Revisiting Memories at Xin Cuisine, Concorde Hotel

Sundays are a cherished time for our family, marked by moments of togetherness and indulgence in good food. Last Sunday was no exception, as hubby treated us to a surprise family lunch that took us on a journey down memory lane and tantalized our taste buds in equal measure.

This time, we embarked on our usual Sunday lunch with no clue as to our destination. It wasn’t until we arrived at Concorde Hotel that the mystery unfolded, evoking fond memories of our wedding day almost 24 years ago, when we celebrated our union at this very hotel in May 2000.  I thought that hubby was pulling my leg when he told me that he was bringing us to Concorde Hotel for Dim Sum.  We have not gone to a hotel for lunch for eons and in recent years, we hardly dine in hotels.

Stepping into Xin Cuisine, the Chinese restaurant nestled in the lobby of Concorde Hotel, we were greeted by the familiar sights and smells of dim sum – a nod to our wedding dinner held in the same venue.

True to form, the dim sum at Xin Cuisine proved to be a feast for the senses, with each bite bursting with flavor and tradition. From delicate dumplings to crispy spring rolls, the quality of the food remained as impeccable as ever. This is the reason why we chose to have our wedding at Xin Cuisine because of the quality of the food served.

These look like any other dim sum but they taste superb, one of the best dim sums that we’ve eaten.

Dim sum still served on push carts.

Yummy desserts. The tau fu far is silky smooth.

Fried prawn fitters with big chunky prawns inside.

Full house.

After savoring our dim sum goodness, hubby surprised us once again by whisking us off to Three Years Old for coffee and cake. As we lounged in the cozy ambiance of the café, the girls indulged in a trio of sliced cakes, accompanied by steaming cups of gourmet coffee.

Sherilyn & her dad

Our joyous afternoon took an unexpected turn when Sherilyn experienced an allergic reaction, reminiscent of a previous bout of hives that landed her in the hospital in June last year. She was at her dance studio for class when this happened, so she walked to a nearby pharmacy to get medicine to tame the allergy. We realized that the culprit may have been the prawns consumed during our dim sum earlier.

Reflecting on Sherilyn’s allergy history, we came to the sobering realization that while she may not have a direct allergy to prawns, certain chemicals used in their processing could trigger adverse reactions. Most of the time, eating prawns would cause no allergy but sometimes, she would get an itch in her mouth and lips and the worst case was a full-blown hives attack requiring hospitalization in June last year. Thankfully, with swift intervention, the medication managed to stave off a full-blown hives attack, sparing Sherilyn from further discomfort.

No. of times viewed = 4

Sunday, 25 February 2024

Today is the last Sunday of February 2024. And just in the blink of an eye, Chinese New Year is over and February is coming to an end. February has always been an eventful month with Chinese New Year and my dreaded yearly medical check-up and pap smear procedure. Tomorrow will be my appointment at my gynae’s clinic for pap smear, ultrasound and transvaginal scan. Never liked these scans and test 🤪. I still have some issues that need monitoring.

Lunch today is at Wai Kee, our favorite Hakka tai chow style restaurant. The chef is a lady in her 70s, helming the kitchen for decades. I’m always amazed with her grit, stamina and vitality for shouldering the challenging job of being the head chef in the super hot kitchen.

Our favorite Hakka dishes ~ braised pork belly with yam, Hakka yong liu, stir-fried choy sum and half a steamed village chicken with ginger sauce.

Everyone’s favorite – crispy skin deep fried threadfin fish with soy sauce.

After lunch, we went to Red Kettle, our favorite cafe for coffee and the best Portuguese egg tart in the world. Also bought a loaf of walnut sourdough bread.

My latest fitness tracker ~ a new Xiaomi Mibro C2 smart watch from Shopee. Love this watch with plenty of cool & cute watch faces to choose from. The battery (magnetic charging) is very long lasting too. It comes with many functions but I only track my steps and heart rate. It’s a great smart watch for someone who is obsessed with counting their daily steps 🏃‍♀️ The best part is it only costs RM129 with free shipping and a RM10 shop voucher. I hope I will remember to remove it from my shorts pocket before putting my shorts into the washer. My Fitbit conked out as it went into the washer several times 🤪

The watch comes with two straps – a black by default and another color of your choice.

No. of times viewed = 8

Sunday Lunches

The only day that hubby has the time to have lunch with us is on Sundays. Sometimes though, he has to work on weekends, so I will settle lunch with the girls. Since Sunday is the only day that we get to eat with the girls, we usually eat at a nice cafe or restaurant to chill and enjoy our lunch together before a new hectic week begins and busyness fills our lives again.

