Miss Getabout

Back in my uni days in Australia, I used to survive on instant noodles and canned food when I was broke (because I spent all my money eating out and buying unnecessary stuff). And then I told myself I would never go back to living that life again because instant noodles are known to be harmful for our health. I was more afraid on the immediate and obvious effects which are losing my hair and bloating. But of course every once in a blue moon, I will consume when desperate. Ok, maybe twice a year.

At the beginning, I wasn’t sure about taking a long haul flight just for a short 5 nights stay in San Francisco. I’ve never been to the States, so I had to go through the whole mafan (troublesome) process of getting a U.S. visa in a short time frame since it was a last minute decision. The whole thought of it also made me sooooo malas (lazy). Of course, Mr Gadget did a very good job in convincing me, as I know he really wanted to take me there! I’m glad I went through all that visa hassle and that 18 hours flight as it was all worthwhile.

It’s been a while since we’ve gone café-hunting around Klang Valley. Not because we were lazy, but merely due to our very busy schedules lately that’s draining us out. Pfffftt! We’ve dedicated most of our weekends to just resting, besides spending time with my loved ones and managing some personal stuff. Yes, I know we still need to eat but we’ve been dependent on home-cooked and also home delivery services. Obviously I’m not going to starve myself silly! Anyway, speaking of spending quality time with loved ones. My bestie told me she really wanted to check out this new café in TTDI called The Other Half. So I thought to myself “This is perfect!! Finally somebody suggested a new place to explore and nobody needs to scratch his/her head trying to answer that million dollar question – where to eat?!”.

It was a very exciting day for me as this is my first time attending a bloggers meet and greet event. It was held at The Cooking House Bangsar, hosted by Chefology and McCormick. I was required to be hands-on, cooking using Chefology Nature Series latest cookware together with McCormick‘s herbs and spices. Well, I’ve taken up cooking classes recently (beginner stage). So, this was a great opportunity to pick up new recipes. However, I was very nervous since I still find it very challenging to be creative around the kitchen. I also found out that most of the bloggers here actually love cooking, and they CAN cook. Except me. Uh-oh! And did I mention there was a cooking competition?! Well, I only found out on that day!

When I received the invitation to join Shook! KL for an evening of feasting and entertainment, the words that quickly caught my attention were free flow, Bollinger Champagne, and buffet. Before I go on telling you how awesome their buffet and beverage packages are, let me ask if words like champagne, oysters, and live music tickle your fancy? ‘Cause they definitely do to me!! If your answer is similar to mine, then you’re definitely going to enjoy Saturday Night Vibes – Cirque Du Culinaire experience at Shook! in Starhill Gallery.

So tell me now, who’s your favourite Sanrio character? Is it Hello Kitty? Or Kerokerropi?! Ok.. Maybe not the boys but you girly girls were definitely once a big fan, right? And still is perhaps? Well, I’m going to tell you mine were The Little Twin Stars. Absolutely adored them and still do now. I had all my stationeries, probably a full set, by Little Twin Stars. Not forgetting the stickers, hand fan, chopsticks and many others I can’t even remember now. Back then, I didn’t like Hello Kitty but somehow grew fond of it a few years ago. My girlfriends and I even got ourselves a Hello Kitty tattoo as a symbol of our friendship. Yeah, we’re hardcore like that!!!

Thai people are not only famous for their warm and friendly hospitality, but also their amazing food. So far, I haven’t heard of anyone who doesn’t enjoy Thai food or Thai dessert at least. The distinct flavours and exotic spices used in Thai dishes really do thrill your taste buds. As a Malaysian, I could easily relate my love for Thai food because Thailand and Malaysia are neighbouring countries. Some of the food served in local restaurants are somewhat an influence of Thai cuisine. My ultimate favourite has to be Tom Yum. Any Thai restaurant that serves awesome Tom Yum, I’m sold. Oh, not to mention it’s a great hangover remedy too! My other favourites also include Pad Thai, Som Tam, Massaman Curry, Moo Ping, Mango Sticky Rice, etc… OMG! I’m salivating already!

