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Manila Food

in Expat Life, KL Food, Kuala Lumpur

Foodie Adventures: JEQ in the House (Seksyen 17, Petaling Jaya)

April 7, 2015

JEQ in the House, Restaurant, Cafe, Review, Petaling Jaya, Seksyen 17, Restaurant Review, Cafe Review, Food Review, Comfort Food, Pasta, Coffee, Coffee Art, Malaysia

Living in KLCC is like being inside your own bubble. Sometimes, you don’t really think of venturing out since everything you need seems to be a stone’s throw away. Great restaurants, malls, supermarkets – everything.

JEQ in the House, Restaurant, Cafe, Review, Petaling Jaya, Seksyen 17, Restaurant Review, Cafe Review, Food Review, Comfort Food, Pasta, Coffee, Coffee Art, Malaysia

However, after making friends with expats who have been here for a while as well as with locals, I found out that there’s more to Kuala Lumpur and its neighbouring city Petaling Jaya when it comes to shopping and food choices.

JEQ in the House, Restaurant, Cafe, Review, Petaling Jaya, Seksyen 17, Restaurant Review, Cafe Review, Food Review, Comfort Food, Pasta, Coffee, Coffee Art, Malaysia

In fact, the more you move away from the city centre, the more realise that when it comes to choices, things can get quite overwhelming (and budget friendly too!). That’s why I’m so thankful for my friends’ recommendations! 😉

JEQ in the House, Restaurant, Cafe, Review, Petaling Jaya, Seksyen 17, Restaurant Review, Cafe Review, Food Review, Comfort Food, Pasta, Coffee, Coffee Art, Malaysia

Situated in a quiet, residential area in Seksyen (Section) 17 of Petaling Jaya is a cafe that serves food that will really make me forget about dieting. Not that I have problems with that. 😉

JEQ in the House, Restaurant, Cafe, Review, Petaling Jaya, Seksyen 17, Restaurant Review, Cafe Review, Food Review, Comfort Food, Pasta, Coffee, Coffee Art, Malaysia

There’s nothing like comfort food and good coffee on a hot, humid weekend and JEQ in the House was able to provide both while I enjoyed the cafe’s ambiance.

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in Expat Life, Manila

Food: Tapella in Greenbelt 5 (Makati, Philippines)

March 6, 2015

Tapella, Restaurant, Restobar, Makati, Philippines, Greenbelt, Food, Makati Restaurants, Where To Eat

In case you were following my Instagram feed you would know by now that I was just in Manila. That explains the lack of posts the past few days. I made a quick trip home to buy some of the things we need – such as national wear/clothes (I seriously despise having to call them ‘costumes’. They’re our heritage!) We have our national day celebration coming up this June and most of Alvin’s formal and office barongs as well as my Filipiniana pieces that we brought with us last year have already been used a couple of times for different events. When people said that KL is a busy post with so many events, I didn’t expect it to be THAT many. So yes, one of us had to go home for reinforcements.

Tapella, Restaurant, Restobar, Makati, Philippines, Greenbelt, Food, Makati Restaurants, Where To Eat

While I was in Manila running around like a headless chicken and making sure I get everything done in 11 days, I made sure to allot some time to meet up with friends – both old and new. I really missed them for the past 9 months (OMG we’ve been in Malaysia for 9 months?! Feels like only yesterday when were packing our bags for posting!) that we’ve been in KL! 🙁 So despite my crazy schedule and constant battle with crazy Manila traffic (due to roads being built for APEC), I made time to meet with them. I wasn’t able to see all of them but I did what I can do with so little time!

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in Asia

Colmar Tropicale: Christmas Getaway Pt. 1

January 7, 2015

For Christmas, Alvin and I took a short drive outside the city to a place called Bukit Tinggi in Pahang, Malaysia. It’s a place en route to the Genting Highlands and is known for a couple of hotels and family-friendly attractions. We stayed there for two nights – one of which was Christmas Eve. We stayed in Colmar Tropicale, a French themed resort-hotel and explored other attractions in the area during our short trip.

Our trip to Colmar Tropicale was the result of my husband’s tireless research for places near the city where we can spend Christmas eve as it was our first away from family and friends. He was able to book the place long before invitations from our friends here in KL to join their families on Christmas Eve. So sweet of them! So we promised them we’ll come join them next year. 🙂

The drive took about an hour from KLCC. It is quite easy to get to with the help of our car’s GPS and Waze. Getting there is also far from boring as the drive can be quite scenic with lots of mountains and lush greenery.

