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If there’s an award for being the latest in posting an entry, I’ll probably get it. This was our New Year’s trip to Japan to welcome 2016. Yep, two years ago. But for posterity’s sake and just to make sure I’m not breaking any promises that I will write about it (better late than never!), here it is.
Back when I was in uni, my friends and I had a special hang out. It was a stone’s throw away from our building, in one of the tiny alleys along Dapitan. A totally chill place where, whatever time of day I go, I will definitely find some of my friends there. The menu was simple, the drinks were easy on my measly student allowance.
Having a go-to place is pretty standard. Especially if, like me, you enjoy a good drink and great company. Had a great day? Round up the gang for some drinks and celebrate. Had a bad day? Round up the gang for some drinks and get over it. Life is simple when you want it to be, no?
Recently, my friend Pita and I were introduced to a new go-to for when we want to unwind. A neighbourhood hangout if you will.
Located in TTDI, D Legends Bar is a place that you may be quick to dismiss since it’s surrounded by tons of choices. After all, this neighbourhood has a reputation for having establishments that are approved by local food snobs. Word of advice, my fellow expats: Do not argue with Malaysians about food. They know their stuff.
Although I do believe that this is one establishment you should try when you’re in the area. It’s approved by locals, and expats living in the area are fond of it as well. The great price points are a huge plus as well.
As a diplomat’s wife, I often get the fun yet daunting task of taking visitors of the embassy around KL. Fun, because I love playing tour guide. Daunting because sometimes, people I need to show around KL have already been here before so I need to find a new place to take them. I wouldn’t want them bored, repeating the same sights and activities they’ve done before.
This is where the Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan comes in. The husband and I actually saw it from afar months ago – during our first excursion to Publika.
It’s a gorgeous, imposing structure that really had us wanting to visit for the longest time. However, we never got around to doing it – until recently.
Since the hype over this restaurant has been off the charts recently, I thought I’d give it a try with the husband and give you guys my honest, no-fuss review of the place.
Also, full disclosure: We do love dim sum and a great deal on food is enough to get me really excited over a restaurant. 😉 We also paid for this meal so I am in no way bound, expected, or persuaded by the restaurant to wax poetic over their food and service.
The current promo is as follows:
Photo grabbed from the Tai Zi Heen Facebook Page
Since it’s a Sunday and I’ve been craving for dim sum as per usual, we made our way to the restaurant which was located inside the Pullman Hotel in KLCC.
FYI: The Pullman KLCC is formerly known as Prince Hotel.
Parking was a breeze and only took us a few minutes. Tai Zi Heen is located at the hotel’s 2nd level and from the 5th floor parking area, you’ll have to go down to the lobby first before taking a different lift or hopping on to the escalator.
We were seated right away. We had reservations (which is actually required) so this wasn’t that much of a shocker but I did expect the restaurant to have more people. Based on my experience here in KL, Malaysians love a good deal as much as I do.
Tea is a part of my everyday life. Ever since I cured my coffee addiction, tea has been my everything – and while that may not sound like much of an improvement to some people, well, in my case… it kinda is. Even before the major shift to tea happened, I’ve been drinking it in lattes and during afternoon tea (and sometimes even high tea) as this a part of British culture that always had a special place in my girly-girl heart.
There’s just something about sitting with some of your best girls, talking about topics that range from politics to makeup while you sip on something that relaxes you as you treat yourself to a couple of sweets and sandwiches. Not to mention my love for fancy table settings, cutlery, and plates that actually play a big role in my ever so often afternoon tea excursions with friends.
Recently, my friend (and actually one of my fave afternoon tea buddies) Tammy brought me to Newens Teahouse in Starhill Gallery for a new menu item preview and we ended up seeing some of our other friends there – ShopGirl and Kelly. ❤️
Fancy tea places are kind of a fun splurge every-now-and-then for me and our last afternoon tea date at the Ritz-Carlton Lobby Lounge, left us thinking where we should go next.
Newens is the home of the original Maids of Honour tart. Its recipe dates back to the time of King Henry VIII and coincidentally, one of my favourite ladies in British history – Anne Boleyn. After the tussle with Catherine of Aragon that was followed by the creation of the Church of England, Anne married the King. She eventually had maids of honour (ladies in waiting) following her around and entertaining her in the ladies’ private chambers. One of these ladies created a tart so exquisitely delicious that Anne got the King to try it.