Below was our lunch three Sundays ago at Seoul Korea, our top favorite Korean restaurant. Everyone was present for the lunch, which is really hard these days as the girls are all grown up and have their own activities.

The best Banchan in terms of variety, taste and quality. These are replenishable.

Seoul Korea is an authentic Korean restaurant run by a Korean family. Our family has been patronizing this restaurant for over a decade and have celebrated countless birthdays and anniversaries here.

Assorted BBQ meat. We love the melt-in-the-mouth and flavorful boiled pork belly (top left photo).

Kimchi soup (filled with loads of ingredients) and ox tail soup.

By far the best seafood kimchi pancake. Every mouthful is seafood and kimchi with very little flour.

Two Sundays ago, my lunch was with hubby alone. Cass was in school to sit for the UEC exam, Alycia was at her part-time job at the cafe and Sherilyn decided to sleep in to catch up on her sleep after a week of sleepless nights completing assignments. Hubs and I couldn’t decide what to eat and finally settled for North Indian food at Lion of Punjab. I can hardly say no to cuisine from this part of India.

Paneer Naan, Naan stuffed with minced chicken, Tandoori Roti and Palak Paneer.
Palak Paneer is a classic curried dish from North Indian cuisine made with fresh spinach, onions, spices, paneer and herbs. ‘Palak’ is a Hindi word for ‘Spinach’ and ‘Paneer’ is ‘Indian cottage cheese’. This is our family’s favorite North Indian dish.

Mutton Briyani, which was very flavorful.

Butter chicken, another favorite dish of the girls.

Bhindi Masala, which is another super delicious dish. It’s bursting with aromatic Indian spices and herbs. Even Cass who dislikes lady’s fingers devoured this dish.

I wonder why the dishes are filled to the brim and piled on top of a super tiny bowl, making it so difficult for us to scoop the dishes without dropping bits of it on the table 🧐

No. of times viewed = 23

Ah Ma Jia Café: A Taste of Grandma’s Cooking

Our usual Sunday routine involves Cass going to Pavillion Bukit Jalil early in the morning for figure skating practice. Her classes are on Friday but she goes to the skating rink on Sunday to practise. We then fetch her back at noon. Next, hubs will go on a food hunt to explore new cafes and restaurants. This past Sunday, we discovered a hidden gem that left our taste buds dancing with delight – Ah Ma Jia Café.

Nestled next to Pavillion Bukit Jalil, Ah Ma Jia, which translates to “grandma’s house” in Mandarin, promises to serve up traditional dishes reminiscent of the comforting meals your grandma would lovingly prepare.

Ah Ma Jia is a new cafe with double-decked seats, similar to Lhong Tou Café in Yaowarat, Bangkok that’s famed for their double-decker seating.

Photo credit – Ah Ma Jia Facebook

Photo credit – Ah Ma Jia Facebook

One of the things that immediately won us over was the extensive menu. From the moment we perused the choices, we knew we were in for a treat. The dishes spanned a wide array of flavors, each with a hint of nostalgia and a dash of authenticity. And the best part was the prices were all very reasonable.

For our Sunday lunch, we decided to indulge in a feast of our favorite dishes:

Bubur Cha Cha: This delightful dessert, made with thick coconut milk and a variety of sweet potatoes and tapioca, was an absolute hit. It was a bowl of creamy heaven that left me craving for more; I ordered two bowls! This is my favorite ‘tong sui’ as I am a sucker for anything with coconut milk.

Curry Laksa: Ah Ma Jia’s curry laksa was a flavor explosion. The curry broth was rich and intense, and each bite was a symphony of spices and flavors.

Chinese Sausage and Pork Lard Rice: Topped with a perfectly fried egg, this dish offered a tantalizing combination of yumminess from the fried Chinese sausage and crispy pork lard. A must-have dish for pork lovers.

Siam Laksa: The Siam laksa was a fragrant and spicy delight with lip-smacking thick broth.

Yam Cake: The yam cake was a savory indulgence, with a generous amount of aromatic ingredients within.

The adults shared a pot of refreshing flower tea, which comprised of chrysanthemum flowers, lemon and stalks of lemongrass.

Stir-fried Rolled Up Chee Cheong Fun: This dish is a unique twist to the traditional CCF, where the chef stir-fried the rolled noodles with cabbage, eggs, carrots, etc.  It was very flavorful and surprisingly, we finished the entire plate.

Cantonese Fried Mee Sua: Cass chose this noodle dish. It’s a comforting noodle dish with smooth egg sauce and a variety of ingredients such as prawns, fish cake, ham slices, cabbage and carrot strips.

Coconut Milk Shake: Cassandra’s choice, this refreshing drink was a delightful blend of creamy coconut goodness, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Snow Fungus Tong Sui: Hubby’s choice. A sweet and soothing dessert that provided a sweet ending to his meal.