Wow! We’ve finally dined in Sushi Azabu at Isetan The Japan Store. So much I’ve read about this New York-based (Michelin starred) sushi den but never once step foot until recently. It was a very special experience because this was the very first time Mr Gadget had ever taken me to an omakase sushi restaurant. This was also his first ever to one since he’s still not used to the idea of raw meat/ fish. Well, the good thing is he’s pretty adventurous with food, although burgers and pizza will always be his first choice. I was contented he’d actually suggested to take me there since I’m the one who loves a good sashimi and sushi.

What an honour to be invited by SOU Omakase Dining to try their special limited menu for this month, where fresh ingredients were imported from Azumino Ikeda, Nagano in Japan. It was really an interesting session and I did learn more about Japanese food, other than the usual sashimi and sushi I normally have. I also felt privileged that Tomoko-san was there to introduce all the dishes and explained the slightest details of the ingredients used.

We’ve been traveling to Thailand so frequent the past couple of months that we considered ourselves all “Thai’d up” already from the amount of Thai food we’ve been feeding on. But when in Thailand, eat we must! I wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity for an exquisite dining experience. This trip, I’ve booked for Nahm Bangkok, another one of Asia’s best restaurants (No.5 in 2017 by S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, and awarded one Michelin-star). I was really looking forward to it.

My mom has been a huge influence in my life, my upbringing, and almost everything that I do. The one biggest thing she had taught me well was eating healthy. Maybe because I was born weak, she was particularly careful with my diet. She’s a housewife who has cared for two children and basically took care of all our meals, making sure we had all the nutrients we needed growing up. Fried chicken skin and carbonated drinks were out of the question. I almost never had the privilege to indulge in this kind of “fun food” as she would label them as “junk”. Because she had to manage the entire household and cooking only makes one part of it, she only applied simple but healthy cooking methods to save time in the kitchen.

I was very reluctant to visit Bangkok again for the past few years due to some unpleasant experiences in the past. But all those have been erased after our recent trip, and all I can think of now is “when are we going back there again?!”. It was meant to be a work trip but somehow turned into a gluttony weekend as we did so much eating! There’s heaps of good food I couldn’t resist! Don’t ask me what happened to the work part though. It’s a stressful and long story, so that makan weekend was well deserved. Mr Gadget also thought he could spoil us to a fancy Thai dinner instead of just street food and cafés. I did a bit of research and landed at Issaya Siamese Club.

They say December’s the best time to travel Chiang Mai. I couldn’t agree more. It had always been in my top cities in South East Asia to visit. I’ve heard so much about the cool weather between November to February, and it’s even better to visit during a festive season. Besides the awesome weather, the must-see temples, and the spas, Chiang Mai is also famous for its laid-back life and café culture. All the reasons for our six nights stay where we ended 2017 and welcomed 2018.

I still can’t believe I actually took up the courage and walked into After You Durian, especially I never liked it as a kid. I even cried whenever my relatives bought them since I knew my mom was gonna force me to eat them just because they were “good for health”. And that smell, goshhhh!! I really bei tahan (cannot stand)!! Trust me, I still gave it a try a few years ago to see if I’d actually change my mind about the King of fruits, but I still didn’t. Those who love durian must be questioning what I don’t like about it. OK you see, the pungent aroma is not something I appreciate. It makes me uncomfortable and gives me a headache (did you think I was just exaggerating?!). Then the mushy texture that looks like cream filling/ whipped cream. Those that I would scrape off my cake before eating them because I absolutely dislike it. Hence, I would avoid by any chance and if I could smell it from meters away.

So what do we do right after he proposed? Yes, it’s all romantic, you shed tears of joy, you celebrate, and you’re done bragging about it on social media. It’s time to start planning! This is when things get stressful, even some have told you to “just enjoy the process”. Yeah, some parts of the process were quite enjoyable, though 70% of the time was intensive, and our ceremony was just a very simple one only. Although simple, there were still time and effort invested to ensure that it’s all perfect on your big day. From searching for a venue, taking your pre-wedding photos, wedding day videographer, photographer, make-up artist (MUA), the perfect gown, and wedding coordinators. I’d like to share these experiences and feedback on some pros and cons of these services that we’ve engaged with. These could be some points you might want to take note of when planning your own wedding.

