with him. Our intention is to try all the different flavours as much as possible without stuffing too much food into our stomach or risk falling into a slumber in the cinema hall later.

We picked a combination of wings & drumette in 2 flavours - Original Soy & Honey. Each dinner set comes with a bowl of rice. You wouldn't believe our eyes when the waiter placed the dish on the table.

I couldn't not recall the price but I think it was around RM28. It is unbelievably small for the hefty price tag! Thankfully...and I must repeat this...thankfully the marinated chicken was fantastic in every single bite. Otherwise, I would've to bear the brunt of WL's never ending curses & complaints. Here is WL's silly antic - pretending to be somewhat shocked at the meager size of the chicken wing. =P

Meanwhile, I'm in utter satisfaction that I succeeded in persuading WL to dine at this restaurant. Yay!

My final thoughts? KyoChon is delicious, EXPENSIVE...yet still delicious XD. And I'd probably eat it again sometime in the far future when I'm feeling my pockets are rather deep that day that I can simply splurge on anything for the fun of it. At least I'm glad that I tried & KyoChon turned out to be a good experience. Yum~

Address:

LG 311, Lower Ground Floor

1 Utama Shopping Centre

No. 1, Persiaran Bandar Utama

Bandar Utama

47800 Petaling Jaya

Selangor.

Contact:

enquiries@kyochon.com.my

Opening Hours:

Mondays to Sundays 10:00am - 10:00pm

Bari-Uma Ramen @ Jaya Shopping Centre, PJ

It's been a long time since I last ate ramen, not to mention eating out with Mum. Since Jaya Shopping Centre just opened recently, we decided to check out the newly rebuilt neighbourhood mall to fill up our grumbling stomachs. There are still not many tenants hence the number of eateries are limited as well. Mum was craving for something soupy & the ramen shop, Bari-Uma Ramen came to mind. I didn't have any specific preference, so I willingly obliged.

Bari-Uma Ramen reminded me of Goku Raku Ramen in terms of price range & the menu offering. The easiest way to test out whether a restaurant is good is by ordering its signature dish. I always believed a good restaurant should be able to execute its signature dish well as communicated. It's one of the essential factor to gaining success. I ordered tonkotsu shoyu ramen while Mum called for another ramen & a bowl of Japanese fried rice.

The noodle portion turned out to be slightly smaller than expected. Nevertheless, the noodle texture is pretty nice & it sure does live up to its claim of being hand made. It's a pity that the noodles were a little overcooked, not as springy as I thought it would be. The broth was a slightly tasteless even though it looks appetizing. On the other hand, the fried rice that Mum ordered was delicious.

I would give an overall rating 3 out of 5 for this restaurant. The portion is rather small despite charging averagely at RM20 per dish. I think the food was too expensive, lacking the value we paid for. Taste wise is alright, if you know which appropriate dish to order. Otherwise, I'm not exactly sure if I would pay the next visit.

Address:

Bari-Uma Ramen

L3-11, Level 3

Jaya Shopping Centre

Jalan Semangat

46100 Petaling Jaya

Contact:

03-7932 2958

X-Men: Days of Future Past

I remembered blogging about the movie, X-Men: First Class some time ago raving about how refreshingly new the franchise is with the change in screenwriting & directing style. I was so elated that there will be a sequel to the franchise & eagerly anticipated for the release. It's unbelievable that I have waited for almost 3 years for the sequel to finally arrived at theatres.

If you think Michael Fassbender was amazing in the first movie, wait until you see him in this film. He's sizzling hot & hunkier than ever. How can a prisoner looks so incredibly gorgeous? It's sinful to be going head over heels over such character. Guilty as charged. ^^

The exciting bit about this movie is that both the original casts & the new casts come together to bridge the time differences between past & future. The general idea is to tie the loose ends left from previous X-men film plots. Interesting as it can be, the execution was not exactly perfect & the reason Professor Xavier is still alive after being disintegrated by Jean Grey in Phoenix mode was left unexplained.