When the King tasted how good it was, he just knew that he couldn’t share it with others and he decided to have the lady imprisoned and only let out to bake for the Royal Court. Such a Henry VIII move if you ask me. *rolls eyes*
After the lady died, everyone thought that the recipe was forever lost but it resurfaced 200 years later when a palace cook leaked the recipe to a baker named John Billet. In 1850, one of Billet’s apprentices – John Newens – opened his own bakery and used the recipe.
Almost two centuries later, Newens Teahouse is still making the tarts based on that same recipe down to the T. And it has been loved by generations of British people from Winston Churchill to Queen Elizabeth II.
The recipe made its way out of the United Kingdom for the first time last year and landed in Kuala Lumpur – inside Starhill Gallery to be exact.
Sandwiched between Dior and Louis Vuitton, it’s hard to miss Newens. With its posh yet inviting couches and the sweet smell of tea and pastries wafting through the halls of the luxury mall. It can be quite intimidating to some but I find the servers are quite nice and welcoming.
I love how travelling, in this day and age, has become a lot more affordable. Gone were the days when only the upper class can hop on a plane to see different places & soak in new cultures.
Travelling has also become a lot easier & convenient with all the options available. Before I give you a run through & show you my photo diary of my walking tour in George Town in Penang, let me just tell you guys of this new website where booking for your future adventures is made a lot easier.
Traveloka is the largest flight & hotel online booking service in Southeast Asia. You can book your flights & hotels on their site (and save a great deal of money & time in the process) for your next holiday which could be anywhere in the world! 😉 They also have round-the-clock customer service to make sure you don’t encounter any bumps in your booking. Do check them out. I’m actually booking with them for my next holiday after our Europe trip this August! 😉
A few months ago, I found myself in Penang with my husband who was there for a conference. I tagged along & decided to explore the UNESCO World Heritage City on my own while he attended his meetings. 😉 Today, I’ll be sharing with you guys the attractions I saw & visited while doing a walking tour around George Town.
Traveloka actually has over 200 Penang hotels in their listing so if you want to visit some of the sites I will be listing down below, do book your hotel with them!
(READ: Travel+ Food + Photos: Getting to Penang, Penang Hill, and some Food Worship)
Tokong Han Jiang (Han Jiang Ancestral Temple)
A Teochew-style temple right in the middle of George Town. I got off the bus (from Batu Ferringhi) right in front of this temple and since it was still quite early (10am on a weekday), I decided to just wander inside. Especially since there weren’t a lot of people yet. 
Kapitan Keling Mosque
Just a short walk from Han Jiang Ancestral Temple in Lebuh Chulia is the Kapitan Keling Mosque. Built in the 1800s, it was built to cater to the growing Indian-Muslim community at the time in Penang. The architecture of the mosque is quite interesting, incorporating Islamic & Indian elements in the design.
Choo Chay Keong (Yap) Temple
Penang has no shortage of Chinese temples. Choo Chay Keong is located at the junction of the well-known Armenian and Cannon Streets in George Town. This temple is quite small but it makes up for it with the beautiful and detailed decor not just at the facade but indoors as well.
Chew Jetty
A waterfront settlement built on stilts, the Chew jetty is built by one of the biggest Chinese migrant families in Penang. The Chews come from the Fujian province in China and migrated to Penang for work opportunities. This jetty started out with only 10 families and nowadays, it has 1,500 residents.
Here, you can have some refreshments and shop for trinkets and souvenirs. After a short walk into the complex, you will also be treated to a nice view of the sea.
Church Street Pier
Built in 1897, this pier used to be the island’s main gateway when it comes to trade. But now, it’s more of a tourist area where people take photos. Though recently renovated, the pier still has that vintage appeal that reminds people of the golden years.
I’m a huge lover of Japanese food. From sushi, sashimi, ramen, down to all the -dons you can find on the menu. I will gladly gobble them all. But one thing that not a lot of people know about Japanese cuisine is how diverse it is.
They even have their own version of curry (which tastes quite Westernised in my humble opinion)!
Recently, I was invited to try out some of the dishes offered by Coco Ichibanya – Japan’s largest curry restaurant chain – which recently opened their first store here in Malaysia. In this restaurant, it’s all about choices – particularly in how spicy you want your curry to be.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the dishes we tried!
