Kuala Lumpur Archives - Page 3 of 5

Expat Life + Shopping: 1 Utama’s Hari Raya Celebrations

July 6, 2015

Hari Raya, Shopping, 1Utama, Shopping Mall, Where to Shop in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Travel, Expat Life, Holidays in Malaysia, Eid al Fitr, Muslim Holiday, Islamic Holiday, Celebration, Festivities

We arrived in Malaysia in late June of last year which meant that it was the middle of Ramadan season. Ramadan is a period of about a month in each year wherein Muslims all over the world fast from sun up to sun down. Each day is ended by an Iftar dinner wherein they break the fast with their loved ones.

It’s a hard sacrifice, definitely. And it makes me respect my Muslim friends even more, knowing that I won’t be able to do what they do even if I try – not drinking nor eating for the duration of the day. I am not disciplined enough when it comes to food to be honest. Maybe I should learn from my friends and sacrifice chocolate for next year’s Lenten season? (Err. Not gonna happen.)

in Expat Life, KL Home, KL Shopping, KL Tips

[PROMO CLOSED] Good to Know: Bloom This Flower Subscription Box (GET YOUR OWN FOR FREE with this special order code!)

June 30, 2015

Bloom This, Flower, Delivery, Florist, Flower Delivery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Penang, Delivery Service, Flowers, Peonies, Roses, Subscription Box, Flower Subscription I love flowers. I love buying them and I love receiving them. I love them looking pretty in a vase inside our home, brightening up the rooms and letting their sweet scent fill the air.

My grandma loves flowers so much that she has her own, small garden of orchids and other tropical flowers back in Manila. I think I got the flower-lovin bug from her. Though I must admit that patience isn’t one of my strongest suits so growing them on my own and tending to them daily is something that might just never happen.

In Manila, I had a special relationship with my personal florist. Seeing as we’ve been friends since we were 15, I’ve been spoiled with flowers for a loooong time. (If you’re reading this – Hi Chuckay!)

Since moving here to Malaysia, my husband and I haven’t gotten around to getting flowers for the home even though we often say that we would. This is mainly because of two reasons: flowers are a bit pricey in the KLCC area and we just don’t know where to get nice ones.

Along came Bloom This, a company that offers luxury subscription boxes for flowers and delivers them right on to your doorstep! The moment I learned about this service from my friend Tammy (due to her post and Bloom This’ appearance at the Blogging 101 workshop that Tammy organised), I was over the moon.

The prices are so affordable and the flowers you get are the ones you’d actually like to be in your home – luxury flowers, as the company calls it. Just last week, I was the envy of my friends back in Manila, my mom, and a couple of other friends here in KL when they saw that I have peonies at home. That’s right! Peonies! <3 <3 Continue reading

in Expat Life, KL Food

Foodie Adventures: Ippudo’s Limited Edition Ramen + Other Dishes (Available only from July-September 2015!)

June 30, 2015

Ah, Ippudo. The restaurant that launched a thousand #Foodstagrams when it opened in Manila. Of course, seeing the beloved Japanese ramen place when we moved here in KL gave me so much comfort! I love Japanese food so much and ramen always counts as great comfort food! Especially on rainy afternoons here. 😉

Here in KL, I’ve also noticed that the restaurant industry is quite competitive so you see restaurants come and go while those who stay have one secret: Innovation (particularly on their menu). Of course, it came as no surprise that Ippudo isn’t one to be left behind when it comes to that.

Founded in Hakata, Japan by “Ramen King” Shigemi Kawahara, it’s been around since 1985 and up to this day, the company remains to be fuelled by innovation while staying true to Japanese tradition.

This July until September, the beloved ramen place is coming out with special, limited edition dishes to spice things up here in KL. I was lucky enough to attend a media preview for the new dishes and I’m going to share with you today what’s going to be available so you’ll know what to expect. 😉

TOKUSHIMA RAMEN (RM25)

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The star of the show and the culprit for my recent cravings. This dish is also the star of my recent dreams and has got me wishing for July to come faster. This ramen is composed of chicken and pork broth mixed with dark soy sauce. Its savoury soup is to die for while the noodles are oh-so perfectly cooked.

