FAQs and suggestions will be posted below:

FAQs

1) Hi KampungboyCitygal, can you please send me a copy for your HK/Taiwan/Bali/Bangkok itineraries?

All our itineraries are being shared in blog post forms.

Bali – http://kampungboycitygal.com/2011/10/6d5n-bangkok-hua-hin-purely-rr-food-shopping/
Bangkok – http://kampungboycitygal.com/2011/10/6d5n-bangkok-hua-hin-purely-rr-food-shopping/
HK v1 – http://kampungboycitygal.com/2009/05/round-up-6d5n-at-hong-kong-macau/
HK x2 – http://kampungboycitygal.com/2010/12/eat-drink-hong-kong-2010-trip-report/
Taiwan – http://kampungboycitygal.com/2009/07/executive-summary6d6n-taipei-yilan-taiwan/

Information were being shared without any reservation. It’s even better than our own itineraries in excel/word form!

2) Do you earn 7 figures each year to afford such a lavish lifestyle?

No, we do not live a lavish lifestyle. We can only afford 2 – 3 holidays per annum and we usually spend less than RM 4,000 per person for one of those trips. Contrary to popular beliefs, we do not eat out every day for every single meals. Eat outs usually happens in the weekends, which we really enjoy doing so. We also conduct invited reviews on a very selective basis; with of course a full disclosure (we categorise them under “invited reviews” or we open the line with something like “thanks for the invitation…”.). Rest assured that invited reviews will never swayed our honest opinions. We also opted to not to write if the food is just plain bad.

3) What is your policy on invited reviews? (from PRs or restaurateurs)

Refer to Q2

to be continued…….

AMANTE

The birthday party was being held at Amante Nail Spa & Body Spa Centre at Solaris Mont Kiara.

The whole place was decorated to Tammy’s liking, in fact to every other girls’ liking!

O.P.I galore

We tried a new nail varnish brand to glamorise our toes – Essie, a trusted America’s brand since 1981.

List of services available at Amante includes pedicure & manicure treatment, facial treatment, spa, massage and many more.

The private treatment area where we treated our hands and feet to a luxurious indulgence session.

my royal highness seat

Our hour long pedicure session starts with a full conditioning treatment where my gorgeous manicurist scrubbed and removed the callus from my feet, followed by a pampering session on my cuticles before my nails were being filed and shaped.

Immediately after that, my feet were covered in a thick layer of moisturizing cream and enclosed with a warm foot wrap.

My manicurist finished off with a splash of my favorite nail polish color and design. She recommended french pedicure to complement my natural skin colour.

I felt really good in my fresh coat of nail colour!

PARTY MOO MOO

One of the easiest ways to create or liven up a party atmosphere is with balloons and Party Moo Moo has definitely done a very good job!

These delightfully girlish pink and pearl white balloons with silver streamers were so beautiful! Some of us brought them home, thinking about how to lift a house up with balloons like Frederickson did in UP, the movie?

TEAFFANI HIGH TEA

Tammy, the wonderful host too such good care of our stomachs by ordering some high tea delights from Teaffani, an English high tea caterer.

Royal Princess Tea Party Set for 12 pax

Tiered cupcakes

Delicious cupcakes with orange frosting.

Cream puffs.

Exquisitely handcrafted carriers.

Strawberries with whipped cream.

Teaffani also provides everything from table cloth to decorations to the delicate porcelain tea cups and pots you see here.

LADIES IN PINK

The dress theme was pink and most of the invited guests took the dress theme to the next level, bringing out their most stylish and sexiest PINK attire. That’s Tammy on the left, with her pink, lacy lingerie flashing through hehe.

US again.

Cute, bubbly Elle and me.

Tammy & Alicia

Tammy, me, Camie and Alicia

Siu Siu and me

The 3 of us <3.

Last but not least, thanks Tammy for having us over. It is definitely the most fun birthday party that I’ve ever been to and Tammy has definitely set a new high standard for birthday party planning.