French-themed resort hotel

Located 2,700 feet above sea level and surrounded by acres and acres of trees, the place is definitely cooler than KL and its surrounding areas. At night, it can even be chilly enough for a sweater or a light jacket.

The hotel’s complex is a replica of Colmar, a 16th-century town in France preserved to look the same up to this day. It’s not a perfect replica, of course. But stepping into Colmar Tropicale does feel like going back in time to a small European village where a Disney princess is expected to just come out and belt out a song at any time of day.

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in Asia, Malaysia, Penang, Travel

Food: Wheeler’s Coffee (Penang)

November 4, 2014

Penang is a foodie’s version of heaven and gaining weight while you’re there for a couple of days is inevitable. Well, unless you have the self-restraint of a Buddhist monk then maybe you can resist overeating. But for me, it was just too hard. I even dropped by the hotel gym at some point just to work out because I was feeling a bit guilty.

The trainer told me that I’m actually pretty thin and I could use a couple more pounds but to stay healthy and to get stronger, I should workout around 3 times a week and eat healthy (READ: veggies and fruits). My first question was: How many cheat meals am I allowed then? Lol, typical Carol. He told me I could have as much as 3-4 as I’m still quite frail-looking. But to be honest, I only get to do a maximum of 3 healthy meals a week. And that’s a HUGE improvement for this junk-food loving carnivore. 😉 (RELATED POST: Travel+ Food + Photos: Getting to Penang, Penang Hill, and some Food Worship)

While Penang is known for its Chinese food, the influx of expat workers brought in different kinds of cuisine from all over the world. It’s easy enough to spot a Middle Eastern diner where they serve authentic Naan and Chicken Masala that will make you think twice as to where you actually are – Malaysia? Saudi Arabia? Yemen??? The last day of Alvin’s conference ended at around 1 p.m. and since our flight back to Kuala Lumpur was scheduled the next day, we had a whole afternoon to ourselves. We decided to eat in George Town just so Alvin can walk around and see it as well (I’ve been doing my own sightseeing while he was attending the conference). We got off at Lebuh Chulia and ended up in Lorong Love (Love Lane) which is a backpacker and cafe area of George Town. We wandered into Wheeler’s Coffee for that afternoon.

Wheeler’s Coffee along Lorong Love in George Town.

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in Asia, Malaysia, Penang, Travel

Travel+ Food + Photos: Getting to Penang, Penang Hill, and some Food Worship

October 26, 2014

Hello from Penang! 🙂 It seems we haven’t been spending a lot of time at home in our condo in KL. When my husband told me that he’s got a conference to attend on this island and that he’ll pay for my fare if I wanted to tag along, I was actually having second thoughts about going.

Yes, really! Carol, with the crazy levels of wanderlust and the constant travel whims! I guess after going to Sabah then to Langkawi (we even have a scheduled weekend trip to Singapore a couple of weeks from now!) in just a span of weeks then attending events in between, I just felt like we were never home anymore (and I am honestly in love with how cosy our condo is) and I know I have a ton of posts to write (all the traveling has given me quite a backlog). I honestly felt that I wanted to just stay still for a bit – preferably on our couch, watching  Gossip Girl re-runs or baking.

But hey, I couldn’t pass on the chance of seeing Penang with my husband. I knew I would be jealous if I was left at home. And though I’m missing the ASEAN Ladies’ Circle Coffee Morning this week (one of the events I’ve been looking forward to for a while!), I’m glad I went with him. Penang is just so beautiful! From the moment we spotted the island from the air, I knew I’d have a special relationship with this place.

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in Expat Life, KL Food

Foodie Adventures: Gelatomio

September 10, 2014

I’m a huge fan of gelato. I always say that when it comes to gastronomic pleasures, we shouldn’t really mind shelling out money (as long as it’s within our means) and gelato, which admittedly is more expensive than regular ice cream, is counted as one of those pleasures in my book. After all, one of the main things we need to survive is food so might as well indulge every now and then, right? Just wanted to share my current favourite gelato place here in KL: Gelatomio. They serve Italian milk-based ice cream that’s 95% fat free while water-based flavours are at 99%. All their flavours come from natural ingredients with no preservatives. Knowing these makes me feel less guilty over indulging on dessert. 😉

Ok, photo’s a bit lopsided. Didn’t notice before the upload but you get the picture. Geddit? Haha. It’s kind of a huge kiosk in front of cotton on with it’s own seating area.