While Alycia and Sherilyn couldn’t join us for lunch, we got them takeaway spaghetti with grilled chicken and braised pork belly rice, ensuring that they too could savor the delicious food of Ah Ma Jia. The braised pork belly dish was superb, just the way I like it with tender pork in a flavorful sauce.  The spaghetti noodles were a tad dry though, according to Alycia but the grilled chicken was delicious.

Ah Ma Jia Café truly captures the essence of home-cooked nostalgia. The affordable prices and prompt service were the icing on the cake. This café is a culinary gem that we will cherish and definitely revisit to explore the rest of the menu. I’ll order Bubur Cha Cha again, for sure 😋

Ah Ma Jia

Address:
* within walking distance from Pavilion Bukit Jalil
N-13-1 , Jalan Persiaran Jalil 3 , Bukit Jalil City,
Bukit Jalil, 57000 Kuala Lumpur.
Opening hours: 11AM – 7PM (closed on Mondays)

No. of times viewed = 156

30 July 2023 ~ Sunday Lunch at Kayra, Bangsar Village

On a serene and gloomy Sunday afternoon, my family and I had a delightful lunch at Kayra Restaurant, Bangsar Village. With its promise of authentic Kerala cuisine, we were eager to indulge in the rich flavors and aromatic spices of India. As we entered the restaurant, we were immediately captivated by the leafy terrace adorned with a mural of Kerala’s backwaters, setting the tone for a truly immersive dining experience.  Every dish that we ordered was truly a masterpiece of taste and tradition.

We ordered a roast chicken dish cooked with aromatic spices and onions, mango and prawn curry, mutton stew, spinach and dhal curry (my top favorite), ghee roast Paneer (cottage cheese) with onions curry, appam, chapati, Neer dosa, puffed roti, Khameer roti, Masala chai, biryani rice, and okra Poriyal.

Spinach and dhall curry. One of the best dhall curries that I’ve tasted. Rich, thick and flavorsome. I love the crispy fried spinach sprinkled on top.

Biryani rice.

Ghee roast paneer – one of the tastiest paneer that we’ve tasted.

Chicken roast. The rich flavors of this dish are quite similar to the Ayam Kuzi dish from hubby’s central kitchen.

Everyone loved their range of rotis!
Clockwise from top: puffed bread (hollow inside), Khameer roti, apam, and chapati.

The roast chicken, cooked with a melange of aromatic spices and caramelized onions, left us wanting more with its tender and succulent meat. The mango prawn curry infused a perfect balance of tangy and spicy notes, a delightful combination that had us craving for extra helpings.

Mutton stew

Prawn and mango curry.

The mutton stew, immersed in a rich and savory gravy, showcased the finesse of Kerala’s culinary heritage. The true star of the meal for me was the spinach and dhal curry, an exquisite concoction that won my heart with its comforting and wholesome taste. Paired with various bread options like chapati, dosa, puffed roti, and Khameer roti, each bite was a delightful dance of flavors and textures.

We liked the ghee roast Paneer and spinach and dhal curry so much that we ordered a portion for takeaway, along with chapatis for Alycia and Sherilyn who didn’t join us for lunch.

For our vegetarian choices, we were delighted by the ghee roast Paneer (cottage cheese), which was a delightful contrast of soft mild cheese and robust spices. The okra (lady’s fingers) Poriyal provided a unique twist to a commonly used vegetable, elevating it to a whole new level of delectability. Cass who doesn’t like okra surprisingly helped herself umpteen times to the okra dish.

To accompany our meal, we enjoyed aromatic biryani rice, perfectly cooked to enhance the already flavorful dishes. And no meal is complete without a cup of Masala chai, its warmth, and spices creating a harmonious ending to a soulful feast.

The ambiance at Kayra further heightened our dining pleasure. The moment we walked into the terrace, the feeling was one of stepping into a holiday resort with cool breeze blowing in. The leafy terrace, adorned with its picturesque mural, exuded the essence of Kerala’s landscape, while the rattan furnishings and lush greenery created a tranquil oasis in the heart of the bustling city. It was a perfect respite, allowing us to immerse ourselves fully in the flavors and atmosphere of the restaurant.

Kayra’s inclusion in the Michelin Guide 2023 and its accolade in the top 20 restaurants of the Tatler Dining Awards are well-deserved honors. The restaurant’s dedication to preserving and presenting the essence of Kerala cuisine shines through in every dish.

Our Sunday lunch at Kayra Restaurant was a beautiful experience, where the flavors of Kerala’s cuisine painted a vivid picture of its cultural richness. From the perfectly spiced dishes to the inviting ambience, Kayra delivered a culinary journey like no other. While the prices may be slightly higher than other Indian restaurants, the quality, taste, and ambiance are well worth it. As we bid adieu to Kayra, we left with hearts full of contentment and a resolve to return soon to explore more treasures from their extensive and intriguing menu.