We ordered the salted egg mantis prawn as an “appetizer”. It came to our table hot and crispy. While the mantis prawns were coated with incredibly rich and creamy salted egg yolk paste, we find Wong Poh’s version to be too “flour-ly”.

The claypot butter crab is the piece de resistance here, which we spotted in almost every other table. The crabs were so fresh, so fleshy and most importantly reasonably priced – medium size crabs are selling for RM 45 per kg and big size crabs are asking for RM 70 per kg. For only RM 52, we had two medium size crabs with plenty of sweet, succulent meat.

Not to forget the thick, creamy butter sauce with a sprig of curry leaves or two. The gravy is best mopped up with fried ‘man tao’ (RM 0.70 each).

KampungBoy said that it was one of the most incredible-tastiest and satisfying birthday dinner ever. Forget about fine dining! Ditch the fork and spoon! To add to the experience/taste, we broke the claws apart with our hands, pulled the meat off with our teeth and happily licking the butter sauce off our fingers. Messy but so satisfying.

Happy Birthday again!

Restaurant Wong Poh
36 & 38 Jln BM 1/2
Bukit Mayang Mas
47301 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 603-7803 3527

ADVERTORIAL:

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Read our review on Xiao Fei Yang here.

The first one being my “prime” birthday celebration at Le Meridien KL. My birthday falls on the 7th of March; and both number 3 and 7 are prime numbers that have exactly two distinct natural number divisors: 1 and itself. Coupled with prime grill and prime wine, it was indeed a prime birthday celebration.

It was very sweet of KampungBoy for taking me out for a dinner at Prime, an upscale steak house that prides itself in serving only the finest imported beef and wines.

I stepped out of my apartment all dolled up just for the special occasion. Do expect more vain pictures of me because I hardly ever wear evening dresses, especially one that makes me walk around with my stomach sucked in all evening. *blushes*

We started off with some complimentary bread while browsing through the menu.

A bread basket with freshly baked Emmental Cheese & Black Pepper Bread and Walnut Bread greeted us. It was served together with three types of butter – Aragula, salted and dried fruits butter.

Soft, fluffy, and nicely spiced, together with a generous helping of butter; the bread has bowled us over. We tried not to eat too much but it’s awfully hard to resist the wonderful aroma of those freshly baked bread.

Foie gras experience (RM75)
Charcoal grilled, crème brûlée and terrine

Crème Brûlée – The foie gras was smooth and creamy with a great combination of sweet and savory taste, and it was topped with a toasty, caramelised top. So good!
Terrine – The richness of the foie gras was balanced with the tartness and crunchiness of the prunes.
Charcoal Grilled – With its side still glistening in its own fat, the foei gras looked all too pretty to eat! It was creamy and had none of the chalkiness or bloody taste.

Australian crab cakes, chili flakes, garlic sauce and mango salsa RM 55

Fried in a light crispy batter, the crab cakes were filled to the brim with soft, flaky crab. This is especially awesome for a crab lover like me, because picking strands of tasty flesh from the crab shell is a painful job!

the not-so-young-anymore CityGal

the ever-loving KampungBoy

Blackmore Wagyu Chuck Flap Tail 8oz / 220g RM 180

BLACKMORE is an Award Winning 100% Full Blood Japanese Wagyu Beef that achieves a consistent high marbling score of 9+ (Australian highest score). The marbling melts at room temperature, giving the meat its ‘melt in the mouth” moisture and tenderness. The meat itself has an intensely sweet, delicate and persistent flavour. However, slaughtering only 40 cattles each month, the availability of cuts are exclusive.

Chuck tail flap is next to the short ribs with rich flavor similar to short ribs. However, it is cut from the serratus ventralis which is a very highly marbled muscle which make the texture slightly tougher. Our steak was grilled to a perfect medium rare and it was nice and juicy inside with beautiful marbling. My only gripe was the occasional bite into the muscle fibers which requires some jaw exercise.

Sautéed Green Asparagus (RM 15) & Truffle Sauce.