Over the last couple of weekends, my husband and I decided to sit around and eat some gelato after a loooong day of walking. We were out all day looking for more home decor and after dinner, we just had to get something sweet before finally heading home. So we went to the Gelatomio branch in Pavilion Mall.

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in Asia, Expat Life, KL Food, Kuala Lumpur, Travel

Foodie Adventures: Chinese food haven at Jalan Alor

August 18, 2014

Malaysia is basically Asian food heaven. With the country being a melting pot of Malay, Chinese, and Indian culture, it’s quite hard to imagine Malaysia not having good food.

We all know the history between Singapore and Malaysia and I’m pretty sure a bit of the rivalry between these two countries also extends to their food which is very very similar. However, one observation that can really differentiate one’s cuisine from the other is this: Malaysian food is definitely spicier than Singaporean. If you’re used to Singaporean laksa which is already spicy, you better brace yourself for Malaysian laksa because it will definitely leave your mouth burning. I have a friend who will testify to this as well.

A couple of weeks back, the husband and I decided to walk all the way to Jalan Alor – a street known for its authentic Chinese street-restaurants – for dinner. The food was so good, we found ourselves back in Jalan Alor only two days after that, friends in tow.

Ok, first things first: Where in KL is Jalan Alor?

Jalan Alor is located in the Bukit Bintang area. You can take the Monorail and just hop off at the Bukit Bintang station. From there, it’s only a short walk. As for my husband and I, we would always pass through Pavilion Mall (our building is located a couple of minutes walk from the mall’s back entrance while it’s front opens up to Bukit Bintang). For a map to Jalan Alor, click here.

From the mall’s main entrance, you will see this:

Just go straight down the main road which is behind that fountain. But wait, there’s Sephora! It’s best if my husband and I would make a quick stop over, yes?

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in Expat Life, KL What to Do, KL Where to Go

KL Adventures: History in the heart of the City

July 21, 2014

Ah, so touristy of us! But you see, here’s my travel philosophy: Do the touristy stuff first, then do what locals do. Don’t you dare leave the country without doing both or else, the experience would be somehow half-baked. You see, I believe that touristy places are ‘touristy’ for a reason. (Read: When I say touristy, I don’t mean tourist traps!) They’re popular because they’re worth a visit. I’m a sucker for museums, national parks, and monuments as they are great places to learn more about the country’s history and people.

So – for my husband and I’s first free weekend here in KL, we went to Merdeka Square, the KL City Gallery, and the Central Market. Along the way, we were able to pass by beautiful vintage architecture as well as Masjid Jamek (This was around 3 weekends ago so I’m kinda late in posting this! So sorry about that – been rather busy). I haven’t been to Malaysia before and though my husband has been here a couple of times, he has never set foot in most of Malaysia’s historically important places. IMHO, going to KL just for shopping and not really appreciating the place is a complete waste of time and funds. The city is so rich with culture and diversity – it’s a must to get out there to learn and experience everything first hand!

Well, the husband does admit that his travels prior to meeting me were complete brouhahas and now, getting to visit new (and even old places) are more fun cos he now has better company. We’re cheesy like that. 😉

Where was I? Ah, our little field trip right smack in the middle of the city. We left the house at around 11 in the morning. The sun rises and sets pretty late here in KL this time of year so it wasn’t that hot yet but I still opted to bring a water bottle and stash it in my bag as we will be gone the whole day and I knew there will be lots of walking involved so I dressed for comfort.

We live within the City Centre otherwise known as KLCC and it’s pretty easy to get to our destination via the LRT (Kelana Jaya Line). For tourists, this is also the best way to get around the capital as traffic here can be pretty heavy. The best station to get off from is Masjid Jamek which is only 3 stations away from KLCC and 2 from KL Sentral (where a lot of the hotels are). The train ride costs RM1.60 (Php21.91, US0.50, EUR0.37) per person, one way. It’s a bit of a walk from the station to Merdeka Square which is our major destination but it’s the farthest thing from boring.

One of the fist things you will see after getting off the station is Masjid Jamek (Jamek Mosque) which is also known as the Friday Mosque. Yes, the train station is named after it so it’s easy enough to remember! 🙂

Masjid Jamek. One of capital’s oldest Mosques.

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