Club Med pics - part 2

Beautiful pictures need no words..

Courtesy of my colleagues.

Club Med Pics - part 1

Back in the office, didnt get a tan, managed to get some exercise and finally ALL OF US HAD GREAT FUN!!

I haven't brought my pics to the office yet because I couldn't find my pen drive in my handbag last night. Found it in the office this morning. So I'll upload those pics tmrw!

Pics from our Club Med Cherating offsite:

Sailing.. Rommel, Hilton and I on one catamaran.. Fun and I definitely wanna do it again!

Juliana, Calise and Thomas on another catamaran. Check out his pose!!

Everyone bumming in the jacuzzi. Great after a long day of activities.

Kingston, Ashraf and Geraldine

Ellie, myself and Geraldine

Another pic of us... Haha..

Gambar mabukkk.... Signs of wayyy to much alcohol. Actually, we didnt have THAT many.

Deen, Yati, myself, Aidah, Juliana and Geraldine - at the foyer in front of the meeting rooms

It poured for most of Saturday morning so we had to have our team building activities indoors.

Kingston, Yang Cheng, Ellie, Geraldine and Ashraf playing Risk..

Wai Fun, Ellie, Calise, Juliana, Geraldine, Yati and Kingston - by the beach

In the meeting room..

Junior presentation..

Dinner time! Ellie, myself, Rommel

Group 1 - Mighty Mac

Group 2 - The Cubes

Group 3 - Mac Attack

Many thanks to all those who took pics ~ Juliana, Fazellah, Calise, Kingston and Hazman.

I promise to bring my pics to work tmrw!

FT Day weekend.. Club Med here I come

It's Thursday today but it sure as hell feels like a Friday! That's cos tmrw is the Federal Territory Day! And the next day is my dad's birthday.

This year's present: A 6 disc compilation of country and western songs complete with a songbook so he can sing and play along with his guitar.

Mom has planned a small party at home for some godsiblings and a couple of close friends. She ordered Indian food from Bombay Palace.. Yum..

Unfortunately, I will not be home for Dad's birthday this year. We are having a Malaysia office offsite in Club Med Cherating. I'm dragging Rommel along so he's driving.. Hey, free flow of all house pouring drinks 24/7! I think we might just be stuck by the bar the whole time. Haha..

I've been super duper busy the past few days so today, I feel like just taking a break and chill.

Am not in the mood to work, although I have organised everything I need to do, done everything that needs urgent attention and made the necessary arrangements for everything else.. I think..

I've even made my list of things to bring to Club Med for quicker and stress-free packing tonight. I've emailed the list to myself so I can check it via my Blackberry too. I know I know, how much more annoyingly organised must I be??

Since Rommel and Geraldine's husband Ashraf are driving there, we were thinking of meeting up beforehand by the public beach to have a picnic (we can only go into the resort after 2pm so we have time to kill).

Our current picnic menu:
Egg and mayo sandwiches
Tuna sandwiches
Cocktail sausages
Cupcakes or cookies if I have time to bake tonight

I initially thought of getting drinks but we can just buy on the way... at least then it'll be nice and cold (I hope).

Also, I've just read on Jen's blog that she's in SG already. Shd be coming back to KL soon I hope! I havent yet met up with Yee Leng.. I dunno.. She must be busy I suppose. I'll try and call when I get back.

Okay Im getting a bit random.. Maybe cos Im feeling restless.. Too much coffee and tea today I think. Turrah!

Busy week, deadlines.. but I started working on a scarf

In the midst of rushing to get my work done and sort things out, I managed to start on a scarf. This is for my good friend Huei Suen who is leaving to work in Hong Kong soon. In fact, she flies off on 9 Feb so I dont have much time to finish it!

She wanted a chunky white scarf but I didnt have any white yarn which was thick enough. I have, however, a whole stash of yarn left over from my baby blanket project (I think 4 or 5 balls to be exact). The yarn isnt chunky so I'm knitting together 3 strands of yarn at the same time. I havent really decided what sort of pattern but I am incorporating some cables, some lace mesh pattern from one of my books.. let's see how it turns out!

Pictures soon... when I have time...

Oh and Shen, yup Im feeling better now.. It was just that Friday night that was bad really!

Ta..