Rich hot chocolate cake, chocolate sauce, stracciatella ice cream RM 30

Towards the end of dinner, I looked up to see the restaurant wait staff coming to the table with a birthday cake. And to my delight, they sang Happy Birthday to me. Thanks for the arrangement, KampungBoy.

It was a very memorable meal, with great service, great food and of course great companion! Prime is a classic dining spot for steaks and it is a place to go if you have some extra moolah to splurge on. I reckoned that one should do the Business Set Lunch for the same quality food that is lighter on the wallet. My lunch experiences has so far been very good, and with a price tag of RM 70 for 2 course meal and RM 85 for 3 course meal, it offers great value for money.

Prime, 5th Floor,
Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur,
2 Jalan Stesen Sentral,
50470 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
(Directly opposite KL Sentral station and next to KL Hilton)
Tel: 03- 2263 7555
Website: http://www.lemeridiendining.com.my
Opening times: Monday to Friday: 12.00pm to 2.30pm (Lunch); Monday to Sunday: 6.30pm to 11.00pm (Dinner)

Happy Birthday.

Here’s another year of fun and exciting journey with me. Hope you like it.

Love,
Kampungboy

Complementary Salad – a creative combination of mandarin oranges, jambu air & leafy greens but the dressing tasted bland. It probably needs more seasoning to intensify the flavor.

Wild Mushroom Soup – thick, creamy, earthy with a velvety, slightly chunky finish.

French Onion Soup – lovely combination of crusty bread with melted cheese and rich, flavorful broth.

Lamb Cottage Pie – velvety smooth mashed potatoes with generous portions of chunky succulent lamb cubes hidden beneath. So comforting and satisfying!

Baked Fish topped with Cheese & Oats – a crispy, non greasy delicious piece of fish over a bed of spaghetti coated in tomato sauce.

Huck Seng – the chef

Pot-roast Meatloaf (chicken) – thick slices of juicy meatloaf & chickpeas served in a tangy tomato based sauce. I find the sauce a tad too sour for my liking.

Yam Basket – The rich and velvety yam basket, fried to a golden crisp, contains chicken fillets and assorted greens was delicious. The food portion is humongous too!

Undivided Lemon – Huck Seng told us that this dessert was created by accident and it became a hit among friends & families! The cake was name as such because every part of the lemon – the juice, the zest, the pulp is used.

the undivided couple with their undivided lemon cake.

hope you guys like the pressies!

Chris can’t wait to try on his new shirt!

kbcg & Christine

Deinhard & Co. Green Label QbA 2008 from wineactually.com, a Malaysian online wine merchant site.

There isn’t a better reason to celebrate good time with a glass of good wine. Look for Shaun or Wilson from wineactually.com, and trust me to trust the wine enthusiasts’ recommendation!

A toast to the birthday boy & girl! May this next year bring you the very best of happiness, health, and fortune.

For a more detailed review on Huck’s Cafe, read here.

Love,
Kampungboy

4 is an inauspicious number for the Chinese but 2009 has been a good year for us. Other than the non-stop binging with close friends like Christine, Chris and Aiwei; we did travel a bit. We went to:

• Bangkok (company trip for kampungboy, family trip for citygal) in October 09 and December 09
• Hong Kong in April 09
• Kota Kinabalu in April 09
• Singapore in October 09 and December 09
• Taiwan in June 09 and August 09

Due to the overwhelming responses on our HK and Taiwan travelogue, we’ve created a new page under “travel (updated)” that list down all the relevant blog posts. However if you have any inquiries, feel free to drop us an email at kampungboycitygal@gmail.com

Thank you to our readers and advertisers for your ongoing support towards our humble little blog. We hope to continue to be relevant, informative and entertaining. Perhaps you guys can tell us what you want to read, e.g. less travelogue and more hawker fare?

And lastly, Happy Birthday to kampungboycitygal.com!

(click to enlarge)

Happy Birthday Dear! Wishing you another year of good health, happiness and prosperity (with me by your side :p)

By the way, what’s for dinner tonight?