The ramen is served with a generous helping of pork belly slices (Butabara) which were simmered in onions fused with soy sauce, green onions, and bamboo shoots. The raw egg also makes the broth rich and much more flavourful. It’s my new favourite ramen! Rich, savoury, a bit salty, and slurp-worthy! And yes, slurping is highly encouraged in Ippudo to compliment the chef! 😉

KIMCHI TOFU WITH BOILED PORK (RM13)

in Expat Life, KL Food

Foodie Advisory: Australian MasterChef Adam Liaw Makes His Food Truck Debut

June 23, 2015

Adam Liaw, Mission Foods, Food Truck, Wraps, Food Truck Klang Valley, Food Truck Kuala Lumpur, Wraps, Dinner, Lunch, Light Dinner, Light Lunch, Asian Fusion, MasterChef, MasterChef Australia, Laksa, Rendang, Prawns, Chicken, Lamb, Hummus, Kimchi, Beef,

It’s like everywhere I go these days, food trucks are all the rage. From Manila to Kuala Lumpur, the latest buzz among foodies usually involves where to find food trucks that sell awesome food for dirt-cheap prices.

Recently, I was invited to try out Australian MasterChef Adam Liaw’s creations for a new food truck that will be going around Kuala Lumpur starting this June. Of course, I had to say yes to the invitation. I love watching MasterChef every time I catch it on TV. The kiddie edition even features kids who can cook way better than me. And it’s always great to learn from people who know better – even though they’re not really chefs or might be over a decade younger than you. 😉

Adam is the winner of the Australian MasterChef season 2. He gained popularity due to his artistic ability when it comes to food and for his Asian fusion dishes.

He was recently commissioned by Mission Foods, one of the largest producers of corn flour and tortilla wraps to create a menu for the Mission-sponsored food truck.

Adam’s menu consists of the following:

Laksa Fried Chicken Wrap with Pineapple Salsa

My personal favourite! I thought this was going to be too spicy for me but it was actually very pleasant – both in taste and texture. Each piece of chicken is marinated with the special laksa paste that Adam developed and the fresh, pineapple salsa is just divine.

in Expat Life, KL Shopping

Events + Store Sneak Peek: Malabar Gold and Diamonds Opens in Kuala Lumpur

June 4, 2015

Malabar, Malabar Gold and Diamonds, Jewels, Jewelry, Jewellery, Jewellery Store in Kuala Lumpur, Gold, Diamonds, Engagement Rings, Sapphire, Pearls, Necklaces, Earrings, Bracelets, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Kareena Kapoor Khan,

Ah, jewellery. Such pretty investments.

I’m all for the “treat ‘yo self” thing going around the internet these days as life can’t just be all about work and no play. So why not, right? As long as you can afford it.

I do love jewellery but I have yet to buy a piece that I can call my own since my collection is composed of my wedding and engagement rings from my husband and some pretty pieces from my grandma and mother in law. I love looking at jewellery and commenting about design and gem cuts but I guess I’m still in the receiving stage. 😉

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in Expat Life, KL Food, Kuala Lumpur

Foodie Adventures: Parents’ Day Dinner @ Sky 360

May 26, 2015

So sorry for yet another short hiatus! I was in Siem Reap over the weekend getting my Tomb Raider on with the husband. But that will be for a different post on a different day. 😉

Today, I want to share with you guys an awesome deal I was lucky enough to get to try last week! 😉 And it involves oh-so good food for a good price!

I was invited by a couple of friends to try out the latest menu that Sky 360 especially curated for Parents’ Day. Since my folks are not in KL, I brought my husband along to help with the taste testing and we were practically blown away. (And I don’t say this lightly)

So, without further yapping to get you bored, I’m gonna dive right in and share with you the goodness, shall I?

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My absolute favourite and the star of the show is the Grilled Lamb Shoulder with Black Pepper Sauce. The lamb is grilled to perfection – charred on the outside and extremely tender on the inside with the prettiest hint of pink. The sauce is thick and tasty with the right kick of spice along with the savoury. It comes with mashed potatoes, coleslaw, corn on the cob.

