English Afternoon Tea @ Punch Bar & Lounge, Best Western Premier Dua Sentral KL

During our staycation at Best Western Premier Dua Sentral, we had the pleasure of sampling the English Afternoon Tea at Punch & Bar Lounge.  The English Afternoon Tea is served every Saturday and Sundays only from 3.00pm to 6.00pm and is priced at RM47++ per set for 2 persons. 

English Afternoon Tea

Punch Bar & Lounge

The set comes with a 3-tier stand filled with open sandwiches, freshly baked scones, cakes and fresh strawberries served with cream as well as tea for 2 persons (you can order 2 types of teas). The selection were pretty good, definitely good value for money. The lounge is pretty quiet during the day, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy your afternoon tea.

The English Afternoon Tea is available on Saturdays and Sundays from 3.00 to 6.00pm. Priced at RM47++ per set for 2 persons.


Location: Best Western Premier Dua Sentral, 8, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03- 2272 8888

Join their Facebook page here.

GPS Coordinates: 3.136185,101.693356

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Maruhi Sakaba, Faber Plaza, Taman Desa, KL

On a night out with my girl friends, we visited Maruhi Sakaba in Taman Desa. Maruhi Sakaba is one of the Japanese outlets owned by Seiji Fujimoto (of Sanuki Udon, Japanese BBQ and Lao Jiu Lou). This outlet specialises in kushiyaki / yakitori, skewers of grilled goodness. 

Maruhi Sakaba is located at Faber Plaza (look for Public Bank and it's a couple of doors down). Find this Chinese signboard and you're at the right place.

The restaurant is pretty big and can accommodate many tables. We ordered their signature cocktail called "Maruhi Sour" (RM45) which was served in a kettle. A mix of shochu, Angostura bitters, lime & soda water. One pot lasted us the whole evening.

The menu is a one-pager, consisting of chicken kushi, pork kushi, vegetable kushi, appetizer & rice as well as drinks. They also have a specials menu near the kitchen such as ramen, pork liver sashimi etc.

We just ordered lots of random items from the menu and to our delight, almost everything was really tasty. The meats were well-marinated and tasty, and they also serve two types of delicious dips to go with the meat. Our favorite of the evening was the pork belly (RM4 per skewer) as the meat was grilled til it was melt-in-the mouth, we kept ordering more of this.

The lamb skewers (RM5), chicken wings (RM5) and pig tongue (RM4) were also good. The only item which we didn't like that much was the chicken skin in mustard sauce (RM5) - not much taste and the texture is a bit weird for us.

Edamame (RM3), to fill our veggie quota

Tofu (RM5)

Chicken skin in mustard sauce (RM5)

Okra...aiyo so skinny!(RM3)

Eggplant (RM3)

A highly recommended dish here is the organ meat stew (RM10), a hearty comforting stew with pig's intestine. We all enjoyed this. 

Lost count of how many kushiyaki we had

Chicken wings and pork belly

We had a great meal here - the food is tasty, reasonably priced, and service is fast and good.


Opening times: 6pm-10.30pm daily. Closed on Mondays.

Price: Total bill RM150.

Location: Maruhi Sakaba, No. 6A Faber Plaza, Jalan Desa Jaya, Taman Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur. (closest landmark is Public Bank)

GPS Coordinates: 3.102737, 101.682849




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Lunch @ Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar, The Gardens Residences, KL

Always a pleasure to dine at Sage KL;)

We love coming to Sage when we're doing our daytime dating. The ambiance is lovely, service is good and food is always exceptional. I like how Chef Daniel always comes out to greet us with a warm smile. I like how his food tastes - simple but always delivers.

Just like our starter of hiramasa with shaved black truffle and soy vinaigrette. It looks deceptively simple but it tastes so good. All throughout the first course, Hubby keeps going "mmm mmmmm" with approval. My fav course of the afternoon.

Tranche of Hiramasa with Shaved Black Truffle and Soy Vinaigrette

We always go for two appetizers when we lunch here, because frankly it's just too hard deciding which one to go for. Love the smoked duck breast with foie gras, served with fig and date chutney. You know what they say, "good things come in small packages".

The set lunch at Sage is now priced at RM120 nett (formerly RM100), but you will notice that they now serve Wagyu (marbling 5, I'v been told) beef for lunch instead of Angus. All the more reasons to love the steaks here, richer in taste and more melt-in-the-mouth.

