Absenteeism

Pardon my absence, I'm not fit to write this month. I will hope to return in May, if possible. In the mean time, do check the links on the right side.

Truly,
CarolineL

Eating out: Chakri Xpress

Chakri Xpress is located in Alamanda Shopping Center in Putrajaya. I was there today with my folks for lunch.


Por Pia Savoey, RM9.90

I ordered the deep fried vegetable spring roll. It has very little vegetables in it and it's not crispy at all.


Tom Yam Gai, RM7.50

This is another disappointment. The clear tom yam soup is bland. It is not spicy nor soury.


Omelet, RM15.90

Nothing special about the omelet. A little oily and still has bits of egg shell in it.


Green Curry Chicken, RM15.90

I find that the green curry is not thick enough, more watery compared to other Thai restaurant. The taste is rather acceptable.


Khow Phad Pattaya, RM15.90

I had the Pattaya Fried Rice. I can find better cooking elsewhere. Also, it tasted more on the sweet side.

Overall, the food is disappointing. Good Evening Bangkok and Sri Ayutthaya still serve authentic Thai food. However, if you're on the move and in need of Thai food, Chakri Xpress fits the bill.

Eating out: Tony Roma's

Onion Loaf (Half), RM12.90

We ordered an onion loaf for sharing. It tasted pretty good but still we could not finish it. And there were 8 of us!


Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, RM18.90

The fries was really good. But can't say the same for the fried chicken. Quite disappointing.


Rosemary Chicken, RM31.90

The western style chicken rice. Not sure how it tasted like but Gan managed to finish the chicken. I guess it was acceptable.



We took photos before meal time. Also, we were waiting for the arrival of the star! :p



Here comes the star of the day! Shally and Mr P will be here for a week but only had hours to spare. How generous :/



Us with our partners :)



Nonetheless, everyone felt pleasant to be able to meet up. I hope the next time won't be far from now ;)

Eating out: Pasta Zanmai

My cousin Jessica dropped by for a short visit. The next day, we went to Midvalley for a movie. Afterwards, it was lunch time. I picked Pasta Zanmai as she has never been there.



This is Jessica holding onto our pasta.



With my own pasta.


Agedashi Tofu, RM9

I just love the smooth tofu and the sweet soy sauce. It's just like eating pudding!


Ebi Tempura Pasta in Sesame Sauce, RM26

Since this is her first time, I suggested the pasta in sesame sauce. This is different from the normal sauce and it's very Japanese. I'd recommend this for all first-timers out there.


Tori Kinoko Pasta in Cream Sauce, RM19

This tasted like Carbonara but minus the cheesey flavor and it is very creamy too. There were too much chicken and I couldn't finish it. The mushroom goes really well with the sauce.

Eating out: The Lakehouse Hotel & Restaurant

The Lakehouse Hotel & Restaurant is located about 5-10 minutes from Ringlet, Cameron Highlands. This English concept hotel houses 17 rooms and a honeymoon suite. We were there for dinner with our relatives.



You definitely won't miss this hotel as you drive upto Tanah Rata and Brinchang.



In this hotel, you cannot find television set nor wifi. This is absolutely for those who wants to rest and relax.



This is the lounge where we sip our beverages and chat the night away.



Also, you won't find lift in this hotel. You gotta use the staircase to reach your room.


Prawn & Mango Salad in Honey Mustard Dressing, RM24

I ordered a salad as I have not green vegetables the whole day! The dressing is good, however, it became very watery as I about to finish the plate.


Rack of Lamb in Blueberries Sauce, RM72

I have not tried blueberries sauce that goes with lamb. This is something unique, but in a good way. The lamb, though, is about too well-done. Portion is just nice for one.


Garlic Sauce Beef Fillet, RM62

Mom ordered the beef fillet in garlic sauce. She didn't finish it coz she's not much of a beef fan, haha. It was alright, portion is just nice for one too.


Black Pepper Sirloin Steak, RM72

Dad opted the sirloin steak in black pepper sauce. The portion is big and he couldn't finish it. He said that nothing special about the sirloin too.


Snapper

Relative A had the snapper. I don't know how much is this though. Either it's RM60 or RM52.


Grilled Salmon

Relative B had the grilled salmon. Again, this is either RM60 or RM52. I guess the salmon wasn't really nice, coz she didn't finish hers.