KAYRA, BANGSAR VILLAGE
F08, 1st Floor, Bangsar Village 1,
Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru,
59100 Kuala Lumpur
+60 (17) 215 7382

No. of times viewed = 63

Sunday, 25 June 2023

This past Sunday, our family had a unique and eventful day with each member engaged in their own activities. While Cass immersed herself in the thrilling world of anime at an anime fest in IOI City Mall at Putrajaya, Alycia, dedicated her time to her weekend part-time work. Meanwhile, my MIL embarked on an exciting trip to Ipoh with her erstwhile schoolmates. Amidst these diverse activities, Sherilyn, hubs and I enjoyed a delightful lunch experience at Haidilao.

After recalling our enjoyable visit to Haidilao in April, where we celebrated Cass’s birthday, hubs and I decided to revisit this delightful establishment for a satisfying hotpot lunch.

Sherilyn ordering the ingredients for the hotpot using the restaurant’s iPad.

Our order delivered to us in a robot server.

Haidilao’s reputation for excellent service and mouth-watering hotpot options made it an obvious choice. As we settled into our cozy table, reminiscing about our previous experience, we couldn’t help but wished that Alycia and Cass could join us.

Assorted thinly sliced meats. The pale colored meat on the right is pig’s aorta 😲. Not my kind of meat 🤐

With bubbling pots in front of us, we immersed various ingredients, ranging from thinly sliced meats to an assortment of seafood and vegetables, into the flavorful broth. We ordered the yellow fish maw and Japanese dashi broth. Both the broths were very flavorful and thick, especially the yellow fish maw. Each morsel was carefully cooked to perfection, creating a symphony of flavors that tantalized our taste buds.

Fresh prawn paste in a piping bag.

Raw fish slices and baby octopus.
Cooked garoupa fish slice and baby octopus.
Fish maw from the yellow fish maw soup. Yummeh!

Thinly sliced rib eye. All you need is about 5 seconds of immersing the meat into the hot soup to get super tender meat that melts in the mouth.
Very yummy fried mochi dessert with Gula Melaka filling.

The iconic HDL’s Noodle Dancing Man churning out fresh noodles for our hotpot.

Complimentary ice-cream.

While we were savoring our hotpot lunch, Cass, embarked on her own adventure at IOI City Mall for half a day. She and her high school classmates attended an anime fest, immersing themselves in the vibrant and imaginative world of Japanese animation. Even though we couldn’t physically be there with her, the Life360 app provided me with a sense of reassurance and peace of mind as I tracked her whereabouts throughout the time she was away.

The bill. I only realized today that condiments and sauces are chargeable at RM8 per pax and flavored drinks at RM5 per pax when the waiting staff informed us when she took our orders after we were seated. All these while, I thought they were complimentary. However, the condiments and flavored drinks are refillable.

Tracking Cass’s whereabouts using the Life360 app on my android phone. In order for this to work efficiently, there must be Wifi / mobile data and strong signal from both sides.

No. of times viewed = 34

Sunday, 30 April 2023 ~ Lunch at Strangers at 47, PJ

If you’re looking for a place to enjoy a scrumptious weekend brunch, Strangers at 47 Café @ Section 17 PJ is definitely worth checking out. Located in PJ, this cozy cafe occupying three shop lots is one cafe that won’t be a stranger to success with its striking selection of fanciful & flamboyant crepes, some lip-smackingly savory, and others magically sweet. Even the ordinary-sounding components here are top-notch.

We started with the Lethal Shrooms Crepe and Uncle Salmon Crepe, both of which were perfectly cooked and complemented the filling ingredients perfectly.  We wanted to try the crepes with sweet fillings but by the end of our meal, we were too stuffed to try them. We even had to doggy-bag some of the cakes and savory crepes home.

Next came the big breakfast set, which was a hearty combination of eggs, ham, sausage, sauteed spinach and mushrooms, hashbrowns, baked beans and a fluffy crepe that was sure to fill us up for the day. The food was brought to the tables by a robot.

Big Breakfast with crepe.

Toasts with scrambled eggs.

The Lethal Shrooms crepe has fillings of portobello, shimeji, baby king oyster mushrooms, soft and flavorful spinach, caramelized onions, tomato relish and poached egg.

The Uncle Salmon crepe is delightfully filled with pan-seared salmon fillet, sweet potato fries, sautéed cream mushroom & spinach, and miso cream.