Two way preparation of Wagyu beef with Yuzukoshou and Chasseur sauce

Perfectly cooked!

An off-menu dessert for us - French Chocolate Fondant with Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream

And that is why Sage is still my favorite restaurant in KL.

Pork-free.

For their weekly lunch menu, click here. Full a la carte menu here.

Dress code: Smart casual.

Opening hours: Lunch:Monday to Friday 12.00pm to 2.00pm; Dinner:Monday to Saturday 6.00pm to 10.30pm. Closed on Sunday.

Price: RM120 nett per person for 3-course lunch.

Location: Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar, The Gardens Residences, Level 6, The Gardens, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2268 1328

*Children below the age of 6 are not allowed in the restaurant.



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Nestlé Nestum 3in1 Truck Roadshow & Mobile Zumba

Nestlé NESTUM is a well-established brand that has been in Malaysia for over 50 years. It is well-loved by both young and old alike, providing a nutritious breakfast or snack to Malaysians. I grew up eating NESTUM and now my kids enjoy it along with me too :)

NESTUM has a delicious and nutritious range of whole grain products such as NESTUM 3in1 and All Family Cereals. The NESTUM 3in1 range is perfect for those with a busy lifestyle with little time for breakfast, as it is very convenient to make and is a rich source of fibre, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

Nestlé NESTUM comes in 4 different flavours - original, oat, honey and chocolate, all of which contains the goodness of whole wheat, corn and rice. What we love about NESTUM is the hearty aroma that instantly perks up your senses and how it nourishes and uplifts our body and mind.

At the NESTUM sampling truck at Taman Rimba Riang.. ready for my Zumba session ;)

More Cereal, More Life :)

Every week,  you can catch the NESTUM Truck cruising around town to your favourite park. The schedule will be posted on the NESTUM website or Nestum Malaysia Facebook page. There, you can get sampling of NESTUM 3in1 drinks from the trucks, purchase limited edition NESTUM packs as well as join the Spin and Win sessions. Furthermore, on weekends, there is added fun in the form of Zumba sessions with professional Zumba instructors. These Zumba sessions will usually last for 1 hour.

In fact, I visited the sampling truck at Taman Rimba Riang, Kota Damansara last weekend and it was indeed a fun and energetic evening as I joined in the Zumba sessions at the park. 

Zumba-ing at Taman Rimba Riang.... good fun! And keeping fit at the same time.

Getting my free samples

Nestle Nestum giving u #MoreLife to enjoy a balanced lifestyle. 

Start your day right - all you need to do to is add hot water to a sachet of NESTUM, stir and you'll have nutrition in a cup. Easy peasy! It provides you with a daily boost of physical and mental vitality, for a healthy and active lifestyle.

For more info on Nestum 3in1 products and the roadshow schedules/campaigns, please visit the NESTUM website or Nestum Malaysia Facebook page.


*This is a sponsored post from Nestle Malaysia that contains affiliate links relevant to the Nestum 3in1 Campaign . I received compensation in exchange for writing this review. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.

Recipe: Beef Bulgogi (Korean Grilled / Pan-Fried Marinated Beef)

We love having themed dinners at home, and this time, we're going Korean. We made two of our favorite Korean dishes, beef bulgogi and kimchi jjigae. I have made kimchi jjigae many times using this recipe and for the beef bulgogi, I am trying out a recipe which I got from a cookbook distributed by the Korean Tourism Organisation.

Our Korean dinner 

Beef bulgogi is marinated beef, and is traditionally grilled; nowadays it is also often stir fried in a pan. In 2011, it was listed at no.23 on the World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll compiled by CNNGo.

Bulgogi is made from thin slices of sirloin or other prime cuts of beef. The meat is then marinated for at least 30 minutes in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, pepper and pureed pear to enhance its flavour and tenderness. I also added in some sliced oyster mushrooms, onions and scallions.

Bulgogi literally means fire meat in Korean

Once cooked, this dish is served with a side of lettuce to wrap the meat in, along with a dab of ssamjang and eaten together. The beef was indeed tender and flavorful (both sweet and salty), we enjoyed this very much indeed.

If you love Korean food, then you should definitely try making this - it's so easy and delicious!