The lamb even passed the ultimate test: my husband. He normally doesn’t eat lamb because of the smell it comes with when it’s not fresh. But that night, he actually loved the lamb and gave it a rare thumbs up! 😉

If you’re more of a white meat kind of person, there’s also the Grilled Chicken Chop with BBQ Sauce. It also comes with the same side dishes as the lamb – mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and corn on the cob. The char-grilled chicken chop is also tasty, perfectly grilled, and comes with smoked hickory BBQ sauce that is not short on the flavour at all.

Normally, I’m not a fan of aglio olio pasta as I find it too oily for my liking. But this seafood variant that they served us totally changed my mind. First, it’s actually to pretty to eat. Look at that presentation! When you actually do get over how awesome it looks and you finally dig in, you are surprised with an explosion of flavours in your mouth. I would have to admit that I had quite a lot of this pasta that night and I had to go to the gym the next morning to burn all the calories. No complaints, though! It was worth it!

in Expat Life, KL Food

Foodie Adventures: Mono Coffee Opens at Publika

May 10, 2015

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I love Publika and I notice that a lot of expats do too. I guess it’s because of the fine selection of restaurants, cafes, and shops in that mall. I often go there with the husband for tapas, actually. 😉

Recently, another cafe has opened in Publika to add to the place’s list of establishments. Mono Coffee is yet another place for people who want to hang out, enjoy a cuppa, and meet up with friends in the Solaris Dutamas area.

But one thing that’s really nice about the place is the atmosphere. The lighting, the unfinished and slight industrial feel of the cafe also makes it quite relaxing.

The cafe was opened by the Brandker Group – the company behind one of Klang Valley’s most well known cafe chains: Cosans Coffee.

You can say that Mono is Cosan’s hipster brother. With Mono specialising on serving artisan brews. It’s for coffee aficionados and those who actually appreciate the proper process of getting your beans into your cup.

in Expat Life, KL Food

Events: Lipton Launches Instant Teh Tarik

May 1, 2015

Lipton, Teh Tarik, Hazelnut, Instant, Milk Tea, Teh Halia, Carcosa Seri Negara, Event, Ginger Milk Tea, Ginger Tea

Since moving to Malaysia, my husband and I have been addicted to Teh Tarik or “Pulled Tea” in English. We order it everywhere – at the mamaks, the fast food chains that serve them, at the restaurants, and even at food courts. He prefers it hot, while I always take it iced. But either way, we just love it – even though we know it can be quite fattening to drink it all the time. 😛

To get a-hold of Teh Tarik here in Malaysia, one has to travel to the nearest establishment that serves it. I can’t really imagine myself making some for Alvin from scratch as it can be quite a task to “pull” the milk tea and make it frothy.

Here’s the part where I tell you the good news: I can now have one of my favourite drinks at the comfort of my own home whenever I want it as Lipton recently launched their instant Teh Tarik! No more pulling, just stirring. 😉

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My friends and I were at the launch event held aptly at Carcosa Seri Negara – one of my favourite places in Kuala Lumpur. I love going there. Especially for afternoon tea!

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Aside from the Instant Teh Tarik, Lipton also re-launched their new and improved instant Classic Milk Tea that now contains more tea powder, balanced with equal amounts of milk to create a distinct tea latte.

They also have the nutty and fragrant Hazelnut milk tea and the Teh Halia or ginger milk tea (my personal favourite).

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The Teh Halia uses real ginger powder to achieve an authentic taste and aroma as well as to infuse your drink with the nutrients and benefits that ginger has to offer. That’s definitely a plus for me. 😉

in Expat Life, KL What to Do

Events + Movies: The Avengers: Age of Ultron Advance Screening! (Win a trip to NY, Hollywood, LA, or Seoul!)

April 25, 2015

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The Hulkbuster! Seen in Pavilion prior to Watsons Malaysia’s advance screening of The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Though I’m a huge lover of Marvel, going to the advance screening of The Avengers: Age of Ultron wasn’t in the plan last Wednesday. But thanks to my friends Ella and Mira plus the Watsons Malaysia team, I ended up going! Even Alvin made it despite the looong hours at the office these days due to the ASEAN Summit. He made it just minutes before the movie started! Whew!

I love movie premieres and advance screenings as usually, there’s a lot of fun things to do prior to actually watching the movie. Cocktails, a fun programme, etc. And of course, since it’s an Avengers screening, some of the “cast” members were there. Well, not exactly Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, and the gang. But you catch my drift. 😉

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