Next, we tried the Tomato Chicken Linguine and the Roast Chicken Cajun. The linguine was cooked al dente and had a rich and thick tomato sauce with a generous serving of minced chicken. 

The roast chicken was cooked to a T and accompanied by fried potato rings and a cucumber and pineapple salad.  It was succulent and packed with flavorful spices.
Tomato Chicken Linguine

For desserts, we indulged in the Cendolier Cendol Cake, Pandan Mochi Swiss Roll, Chocolate Brownie, and Moist Chocolate Cake. Each dessert was a work of art in itself and tasted as good as it looked.

Chocolate brownie, Pandan Mochi Swiss Roll, Pandamic (pandan, lemongrass and ginger drink) and apple juice.

The Cendolier Cendol Cake was a cheesecake with a refreshing and unique twist on a classic Malaysian dessert. The cendol jelly added a fun, chewy element that was a delight to bite into. 

The Pandan Mochi Swiss Roll was a delightful combination of chewy and fluffy textures.  This unique swiss roll cake featured pandan-flavored sponge cake with a pandan mochi right smack in the middle. This cake had a very aromatic pandan flavor that was simply irresistible. The pandan sponge cake was light and fluffy, and the mochi filling added a wonderful chewiness that contrasted beautifully with the softness of the cake.  Overall, this cake was a winner in our books.

The Moist Chocolate Cake, on the other hand, was very rich, moist, and decadent and was simply heavenly. The chocolate flavor was intense and we loved how the cake practically melted in our mouths.

Decadent cakes – Cendolier Cendol Cheese Cake and moist chocolate cake.

Each cake had its own unique flavor and texture, but all of them were delicious in their own way.

This cafe is pet-friendly and if you’re planning on bringing your pet, you can dine outdoor (right outside the cafe).
We waited for about 15 minutes for a table outside the cafe.

Overall, our experience at Strangers at 47 was fantastic. The food was superb, the staff were friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere was cozy and inviting. We’re already planning our next visit and can’t wait to try more of their dishes and cakes.

Strangers at 47

47, Jalan 17/45, Section 17, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

No. of times viewed = 79

Bröom Artisan Bakery & Kitchen, Taman Paramount PJ

Throwback food snaps 2 April 2023

This is our typical Sunday now, after hubs sends Cass to the skating rink for figure skating practice on Sunday morning – we have brunch together. Sometimes Alycia and Sherilyn join us, sometimes only the mil joins us, sometimes it’s the five of us, sometimes it’s only the two of us and sometimes we have full attendance at the dining table, which is rare now as the girls have their own activities respectively.

Two Sundays ago, hubs and I had brunch at the famous O&S Restaurant (coffee shop) at Paramount Garden PJ. We tucked into our favorite Yong Tau Fu, char koay teow, crispy apam balik, prawn paste Chee Cheong Fun, and prawn noodles.

Getting a table is always a daunting task as the coffee shop is perpetually packed with patrons, no matter what time you’re there. To get a table, you have to stand shamelessly next to tables where people are still eating but look like they’re about to finish their meal.

When you stand next to a table with people still enjoying their food, it’s a non-verbal sign to tell them “hey, I’m waiting for your table. Pretty please hurry up” 😆. But so far, we’ve met only kind and really nice people. They hurriedly gobbled down their food so that they can let us have the table. Likewise, we do the same when we see people standing next to our table when we’re still eating. At this coffee shop, you cannot sit and enjoy your milk tea for hours on end. Everyone is considerate and we eat and leave. And adjourned to a cafe for dessert and coffee and chit chat.

A couple of times, when there were one or two available seats at a table that was already occupied, the strangers offered us the available seats. They then chatted up with us while they quickly finished their food. One time, when hubs didn’t have coins to pay a server, the stranger seated next to us offered to pay for us. Eating at O&S is always heartwarming as we always chance upon really nice strangers.

Ok, coming back to our brunch two Sundays ago.

After our heartwarming breakkie at O&S, we segued into Bröom Artisan Bakery & Kitchen for coffee and desserts and to get something for Cass and Sherilyn. Actually the main reason why we went to the cafe was because I had to pee and I didn’t want to use the wet and stinky loos at O&S coffee shop, thus hubs brought me to Bröom 🤭

We love the wide inventory of artisan sourdough breads at Bröom. This time I chose a loaf of jalapeno and cheese for Sherilyn & Cass who both know how to appreciate sourdough bread. Sourdough bread and products are a tad sour and to be able to appreciate this unique flavor and texture often requires an acquired taste.

I also chose a Portobello Cheese Croissant for Cass’ lunch.

Artisan lemon meringue tart and latte.
The lemon meringue tart has a very buttery, firm and crisply crust that crumbles in my mouth creating a perfect foundation for the tangy lemon filling. The filling itself is bursting with bright and zesty lemon flavor, with just the right amount of sweetness to balance it out.
The meringue topping is light and airy, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that contrasts beautifully with the lemon filling.