To my friends, families and readers, thanks for the well wishes! The overwhelming awesomeness everyone showed me this past week was much appreciated but I have to disappoint you guys. We are not, despite several rumours to the contrary, engaged to be married. We can’t help but have a little giggle about this but we’ll figure it out when the time comes.

I have been sick; my throat is getting scratchy and my nose is running and I am no better on my birthday. So, I spent a rather quiet day with KampungBoy, no party and no merry-making. It was really sweet of him to surprise me with a little blue box with the perfect white ribbon. It doesn’t matter what comes wrapped in that little blue box, because it is among the most favourite gift a girl could possibly receive.

Thanks, the interlocking ring put a smile upon my face.

The birthday dinner was a simple one, nothing extravagantly expensive. We headed to Izakaya Ichiban at Plaza Damas for some hearty and good Japanese food. It’s no frills and unpretentious place with minimal décor and ordinary lighting, like a ???. There were plenty of Japanese diners which are probably a good sign too.

Kaki Mayo Yaki (Baked Oyster with Spicy Mayo). The fresh and juicy topped with spicy mayo are absolutely delicious! The sides of stir fry enoki mushrooms, shitake mushrooms and capsicums goes really well with the oysters too.

Ika Shio (Japanese Grilled Squid). All happily glazed in some fresh lemon juice, the ika was a bit savoury and moist with but not chewy. It tasted so delicious on its own, without the need to use any other seasonings.

For our toro (salmon belly) don and wagyu beef don, the portions were pretty generous but we find it mediocre. Nonetheless, it’s a steal to indulge in toro and wagyu beef at only RM 30++.

With quite an extensive sake list, Ikaya Ichiban is a no-frills place to meet up with friends for a pint and bite. We’ll come back to check out the other items in the menu for sure.

Izakaya Ichiban
Lot P-3M
Plaza Ground Floor
Hartamas Shopping Centre
Jalan Sri Hartamas
Kuala Lumpur
Tel No: 03 – 6201 5905

The Encounter  – KampungBoy’s eyes, in a flash, met with the most beautiful woman’s eyes he has ever seen. It was love at first sight…

They started seeing each other and their life revolve around food …

Of course, KampungBoy has to throw in romantic factor from time to time. As you can see, the couple in silhouette, enjoying a romantic sunset…

And so, the day has finally arrived. Is he going to pop the question (propose)?

Nah. It’s Citygal’s Birthday. Selamat Hari Jadi my dear.

Guess what have I got for you?

It’s not THE END yet. There is yet more chapters unwritten in my live and I’m glad that you’re in it…

Just for you my love. Wishing you a wonderful year ahead (with me by your side of course).

KampungBoy loves his meat and he is one of those who sneer at the idea of vegetarian food just like how some of us sneer at the Malaysian party of balance scale. To celebrate his pal YJ’s birthday, he has no choice but to make a reluctant move to Yishensu because the birthday boy wants to do vegetarian on his big day. Clean up the toxic waste in your body, my dear.

Yishensu is tastefully decorated and the restaurant’s interior has a refined and tranquil literary atmosphere. The restaurant was almost full by the time they arrived, with ½ of the restaurant having a wedding celebration for a Chinese couple.

To start off, Vege Bread Roll with Fruit Salad (RM15) made of vegetarian ham, cucumber, carrot wrapped with bread and deep fried is ordered. Appearance wise, it was a winner with the myriad of colors but taste wise, it was a let down.

Fried Rice (RM 9). Never judge a book by its cover. It turned out to be the best dish. Full of wok hei, the fluffy fried rice was very aromatic. A must order item in Yishensu, so said KampungBoy and the rest.

Abalone served with Mushrooms and Brocolli (RM 18). A simple dish, added with splashes of luxury – (mock) abalone slices.

Emperor ToFu (RM 16). The smooth silky home made tofus were stuffed with some mock meat. Even without a blindfold, it is often impossible to different the mock meat from the real deal.

Braised Mushroom and Chicken with Noodles (RM 9). The home made noodles are meant to resemble wantan noodles, but they’re way too starchy and soft for a braised dish.

The Dried Curry Fish (RM 22) is truly delicious. The curry was thick and creamy but not overly. Good to go with some white rice.