Restaurant review: Rick's Cafe Casablanca, One Bangsar, KL

Restaurant: Rick's Cafe Casablanca
Location: One Bangsar, KL
Verdict: I may not go back, after what has happened. But Rommel says we shd give the place another chance and try the a la carte stuff. Read on to find out!

It was Friday evening and we couldn't decide on where to eat. So I thought, hey, we haven't tried that Casablanca place yet!

When we entered the restaurant at 8.15pm, practically everyone in there turned to look. Not that we were wearing anything spectacular/flashy so I felt really unwelcomed from the glares we were getting... We found out that they were having some wine pairing event so no a la carte menu that night. It seemed we had gate-crashed their party or something.

Still, they said we can have the wine pairing set if we wanted. I said, "That's fine, I don't mine trying out some wine." The waiter then looked snootily and said, "Oh but the meal is RM150 per person." I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at him. Like "Hello you idiot?? Are you trying to say that we look like we cant afford that?" Of course, I decided to be nice and replied, "Oh that's fine with us. We'll have the set."

When we were getting seated, again the stares from everyone in the place. As we were served the first glass of aperitif and the starter, the same waiter comes back to table and says, "You do know the dinner costs RM150 per person right?"

It's been a long time since I wanted to kill someone but last night, I could have killed this guy by just staring at him.. I mean most of the people there weren't dressed that great and looked like they were ppl with some wine-related job and probably were getting a free meal from the sponsors. Here we are, 2 walk-in customers, eager to try your restaurant to see if what has been written about it is really true. I'd think you would treat us with the same amount of service. (Note: I am NOT asking for better service, just the same as everyone else.)

Anyhow, enough ranting cos I sound like a brat (Okay maybe I am one, but I hate it when ppl look down on others as if they cant afford things.) You'll never know that the next guy that walks in your restaurant in an old tee and shabby jeans could potentially be your best customer ever - Uncle Lee, my parents' godson is someone like that. He doesnt dress up, is very down-to-earth, looks like a typical Cina-man... But he is super duper rich and loves to spend on food. Never judge a book by its cover.

Alright, enough... Here's our dinner menu:

Hugel Wine Dinner
Goats Cheese Beetroot and Walnut Terrine, apple puree and green peppercorn vinaigrette
paired with: Hugel Pinot Gris Tradition '04
Comment: Surprisingly, I liked the goats cheese and beetroot combo. I cant remember now what this wine tasted like which means I didnt like it or dislike it. Just wasn't worth remembering about.

Tagine Spiced Consomme with poached chicken mousseline
paired with: Hugel Gewurztraminer '05
Comment: Very little consomme but that's okay, chicken mousseline was alright only.. If my dad were there, he's say they over-processed it. I liked the wine cos it was sweet and had a nice rose-water aftertaste to it. Rommel hated it.

Lobster and Scallop Ravioli, braised fennel, basil, tomato and sage burnt butter
paired with: Hugel Riesling '05 and Riesling Jubilee '04
Comment: I always love ravioli (I love any form of dumplings really). They were generous with the lobster and scallop portions. We have tried one of the Rieslings previously. Uncle Lee brought over a bottle once. We agreed that we'd rather you give us a bottle of NZ Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc anytime.

Panfried Foie Gras on Caramelised Duck Breast, sweet turnip, leek and potato gnocchi
paired with: Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive '02
Comment: Again, I love foie gras. Rommel and I agreed that while this isnt the best foie gras we've tasted, they certainly were generous with the portion. Duck was quite good too but not as good as Max's (Max Fine Food and Wine of Tengkat Tung Shin). This was again a sweet wine so Rommel didnt like it. In fact, he said he's rather have the second wine (i.e. the other sweet wine). I also preferred the second wine to this.

Star Anise and Vanilla Bean Flan, passionfruit poached pear
Comment: Nothing great or spectacular. And I dislike the taste of Star Anise.

Ambience: Too noisy, definitely not fine-dining to me. There was another event going on upstairs that included karaoke so you can imagine the amount of noise. I give the place a 3/10.

Cost: Actually, not too expensive at RM150pp given that we had lobster and foie gras. The wine wasn't worth it though. (6/10)

Service: I give this a 2/10. The managers never came to check on us. The waiters were snooty (except for this waitress who was pleasant). The dude who was introducing the wines actually spoke with his back to us most of the time. Extremely rude and I dont care if you're bl**dy French. You should at least have some manners and glance at everyone in the room when speaking. Uncle Lee has actually eaten at Rick's before and he had the same complaint too, poor service.