Bröom Artisan Bakery & Kitchen

27, Jalan 20/13, Taman Paramount, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Phone: 018-231 2823

No. of times viewed = 182

Sunday, 5 March 2023

My Sundays for the past one month has been like this – lunch with hubs and Alycia, just the three of us while Cass attended her figure skating lessons at the skating rink, the mil has her own activities on Sundays and the SPM girl stayed home to study. Our life was pretty much like this about 20 years ago when Alycia was just a baby and there was only the three of us, with a live-in maid. Everywhere that we went, it was just the three of us and the live-in maid.

Now our big baby girl is an adult and will turn 20 in December. But she’s still very much like a little girl in our eyes and still behaves like one 😁.

We first had a light lunch at Dai Cha Dim, a Chinese restaurant that serves a variety of delicious cha-chaan-teng (or Hong Kong style café) delights. Hubs wanted to eat sushi and sashimi but I want Dai Cha Dim (again). So we had lunch at both a Chinese restaurant, and then later at Koi Sushi.

Alycia sipping on watermelon juice.

After lunch at Dai Cha Dim, we went shopping at Uniqlo. Both mom and daughter bought cropped bra tops coz cropped tops are in vogue now.

After shopping at Uniqlo, we had our second round of lunch at Sushi Koi.

Very fresh sashimi – hubs was very pleased and satisfied. He commented that this is even better than the sashimi at Rakuzen.
Chawan Mushi and tamago sushi
Tempura
Delish spider roll sushi (soft shell crabs).
Grilled teriyaki squid.
Someone caught her paparazzi mom stealing a snapshot of her at the skating rink and wasn’t too pleased.
Cass’ coach.

This week will be Cass’ last lesson on a Sunday. Effective next week, her figure skating class will be on a Friday night. It’s going to be a new routine for us, more hectic for Cass when she returns to school with CoCo activities back in full swing this year and a UEC exam to sit for this year. She still wants to compete in figure skating competitions this year but I told her that she’ll have to wait until next year.

No. of times viewed = 43

Sunday, 18 December 2022

We were at Pavillion Bukit Jalil again today as Cass wanted to practise skating. Her figure skating coach is on a holiday and classes will only resume in January 2023.

When we reached the skating rink, there was an on-going figure skating performance in conjunction with the holiday season. Cass didn’t check if the skating rink was available prior to asking her dad to bring her to the mall, thus she couldn’t skate in the session that she wanted. But all was not futile as we both watched a spectacular performance by figure skaters, both amateurs and professional. Cass’ dream is to one day be on that rink doing a dazzling performance too, and even more. With her perfervid passion in figure skating, it’s not impossible to achieve her dreams. I will have to sacrifice all my Sundays to bring her to the skating rink for classes and practice sessions 😳. I’m not sure how long my patience will last though 😐

Photo taken after the performance ended.
Lunch was at Tokyo Teppan @ Tokyo Town, Pavillion Bukit Jalil.
After we left the mall, hubs stopped by at our neighborhood supermarket to grab some stuff for his kitchen. Just as we were about to leave the supermarket, rain bucketed down the sky and we had to wait for it to stop. To kill time, we tucked into some croffles and coffee at a cafe.

No. of times viewed = 39

Sunday, 11 December 2022

Sherilyn woke up at 5 a.m. today to say goodbye to her aunt Sarah who had to take the early morning Grab ride to the airport for her flight back to Hawaii. Sarah stayed with us for 10 days to celebrate her mom’s birthday. The eldest SIL from the UK and second SIL from Hong Kong were also in KL to celebrate their mom’s 77th birthday.

After her aunt Sarah left, Sherilyn couldn’t go back to sleep. As she had so much time in the morning, she whipped up a batch of fluffy blueberry pancakes for brekkie for everyone. The pancakes were perfect – super fluffy, soft and addictive!

The blueish hues were from blue pea flowers flour and fresh blueberries, mixed into the batter. These were so good that someone chomped down five pieces in one sitting 🤢. Not me!
We had lunch at Kimchitiam, one of our favorite Korean eateries at our hood. The restaurant is run by a Korean dude. The grilled saba fish (almost zero carbs) is mine.
Beef stew for Sherilyn and Bibimbap for Alycia. Cass didn’t follow us out as she’d already completed her 3 meals for the day. This girl only eats once a day.
Potato pancake for the K-food fans.

No. of times viewed = 41

Sunday, 27 November 2022

Cass and I spent our Sunday today at Pavillion Bukit Jalil again. While she went for figure skating class, I had lunch alone at Sushi Zanmai.