Fried Oat Prawn (RM 18). The outer layers coated with oats were really crunchy, while the mock prawns tasted a bit off which the guys did not enjoy very much.

Yishensu has certainly changed our perception towards vegetarian food because the only thing that we can relate to vegans is the conventional stuff such as greens and bean curds. If you are willing to try something new, do drop by but mind you that the prices are a little steep and there’s some hits and misses in their dishes. They are charging RM 3 each for green tea and white rice, so the total bill comes to about RM 150++.

The night ended with a drinking session at Long Bar, One World Hotel. Happy birthday to YJ. Wishing you another year of happiness and joy.

Yishensu – A Vegetarian Connoisseur
1 Utama Shopping Mall, Petaling Jaya
Telephone : +603 77294313
Fax : +603 56201150

To celebrate a friend’s birthday, we decided to splurge on some hearty Chinese food. The choice is rather obvious because we chose to meet at Mid Valley, which house the two of the outlets from Crystal Jade Restaurant chain in Malaysia – Amuleto & Crystal Jade Restaurant. Crystal Jade has been expanding. Other than the existing outlets – Crystal Jade Lai Mian at Lot 10 and C-Jade Express in Mid Valley Megamall, we now have Crystal Jade Kitchen & C Jade Meal 3 at Pavilion too.

Each restaurant carries different concept and serves different kind of food. Crystal Jade Restaurant at the Gardens is beautiful and swanky where one will be immediately be struck by the impressive interior upon entry – fitted with wood paneled walls, red velvet chairs, and rows of red terracotta warriors displayed low-key music in the background.

Since the restaurant is fully seated by the time we arrived, the seven of us were led into one of their private dining room with magnificent view overlooking mid valley city.

Feeling rather famished and greedy, we ordered two dinner sets for four. The serving portion is just nice for us to taste a little bit of everything.

Special Four Person Set Meal (RM 208.00)

Roasted Pi Pa Duck in Hot Plate – It is called Pipa Duck because of the resemblance of the butterfly cut to a pipa (Chinese music instrument). The skin is crispy and the meat is very tender and juicy, only to be spoiled by the overly salty gravy.

Double Boiled Watercress Soup – Slow cooked for hours, the hearty watercress soup makes a great tummy warmer.

Three Cup Chicken – Served in a piping hot stone bowl, it is very aromatic, with abundant amount of Thai basil and ginger. The gravy (made of soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil, 1 cup each) is great to be eaten with rice.

Deep Fried Prawn with Butter and Cereal – The shells of the prawn can be eaten as it’s fried to crisp! The prawns were fresh, firm to the bite and sweet, which was well-complemented by slight sweetness of the cereal.

Steamed Egg Plant with Shrimp – A simple dish as such as done perfectly. The delicate and silky egg plant has soaked up the delicious gravy, and the flavor permeate the dish.

Fried Rice in Assorted Grain in Hot Stone – The fried rice is lack of a hint of wok hei to make it tasty. The guys, who were skeptical towards anything organic, do not enjoy the assorted grain.

Almond Cream – The Chinese almond dessert is smooth and milky, giving a perfect ending to our meal.  

Premium Four Person Set Meal (RM 318.00)

Crystal Jade Roasted Duck – The roasted duck is nothing to shout about with its not so crispy skin and lean meat.

Braised Sharkfin with Seafood and Bamboo Pith – it was flavourful and rich, with spot on taste. Bamboo pith provided the crunch in this sweetish-savoury soup.

Pan Fried Stuffed Vegetables in Hot Stone – Most of the stuffing were very generous and it was quite a delight eating the fresh and bouncy fish paste by itself.

Steamed Soon Hock in Preserved Vegetables – Fresh from the tank, the meat is lean and moist with a mild flavor. The topping of preserved vegetable make it promisingly delicious.

Braised Seasonal Vegetables with Assorted Mushroom and Shrimp Roe – The vegetables are cooked just nice with a nice crunch, while the assorted mushroom and shrimp roe make the dish “glam”.