It was one cuteness overload Saturday!! So I asked my friend to organize a “TLC session” (as she would call it), at Huskiss, a place dedicated for huskies where you get to pet, play and show your love to these adorable huskids. I love dogs, but don’t plan to adopt any as I know that it’s a lifelong commitment. A lot of aspects to be considered before bringing home one, like your time and energy. It may sound daunting but a good bond with your dog can also bring love, comfort and wonderful experiences to your life. So in the meantime, I’ll just soak up my TLC’s with these affectionate huskids in Huskiss! Since they no longer serve food and drinks, we went over to The Teddy Café which was just around the corner to get our tummies filled before our play time slot at Huskiss.

When we were invited to sample some of The Filling Station‘s dishes, we pondered for a moment as we’ve never come across cafés in a petrol station in Malaysia. Generally, we either get fast food or a few stalls (this is common along the highways), or sometimes just a small section selling to-go food such as curry puffs and doughnuts. I’m not going to deny the fact that we weren’t fully convinced and didn’t have high expectations – we were also curious at the same time. At the back of my mind, I was only hoping they wouldn’t be serving some cold stale sandwich or microwave heated food.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I had a massive craving for Korean food. When we speak of Korean food, it’s barbecue meat and kimchi that comes to mind, right? But this time we had something a little different at JongRo Korean Restaurant in Kota Damansara. This is their first branch outside of South Korea, in collaboration with Sungei Wang Group. In South Korea, they are better known as Jongno Halmeoni Kalguksu or “Grandma’s noodles”. In Korean, halmeoni actually translates to grandma, and kalguksu is a type of knife-cut wheat flour noodle soup.

Neroteca is no stranger to those who frequent in Plaza Damansara. You know… That Italian restaurant in the neighbourhood that serves pork. Well, it is now known as Enoteca. Besides the change of name and owner, there’s also a new chef and new team behind it. Italian Chef, Italian Manager. Rest assured there’s plenty of pork on their new menu.

Chilli Thai is a Thai fusion restaurant located in Siam Paragon with a strong influence in taste from Northeastern Thai (Isaan). I know I should be out on the blocks of Bangkok, savouring authentic Thai street food at a pushcart, or just exploring little stalls at traditional markets. Then again, I’m not super crazy over street food. And hey, have you actually been to Siam Paragon Food Hall?! You will be spoilt for choices. It really has got everything! There are all sorts from Thai street to Thai fine and even international delights. We find it difficult to make up our minds since everything looked so good.

Wow! It’s been a month since my recent post. We’ve been too busy with our wedding reception preparation. I apologize for that, but now I’m back!! Sometime in January, we took a little break from the wedding planning (it was close to a year) and headed to Amsterdam for a pre-wedding vacation, or what some refer to now as “weddingmoon / early-moon”. Come on, we totally deserved it! Things got a little tense when it got closer to date, so a short getaway was no doubt, a great idea. After all, it lets us remember all the reasons why we wanted to get married in the first place.

I wonder how familiar are you with Fish Head Noodles? Ask me where the best is, I might not be able to tell you. It’s not because I do not like them, in fact, it’s actually the opposite. Not until recently when my BFF asked me to join her for dinner at her go-to restaurant, Woo Pin Fish Head Noodles whenever she craved for this dish.

For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been in and out of different hotels due to all the traveling from Croatia, to Bangkok and then to the final destination of the month – Penang for my grandfather’s 93rd birthday. Phewww! Even though it’s exhausting, but I was really looking forward to the celebration and getting together with the family. I also knew this trip would be a relaxing one and I didn’t want to do much, except rest. On a positive note, I did stay in nice hotels that allowed some good nights sleep. After all, I really do enjoy exploring and experiencing the different boutique/ heritage hotels that Penang has to offer.

If you haven’t been to Croatia, I suggest you add that into your bucket list right now! Picture yourself driving along the Adriatic coastline, swimming in pebble beaches with crystal-clear waters, hiking in pristine national parks, and walking the ancient city walls. Croatia really has so much to offer with its rich cultural heritage and magnificent landscapes. If you’re already thinking about it, then you may also refer my itinerary for some tips. We actually spent most of the days in Dubrovnik and stayed in a beautiful resort, Sun Gardens Hotel which was approximately 16 km away from the Old City. Since we were out and about during the day touring under extreme hot weather, we thought it would be nice to come back to a quiet location where we’ll be able to relax and enjoy the gorgeous scenery from the hotel.