After lunch, I sauntered around the mall aimlessly, with nothing in mind to buy. Most of my purchases are now made online, which are cheaper. I recently started shopping for clothes online at Shein and am now hooked 😬. Shein is a reputable fast fashion company based in China and is the world’s largest fashion retailer. I received my first order of clothes from Shein last week, was very pleased with the quality and have just made another order yesterday 😊

When I go shopping at the mall now, I can’t help but compare the prices of clothes, shoes and bags with Shein’s and other online shopping platforms which I usually shop at. The price difference is often vast, which is why I hardly buy from a physical shopping mall anymore, except for shoes. I am very finicky with my shoes as I want to try them on and make sure that they’re comfortable and fit my feet well before purchasing.

After Cass’ class was over, we ambled around the mall’s Centre Court (where the Spanish Steps and the Golden Rooster are). Pavilion Bukit Jalil has launched an exciting Disney-themed festive celebration titled “From Our Family To Yours” until 26 December 2022. There will be ample of photo opportunities for visitors with all the Disney-themed displays inspired by the enchanting worlds of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars.

Cass was so excited when she found out that Malaysia’s Olympic figure skater Julian Yee will be performing at the Festive Ice Skating Show at the Blue Ice Snow Park on Christmas Eve at 2.30pm followed by a meet-and-greet at 3pm. If we’re in KL on 24th December and have nothing to do, we’ll bring her to meet the awe-inspiring Julian Yee.

My delightful low-carb lunch of grilled Teriyaki saba and chuka wakame salad.
My refreshing avocado + banana smoothie from JUICY, Korea’s no.1 juice brand

No. of times viewed = 42

Cassandra’s First Ice-Skating Lesson @ Blue Ice Snow Park, Pavillion Bukit Jalil

Sunday, 25 Sept 2022 ~ Cass’ wish finally materialized today when her dad sent her to her first ice -skating class at the Blue Ice Snow Park skating rink @ Bukit Jalil. And paid for the lessons too. He told her that she could keep the money that she’s saved for years for the lessons!

I told Cass that she’ll have to use the savings to pay for her laptop when she goes to college in another four years 😐

Cass told me that she will use part of the savings to buy her own ice skates as she doesn’t like those common ice skates at the skating rink. The skates chafed the skin of her feet even though she wore thick long socks the first time she skated at the skating rink two weeks ago. Today she wore double socks and this managed to prevent her feet from chaffing.

We’ll be back at the skating rink over the new few weeks for Cass’ lessons. And hubs is happy with this as he gets to indulge in all his favorite foods at his favorite restaurants 😁

Cass with her coach.
There was a Pokanime Planet Cosplay competition held at the Exhibition Centre, just next to the skating rink, thus there was a huge crowd today.
We had a light brunch at Dragon-I before sending Cass to the skating rink.
The food quality at Dragon-I has dropped considerably. Everything that we ate tasted rather insipid. I kept dipping my noodles and pau into the chili sauce and vinegar to get some flavors to my food. Only the smoked fish was good but it didn’t taste like smoked fish at all – it’s more like deep fried sweet and sour fish that you’ll find at ‘tai chow’ stalls.

After Cass’ ice-skating class, we had lunch at Grand Harbour Chinese restaurant. Hubs finally noshed to his heart’s content as he was very satisfied with the food. We couldn’t finish the fried rice and dim sum and had it doggy-bagged for Sherilyn. We dropped off the food for her in school as she had to go back on a Sunday for Library Week preparation.

Love the red bean tong sui with black sesame filled tong yuen.
Yuet Kwong Hor (Moonlight hor fun) was silky smooth, had generous amount of pork slices, pork lard and full of ‘wok hei’. Hubs couldn’t get enough of it and is already planning to order this dish again this Sunday when Cass attends her second ice-skating class.

No. of times viewed = 231

Yi Sheng Huat Seafood Restaurant, Pudu, KL

This is a throwback post.

Sunday, 5 June 2022 ~ Hubs brought us to try a ‘new’ Chinese ‘tai chow’ restaurant – it’s a first try for us but not for him.

As catering functions have picked up ever since Malaysia reopened its borders and economic sectors, hubby’s catering business has been making a rebound. He’s been busy almost everyday, including Saturdays and Sundays. His business was at an all-time low for almost 2 years during the pandemic with on-off lockdowns. Only God knows what we’d gone through during the difficult 2 years.

Anyway, onwards and upwards!

If there’s a Sunday that hubs doesn’t have to work, he will drag all of us to ‘jalan-jalan cari makan’ (loosely translated in English to – walk around and find food) with him.

Pudu is a place where one can find many good eateries, from street food to cafes, ‘tai chow’ stalls and decades-old -restaurants that withstood the test of time with their good food.