Birthday Noodles – A symbol of longevity in Chinese culture, it is a must for us to order the birthday noodles for the birthday boy. The noodles are awful though, mushy in texture and bland in taste.

Chinese Herbal Jelly with Mango & Pamelo – The jelly has a mild herbal taste but thank god that the mango puree and pamelo are added to make it palatable.

The Auditors

Happy Birthday to Jeff! Wishing you all the best on your future undertakings!

The total bill comes close to RM 600++. With most of the food is tasty (but not earth-shattering) and excellent services, this is a great place to take guests, visitors or a date, or just a fine restaurant to choose when you have a craving for Chinese food. Just be ready to spend a fortune!

Crystal Jade Restaurant
Lot T 210
3rd Floor
The Gardens
Mid Valley City
Kuala Lumpur
Tel No: 03 – 2283 3129
(Non Halal)

To celebrate a friend’s birthday, a group of us make our move to NZX @ Ara Damansara. Tucked in at a rather obscure place (to me, who has never been to Ara Damansara), most fine it quite a hassle to get here. Calls from friends asking for directions keep coming in and it was until one hour later that everyone was here. Instead of being grumpy and angry, our friends who arrived late were pretty amused by the first sight that greeted them – an apartment like restaurant.

Each section of the restaurant is decorated to resemble the different spaces like bedroom, bathroom, courtyard, etc. Most of the décor pieces are available for sales. One can choose from the closets full of clothes, portrait frames, key chains, to the potted plants, the canopy bed drape and the hanging crystal chandelier.

Full House is particularly the most crowded place in NZX, one reason for that is almost certainly its relaxed atmosphere and wallet friendly meals. Did I tell you that the menu with comic strips was exceptionally cute too? Unlike the extensive drinks list, main courses are limited where we were left with only 5 to 6 items each on the Asian Menu and Western Menu.

Location Map (Credits to SaiMatKong)

I tend to think that most themed restaurants would rely on hype and glitz rather than good food. It comes to my surprise when the food was by no means a dreadful meal, but much of it was mediocre and acceptable, with more rooms for improvement. Full House is exceptionally relaxed and convivial. It creates the perfect atmosphere for any individual to sit, read a book, meet new people, have some coffee or simply hang out.

1. Everyone sing the birthday song and have the birthday child sing along.
2. The birthday is deep in thought, hmmm I wish for more toys, more candies, (more chicks)……
3. Awwww so cute!
4. The portrait of a happy family.

We adjourn to Heritage Bay Club at Pulau Duyong for High Tea buffet after that. The RM300 million a year yacht race called the Monsoon Cup (some say the F1 of yachting) has left us behind Heritage Bay Club (Kelab Teluk Warisan Terengganu). Other than accommodation, Heritage Bay Club offers sailing facilities as well.

Idris Yusof, the ex chief minister of Terengganu.

The restaurant that we are heading to is Ulek Mayang Restaurant, located at the club house of Heritage Bay Club, overlooking the South China Sea.

At RM 25++, the buffet spread revolves around Malay delicacies such as mee soto, rojak, ayam kunyit, roti canai, ais kacang and a niche selection of western starters and desserts.

The food was surreally bad, not all of them, but most of them. Quite simply, there is no excuse for unattentive service in such a prestigious club but it happened. Our finished plates are never cleared and we have to squeeze for table room. Nevertheless, we would love to thank KampungBoy’s sister in law for buying us the meal.

Bar Area

Sleekly Designed Indoor Dining Room

Alfresco Dining at the Patio

With KampungBoy’s Parents

After the meal, we walked around the deck for some cam whoring session and to catch a glimpse of the prize-winning boats from the Monsoon Cup competition. Such a stunning place isn’t it? It better be, so much of money was spent on it!

The Heritage Bay Club Marina & Resort,
Pulau Duyong,
21300 Kuala Terengganu,
Terengganu.
Tel: 09-627 7888
Fax: 09-622 9903
E-mail: info@heritagebayclub.com.
Website: www.heritagebayclub.com