Oh yes, I remembered that one of the Chinese waiters looked familiar. It took me half the meal to recall where I'd seen him before. He used to work at Le Francois - the French restaurant just a few doors away. I remember I used to ignore him cos I hated the way he spoke and acted and cos he was rude. His attitude and my feelings towards him definitely have not change.

Post-dinner "events"

Right after leaving the restaurant, I began to feel funny. Not quite drunk cos we didn't have a lot to drink but I nearly fainted outside while walking to the car. My stomach started to hurt really bad too. I was rushed home, vomited, had diarhhoea and blacked out in the shower. Wow... what a night. I couldnt really breathe too and slept quite uncomfortably the whole night. Rommel had an upset stomach too but nothing else other than that.

I told my dad about this and he thinks it could be the lobster and white wine combo. He said he had a similar experience in the States a number of years back after eating lobster and drinking white wine. It also doesnt help that I am actually allergic to raw lobster. (I can take cooked lobster but only in limited amounts before I start wheezing.)

Blacking out again was pretty scary. I haven't done it in years. Come to think of it, the last time it happened, I had white wine the night before. Anyway, this time, I was getting ready to shower and felt the room spin. I leaned against the wall, closed my eyes and the next thing I know, I woke up to find myself lying down on the floor. I dont know how long I was lying there for.

Okay, that's it. Enough. Did I make you feel like trying this place out or will you steer clear of this restaurant forever? I cant decide for myself. Rommel says we should go back another time and try the a la carte menu... to give it another chance. I dont know. It disappointed me this time around and cost me RM300 for a meal which mostly ended up going down the sink. With so many other restaurants which offer much better food and definitely superior service, perhaps it's a no for me. Ta.

New restaurant to try: The Yogitree, Gardens at Midvalley

Restaurant: The Yogi tree
Place: F237-B, 1st Floor, Gardens at Midvalley
Tel: +603 2282 6163
Email: hello@yogitree.com
Website: www.yogitree.com

Walked past this restaurant while in Gardens last night. Looks interesting but one can never be sure until one has tried the food!

Someone from the restaurant noticed Rommel and I peeking at their menu and gave us a card which gives us a 15% discount on our first visit. Here are the highlights listed on the card:

• Full English Breakfast (RM28) - Am not too sure how nice can this be without proper pork sausages, proper black pudding and good freshly brewed English Breakfast tea. But, the picture looks good!
• Duck and Pear Salad (RM20)
• Tagliatelle Carbonara (RM19)
• Steak Sandwich (RM26)
• Nasi Lemak (RM19)
• Kampung Laksa (RM19)
• Scones - served fresh at 4pm. I forgot to check if they serve it with clotted cream or just normal cream. It can never be authentic if not served with clotted cream. Best clotted cream I've tasted in this part of the world: The Fullerton High tea buffet. Check out my previous entry on this.

Am hoping to find time this weekend to try.. Perhaps will head to Gardens again. I cant really think of what to eat at Gardens anymore. Have tried most of the places there or have not bothered to try places which have branches elsewhere like Alexis, Chinoz, Italiannies etc..

Level 1 down, 2 more to go

I just realised that I forgot to mention this morning that I passed my exam! Got my results yesterday but the website was really slow to upload so I only managed to check this morning.

I first started blogging during the 2 weeks of leave I took to study for this exam.. Hehe.. Shows that a little bit of blogging didnt have a negative impact on my studies.

To celebrate, Rommel and I went to Yuzu at the Gardens cos I wanted somewhere casual, where I didnt need to dress up or put any make up on (I'm really tired today). Our dinner:

• We had a sashimi set of toro, salmon and hamachi...
• Then a tuna tataki dish which wasnt on the menu but recommended by our waitress... Not too bad but Im not sure if I'll order it again..
• Next was the wagyu saikoro steak.. quite good but I prefer the wagyu saikoro don which comes with the beef on top of rice.
• And we ordered the Hokkaido nabe - a nice hotpot of veg and seafood in miso stock - as the finale... I've always liked this. Nice, simple, light.

A small note to Yee Leng: Yes yes we shd meet up! Let me know when you're free!

I would also like to add that my lilac top is in good progress for the front portion. Next is to do the back..

Good night. I was so tired in the afternoon that even a cup of strong Aik Cheong coffee didnt help. Time to get some zzzzzzzzz....