Yi Sheng Huat at Pudu is famous for their ‘tai chow’ dishes, especially steamed fish. We were there a little before 12 noon, which is the start of their operating hour and waited for almost half an hour, with growling tummies before the dishes arrived.

Steamed fish with loads of garlic.
Stir-fried ‘sang cheong’ (pig’s intestines). Not my kind of dish but hubby’s favorite.
Steamed lala clams with Chinese cooking wine and ginger.
Stir-fried spinach with garlic.
‘Phai kuat wong’ (pork ribs king)
Deep fried squids, which is our favorite dish.

Food was great and we enjoyed our meal thoroughly. We’ll definitely be back again to try other dishes when hubs is free again on a Sunday. This time, I want the entire steamed fish all to myself! I’m a sucker for restaurant-style steamed fish.

Yi Sheng Huat Seafood Restaurant
357 & 345, Jalan Gajah,
Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: 11.30AM – 2PM; 5.30PM – 11PM
Contact: 012 – 2685 638

No. of times viewed = 1015

Legend Seafood Restaurant, Bandar Mahkota Cheras

For weeks hubs had been raving about this Chinese restaurant that he went to a couple of times with his besties at Bandar Mahkota Cheras. This restaurant requires advance booking from their customers before going. If you plan on a walk-in, chances are you’ll be told that they are fully booked. Their dishes are often sold out due to their popularity.

The restaurant only opens at 11 a.m. and we were there a little before 11 and waited for about 20 minutes before the first dish arrived.

The first dish is pork lard rice, one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

The pork lard rice came piping hot in a rice cooker. It has generous amounts of pork lard and gravy with bits of pork belly. This is the ultimate killer dish to thwart your diet plan if you’re on one. This dish is so delish and addictive that it’s just so hard to stop at just one bowl.
Totally stunning combination of flavors – rice mixed with aromatic crispy pork lard, gravy, and chopped raw garlic.
Sauteed baby French beans with smashed dried shrimps, red chilis and big onions.
Steamed chicken drenched in garlic sesame oil, served alongside minced ginger and house-made chili sauce. The chicken is so beautifully glossy with a luxurious mouthfeel.
Big prawns cooked in Nyonya style curry.
Squid rings cooked to tender perfection in a concoction of aromatic spices and chilis. The squid rings are all infused with decadent flavors.
Fried pork neck with an inhouse made dipping sauce. By the time this dish arrived, I was already very stuffed, so didn’t try it.
Silky smooth ‘Choy Heong’ tofu topped with fried minced pork.

The bill came close to RM300 for this meal.

After lunch, we segued into Ding Dang, a titbits shop just a few steps away. This super huge snacks shop is a paradise for junk food lovers as it’s replete with hundreds of types of biscuits, chips, nuts, candies and every snack you can think of. We bought some snacks home, of course. It’s really dangerous to walk into such an enticing titbits shop if you lack self-control. It can be hard to leave the shop empty-handed when every step of your way in the shop has something luring and screaming out to you to take it home 🤪

Legend Seafood Restaurant
Jalan Laksamana,
Bandar Mahkota Cheras,
43200 Cheras, Selangor
010-254 3216

No. of times viewed = 248

9 May 2021 ~ Mother’s Day

My sweet eldest daughter got up early to prep a surprise breakfast for me and her grandma. The one who hates cooking, can’t even cook a decent meal for us and abhors all kitchen chores actually cranked up the stove to cook me breakfast!! She also made us fresh orange + lemon juice using a manual juicer. The set also includes a rose origami, which she handmade, in my favorite color, pink. 🥰

Cass gave me a RM10 note and told me to buy something with it without sharing it with anyone  🥰. She also gave me half an hour of massage.
My middle child whipped up this salad for me.
Mother’s Day cake from hubs. He also helped to wash all the dishes and brought the garbage to the refuse chamber. Must give him 10 brownie points for this as he hardly helps out in house chores!

After breakfast, Cass and I brought Haru to the jogging trek of our condo for a walk. Cass always puts Haru in a recyclable cloth bag and brings her for walks around the condo.

Sizzling hot at 11-ish a.m., but we got our daily dose of Vitamin D!

To my overseas readers, our country is currently in another lockdown (MCO 3.0). Schools are out, most of the shopping centres including our most popular neighborhood supermarket in the HIDE list (these premises have the potential to turn into a Covid cluster if no preventive measures are taken) have been ordered to close for 3 days. We’re also advised to self-isolate for 14 days and not go anywhere to break the chain of infection.

I’d like to wish all my readers who are mothers a very blessed and happy Mother’s Day!

No. of times viewed = 28

HEALTH FREAK MOMMY