BEEF YAKINIKU CURRY
Tender and flavourful yakiniku beed served with curry sauce that has the ‘standard’ level of spiciness. Despite the chillies in this photo, I didn’t feel that it was one bit spicy. This curry sauce is for people who love the curry taste but can’t deal with the spice – a.k.a. children or me.
For my husband’s birthday last month, we took a short and sweet trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia. We’ve always wanted to visit the ancient city of Angkor because we’re both big history nerds and I have a crazy fascination with ancient cities. When I was a kid, there was a time when I wanted to be an archaeologist and I dreamt of finding a lost, ancient city on my own – preferably Atlantis but we all know that’s pretty far from reality. 😉
Going to Angkor was the next best thing and though we only had a short time to spend in Siem Reap, I think we were able to maximise our stay.
Our itinerary was pretty relaxed despite having just two full days there. We prioritised seeing the Angkor complex as well as the Angkor National Museum which, I believe, is a must when you visit Siem Reap. It’s pretty modern with interactive displays as well as beautiful artefacts accompanied with comprehensive explanations as to what they are and why they’re important to the history of Cambodia.
I tried my hand at making a travel video of our trip and I hope you guys enjoy it. But I will be posting up some photos here as well to turn this entry into some sort of photo diary.
*Do watch in HD!*
More a lot of photos after the jump! Travel tips/notes to Siem Reap are also at the end of this entry. 🙂
I’m an island girl through and through. I’ll always love the sand, the sea, and the all-year-round sun. Though we’re posted in Malaysia which is a tropical country with its own beaches, I must admit that I do miss the islands back home.
There’s just something about the Philippines that makes me want to go back and so I do grab any chance I get, mind you.
In early May, I was part of the 2nd Ambassador’s Tour hosted by – you guessed it – our embassy’s Ambassador. Following the success of the first one (held in 2014) wherein he brought 112 Malaysian tourists to Manila and its nearby provinces, the Philippine Embassy and our tourism representative here in Kuala Lumpur decided to bring even more people this year to Cebu and Bohol – two of the island provinces in central Philippines.
It’s quite easy to travel between islands these days in the Philippines with better ports and more ferries available. 😉
This time, the group was mixed with other expats. We even had quite a huge Thai delegation with us during the tour and a good number of Filipino expats who’ve been staying in Malaysia for 20 or so years.
I was lucky enough to be invited to join as a.) part of the embassy and b.) part of the media delegation. Being part of the embassy meant that I got to help our ambassador, our cultural attache, and our economic attache in bringing the humungous tour group from one place to another.
I also got the task of doing the PR for the whole trip. Side story: It’s a running joke nowadays that I’m the embassy’s publicist. But that’s cool since I do enjoy helping out by using my media experience. Better to get so busy than end up being rusty. 😉
It also meant that I helped in taking good care of the media whom I immediately bonded with during the trip.
We had a packed itinerary as there was so much to see in just 4 days. But we were determined to make it happen! And we did! Though it was hella tiring for us, there is really a sense of fulfilment when you get to do a bit of good for your country. (As cheesy as that sounds)
It’s a passion of mine to promote our islands to tourists and counter all the bad press we’ve been getting. There’s a certain charm to it, I tell you and you’ll see proof in the photos that I will be posting. 😉
So without further yapping (Notice how I tend to ramble? It’s the same when I’m talking IRL.), let me quickly go through some of the reasons why you should consider Cebu and Bohol for your next vacation! 😉
VITAMIN SEA
This sounds so much like a hard sell but it’s actually true: The Philippines has some of the best beaches in the world. And I’m not just talking about Boracay. We’ve got island sanctuaries that are the farthest thing from the word ‘touristy’. Some of them can be found just a short boat ride from Cebu City.
Last January, we went to Cameron Highlands for a quick weekend getaway. During our stay there, my mom booked us rooms in The Arundina which is a guest house in Tanah Rata.
I loved our stay in this guest house as it really gave us that feeling of being in an actual home in the mountains. It’s a simple, no frills place and is quiet at night as they have a no-noise policy after 10pm which is a huge plus for me. I just cannot stand noise at night – heavy feet and closing doors counted.