Beef Bulgogi (Korean Barbecue)
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Korea Tourism Organisation "Korean Cuisine" book
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 4-5 minutes
Serves 3-4


Ingredients
300g beef (sirloin)
1 onion
1 spring onion, cut into 2 inch lengths
100g grey oyster mushroom, sliced
1/2 tsp cooking oil

For the marinade
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1/2 tbsp crushed sesame seed
1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
50g pureed pear

To serve
1 butterhead lettuce, leaves removed from stem and washed


1. Rinse the beef and then pat dry with a kitchen towel. It is recommended to place the beef into the freezer for about 30-45 minutes, as it will make it easier to cut into thin slices. Remove any excess fat.

2. Peel, wash and cut onion about 0.5cm thick.

3. Put all ingredients for marinade into a bowl and mix. Add marinade, onion, mushroom and spring onion to the beef and mix well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Marinade for at least 30 mins for flavours to infuse

4. You can either barbecue, grill or pan-fry the beef. I chose the latter - heat a frying pan over medium high heat with 1/2 tsp oil, then add the marinated ingredients (from Step 3). Cook for about 4-5 minutes, until the beef is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.

5. Serve with lettuce and ssamjang (optional).

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Pool Bar & Lounge @ Gaya Island Resort, Malaysia

On our last day at Gaya Island Resort, we visited the Pool Bar & Lounge for a quick lunch before departing the resort. As the name suggests, it overlooks the resort's infinity pool and floating cabanas. 

I like the view a lot!

The menu is mainly made up of light bites such as sandwiches, burgers, pizza, Japanese sushi/maki, as well as tapas.

We ordered the bento box, which included grilled teriyaki fish, sashimi, tempura and sushi. Everything tasted fresh. We also ordered the California maki with avocado, crabmeat, cucumber, tobiko and mayonnaise. In hindsight we would have skipped this if we knew the bento was such a big portion - carbs overload!

We also ordered the Gourmet Burger - a thick Angus beef patty sandwiched between sesame seed buns, lettuce, onion, tomato, cheddar,beef bacon and caramelised onions. Juicy and totally satisfying!

Nice place for an al fresco lunch or simply chilling with a drink

Website: http://www.gayaislandresort.com/

Location: Gaya Island Resort, Malohom Bay, Pulau Gaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, East Malaysia.


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Seafood Buffet Dinner @ Gobo Chit Chat, Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Seafood lovers should head over to Gobo Chit Chat at Traders Hotel KL and check out their seafood buffet promotion. Priced at RM108++ per person, we thought it was excellent value for money as the seafood is fresh and of high quality. 

Available on Fridays and Saturdays, the seafood buffet dinner features a plethora of fresh seafood. At the cold seafood counter, you can find freshly shucked oysters, poached scallops, blue yabbies, local clams, Alaskan king crabs and several variety of prawns. Definitely an impressive spread!

Alaskan king crabs

Spoilt for choice.... so many to choose from!

Blue yabbies and flower crab

Poached scallops

Local clams

Slipper lobster

Oysters

Other seafood appetizers include smoked salmon, salmon gravlax, smoked mackarel, pickled herring as well as fresh sashimi (salmon, butterfish, tuna) from the Japanese counter.

Sashimi from the Japanese counter

Grilled shishamo

Antipasto

During our visit, there was also a whole roasted salmon as well as rib of beef. I love the tender and juicy beef. :)

Other than the buffet spread, do visit the live cooking stations - looking at this wonderful spread of seafood makes my heart sing with joy. Large clams, prawns, scallops, crayfish, slipper lobster and several types of fish.... all ready to be grilled by the restaurant's friendly chefs. They're simply grilled with some herb butter, really tasty!

Fill yer boots!

One of the highlights of this seafood buffet is the buttermilk crab. Simply choose between the mud crab or flower crabs, and the chef will prepare it  for you. The crab is cooked in a claypot with butter, condensed milk, curry leaves  (in 7 mins, we were told) at the live cooking station. I really love the sauce, so fragrant and delicious! Not to be missed.

Flower crabs

We went for the mud crabs.... love 'em big claws!

And once you're done with the seafood, check out some of the desserts on offer. The melted cheesecake is highly recommended - rich and smooth.

Rainbow cakes in mini jars... too cute! 

Malaysian kuih

Cheese

Twin Towers on a rainy evening

The Seafood Buffet Dinner is available at Gobo Chit Chat every Friday and Saturday and is priced at RM108++ per person.


Opening times: 6.30pm-10.30pm (dinner).

Service: Good.

Location: Gobo Chit Chat, Level 5, Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03- 2332 9888

GPS Coordinates: 3.154271, 101.715417


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