Blooming Cameron

It was an overnight trip to Cameron Highlands. The last time I went, was still a toddler. I still remember going uphill with my maternal family. Us kids would play ping-pong, pluck monkey-cups (some plant) and just chase around in the rented bungalow. The Hainanese housekeeper would spoil us with 4 delicious meals a day. It was fun!

Now, decades later, I don't even remember where the bungalow was. But it's OK, we booked ourselves a room at the Strawberry Park Resort. We only checked in at about 10pm! Why? Coz we spent the entire afternoon and night in Ringlet!



My parents and I visited a relative's flower farm. All that was planted is chrysanthemum. I don't even know that there were these many species of chrysanthemum.



We were given half a dozen bouquet of chrysanthemum. Many of these are still not available in Malaysian markets yet. The mini type of chrysanthemum is especially planted to be exported to Japan.



A very vibrant colored chrysanthemum. I don't know what it's name though.



I like this very much. This is called the Viking. I was told that the Chinese don't really fancy this kind. Wanna guess the reason why?



This is the factory where all the staff handle the flowers: from plucking to sterilizing and from deleafing to packing. However, this factory is not open to general public :P



The next morning after breakfast, we drove ourselves to Mt Brinchang. The Sg Palas Boh Tea Center is about 30 minutes drive from our resort. The view and breeze was amazing! I could spend the entire morning reading and drinking (tea!) there.



The route to the center is narrow and winding. Be careful and try going before the sun gets hotter in the afternoon.



Ahhh...



Many hectars of tea...

Eating out: MOF Japanese Sweets & Coffee

We were in KL for lunch today. After a scrumptious dim sum lunch in Shanghai Restaurant. We walked across to Pavilion for some window shopping. At about 3pm, dad wanted to try the MOF Japanese Sweets & Coffee.


Red Bean Paste, RM9

Dad ordered this to share with mom. I tried a scoop of the red bean and find it too sweet for my liking. The red bean tasted like the ordinary, so I assume this is not azuki beans.


Abekawa, RM11

Gan ordered this. I don't exactly know what this is, but it tasted like baked mochi. It is both crunchy and chewy. Add the red bean paste to it and there's an extra gooey taste. This is rather better than the first dessert.


Hot Macha Latte, RM9

I opted for something as simple as a latte. This is a let down! The green tea powder was too thick, thus tasted bitter.

I thought Ministry of Food should be something for us to look out for. I find that the desserts from Pasta Zanmai is even better. I'm not too sure why this place is crowded. Perhaps they're first timers? Or may be I'm just too picky. I don't know. Try it out and you be the judge.

Eating out: Michelangelo's

Hui Bao and I were out to Sunway Pyramid for a movie today. Come lunch time, we headed to Michelangelo's. We were quite surprised that no other diners in the restaurant although it was already lunch time. We glanced through the menu and ordered 2 main course and 2 drinks.



Then it was photo time! Hui Bao, looking great as ever.



I looked so charn. I miss my long hair days now :/


Pasta, RM19.90

I ordered the Crispy Soft Shell Arabbiatia Pasta. The sauce was aplenty and the portion is just nice for 1. Unlike in Italiannies, the serving is huge. There were garlic, black pepper, chives and abalone mushroom in it. This is one of the many recommended dishes.


Pizza, RM17.90

Hui Bao ordered the Triple Meat Combo Pizza. The portion is just nice for one. As for toppings, there were pepperoni, Italian sausage and ham. The crust is thin and it wasn't very cheesey. This is one of Michelangelo's signature dish.

However, I must say that Italiannies still beat Michelangelo's. Perhaps other dishes might taste better. I certainly won't be back for the second time.


Rice, RM20

For dinner, we went to Sri Petaling's Al-Diafah Restaurant. It is one of the top restaurant in our list that serves really good middle eastern food. We had Kabsa Rice with Chicken. There were 4 pieces of chicken and a moutain of rice. The rice is moist and flavored evenly with herbs and tomatoes.


Macaroni, RM15

We usually order the sambosa. We decided not to this time. Instead, we tried the macaroni with tuna. This dish is unusually good too, especially when it's still hot. The fried shallots and onions really went well with the macaroni. I thought there'll be tuna chunks, unfortunately, only tuna flakes found, haha.

Al-Diafah is located directly opposite Kam Lun Tai Restaurant in Sri Petaling.