The pace was fast when the film is needed to be & slowed down in time for the audiences to grasp the intricate storyline. The battle scene at the beginning set the right pace, providing momentum for buildup in the 2nd half of the movie. If only more time was allocated for future scenes with more original casts in action. After all, it's a rare chance for them to assemble in the same movie after more than a decade. Nonetheless, the film is definitely a must-watch.

I'm not revealing any spoilers here. Best to buy a ticket & be blown away by the spectacular duo, James McAvoy & Michael Fassbender's performance. And those who already saw it will surely agree with me that there's one uber cool scene that no one could afford to miss. Best. Scene. Ever. Kudos to Bryan Singer & team! Now what are you waiting for? Go run to the theatres get yourself a pair of tickets to this awesome summer blockbuster~

Pics courtesy of MoviePosterDB.com & Flicks and Bits.

The Amazing Spider-man 2: Rise of Electro

Two years ago, I wrote about how I dislike The Amazing Spider-man, partly because Andrew Garfield wasn't convincing as Peter Parker. When the sequel The Amazing Spider-man 2: Rise of Electro was released, I wasn't the least interested in buying tickets to watch in the cinema. I gave in to watching the movie when I was invited for a free screening by an agency. Cheapskate me!

Honestly & sadly, I certainly didn't enjoy the entire 2-hour movie. In fact, I almost fell asleep due to boredom. The visual effects was pretty impressive but for the most part, it's quite an emo movie focusing on Peter Parker & Gwen Stacy. My friend said it the best - the movie should be renamed as Trials & Tribulations of Peter Parker & Gwen Stacy. I find the scenes between Peter & Gwen cringe worthy - the lines between them were so high school & immature; it doesn't do justice to life in the adult world. C'mon, they look like grown-ups but they don't speak like one. I thought Andrew was great in The Social Network but as Peter Parker? Not at all...

Also, am I the only one who finds that the chemistry between the real life couple (Andrew Garfield & Emma Stone) ain't sizzling? I agree they do look together but something doesn't look quite right onscreen. I cringed each time the two of them appear in a scene that I almost stood up from my seat & walked out of the hall. No offence to Garfield-Stone fans, I love them being together but unfortunately, I'm not convinced by their onscreen chemistry.

The only other thing that kept me interested was the new actor, Dane DeHaan for Harry Osbourne. Quite an eye candy to watch even though he does look a little juvenile as the Green Goblin. Nevertheless, DeHaan's sinister & mysterious look is quite engaging. His pretty face does remind me a lot of those poster boy models in fragrance ads.

Oh right, he does model for Prada. No wonder.

Credits: www.annexmagazine.com

Perhaps I have a found a reason to look forward to the next sequel. If only the screenwriters would give more chance to develop DeHaan character's further. Otherwise, I'll continue putting up a poor review of the movie. Jamie Foxx did pretty fine as Electro & the whole story flow is not too bad, but I'd wish the romance part was shorter. You go watch & decide whether the movie is your type.

Dancing Fish, Setia City Mall

Right after baking class, I was whisked off by WL to join his family for dinner at Setia City Mall. Tonight, we opted for a twist from the usual Chinese food for Malay-Indo cuisine. The restaurant is Dancing Fish, named after its signature dish.

The dishes have distinct Indonesian taste with hints of local Malay palates. Quite an appetising experience for me especially after an exhausting day in pastry school. My only complain is that the price is rather steep for such small portion.

Now, here comes the must-have dish that the restaurant is famous for. The Dancing Fish~

It tasted pretty good but the fish is too bony & not enough flesh to feed all of us. Again, it was pricey. =( Boo-hoo!

In summary, I wasn't exactly satisfied with the entire meal because for the most part the portion weren't sufficient to be shared among 13 of us. It was indeed a unique gastronomic adventure but not really hitting the right level in the satisfaction meter. Not too sure if I would return for my next meal.

Address:

Lot UG30, Setia City Mall

Bandar Setia Alam, Seksyen U13

40170 Shah Alam

Selangor.

Contact:

03-3345 6881

Opening Hours:

Monday to Sunday, 10:00am - 10:00pm